This track, my most recent, was recorded in July 2017. Inspired by a man  seen walking his pet rabbit in the Brady District of downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma - the production of this tune happened very quickly. It was compiled and recorded within a three hour period.

Rabbit On A Leash

From the 2006 CD "Last Slice of Sadness", this composition mixes an influence of reggae with a dash of mystery. "Always was written along side four other tunes while I was listening to a lot of SKA and Reggae music" says composer and founder of The Bandless Hands Bryon Turcotte. "It was born out of an evening just jamming with a great loop and beat. Felt inspired and blessed at the same time to have something so smooth and beautiful arrive at the most opportune time."

Always

From the 2005 CD "The Mixed Reaction", this funky but dark groove combines a constant industrial pump underneath a subtle string texture. "I was on a train one day traveling from Haverhill, Massachusetts back into the city of Boston-looking out the window watching the assorted buildings, wires and images zoom by. I began to hear this mixture of instrumentation in my head with on constant high pitched whine threading through it all. I recorded this immediately when I got back to my apartment. Why I called it "Dog"?You'll have to figure that out for yourself. Simple but very visual to me." - Bryon Turcotte

From the 2005 EP "The Bandless Hands", "All Too Clear" is a slow, smoke filled groove that takes your mind through every dark alley and snowy day you have in your memory. A piano bar trio stuck in an infinite loop, this tune brings us on a nice journey into a place where nothing happens and nothing is worth much effort. "I think this one was put together after watching a piano trio play in Harvard Square in Cambridge MA. I just wanted to create a little dreamy piece with a jazz lounge background. A bit of dementia on it's backside-the constant metallic ring gives it a nightmare flavor. Good movie soundtrack stuff. I may have wanted to use it for a future project. Still may."-Bryon Turcotte

All Too Clear

From the 2004 CD "No Pennies or Dollar Bills", this piece was one of a suite of compositions created with multiple samples, instrumentation both real and synthesized, and loops from assorted software composers. A mixture of classical, rock, and funk, "Bleed" was inspired by multiple experiences on Boston's MBTA commuter rail system. "I would be on the trains each day and witness assorted human interaction. I would often see homeless people riding the rails-some sane, some insane, some drunk-in some cases injured or bleeding. Those riding along side of these people would most often just look the other way without a care in the world. This tune is a look at this situation through "Sgt. Peppers" glasses. You hear the sadness, the melancholy, but you also hear the every day hustle and bustle which keeps the eyes that would normally be questioning why these people "bleed" so openly without an ounce of help from anyone-including themselves. An instrumental examination of a demented situation." - Bryon Turcotte

Bleed

From the 2005 EP "My Words Are Useless", this piano driven instrumental pounds away a cadence reflecting a heart looking for spiritual answers. A live recording created during production of the independent film "Who Jacked Jimmy?", the theme was somewhat darker than usual and used the same instruments that were up front on the soundtrack. "I was not feeling incredibly spiritual or positive at this point in my life and the spirit of the Jimmy soundtrack was very violent and criminal. I brought myself into a space that made me very creative but also left me unable to compose anything uplifting or without dark themes. "Faithless" was an attempt at forcing my hands to do something outside the box of the moment but came off as a hammering of piano keys and riffing on the keyboard trying to find some answers and an escape to some other source of creation. Not my best composition but one that reminds me not to force creativity." - Bryon Turcotte

Faithless

From the 2004 CD " No Pennies for Dollar Bills", this salad of textures and sound was inspired by a tough flu season that year in Boston and internal questions the composer had regarding his own musical sickness. "This was a very complex piece to construct and has a lot of elements that took hours to blend perfectly. One of my favorite pieces on the record but also one of those that stirs up memories of a very stressful time. The entire collection of tunes on NPFDB have incredible visual power and were born of the busiest time of my life. It has so many elements and textures it is hard for me to believe that I put it all together successfully. It is one of the most liked of all the pieces on this CD and one that receives the most comments." - Bryon Turcotte

Attention to Sickness

A re-mix of the hymn "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord" originally sung and recorded by Neil Davin and Holly Johnson at Emerson College in Boston around 2003-2004. "The song was recorded by the audio department for an event during my time at Emerson College. I thought the original vocal was so haunting I had to grab, slice and add my own beat and loops to take it to a new level. Interesting sound." - Bryon Turcotte

Crucified/Were You There?

