really interesting production. the guitar is very distinctive, it's smoothness really sets the tone; and the piano adds a nice complement. I've always been captivated by the phrase "always on my mind," ever since I heard PSB's cover of that Willie Nelson song.  :)

Wonderful work on this collaboration guys!!

Superb musicianship, performance and production

Great guitar sond - great voice fits together perfect - great  work

Simply a beautiful and intense song! Great melody and chords, expressive vocals, piano and guitar harmoniously blended! Amazing!👏

Dance Adrift

A second edition, if you will, of David's "Angels". I am very grateful to David for trusting me with his music.  You can hear more of his peaceful guitar music
@david-dunhamuser589535203.
I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

On Angels' Wings : Second Flight (with David Dunham, Guitar)

Music & Lyrics: Jan Schonander
Guitar: Davy Vance https://soundcloud.com/skub1955

Resung, remixed & remastered. A different mic and less effects on the vocal make a big difference. Also went for a more intimate delivery.

ALWAYS ON MY MIND

My love
I hope you hear you this song
I can’t be without you for too long
And although, sometimes you’re on your own
You’re always, always on my mind

My love 
When you are far 
I can see your smile
I remind myself of your touch
You’re always on my mind

When I get lonely
I close my eyes
I think of you and then I smile

Always on my mind
Always on my mind
Always on my mind
Always on my mind

My love
Let me know you feel the same way
I wan’t to feel your love every single day
And although, sometimes its not so easy
Remember,  you’re always on my mind

My love, 
When you are near
I can’t lose, I lose all my fear
I know just how to begin
I reach out, I touch your skin

Into my arms, my arms my love
You’re my only love, you’re my only love

Yeah my darling, you’re my only love
You’re my only love

Always on my mind
Always on my mind
Always on my mind
Always on my mind

Always On My Mind

Always On My Mind | Davy Vance 🎸

Ye Jacobites By Name
Robert Burns 1759 - 1796

Ye Jacobites by name, lend an ear, lend an ear,
Ye Jacobites by name, lend an ear,
Ye Jacobites by name,
Your fautes I will proclaim,
Your doctrines I maun blame, you will hear, you will hear
Your doctrines I maun blame, you will hear.

What is right, and what is wrong, by the law, by the law?
What is right and what is wrong by the law?
What is right, and what is wrong?
A short sword, and a long,
A weak arm and a strong, for to draw, for to draw
A weak arm and a strong, for to draw.

What makes heroic strife, famed afar, famed afar?
What makes heroic strife famed afar?
What makes heroic strife?
To whet th' assassin's knife,
Or hunt a parent's life, wi' bloody war?

Then let your schemes alone, in the state, in the state,
Then let your schemes alone in the state.
So let your schemes alone,
Adore the rising sun,
And leave a man undone, to his fate, to his fate.
And leave a man undone, to his fate.

Ye Jacobites By Name

Migratory Bird  (Τhe hope)

Music & Lyrics: Jan Schonander
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpuhD4uGJXM

All synths are Nord Stage III native - with plenty of tweaks to all aspects. Apart from the drums there is no programming and everything is performable.

About volatility and self-control. Nearly all the time is not all the time and it’s worth remembering that.

SCREAM

Don’t you worry baby, it’ll all be fine
Don’t you worry baby, it’ll be alright

Who…
It’ll all work out
Not a scream or a shout
Who….
Sometimes
Nearly all the time

Don’t you worry baby, it’s gonna get better
Don’t you worry baby, it’s gonna be alright

Who…
Again and again………
Who…
Sometimes 
Nearly all the time
Sometimes
I wanna scream
Nearly all the time
I wanna scream
Again and again ...

Don't you worry baby, it'll all be fine
Don’t you worry baby, it's gonna be alright

I’m in control
Yeah, I’m in control
Sometimes
Don’t you worry
Don’t you worry baby, it’s gonna be fine
Nearly all the time

Scream

Spotify

Music & Lyrics: Jan Schonander

This is unapologetically inspired by the A-side to one of my favorite albums of all time. I'll let you guess which album that is - if you are older than 50 it will most likely be easier.

A lot of us spend our lives chasing a dream, and despite reaching milestone after milestone the dream is always just beyond our reach. If you're lucky all you need to do is stop and think - maybe you're already there. I was reminded about this when told a story about a popular beach boatman asked by a hedge fund manager why he doesn't invest in an additional boat. After many questions the investor tells him that after years he could become so financially successful that he could spend his afternoons with his family and friends. The boatman tells him that after his morning fishing run that is already what he does. 

