The journey is finally complete! 
Download your own copy (pay what you want or nothing at all)...
TheSmokingTrout.BandCamp.Com

Thanks to all who joined us along the way...

Uziel @user-455619833
Stonerjazz @user-911083679
Zed @zed4209819
Nic @nic_nic_nic
Nadia Selvaggi @nadiaselvaggi
Sonic Structures and Silent Stretches @sonic-textures

And thanks to all who listened. This project was a blast!

You'll get better audio quality on BandCamp, but this SoundCloud version contains 2 bonus tracks at the end. Both are expanding upon the poem that Stonerjazz wrote for the second half of 'Johnny and the Holy Din' called 'A Tiny Possibility of Grace'.

Land of Zed -  The Smoking Trout's debut album (Tea R. Sea, Stonerjazz, Uziel, & friends)

Vocals and Art by Stonerjazz @user-911083679
Vocals by Uziel @user-455619833
Beat, synths and mix by Tea Are Sea
Lyrics written or adapted by Stonerjazz (posted below)

This is the first installment in a new collaborative experimental concept album project that Stonerjazz and I have dreamed up! Thanks Uziel and Jeff for an awesome collab experience, this was so much fun!

-- LYRICS --

VERSE 1 (original words by Stonerjazz):

Enjoy and deploy the decoy for the marvelous girl and boy with the dog with the bell who can tell it's a plot or a ploy for Roy the despicable despot in the mysterious land of ZED.
Sleeping in my bed like the dead with the fed who breaks down the door with the might of the law and a mechanized Saw.
Where pity is scarce and money is gone for good, misunderstood in mysterious days and weeks ahead
To be led to the spot where they chop off the heads of all those that disagree that the kids should be free, just around the bend from where the horses run free and there's barely a tree to be seen...

VERSE 2 (A warriors mantra from the book "The Eagles Gift" by Carlos Castaneda):

I'm already given to the powers that rule my fate, and I cling to nothing
so I will have nothing to defend..
I have no thoughts, so I will see
and I fear nothing, so I will remember myself
detached and at ease, I will dart past the eagle to be free.

Johnny's Magical Squeezebox (Land of the ZED #1) - Stonerjazz | Uziel | Tea Are Sea

Words, vocals, guitar/mellotron and acoustic drums by Stonerjazz @user-911083679
Vocals and art by Uziel @user-455619833
Synth, electro beats, and mix by Tea Are Sea
Lyrics by Stonerjazz (posted below)
Intro/outro samples found on freesound.org
Concept developed by all 3 of us!

This is the second installment in the new collaborative experimental concept album project that Stonerjazz, Uziel and I have dreamed up. The journey continues, hope you enjoy the magical ride! 

-- LYRICS --

Johnny sitting all alone on a log playin his Magic Accordion just for the hell of it or so seems
that's when i did happened by and to my surprize, got sucked through a crack in time
and began to fly and fly and fly right on by the pillars of the guardians to the land of Zed
where Roy had painted all the monkeys and the parrots red, and turned them into spys Then declared that Music it was dead and put a price on young johnnys head for letting all the Flyers into Zed with his Magic accordian..

They were musician every one, with instruments of every kind making such a holy din and singing loud cacaphony and six part harmonies in the Sky...

Act 2

Oh johnny oh johnny what have you done
oh johnny oh johnny with that magic accordian.
oh johnny oh johnnyeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
hangin by a thread, i thought of somethin someone said
then slipped beyond the pale and walked amongst the shadows of the pine
the southern wind sublime upon my face, the tracks of tears erased, washed clean of any trace
and leaves me to the tiny possibility of Grace.

Johnny and the Holy Din (Land of the ZED #2) - Stonerjazz | Uziel | Tea Are Sea

Arrangement, Words, Vocals, Piano and more by Uziel @user-455619833
Guitar and Mellotron by Stonerjazz @user-911083679
Synth lines and mix by Tea Are Sea

Wow, another incredible collaborative experience! This is the 3rd installment in the Land of ZED concept series that Stonerjazz, Uziel, and I are developing. Check out the whole playlist here if you're interested: https://soundcloud.com/tea_are_sea/sets/land-of-the-zed

Thanks for listening!