From the 2005 EP "My Words Are Useless", this piece was written after reading about the case of Jennifer Carol Wilbanks, an American woman who ran away from home in 2005, in order to avoid her wedding on April 30 of that year. Her disappearance from Duluth, Georgia, sparked a nationwide search and intensive media coverage, including some media speculation that her fiance had killed her. On April 29, Wilbanks called Mason from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and falsely claimed that she had been kidnapped and sexually assaulted by a Hispanic male and a white woman. "There was something about this story that needed a soundtrack. Each time I heard more about the story I heard music in my head. I was originally prepared to build a photo and video project as a compliment to the track but never could rub the time together to get this done. Maybe someday." - Bryon Turcotte

The Night She Ran Away

From the 2005 EP "My Words Are Useless", this piece was written after seeing a documentary about David Berkowitz - the Son of Sam Killer - convicted of a series of shooting attacks that began in the summer of 1976. "At this point in my creative life I was looking at specific media-films and documentaries-and investigating more score composing options. There was a specific montage of clips and stills that moved me to score this track. Punching beats and plucking strings seemed to punctuate the haunting nature of these crimes. I would use the mood of this piece to influence some of my scoring in the future." -Bryon Turcotte

Hand of Sam

This piece is one of many new compositions written under the Bandless Hands pen between 2009 and 2011. A mix of straight rock, blues, and pseudo-country, "The Right Time" is a departure from earlier loop-heavy compositions and a path to more live playing and experimentation outside the pure electronic realm."I was listening to a lot of bluegrass, country, and blues at the time I recorded this piece in my studio back in 2009. Mark O'Connor, Bruce Hornsby and Little Feat must have been on my mind that day since I hear a lot of that influence inside the texture of this tune. Riffing on my keyboard with a fiddle sample was a joy as the end result is something that makes me happy to hear." - Bryon Turcotte

The Right Time

This tune was independently released on " No Pennies for Dollar Bills", in 2004 - originally inspired by a late-night walk through the city of Boston and observations of the diverse, obscure, and multi-genre music scene and the lifestyles it creates. "One night after leaving a club I walked through a section of "clubland" and listened to the blend of tones, textures, and styles bleeding out of every doorway I passed. I also looked around and saw the combination of darkness and light that came off of people in the scene. There was something very lonely but also very comforting about the energy of the city. This piece is a sonic expression of what I experienced that night and the feelings it spawned. There is even a part when you can hear me walking on the wet pavement. Best to listen with eyes closed and an open mind to try and picture the landscape. Hopefully, it will paint a picture and take you back to that night I experienced first hand." - Bryon Turcotte

No Pennies or Dollar Bills

Don't Save Yourself

"Year 17" from the new full-length release "A Single, Quick Movement" from The Bandless Hands. The ten-song album is scheduled for public release on Tuesday, March 2, 2021.

Lyrics:

YEAR 17

All began when we were cold, and it was warm, and we were worn 
Time has wrecked the both of us I’m sure, as I was born
I had seemed and you had seemed as bright as the moon
It all deceased when we increased our love way too soon

Well I’ve seen, I’ve seen my life fall, crash and burn 
Where the numbers turn and days go on
Always wrong
The seventeenth year was not what I wanted, I wanted 
My life to be in my dreams
My lights off
The lights off

Tides were turning fast, the chaos lasts and never ends 
Written on the glass are all the facts that couldn’t bend 
We did choose to come unglued and fall to the ground 
Not to cry our swollen eyes, our hate was quickly found

But I’ve seen, I’ve seen my life fall, crash and burn 
Where the numbers turn and days go on
Always wrong
The seventeenth year was not what I wanted, I wanted
My life to be in my dreams
My lights off
Lights off

It all began when we were cold and it was warm and we were worn 
Time has wrecked the both of us I’m sure as I was born
I had seemed and you had seemed as bright as the moon
It all deceased when we increased our love way too soon

Well I’ve seen, I’ve seen my life fall, crash and burn 
Where the numbers turn and days go on
Always wrong
The seventeenth year was not what I wanted, I wanted 
My life to be in my dreams
My lights off, the lights off
My lights off

Music and Lyrics by Bryon Turcotte - May 2018
All rights reserved. © 2021 Iron Tree Interactive

Year 17

"Out My Window" from the new full-length release "A Single, Quick Movement" from The Bandless Hands. The ten-song album is scheduled for public release on Tuesday, March 2, 2021.