The guitar is a Logic Pro X Heavy Metal Guitar. For the drums I "mixed it up" a bit by using more reverb on the snare than on the rest of the drums. Also had a hi-hat in there initially but I took it out as I thought it muddied up the sound too much. In general I debated how much reverb to use and progressively used less and less to try and warm it up. For the bass I combined an electric bass with a traditional standing base. I departed from my usual approach of trying to reproduce as natural a piano sound as possible by using equalization to mainly remove some of the high and low end - the purpose being to create a "lo-fi" sound. Finally, the synth is Nord Native and treated with some ringshift to get the moving in and out your ears effect.  

LATELY MAYBE

Too much
Not enough
Will I ever
Is it never
I can’t see
Will it ever be

Lately, I’ve been thinking too much
Lately, I’ve been dreaming too much
Maybe, I’m in heaven
Maybe, I made it yesterday

Is this the end
Or could it be the beginning
I can’t tell
It seems a bit like hell
So many moving parts
So many false starts

Lately, I’ve been thinking too much
Lately, I’ve been dreaming too much
Maybe, I’m in heaven
Maybe, I made it yesterday

Too much
Not enough
Lately
Maybe
Lately it’s been too much
Maybe it’s been too much

Lately Maybe

Music, Lyrics, All Instruments, Vocal: Jan Schonander
Music, Vocal: REKHA IYERN [Fe] https://soundcloud.com/rekha-iyern-fe

All sounds except the drums are Nord Stage 3 native.

Anything wrong with right now? It is sometimes easy to fall into the trap of thinking  that everything was better before, especially as a parent. Thought I'd look up some statistics and see how things stack up vs around 30 years ago. Turns out violent crime is down by over 50% since a high in the early 90s - property crime is also down by 40% - of course there is nothing about that meaning we shouldn't strive to improve further and try to get back to the even lower rates in the 60s. Like the crime rate, the poverty rate fluctuates a lot, but in 1990 it was estimated that 13.5% of the US population lived under the poverty line whereas in 2021 it had been reduced by 14% to 11.6%. In this song I have focused a bit on hard to measure things like the choices a lot of people have today compared to before, in terms of finding their own path vs being set on a path by parents and, importantly, the choice to love who you want. So, we are safer, less poor and have more freedom, but overall happiness levels in the US are apparently at the lowest level in 50 years. Given that the US is predominately a middle class society this might be explained by a fifty year trend of increasing income inequality. The wealthy and poor are better off economically but for a very large swath of the US population things have become more difficult. Clearly there are things to work on. Nevertheless, in many ways, especially with a longer perspective we are so much better off today vs before. 

THIS TIME

Talk about the past
About early and late
What might happen

They say it was better 
You gotta watch your watch
Soon it’ll all pass you by

Why can’t you be like them
Perfect, always
Right there, right now

I feel it, I need it
I feel it, l need it, I’ve got it 
I feel it, I need it, I’ve got it, I want it, I love it
Love

In this time black or white
I could choose a boy
I think I’ll choose a girl

At this time or any other  time
I choose, I choose what to say
I think, I don’t have to care

For this time I might be there
I could change my mind
I think I’ll change my mind, yeah

Right now
I feel it, I need it
Right now
I feel it, l need it, I’ve got it 
I feel it, I need it, I’ve got it, I want it, I love it
Love

Yeah, oh yeah....

In this time
At this time
For this time

This Time

This Time | REKHA-IYERN [Fe] 🎤

Windy Night (All At Home)

I was inspired after listening to Jesus Flores Guitarrista's "Popurri The Beatles".

(Disclaimer:  I do not own the copyright to this song.  It is presented here in a non-commercial format and only for entertainment and educational purposes.)

Imagine (John Lennon Cover in instrumental form)

Music & Lyrics: Jan Schonander

A lot going on in this song. The original idea was to take the idea of ostinato to the extreme. This was accomplished by using an arpeggiated Eb throughout - of course there was some work that went into the modulation and envelope of the synth I chose. I used the same synth varying the number of notes and direction of the arpeggios to get the sounds that define the track. 

