The Askesis of Diogenes.
Yeah, we're literally writing songs about ancient Greek philosophers now.

https://iep.utm.edu/diogenes-of-sinope/

Drums, percussion, mixing: R Thomas
Guitars, Melodica, Bass, Vocal, MIDI, mixing: PS Perkins

The Poem: https://mystictapedeck.com/bards/the-cynic/

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LYRICS
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Adrift In a world that you can't comprehend
As you shuffle down sidewalks you used to defend
And pick through the garbage from parties you no longer attend

You know you're a stranger in still stranger lands
Where the crumbling monuments once used to stand
And they look at you funny when you ask them where to find an honest man

When you're gone, long, long gone

When they try to dismiss you, you piss on their shoes
As they fondle their falsehoods and call them the truth
If only the hunger in our bellies were so easily soothed

But you are not like them and you don't even try
No matter how rotten, you can't make them cry
You're as real as their shadows but they'll never understand why

Until you're gone, long, long gone

So you eat in the market and sleep in a hole
You drink from your hands now instead of a bowl
Stand naked before them to show how the years take their toll

And when the wild dogs come to nip at your legs
And the passing onlookers who expect you to beg
But your life was a promise and it's far too late now to renege

And then you're gone, long, long gone

BARDS:Of The Shimmering Seraphs

The Cynic

READ THE ACCOMPANYING POEM HERE >> https://mystictapedeck.com/bards/the-gravedigger/

All drums and percussion: R Thomas
Guitars, synths, scraping sounds, vocals, bass, lyre, slide lyre, lyrics: PS Perkins
Mix and master by PS Perkins and R Thomas

E'en that...

Who'll supply the shovels used to split the sacred soil?
And who will help the spirit shuffle off this mortal coil?
Who'll embalm the body, who will mummify the husk?
And who will sail the flaming ship into the drowning dusk?

And who will dig the grave digger's grave?
Who will dig the grave diggers grave?
Who will dig the grave diggers grave?
Who will bury them?

Who is going to drive the hearse and consecrate the wine?
Who is going to build the box from the gnarled and knotty pine?
Who will be the artifex to decorate the tomb?
And who will bribe the jackal waiting at the gates of doom?

And who will dig the grave digger's grave?
Who will dig the grave diggers grave?
Who will dig the grave diggers grave?
Who will bury them?

E'en that...

"In youth, when I did love, did love,
Methought it was very sweet,
To contract, O, the time, for, ah, my behove,
O, methought, there was nothing meet."*

But age, with it's stealing steps
Hath clawed me in it's clutches
Age, with its stealing steps.

E'en that...


*From Shakespeare's Hamlet Act 5

The Grave Digger

The latest set I've put together, Gutter Prog. A dirty yet well fitted blend of Aussie Bush Prog, House, and Grime. 
Something very new and exciting with many more sets like this to come.
Enjoy.

Gutter Prog 24:09:2022 That Doof

Now what may foeman's malice do to harm us? What, O Immortal, mortal man's deception?
Absorbed into the heart, be sweet, O Indu, as a kind father to his son, O Soma,
As a wise Friend to friend: do thou, wide-ruler, O Soma, lengthen out our days for living.
These glorious drops that give me freedom have I drunk.
Closely they knit my joints as straps secure a chariot.

Let them protect my foot from slipping on the way: yea,
let the drops I drink preserve me from disease.
Make me shine bright like fire produced by friction:
give us a clearer sight and make us better.

Our maladies have lost their strength and vanished: they feared, and passed away into the darkness.
Soma hath risen in us, exceeding mighty, and we are come where men prolong existence.
Fathers, that Indu which our hearts have drunken, Immortal in himself, hath entered mortals.
So let us serve this Soma with oblation, and rest securely in his grace and favor.
Associate with the Fathers thou, O Soma, hast spread thyself abroad through earth and heaven.

Rig Veda HYMN XLVIII. Soma.

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Lyrics:

Deep under the mountain, the mechanical birth
Kissed by the sky, touched by the Earth
Emerging from the darkness to hold back the waters with a snake...

Drawn from the stone, forged in the flame
Hammered at the anvil and tempered by the rain
Points for the arrows to penetrate the scales of a snake...
To penetrate the scales of the snake

We sought the protector, we sipped of the nectar
We've gone to the light where we all live forever
We've gone to the Gods – what use are enemies now?
Oh, what use are enemies now?