Lyrics:

He searched through threads
those bodies struck up in spiderwebs
he cut himself down
tight roped all around
he walk despite the endless evergreen beneath
helping those who were gone
broken compass dial pointing wrong
he hold the auspice firmly
guidance will come
watching changing arrows
red moon call out
the wolves cry up
it's gotten so dark so quickly
will he make it out of here?

Spiderwebs (Land of the ZED #3) - Uziel | Stonerjazz | Tea Are Sea

Vocals, words, guitar, artwork, and more by Stonerjazz @user-911083679
Vocals by Uziel @user-455619833
Beat and most electro/synth parts by me

A return to the weird world of Zed! Uziel, Stonerjazz, and I present the next installment in our wacky psychedelic concept album series!

Check out the whole story (so far) here: soundcloud.com/tea_are_sea/sets/land-of-the-zed

Lyrics:
Now Zed it has six moons, the sky is pink and the clouds are blue the waters black and full of trout that smoke and cuss and shout at passerbys with azzure eyes who confidently stroll all about with casual and arrogant distain for everything and everyone.

The trees wear pants with just one leg and hop around gesticulating wildly and obcenely strutting up and down.
While tiny little people there grow out of cracks that appear in giant rocks on summer nights when lightning strikes the ground. Where upon they are set free and drop like ripe cherries from a cherry tree, much to the Glee of local carnivors who Howl and strutt and say in their vernacular how grand it is to have these morsels for the pleasure and their nourishment.

The rats wear suits of hemp and gold and smokes cigars and drive fast cars all custom made on mars with headlights full of tiny little stars.And all the while, the crows hang out in byker Bars.

The sky is down, the world is flat. the truths a like, Birds don't fly, theres no such thing as apple pie, water isn't wet on Zed, and all the dead, they didnt really die, It's just a lie told by some guy.

There are no towns and clowns are specifically Prohibited.

everything that's good to eat grows on the street in bite size chunks of cheese and meat and vegtables with little tiny wings that flap and soar enthuiastically like butterflies in heat.

When Johnny finally got his groove and his accordian was Wailin on some mystic movie theme about the decline of humankind in 2029. He inadvertantly opened up another crack that started bringing something back from Zed..It opened up a gate, it removed a Grate.

Butterflies In Heat (Land of the ZED #4) - Stonerjazz | Uziel | Tea Are Sea

We're very happy to present this next installment in the Land of Zed saga. Stonerjazz, Uziel and I began this imaginative, narrative concept album project last spring and have been adding to the story one song at a time. It's always an incredible experience to work with these two amazing artists!

Check out the whole story (so far) here: soundcloud.com/tea_are_sea/sets/land-of-the-zed

Vocals, vocal manipulation, lyrics, piano, composition of part 1 + transition, and more  by Uziel @user-455619833

Spoken word vocals, guitar, mellotron, composition of part 2, and more by Stonerjazz @user-911083679

Experimental/atmospheric synth elements, mix/production, and final arrangement by @tea_are_sea

The Mountains Thought the Moons Were Mad (Land of the ZED #5) - Uziel | Stonerjazz | tea are sea

Stonerjazz, Uziel, and me have joined forces once again for another adventure in our fantastical concept album universe 'the land of Zed'! This time we are also joined by a new collaborator, Zed a.k.a. Francesca from Italy. It is just coincidence/synchronicity that her name is the same as the title of this series, but after crossing paths on soundcloud and listening to her music, we thought she would be a good fit!

The lyrics for this one pick up on a thread of the story that we left hanging at the end of episode 2, 'Johnny and the Holy Din' ... but there are call-backs to nearly all the other songs in the series too if you listen closely.