In music, an ostinato (Italian: [ostiˈnaːto]; derived from Italian word for stubborn, compare English obstinate) is a motif or phrase that persistently repeats in the same musical voice, frequently in the same pitch. Well-known ostinato-based pieces include classical compositions such as Ravel's Boléro and the Carol of the Bells, and popular songs such as Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder's "I Feel Love" (1977), Henry Mancini's theme from Peter Gunn (1959), The Who's "Baba O'Riley" (1971), and The Verve's "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (1997).[WikiPedia]

Lyrically I wanted to capture the hysteria of the Chinese balloon while addressing the fact that many of us voluntarily allow ourselves to be monitored by the government and private enterprises. We pay for Google Assistants, Alexa, Siri etc and I think I'm not the only that get's the AI saying it didn't understand after periods of absolute silence. It is also a known fact that private enterprises monitor our e-mails and we voluntarily sign up for this  - who knows who is analyzing and parsing that information. I have worked for decades in the telecommunications business and for those that don't know there is a feature called "Lawful Intercept" that all suppliers are obliged to enable - this allows authorities to listen in on any communication they deem fit. Lastly, while using free services like Facebook we allow the monitoring of our habits, many of us with a grudge, but still we allow it, and social media is becoming more and more pervasive so it seems we want more.

SHAKE THE FEELING 

What are they looking at
What could they be looking for
Looking for
Looking for

What are they looking at
What could they be looking for
Looking for
Looking for

Sometimes you feel like
Someone is listening
Hear voices in your head
Sometimes you feel like
Someone can see you
Looming over your shoulder

It’s not the first time
It’s not the second time
It’s not the last time, no

High and low
In and out

Can’t shake the feeling
Runs through your body
High and low
Can’t shake the feeling
A drug in your mind
In and out

What are they looking at
What could they be looking for
Looking for
Looking for

What are they looking at
What could they be looking for
Looking for
Looking for

Sometimes you can hear
A stranger in your house
And you spent all your money
Sometimes think you know
A machine is reading
You signed the dotted line

Sometimes you’re afraid
A lawful intercept
You voted for them
All the time you don’t care
They’re recording you
Nothing is for free

Can’t shake the feeling
I never ever wanted this
High and low
Can’t shake the feeling
Why can’t I say no
In and out

Can’t shake the habit
It’s my addiction
Ask for more
Can’t shake the feeling
I don’t want to
I want more

What are they looking at
What could they be looking for
Looking for
Looking for

Sorry I didn't quite get that

Shale The Feeling

Shake The Feeling

Blueprint for track that became 'Sandycove Milk'.

Inspired by wondrous music by Conin, whose track 'Kitty's Wake' reminded of the rich clay of Joyce's 'Finnegan's Wake'. This track, about the opening pages of Joyce's Ulysses, borrows coffee spoons, forever those of T.S. Eliot, in an effort to add sweet milk...drawn from the milk-well of honeyed Sandycove.  The lyric speaker is, notionally, Stephen Daedalus. For practical purposes, the lyric speaker is James Joyce himself. His aim? To hit Haines for a guinea [a pre-decimal unit of currency] before heading to France on a ferry. Whilst Haines still feels guilty (sheepish) about having fired his pistol at an imaginary cat he thought he saw in the fireplace in the Martello tower in Sandycove (now the Joyce Museum....a sacred...magical place, whose attendant Joyce scholars told me about the Haines' imaginary cat episode....it is all true...yet also dovetails eerily with the first chapter of Ulysses).

The reference to Haines having consumed Absinthe is a narrative fiction, invented to offer an explanation for his dangerous behaviour. No peer reviewed evidence capable of demonstrating Absinthe has hallucinogenic properties, exists, to my knowledge.


Lyrics

[chorus]
Gotta learn me some Italian
Gonna get me a guitar
Gotta learn me some Italian
Gonna get me a guitar

Hellenise me now
She come and go
talking bout Michelangelo
there will be time
there will be time

do I dare to eat a quiche?
I shall wear enchanted trousers
and float upon the beach

I’m still dreamin
something happened last night

Haines downed a snot-green bottle of Absinthe
started shooting at his Schrödinger's cat
in the fireplace
looks real sheepish this morning
gonna hit him for a guinea [a pre-decimal unit of currency]
and get outta here
gliding on the Emerald sea
to Paris
with Haines’ guinea in my pocket
when I’m at sea

gonna go uptown now
hitting the top deck of this here Martello
gonna watch the mailboat
glide on an Emerald sea
gonna rest my shiny elbows
on the jagged granite
just leavin the harbour

and here comes stately Buck
bearing a bowl of lather
crossed razor and mirror as well
holding the bowl aloft
and intoning...intonin

Introibo ad altare Dei
sacred chalice
sacred cross
and now I’m lookin at the sea
Thallata...sweet mother
Hellenise me
mailboat clearin the harbour
rage of Caliban inside me
cos of Haines....[firing a gun inside the Martello tower when drunk the night before, at a giant cat he imagined was sitting near the fireplace]
sweet Thallata
buttercups on the quilt
powdered musk and gauds of amber beads
calm now like the sea
there will be time
there will be time

Martello

TWICE AROUND THE MOON words and music Doug Roossien 3-24-2023
Those moments 
Between Breathing
When you catch your soul
Walking twice around the moon 

The moments 
You stop believing. 
You catch your eyes. 
Saying things, you can’t control …(So many tears)
Life just gets too…  heavy … to hold. 