Lyrics:

Out My Window
 
Mama you gotta lay down your arms
They won’t hurt you no more
It’s been seventeen days
We’re still fighting this war

I can’t see no relief
I can’t see your life end
The air is soured by now
There’s no letters to send

I can see out my window
But I can’t believe the sight
I’m trying to run from this sorrow
I’m trying to hide from this fight

Maybe I’m afraid of your youth
Terrified of your mind
It’s been twenty one days
And we’re so far behind

You’re so blind to the grief
You don’t see your life end
My air is soured by now
No rule left to bend

I can see out my window
But I can’t believe the sight
I’m trying to run from this sorrow
I’m trying to hide from this fight

(Organ lead break)

Daughter you gotta lift up your arms
Be all you have to be
It’s been one hundred days
And there’s no one to see

I can’t see no relief
I can’t see your life end
The air is soured by now
There’s no letters to send

I can see out my window
But I can’t believe the sight
I’m trying to run from this sorrow
I’m trying to hide from this fight

I can see out my window…

Music and Lyrics by B. Turcotte  -  
March 2020
All rights reserved. © 2021 Iron Tree Interactive

Out My Window

"Curtain" from the new full-length release "A Single, Quick Movement" from The Bandless Hands. The ten-song album is scheduled for public release on Tuesday, March 2, 2021.

Lyrics:

Curtain
 
You had me thinking how much time was left on my watch
Forgiveness never crossed my mind, not once
The fact you never said you’re sorry -  really tore me
I planned to throw your keys in the ocean, but I knew I would drown…

You kept me thinking that I wasn’t so smart - no not you.
I’d show a smile, show a grin, show my heart - tell the truth
I just denied that exhaustion wins - you were sleeping
I planned to throw your soul in the ocean, but I knew you would drown…

The curtain fell on my hands
I didn’t really understand, why it fell on me
The curtain fell on my plans
I didn’t really understand, why you didn’t love me…why you didn’t love me

(Lead Break)

The curtain fell on my hands
I didn’t really understand, why it fell on me
The curtain fell on my plans
I didn’t really understand, why you didn’t love me…why you didn’t love me

You had me thinking how much time was left on my watch
Forgiveness never crossed my mind - not once
The fact you never said you’re sorry, really tore me
I planned to throw your keys in the ocean, but I knew I would drown…

The curtain fell on my hands
I didn’t really understand, why it fell on me
The curtain fell on my plans
I didn’t really understand, why you didn’t love me…

The curtain fell on my hands
I didn’t really understand, why it fell on me
The curtain fell on my plans
I didn’t really understand, why you didn’t love me…
why you didn’t love me…
why you didn’t love me…

Music and Lyrics by B. Turcotte  -  May 2020
All rights reserved. © 2021 Iron Tree Interactive

Curtain

"Running Strong" from the new full-length release "A Single, Quick Movement" from The Bandless Hands. The ten-song album is scheduled for public release on Tuesday, March 2, 2021.

Lyrics:

Running Strong

Have another drink - before the night falls
It’s foolish to think - that your thinkings' clear
You’ve had a lot of love - for the last time
Had a lot of life - but nothing here

Dying roses in the basket
You’re always right - if nothings wrong
You never know - but never asking
But you run, and you run…and you’re running strong

Shadows on the wall - make you wonder
You move like a ghost - crawling on your knees
Looking through the glass - that takes you under
You cry to the wind - and sing to the breeze

Dying roses in the basket
You’re always right - if nothings wrong
You never know - but never asking
But you run, and you run…and you’re running strong

Dying roses in the basket
You’re always right - if nothings wrong
You never know - but never asking
But you run, and you run…

(Lead Break)

Dying roses in the basket
You’re always right - if nothings wrong
You never know - but never asking
But you run, and you run…and you’re running strong

Music and Lyrics by Bryon Turcotte - April 2020
All rights reserved. © 2021 Iron Tree Interactive

Running Strong

“47 Days" from the new full-length release "A Single, Quick Movement" from The Bandless Hands. The ten-song album is scheduled for public release on Tuesday, March 2, 2021.