These artifacts of war will outlast us all
In the past where we've flown, in the future we crawl
Back into the womb, what could they take from us now?
Oh, what could they take from us now?

Rustling in the reeds around the lake
Whispers of the law we never break
Oh, the many hammer strokes upon the stake
Eye of bat, tongue of newt, wing of snake
There is only the law.....

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Drums, cymbals, assorted cookie sheets, rubbermaid 50 gallon trash can full of empty aluminum cans (the can can), keyboard/synths, marching, thunder can, misc percussion – R Thomas

Guitars, bass, string arrangements, assorted cookie sheets, rain stick, samples, broken zither, vocals, marching, programming, lyrics, artwork – PS Perkins

Marching, assorted cookie sheets – Sabin Thomas

Mixed and mastered by PS Perkins and R Thomas

The Smith

Atlanta’s “Bog Witch” and Boise’s “Mystic Tape Deck” announce the release of a new collaborative single, “Dogs of Chernobyl” to mark the anniversary of the Chernobyl Disaster.

Following the April 26, 1986 nuclear accident, the City of Pripyat was evacuated. The residents were forced to leave their pets (including domestic dogs) behind.  

Nearly 40 years after the accident, the descendants of these dogs are still living in the Exclusion Zone and a study is currently taking place. 

Scientists are sampling the DNA of the dogs. Apparently, their DNA is irregular in some interesting ways.

Wendy writes “I couldn’t sleep one night and picked-up my phone to surf when I noticed an article about the radioactive dogs of Chernobyl.  Right away it seemed like a song.”  

Wendy invited Mystic Tape Deck to collaborate with her in creating the sonic pallet for this song, the proceeds from all sales of which will be donated to the Clean Futures Fund. 

The Clean Futures Fund relies upon donations to provide medical supplies, vaccines, and food for the dogs living in the Exclusion Zone.  

Donate $1 or more to the Clean Futures Fund via Bandcamp and receive a download of the single: https://mystictapedeck.bandcamp.com/track/dogs-of-chernobyl

Find out more about the Clean Futures Fund:
https://www.cleanfutures.org/dogs-of-chernobyl/

Wendy DuMond: Lyrics, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
PS Perkins: Electric Guitars, Bass, mallet snare, cymbal stack, midi
Ron Thomas: Drums, hand drums, shakers
Song by Wendy DuMond 
Produced, engineered, and mixed by Mystic Tape Deck
Mastered by Sid Hagan

https://soundcloud.com/mamby-p
https://soundcloud.com/mystictapedeck
https://mystictapedeck.com
http://www.okthenrecords.us/

Dogs of Chernobyl

Donate

"Dogs of Chernobyl" - Bog Witch + Mystic Tape Deck

Additional story here: https://mystictapedeck.com/mythology/the-mountebank/

Guitars, "townie" vocals, timbales, hand drums, drum kit, piano, toy piano, percussion: R Thomas
Guitars, "monty" vocals, melodica, omnichord, ebow, bass, percussion, toy piano, claps and snaps: PS Perkins
Additional guitar snippets: KVN Finch
Spanish guitar outro: Mark Wand

LYRICS:
----------------------------
(townie)
People in this town, they've all seen you hangin' around
They don't like it
They're not buyin' what you're sellin', standing' on your box and yellin'
They don't like it
Their sentiment is strong, and they asked you move along
They don't like it. They really don't like it.

(monty)
People in this town, one by one they sneak around
They seem to like it
They come and they go, they never let the neighbors know
That they like it
They may hide it from the rest, but their coins inside my chest say they like it
Oh, I think they like it. They like it.

(townie)
With your shell games and dice, I ain't tellin' you twice
I don't like it
They're down on their knees while you sell them your disease
I don't like it
With your slug milk and wine, they're just fish on your line
I don't like it I really don't like it.

(monty)
I am just a businessman, I make my living where I can
The way I like it
I am sure you understand, I'm just meeting their demand
And I like it
So there's no need to taunt, I just give them what they want and they like it, 
Oh I think they like it, and I like it

(townie)
They say that you're depraved, that you're sick and can't be saved
We don't like it.
And the medicine you sell isn't making them well
We don't like it.
So just get on down the road, if you'd like, I'll help you load
We don't like it. We really don't like it.

