This is the first of my new tracks released for the collection "Dragon's Droppings". It's a crazy prog-fusion blitz that makes a timely statement about the destructive influence of some political movements. Lyrics are below. Thanks to my amazingly talented friends for contributing to this challenging project:
Doug Simpson - lead and backing vocals
Pete Nielsen - rhythm and lead guitars
Marco Meniconi - bass
T. W. Tobin - drums, keys, programming, engineering, mastering
Words and music by T. W. Tobin  Ⓒ2023 T. W. Tobin

(DEATH TO THE) MIND SEND

Hail to the mind send
I hope you think you’re ready
Hail to the mind send
They hope you think you’re ready

And if you’re not, that’s okay
They don’t know you anyway
But if you talk like you know
They just might let you go

Hail to the mind send
It’s got you undercover
Hail to the mind send
You’ll never be discovered

Now that you’ve found them, you can say
That theirs is the only way
And if you talk like you know
They might never let you go

Did they teach you anything,
like who you ought to be?
Did they teach you anything,
like what you shouldn’t see?
Did they give you anything,
like words that make you dream?
Did they make you anything,
like part of their machine?

Is that what you want to know?
Is that where you want to go?
Is that what you want to see?
Is that who you want to be?

If you don’t, it’s okay
They don’t need you anyway
They’ll always talk like they know
But you know where they’ll go

Death to the mind send
We hope they know we’re ready
Death to the mind send
They’ll always know we’re ready

And if they don’t, that’s okay
They don’t know us anyway
But if they talk like they know
We might never let them go.

(Death To The) Mind Send

The next track released for my collection, "Dragon's Droppings," is another fun adventure. As a tribute to creativity, it features an unusual time signature, evolving musical elements, and other twists and turns. Fun fact: listen for the Morse code, which spells out a few words from the lyric (see below).
T. W. Tobin: drums, keys, vocal, programming, mix, master
Pete Nielsen: acoustic rhythm guitar, lead guitar
Words and music by T. W. Tobin. ©2023 T. W. Tobin

PLATFORM 5

Up here on Platform 5,
so good to have arrived 
On air that’s elevated*,
we sail above the tide

Up here on Platform 5,
senses come alive
Vision unrestricted,
music amplified

Up here on Platform 5,
spirits are revived
Vital force electric
Weightless souls inspired

Up here on Platform 5,
the stage is energized
Each actor activated*
by a drama forged in fire

Up here on Platform 5,
each step is improvised
Create* with every movement,
open every door

Up here on Platform 5,
life is harmonized
Every note we animate*
within an endless score

Platform 5

Another track released for my collection "Dragon's Droppings". This one is my tribute to the famous story by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. Lyrics are below. Thanks to my amazing cousin Nancy for contributing her Spanish translation and vocal to this one.
Nancy Ruth - Spanish spoken word
T. W. Tobin - English spoken word, drums, keys, all instrument programming, engineering, mastering
Words and music by TWT. Ⓒ2023 T. W. Tobin

DON QUIXOTE
[Words by T. W. Tobin, based on the Cervantes novel]

Don Quijote, héroe, tonto, alma mágico
   [Don Quixote, hero, fool, magical soul]
Una brillante visión, una noble búsqueda
   [A brilliant vision, a noble quest]
Revivir una época de hazañas valientes
   [Relive an age of gallant deeds]
Mientras los otros sólo ven a un viejo loco
   [While others see only a crazy old man]

Alonso Quijano reads again
of chivalry in days gone by 
His dream to be knight-errant
will be realized under morning’s sky
Don Quixote de La Mancha rides on out
to redress all manner of wrongs
In the name of Dulcinea del Toboso,
his lady and heart’s song

Once knighted by the innkeeper, 
Don Quixote walks with pride
Until the servant of a silk merchant, 
mercilessly beats his hide
But with Sancho Panza as his squire, 
the knight again is roving
Fighting windmill giants and Alifanfaron’s 
army in sheep’s clothing

The “Knight of the Sad Countenance” defends
his careers of arms against that of letters
But unappreciated and humiliated, Don Quixote
is ushered home by ox cart for his better
Not to be restrained, the Don and squire escape again, 
set toward a jousting match
On the way, the Knight of Mirrors makes challenge, 
and the Don triumphs without a scratch

Victorious, the pair marches on, to mistake puppets for Moors
and suffer disgrace by Duke and Duchess
But while receiving honours by the royal galleys, 
the White Moon Knight soon forces him to abandon his quest

Don Quixote rode on out, evil enchanter at his heels, 
considered by most a hapless clown
But his vision would turn those who mocked to mimic, 
persuaded that his madness was profound.