Lyrics:

47 DAYS
 
It was forty-seven days past remember
The lines on my face were hard to miss
Lost and worn in the middle of December
Living for a tear, living for a kiss

I was wondering what went wrong
Giving up my life for a song
Thoughts to trade and pain to move along
I was wondering what went wrong

Blisters from a road that's hard to trust
Then your heart, soul, and your mind turn to rust
Hanging on a wire is all you know
Chewing on the seeds you learned to sow

Just was wondering what went wrong
Giving up my mind for a song
Thoughts to trade and pain to move along
I was wondering what went wrong

Many a time a storm would blow me backward
Into a calm of angry victory
Tripping off a cliff was never awkward
Wiping out the tears so I could see…

It was thirty days past September
The dirt on my back was hard to miss
Battle worn and praying for surrender
I was only waiting for her kiss
I was only waiting for her kiss
I was only waiting...

Music and Lyrics by Bryon Turcotte - September 2019
All rights reserved. © 2021 Iron Tree Interactive

47 Days

“I’ve Seen the Road“ from the new full-length release "A Single, Quick Movement" from The Bandless Hands. The ten-song album is scheduled for public release on Tuesday, March 2, 2021.

Lyrics:

I’ve Seen the Road

I've seen the road...and its winding
I've seen the wrong and the right
I've seen my life go by me
I've seen the dark...and the light

I don't think I'll ever be
Too old to be
Sick of my memories
or the future I'll see...
with you...
with you...

I've seen the road and its winding
I've seen the road and its winding
I've seen the wrong and the right

Don't think I'll ever be
Too old to be
Sick of my memories
or the future I'll see...
 
I've seen the road...
I've seen the road...
I've seen the road...
I've seen the road...
I've seen the road...
I've seen the road...

Don't think I'll ever be
Too old to be
Sick of all my memories
or the future....

Music and Lyrics by Bryon Turcotte 
June 2003 / January 2021
All rights reserved. © 2021 Iron Tree Interactive

I've Seen The Road

“No Answer (In a Small Coastal Town)” from the new full-length release "A Single, Quick Movement" from The Bandless Hands. The ten-song album is scheduled for public release on Tuesday, March 2, 2021.

Instrumental Piece

Music by Bryon Turcotte - August 2020
All rights reserved. © 2021 Iron Tree Interactive

No Answer (In a Small Coastal Town)

“Asheville Girl” from the new full-length release "A Single, Quick Movement" from The Bandless Hands. The ten-song album is scheduled for public release on Tuesday, March 2, 2021.

Lyrics:

Asheville Girl
 
Asheville was a town that she hated
It smelled like gin and tears
Every neighborhood was gated
Tanned cops and imported beer

Her dreams were crushed in a moment
He was just too strong for her
Good sleep is all that she wanted
His love was wrong for her

…and she said

I don’t know what to do anymore
Blood from his head is like a stream to my door
I tried to pray to God but my throat gets sore
Momma I don’t know what to do
Momma I don’t know what to do

[Break] (verse cycle once)

…and she said

I don’t know what to do anymore
Blood from his head is like a stream to my door
I tried to pray to God but my throat gets sore
Momma I don’t know what to do
Momma I don’t know what to do

Her soul was done with the beatings
His breath was raw with pain
This girl was tired of retreating
Tired of clouds and sick of rain

His mind was crushed in a moment
His thoughts aren’t good for her
His sleep is all that she wanted
His life was wrong for her

…and she said

I don’t know what to do anymore
Blood from his head is like a stream to my door
I tried to pray to God but my throat gets sore
Momma, I don’t know what to do
Momma, I don’t know what to do
Momma, I don’t know what to do

Music and Lyrics by Bryon Turcotte - September 2020
All rights reserved. © 2021 Iron Tree Interactive

Asheville Girl

“You Barely Try” from the new full-length release "A Single, Quick Movement" from The Bandless Hands. The ten-song album is scheduled for public release on Tuesday, March 2, 2021.