Check out the whole story (so far) here: soundcloud.com/tea_are_sea/sets/land-of-the-zed

Words and vocals by Stonerjazz @user-911083679

Vocals by Uziel @user-455619833

Atmospheric background synths and samples by Zed @zed4209819

Beat, synths and mix by me @tea_are_sea

Artwork by Lotus Crab https://lotuscrab.artstation.com/

Lyrics:

Through some inexplicable and somewhat puzzling magical circummstance beyond understanding as we know it; an opening opened amongst the craigs and mists and the protruberances high in the mountains of southern Zed.. And out of the dank and dark and stink of the stank stepped a warrior so fine with a golden accordian that did shine like the sun.

And the musicians all trapped in the sky screamed and they cried for they had lost all their hope and their mojo was gone and they were prepared to die. They were prepared to die..

So Johnny sat down on the ledge in front of the cave so incredibly brave with legs dangling in space and began to play a tune so sweets that even the red parrots and monkeys started to cry, and Roy the despicable despot was Shaken to his shoes and said: 

"Hey Johnny, can you play me some Blues??"

All of Zed did head for the byways that led to the mountains that day.. The Azzure eyed twits and all of their brats, the crows in their leathers with beads in their feathers, the Rats in their custom made chevys from mars. Though sadly the Trout had to stay but needless to say, there was a grand party that day when twenty two hundred entered that cave with visions of home, songs in their brains, and hopes in their hearts...And No one suspected the Evil that lay deep in the guts of the southern mountains of Zed..

Johnny Plays The Blues (Land of the ZED #6) - Stonerjazz | Uziel | Zed | tea are sea

New album Digital Molasses is now available on BandCamp and SC, will be released to other platforms in May! I'll be offline for most April, will catch up with you when I return.

On this page you'll find music from me as well as the collaborative SoundCloud band, The Smoking Trout.

Genre influences include electronic, downtempo, lofi, experimental, rock, blues, indie, prog, post rock, ambient, synthwave, trip hop, and hip hop. I make tracks primarily with Cubasis and Korg Gadget (iOS); Ableton Live; Korg and Moog softsynths, Volca Drum, Minilogue XD, Arturia Microfreak, Arturia Pigments, and the FabFilter Pro suite of effects and production tools.

The art featured as the background image on my main profile page here is by KEVLARD666 (www.instagram.com/kevlard666/) @ikelion666 and will be the cover of my 2024 album, to be released soon: Digital Molasses 

My sound has been inspired by Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, DJ Shadow, Radiohead, LCD Soundsystem, the Flaming Lips, Tame Impala, M83, Godspeed you Black Emperor!, Mogwai, Pink Floyd, Animal Collective, Nicolas Jaar, Dirty Projectors, Massive Attack, Björk, Dan the Automator, Del, the Gorillaz, Reggie Watts, Ween, Neon Indian, Tycho, Ott, Shpongle, Danger Mouse, Built to Spill, Yo La Tengo, Velvet Underground, My Bloody Valentine, Modest Mouse, Tool, Zeppelin, Sabbath, Hendrix, the Books, and too many others to list here.

Hope you will check out some of my collaborators:

@user-911083679 - STONERJAZZ
@user-455619833 - Uziel
@texmex-shaman
@sonic-textures
@grevusanjl
@enigmacurry
@mralchemy
@blackmarketbrains
@dough-factory
@winkandwoo
@jerome-hearn-994307260
@dubman-9
@archmageband2
@tot-beat
@ipg1
@zed4209819
@lala-land-361191160 - E.P. Beats
@llanpsych
@ruizzoidman21centurions
@Ladyofire
@josh-clary-1 Entheogenic Psychonaught
@themysteriousdecibel 
@k2andthe3
@cerulean_ascent
@nic_nic_nic
@nadiaselvaggi
@chefboyextreme
@scilentsymphony
@azealotrous
@noxpox13 
@pablomoretti
@prof-oddfellow - Neons Gone a Mad
GMO / Green Mercurial Owl 

Thanks so much for stopping by and listening!