(monty)
My patience wearing thin, I take another one on the chin
Because they like it.
So I guess I'll up and go, take my tack and tents in tow
I don't like it
But your virtue is a clown, so I'll go to the next town
Where they like it. I'll go where they like it.
Where they like it.

The Mountebank

A banned book fetish. That's our current kink.

Read the accompanying poem here while you listen: https://mystictapedeck.com/bards/the-librarian/

PS Perkins: Guitars, Bass, Vocals, Piano, wood blocks, programming
R Thomas: Drums, Wah guitar, shakers, cowbell
 
LYRICS
--------------------------
A secret knock, a hidden door, a narrow hallway
The eyeless guide sees us inside, watching us always
As we meander down the aisles, 
Rows of spines which stretch for miles
And we show our special card
On the scent of another shard

A vaulted dome, a musty tome, an umbrous alcove
A sacred space, a quiet place, a sunken treasure trove
Details infinitesimal
Dewiest of decimals
Ever stranger truth to know
As we squish the forbidden fruit between our toes

A deeper shaft, an ancient craft, a garish goblin
The icy stare, the purple hair, a memory maudlin
Going deep down in the mines
With a shining pick to grind
The librarian lights the way
Understands the game we play

A puzzle piece, a glob of grease, a rusted lever
A blazing fire, we never tire, we nurse our fever
Run our fingers down the crease
Gently comb the golden fleece
Read aloud the sacred scroll
Let's show these muggles how we roll

They cant stand you, they want to ban you
They want to sterilize and pack you up and can you
They prefer truth that's mass produced
Because they're lacking the tenacity to grasp you
So let me ask you: what's the bigger threat?
While we're waiiting on a bomb you haven't dropped yet
They'd rather burn you then have to learn you
Their little fingers are too slippery to turn you
The truth waits for us to dissect it
And librarians are here to protect it
So grab some glasses if you need
And climb atop the worlds' mightiest steed
We're gonna read until our fingers bleed
It's a seed, it's a need, it's an urge you gotta heed
It's a growl in your stomach that you know you gotta feed
Let's show 'em how to read!

The Librarian

While we wait for BARDS: Of The Shimmering Seraphs to finish physical production, in the meantime we are forging ahead with a new crop of songs for the next album. The next album will serve as a continuation of the oracle deck concept, featuring songs about "objects" - the first of which be this little song about the magical horn of the elusive and beautiful Aardvark Girl. It is also about a recently discovered strange dwarf planet at the farthest reaches of our solar system.

Gǃkúnǁʼhòmdímà  was discovered on 19 Oct 2007 at the Palomar observatory in California, at 9:09 UT. Gkunhomdima is a member of the extended scattered disc and is a trans-Neptunian object (TNO). Its orbit is inclined 23° off the ecliptic and is quite elliptical. It was knocked out of a normal orbit early in the history of the solar system, probably as Neptune migrated outward to its current position, which gives the high  inclination of Gkunhomdima’s orbit. However, there is no known orbital resonance with any other planetary body, except for its binary companion. Its ‘moon’, or secondary is called G!o’e !Hu (pronounced GOH ay KOO). Goeku means ‘horn’, or Oryx horn. And that takes us to a bit of mythology.

Gǃkúnǁʼhòmdímà is also the Beautiful Aardvark Girl of Juǀʼhoan mythology, who sometimes appears in the stories of other San peoples as a python girl or elephant girl; she defends her people and punishes wrongdoers using gǁámígǁàmì spines [devil’s thorn plant], a rain-cloud full of hail, and her magical oryx horn.

Drums and percussion, keyboards, backup vocals: R Thomas
Guitars, Mandolin, Melodica, Bass, Lead vocals, backup vocals: PS Perkins

LYRICS:
-------------------------------
Aardvark girl, come trumpet your horn
Bellow your clarion call
Summon your dark and impenetrable cloud
And let your hailstones fall

Are we just ants crawling around on the ground
Are we just termites in a crumbling mound

Scatter the poisoned thorns in their lane
May they tread upon those in their path
The stinging in their feet shall remind them
They’ll be dead before their next bath

Aardvark girl burrow down in your den
The night will be ending soon
The Oryx are gathered at the watering hole
And your face is in the moon

Are we just ants crawling around on the ground
Are we just termites in a crumbling mound
We are just ants crawling around on the ground
We are just termites in a crumbling mound

The Oryx of the Aardvark Girl

LoSo-Eco - Dark House - CCR 20th Anniversary @ Warehouse 25 03/08/2024

Some things belong underground, though they may emerge every now and then to feed in the night.