Lyrics:

You Barely Try
 
She said, “He’s just the cutest boy in town…”
He said, “I don’t want that dirty girl around…”
They said, “There’ll be no bread today…”
And I said, “I don’t like you anyway…”

They cry all the same tears their fathers do
When all they want is to be next to you
Their mouth wants to speak but their tongue gets tied
The world spins round and you barely try

Dad says he’s just so sick and tired
Mom says you’re lazy and you should be fired
The policeman said, “He’s been drunk all day…”
And I said, “I don’t care much anyway…”

They drink all the drinks their mothers do
But all they want is to sleep next to you
They point their fingers but they all lie
The world spins round and you barely try

(Break)

They cry all the same tears their fathers do
When all they want is to be next to you
Their mouth wants to speak but their tongue gets tied
The world spins round and you barely try

Music and Lyrics by Bryon Turcotte - June 2019
All rights reserved. © 2021 Iron Tree Interactive

You Barely Try

“Am I Able” from the new full-length release "A Single, Quick Movement" from The Bandless Hands. The ten-song album is scheduled for public release on Tuesday, March 2, 2021.

Lyrics:

Able

A year of wonder and it’s difficult to grieve
 I throw my hands up and I still can’t breathe 
Drinking the enemy, but I drink to achieve 
Sleep to forget, and I think to believe

But I know nothings wrong 
And I see what I choose to see 
And I know somethings wrong 
And I dream of what used to be

A day of promise and a flickering screen 
I beat my mind up and I still can’t dream 
Lusting the lonely and loving the hate 
Have to forget, but you’re reminding me

And you say I’ve got something wrong 
And I see what I choose to see 
And I know my feeling is so strong
 And I long for what used to be

Am I able, Am I able to live 
Am I stable, Am I stable to give
 Will I breathe a lovers air again 
Am I able, Am I able to be

[ Lead Break ]

A year of wonder and it’s difficult to grieve
 I throw my hands up and I still can’t breathe
 Drinking the enemy, but I drink to achieve 
Sleep to forget, and I think to believe

Am I able, Am I able to live 
Am I able, Am I able to live 
Am I able, Am I able to live 
Am I able  
Am I able  
Am I able

Music and Lyrics by Bryon Turcotte - November 2020 All rights reserved. © 2021 Iron Tree Interactive

Am I Able

Experimenting with sound, multi-track recording, tape loops and early analog synthesizers, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Bryon Turcotte began to build a well of knowledge, technical understanding of music and sound that he would tap into for the next 30 years of his life. He grew to appreciate the relationship between music, film and his love for all creativity as his life as a musician continued.

Born in Massachusetts in 1965, Turcotte set foot to become a student of human nature and of sonic chemistry. In addition to being a self taught musician from age 13 and avid music collector, he pursued an educational path in electrical and audio engineering building a long list of accomplishments as a technical professional during the beginnings of his adult life. 

These skills helped him to sharpen his passion for music and the love of technology that would increase his strength as a composer and multimedia designer in years to come. Continually experimenting, he perfected his own recording methods in his home studio and began to put them into practice in his life as a performer and producer as he worked with other musicians.

Turcotte began his career in music as a keyboardist/bassist, played and toured from 1984 to 1997, and worked as a session and freelance musician between 1997 and 2002 performing with numerous bands in Boston and New York in studio sessions and on stage. He then collaborated and performed with artist and composer Micheal MacDonald and his bands Transom and Jupiter 88. Turcotte performed with both bands on bass until MacDonald’s untimely death in 2000.

His work as a film composer began in the independent short film "The River" by young Greek film maker Andrea Hadjcosti. Hadjcostis translation of the short story “Zitite Elpis” by Antonis Samarakis captured Turcotte’s attention and quickly began to influence his heart to begin his course in the direction of composing for film. 

Within a year he began working on other independent films leading him to a project for a cause with a very important purpose. Survivors Stories, a film used nation wide to alert educational institutions, parents, college age students, and law enforcement agencies to the rising issue of rape at the college and university level became the next pallette for Turcotte’s emotional support through his music.

In the early part of 2003, he began working with independent filmmaker and director Kenneth Niblock to work on the score for the full length film "Lets Jack Jimmy”. Turcotte worked as the primary music composer for the film and work closely with Niblock on the film in its finishing stages. 

Turcotte has been composing music under the name "The Bandless Hands" since the year 2000. Since that time four CDs were recorded and each cover a wide range of musical styles including Alternative, Folk, Rock, Electronic, Jazz and Trance. 

Turcotte will be re-releasing these collections and is ALWAYS in process of writing new material for world consumption.

Email bturcotte@irontreeinteractive.com for more information.

The Bandless Hands

Popular tracks