Don Quijote, caballero, payaso, espíritu glorioso
   [Don Quixote, knight, clown, glorious spirit]
Una sabiduría extraña, un viaje magnifico
   [A strange wisdom, a magnificent journey]
Encontrar el honor en el valor, y la verdad en la justicia
   [To find honour in valour, truth in justice]
Arriesgar todo por el amor de su señora
   [To dare to risk everything for his lady’s love]

Don Quixote

Another track released for my collection "Dragon's Droppings". This jazzy, funny little number describes a difficult relationship from the woman's perspective. Lyrics are below. Thanks to my amazing cousin Nancy for her wonderful vocals on this one, and to my friends Pete and Marco for doing great guitar and bass work.
Nancy Ruth - lead and backing vocals
Pete Nielsen - rhythm guitar
Marco Meniconi - bass
T. W. Tobin - drums, keys, all instrument programming, b.vocals, engineering, mastering
Words and music by TWT. Ⓒ2023 T. W. Tobin

[THE] BUBBLING PRESSURIZATION EFFECT SOUND
T. W. Tobin

Things are getting hotter 
and talk is getting tough
This crazy thing ain’t working 
and I think I’ve had enough
He’s working all the angles 
and he’s bending all the rules
He’s got me in a corner
like he’s done with other fools

The bubbling pressurization effect sound

It used to be a good love
It was always eye-to-eye
There wasn’t any reason 
for the daring do-or-die
But now he’s changed his story
He’s impossible to please 
The fatal blow is building
and my head can feel the squeeze

It’s a matter of contention
It’s a question of degree
How many women have lived
to tell this mortal misery
When all is looking hopeless
and you’re about to lose your thread
There’ll be a blurring of your vision
and a pounding in your head.

Bubbling Pressurization Effect Sound

This next track released for my collection, "Dragon's Droppings," is my tribute to the exotic sounds of the Middle East. Imagine the stories of Scheherazade and the 1001 Nights with the adventures of Aladdin, Ali Baba, and Sinbad. Thanks to my friend Phil for the wonderfully mysterious guitar solo.
T. W. Tobin: drum kit; instrument programming (percussion, fretless bass, Eastern instruments, orchestral instruments); mix and master
Phil Rossner: electric 'e-bow' guitar
Music by T. W. Tobin. ©2023 T. W. Tobin

Dragon's Droppings

A Swirl Of Smoke, A Splash Of Blood

This is the sixth track released for the collection "Dragon's Droppings". This one celebrates the excitement and energy we all experience with the arrival of spring. Lyrics are below. Thanks to my friend Doug once again for his amazing vocals.
Doug Simpson - lead vocal
T. W. Tobin - backing vocals, drums, keys (harpsichord, calliope, piano), instrument programming (double bass, flute, orchestral strings, horns, and winds), engineering, mastering
Words and music by T. W. Tobin Ⓒ2024 T. W. Tobin

SUN'S UP

Sun’s up and everybody’s walkin’
Sun’s up and everybody’s talkin’ 
Head out, ‘cause springtime’s all around

Sun’s up and everybody’s hoppin’
Sun’s up and everybody’s shoppin’
So good to get out on the town

[chorus]
Everybody’s jauntin’
Everybody’s flauntin’
Everybody’s wantin’ … to ride
To see what’s outside
To see what’s gone by
It’s just sad old winter
There’s no need to cry

Sun’s up and all the buds are bloomin’
Sun’s up and birds and bees are zoomin’
So nice to see it all green again

Sun’s up and all the cars are cruisin’
Sun’s up, it’s time you stopped your snoozin’
Get up, get goin’ down the lane

Sun’s up s’what all the kids are sayin’
Sun’s up and all the kids are playin’
Time to take in that new spring air

Sun’s up and all the gloom’s behind us
Sun’s up, it’s come back to remind us
Time to forget about all your cares.

Sun's Up

A new rocker from Doug Simpson with a scary 'hairy' theme.
Doug Simpson - all vocals
Pete Nielsen - all guitars
Jason Deatherage - bass, drums
T. W. Tobin - organ, instrument programming
Produced and engineered by T. W. Tobin
Image: public domain, illustration for "The Werewolf Howls", Weird Tales (November 1941)

Moonbeam

Another epic rocker from Doug Simpson - this one is a tribute to the classic TV series Battlestar Galactica.
Doug Simpson - all vocals
Pete Nielsen - all guitars
Jason Deatherage - bass, drums
T. W. Tobin - keys, programming
Produced and engineered by T. W. Tobin
©2025 D. Simpson
Image license attribution: Some rights reserved by ckroberts61