"The Busy Worms" is a sweet little bedtime story about things which wiggle and dance in the serious moonlight. So let's dance. But then it's time for bed.


LYRICS
----------------------------------------
(What? Oh I guess I can tell you one little story. Ok, lay down...)

A wee little wiggle, deep underground
Turn of the shovel, see what we've found
Yes you can hold one but don't squeeze too tight
They'll squirm from your fingers and slip out of sight

Now don't worry darling, don't catch a fright
The worms are just hungry, they feed in the night
Slippery, slimy and hidden from sight
Twisting and turning they dance in the moonlight
Dance in the moonlight

The worms are busy tonight

Yes you can hold one but don't squeeze too tight
They'll squirm from your fingers and slip out of sight

The earth is no object, it's just passing through
They keep the soil healthy for me and for you
Slippery, slimy and hidden from sight
Twisting and turning they dance in the moonlight
The serious moonlight

The worms are busy tonight

Did you ever think when a hearse drives by
That you may be the next to die?
They'll wrap you up in a big white sheet
That covers you from your head to your feet
They'll lower you down in a deep dark pit
And leave you alone to rot in it
The big black bug with the big red eyes
Crawls in your innards and out your sides
The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out
They dance the watusi upon your snout
The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out

(Good night, sweet dreams. See you in the morning!)

The Busy Worms

AVANT GARDE | GUTTER PROG | GARAGE JAZZ

Some of our art is made on computers, some of it is made by hand. We are particularly interested in that gray area in between where you cant really tell. All of what we create here is one work laid out in segments, all connected. The Mystic Tape Deck universe is vast and explores all manner of adding meaning to our lives, while pondering meaninglessness.

Please consider supporting our project and helping us complete the work. We make books and cds that go with them. We also have a graphic novel and a custom oracle deck in the works. All part of the story.

A Multimedia Puzzle-Story Of An Immortal Being's Struggle To Define And Exert Their Will Upon A Wholly Deterministic And Ambivalent Multiverse, And The Strange Cult Who Loves Them.

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Greetings to you: readers, beaders, seekers, wanderers, wonderers, outsiders, rebels, fantasy gamers, freaks, mythologists, philosophers, appreciators, creators, perpetuators of beauty, coveters of mysterious objects, collectors of counter culture, the curious, the questioners, the unusual, the unique, the star children, the light workers, shadow integrators, diviners, alchemists, hermits, monks and popes, the saviors and prophets, the builders and destroyers of worlds, the old ones, the young ones, the rollers of boulders, the sun orbiters, the morning star dewdrops and twinkle toed dreamers of dreams, you mystic shining beacons, you crossers and denizens of the void, reality shapers, universe makers and underworld freaks.

"A prominent feature of avant-garde music is to break through various rules and regulations of traditional culture, in order to transcend established creative principles and appreciation habits. Avant-garde music pursues novelty in musical form and style, insisting that art is above everything else; thus, it creates a transcendental and mysterious sound world. Hint, metaphor, symbol, association, imagery, synesthesia and perception are widely used in avant-garde music techniques to excavate the mystery of human heart and the flow of consciousness, so that many seemingly unrelated but essentially very important events interweave into multi-level structures and forms."

LoSo-Eco

Over 15 years in the Tasmanian music industry, SheaJa-Vu/LoSo-Eco has focused hard on everything psychedelic and music related. This DJ/Producer is always striving to push boundaries and create something very new, whether its a new sound, new genre, or a new way of hearing an existing genre. For a decade he has worked the Tasmanian Doof circuit playing everything from house parties to new years festivals and other countless shows over the years. Now relocated to Brisbane to share with the world ‘Urban Groove’ & ‘Gutter-Prog’.

SheaJa-Vu/LoSo-Eco

Over 15 years in the Tasmanian music industry, SheaJa-Vu/LoSo-Eco has focused hard on everything psychedelic and music related. This DJ/Producer is always striving to push boundaries and create something very new, whether its a new sound, new genre, or a new way of hearing an existing genre. For a decade he has worked the Tasmanian Doof circuit playing everything from house parties to new years festivals and other countless shows over the years. Now relocated to Brisbane to share with the world ‘Urban Groove’ & ‘Gutter-Prog’.

Popular tracks tagged #gutter prog