Evil Machines

Another great original song by Doug Simpson. This one's filled with heartfelt nostalgia.
Doug Simpson - lead and backing vocals, synth, tambourine
Pete Nielsen - all guitars, bass
Jason Deatherage - drums
T. W. Tobin - synth programming
©2024 D. Simpson   Produced by T. W. Tobin

Good Old Days

A magical, rockin' song written by Phil Rossner, performed by a group of our talented friends.
Doug Simpson - lead and backing vocals
Pete Nielsen - rhythm and lead guitars
Jason Deatherage - bass and drums
T. W. Tobin - organ, instrument programming
Ⓒ2025 Phil N. Rossner.  Words and music by PNR. Produced and engineered by TWT.  Image: PNR.

Come Back To Me

The eighth song completed for my album "Dragon's Droppings". This one is a strangely optimistic little tune about death and dying. See below for lyrics.
T. W. Tobin - all vocals, drums, keys, instrument programming, mix, mastering.
©2025 T. W. Tobin Music and words by TWT. Album art by TWT.

DISINTEGRATING MAN
©2025 T. W. Tobin

Shuffle up my dying deck and deal out all my cards
Sell off all my rusting parts to the cosmic junkyard
Break me down and rake me down into this mother earth
Let the microbes do their dirty work to weed out any worth

But before all I was is gone and escapes this mortal coil
Before my bones disintegrate and my fibres turn to soil
Before my dust departs this sphere and starts to transit space
I only want to know one thing before my crumbs vacate this place

[chorus]
Where will my soul go? Will I retrace history’s road?
Will Confucius share his truths and Hammurabi quote his code?
Where will my soul go, as I rot to smithereens?
Will I argue with Aristotle and drink coffee with James Dean?

Dissolve me and devolve me, disassemble every bit
Ship my particles on ether trails after every atom splits
Send my segments into orbits 'round the endless galaxies
Fling my fragments into motion 'round a billion star axes

But before my molecules dismember and my dentistry decays
Before my last good suit dishevels and my fashion fades away
Before my wiry framework withers and wanders ‘cross the universe
I only want to know one thing before my flecks and specks disperse

[chorus]
Where will my soul go? Will I still have more to say?
Will I share a joke with Wilde and a drink with Hemingway?
Where will my soul go when my giblets turn to jam?
Will I doodle with Lautrec or riff a rhyme with old Khayyam?

Where will my soul go, will I join with a giant’s voice?
Will I recount heroes with Homer, jaw for hours with James Joyce?
Where will my soul go? Are there revelations to receive?
Will I get “I told you so” from H.G. Wells and even from Nietzsche?

[outro]
Where will it go?
Is that you Frank? … Allan? … Bonzo? … Gustav?
Where will it go?
Odyssée

Disintegrating Man

This is the seventh track released for my collection "Dragon's Droppings". I named this instrumental "Scoot" as it made me think of a sunny day on the beach, watching crabs scoot along the sand. Special thanks to Jason Deatherage (of the Surf Hermits) for the groovy guitar solo, and to my old friend Marco Meniconi for the great bass track and an excellent mastering job!
T. W. Tobin - drums, keys (organ, Wurlitzer piano), instrument programming (marimba, vibraphone, horns, percussion), engineering
Guitar - Jason Deatherage
Bass - Marco Meniconi, mastering
Music by T. W. Tobin Ⓒ2025 T. W. Tobin

Scoot

I’m very proud to release this next track for my album ‘Dragon’s Droppings’. This song is dedicated to my very good friend and past musical collaborator - Kelly Holmquist - or “Kel” for short, who sadly passed away this year. Written by me with the hope it would feature Kel’s great guitar playing, the song has instead gathered a few friends to pay tribute to him in the best way we can. The song features Kel’s actual voice repeating the song’s title, extracted from a distant past crazy conversation that also inspired the other nonsensical spoken-word lyrics. The tune ends abruptly, as was Kel's passing.
Kel - voice in choruses
Ben Denslow - second voice in verses
Pete Nielsen - rhythm guitar, guitar solo in pre-chorus
Nat Martin - guitar solo in outro
Marco Meniconi - bass
T. W. Tobin - first voice in verses, gang vocals, drums, percussion, keys, horns programming
Produced, mixed, and mastered by T. W. Tobin  ©2025 T. W. Tobin

O, SPINKLY FETTLE CHIMNEY WHISK
Music and lyrics by T. W. Tobin

The Vikings Man left deposits on my apartment door
Grogon’s freaked and can’t take it anymore.

Peter lives on the perimeter and keeps his camera on. 
Capturing others enjoying the Stimulawn. 

Developed by technologists who really care about YOU
But regarding Shangri-La, what does this all have to do?

I’m a quadratic mathematician - power of two is as far as I’ll go.
Gotta draw the line somewhere, ya know.

I’ve lost myself. I don’t know who I am, bro’s. 
My cuffs are half a foot and I have twinkling toes.

I am the phallic symbol of my own world, dad.
Is that like being a godhead gone bad?

Their insurrection healed the wounds of a dying religion.
Disrespectful of society’s icons, but just a smidgen.

I’m sitting in the happy chair. So what’s the risk?
You’re in the romantic chair. O, spinkly fettle chimney whisk.

O, Spinkly Fettle Chimney Whisk

This is a fun new track for my album ‘Dragon’s Droppings’. It's a very different kind of breakup song, with a Cuban salsa flavour. Written in collaboration with my friend and guitarist Grant Lucas. Thanks again to our other friends for contributing their exceptional talents to this one. See below for lyrics.

Dave Preston - lead and harmony vocals
Grant Lucas - guitars
Marco Meniconi - bass
T. W. Tobin - drums, percussion, piano, organ, strings, and horns and Spanish spoken word programming

Produced, mixed, and mastered by TWT.  ©2025 T. W. Tobin & Grant Lucas

YOUR RESIDUE
Music by G. Lucas & T. W. Tobin. Lyrics by T. W. Tobin.

It all started sliding the day you slithered in
With a girl like you, a guy just can’t win
I had to end the misery, settle up the score
But can’t rid my life of you after booting you out the door
	
Your residue. Had to scrub out all the closets
Your residue. Had to wipe off all the faucets
Your residue. Had to cleanse the Cuisinart
Your residue. Had to Hoover out my heart

Thought you were a soul mate, someone I could trust
Got a two-faced tart with a caustic crust
Sucked in by a siren singing out of tune
To see your ass leaving couldn’t come too soon

Your residue. Had to sanitize the sofa
Your residue. Held last rites for your Loofah
Your residue. Had to pour out all your beers
Your residue. Had to mop up all my tears


[Interlude - Spanish spoken word]

Thought that finding you was too good to be true
But that turned to terror as you twisted in the screw
With love down the toilet I finally broke free
Tried to flush your face, but the dregs of you are still with me

Your residue. I used a microscope to find
Your residue. Every speck you’d left behind 
Your residue. Had to fumigate the bed
Your residue. Contaminates my head

Your residue. The sticky spills of latte
Your residue. The hairy hills of pâté 
Your residue. Greasy globs of makeup
Your residue. Sad remnants of this breakup

Had to scour around the sink while I mixed another drink
Took a full-on bug spray blitz to give your nasty bits a spritz.

Your Residue

A wonderful Latin-infused pop song from the incredible Nancy Ruth, recorded at Frog Song Studio a few years back.  Nancy has since released many more CDs, all Euro-based productions, and on one of them she re-recorded this song with a much fuller arrangement that sounds awesome.

Sigo Viviendo

Good friend of mine Steve Hughes wrote this and we laid it down at Frog Song Studio a couple of years back.. Just a fun blues thing, with Steve on guitars and harp and me adding in the backing.

Cake And Pie

Vince Pollitt performs traditional 'Last Post' on trumpet. Engineered by T. W. Tobin at Frog Song Studio during 2010. For a nice video version of this, visit https://youtu.be/L0b3pfq9ZJk

Last Post

Bark, Tuna, Bark!

Out Of Your Head

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WHO IS T. W. TOBIN?  
I'm a musician, songwriter, and producer-engineer-owner of Frog Song Studio based on the west coast of Canada. I've recorded, mixed, and mastered projects for many bands and artists (see samples at https://soundcloud.com/t-w-tobin/sets/frog-song-studio) in a variety of genres as well as my own original material (see https://soundcloud.com/t-w-tobin/albums), the latest of which is a collection called "Dragon's Droppings", my first new material since my album "Bark, Tuna, Bark!".

Some other history: 
FINE SPIRITS - From 2009 to 2021, I was the drummer for this Victoria, BC cover band, as well as producing and engineering our demos (see http://soundcloud.com/fine-spirits/sets). 
MOLD COLONY - I was the drummer, co-writer, and producer-engineer for two albums released by this indie alternative band (see https://soundcloud.com/mold-colony/albums). 
HOP 'N' BARLEYS - From the late 1990s through the early 2000s, I was the drummer for this Victoria-based band, producing-engineering our last tracks of original 'Secret Unreleased Material' (see https://soundcloud.com/hopnbarleys/albums).

T. W. Tobin

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