That moment 
Life stops turning. 
When you realize 
Life’ll  never be the same.

That moment 
All hope is burning. 
You stand and watch a fire. 
You can’t control. 
Life just gets too…  heavy … to hold.
You’d trade all your tomorrows …to save your soul. 

………………………………………………………… ( bridge)
…………………………………………………………………….(music)
Those moments 

Those moments  
Between Breathing 
Where you walk your soul
Twice around the moon.

The moments 
You stop believing. 
You catch your eyes. 
Saying things, they can’t control.  
Life just gets too…  heavy … to hold. 
You’d trade all your tomorrows …to save your soul. 

Those moments  
You stop deceiving. 
and you catch your soul.
Walking twice around the moon 
Twice around the moon, Moments … You walk …Twice around the moon .

TWICE AROUND THE MOON (original)

Music: Jan Schonander
Percussion: Belial Pelegrim https://soundcloud.com/belial-pelegrim

A story of an unfortunate drift off to sea ...  it all ends well albeit after some delirium.

Many thanks to Scott for sending me the drum track which inspired this tune.

Dance Adrift | Belial Pelegrim🥁

Avec ma chatte et ma machette
Je chante toutes quêtes

De la forge au torchis
Je regorge de génie
Truelle ou pelle
Qu'importe j'invente
D'autres outils
La force de mon espèce
Est dans l'esprit
Aussi
Coucouche panier
Les gros machos

Car avec ma chatte et ma machette
Je chantes toutes les quêtes

Avec Ma Chatte Et Ma Machette

Written by Terry Reeves, 1981
Recorded in a dusty attic, Wallington, Surrey, 1983
Terry Reeves: Vocals/ Guitar 
Brian Reeves: Guitar
John Palmer: Bass
Gary Reeves: Drums

Back in 1981, there was a major news item on the front of the tabloids involving two young teenagers who had committed suicide in a car. They left a note saying that there was no point in carrying on living as they had no job and no money. Unemployment was the highest it had ever been at that time, so it made the headlines. This song was my comment. There was nothing great about the Thatcher government and yes, I was there. (Terry Reeves)

LYRICS

Work hard at school and you will succeed
Get the pieces of paper that you need
You will get there if you are the best
But what happens to us, all the rest

CHORUS
NO JOB, NO MONEY, NO LIFE, NO POINT
NO JOB, NO MONEY, NO LIFE, NO POINT

Discipline will curb your greed
Much more training's what you need
It's better now than it's ever been
Hard times like these we have never seen

CHORUS X 2

Lets tell the truth and not live a lie
No piece for us of that money pie
The youth are the future that's what we're told
But what will they tell us when we're too old

CHORUS X 2

So what's the point in carrying on
Growing up is just one big con
Haven't listened to a word that's said
Perhaps you'll listen when I'm dead

NO JOB, NO MONEY, NO LIFE, NO POINT
NO JOB, NO MONEY, NO LIFE, NO POINT

Final Choice - Root Division (1983)

Challenge was to make one of my shorter songs with one of my longer lyrics, so I 'had' to craft it into an amalgam of 9/4 and 4/4 signatures. Thus, it may feel crazy on verses but I hope also catchy on refrains.

Letra / Translated lyrics:

Sólo pido no tener deseos (Ya no quiero imaginar)  /  I ask only not to have desires (I don’t want to imagine anymore)

¿Puedes explicarme qué es lo que me pasa?  /  Can you tell me what happens to me?
Señor, llévate de mí esta confusión.  /  Lord, take away this confusion.
Quítame el don de la inteligencia,  /  Take the gift of intelligence from me,
pues si no pensara tanto, sería feliz.  /  because if I didn’t think so much, I would be happy.

Siento que este mundo me es extraño,  /  I feel this world is strange,
estoy a disgusto con mis sentidos.  /  I get displeasure from my senses.
No puedo comprender su funcionamiento,  /  I cannot understand their functioning,
ni siquiera amoldarme a él.  /  nor even get used to it.

Sólo pido no tener deseos,  /  I ask only not to have desires,
ya no quiero imaginarme nada.  /  I don’t want to imagine anything anymore.

Esta situación siempre es pasajera,  /  This situation is always temporary,
pero se repite una y otra vez.  /  but repeats itself again and again.
Este malestar de cuerpo y alma  /  This discomfort of soul and body
me hace desear dejar de ser.  /  makes me wish to stop being.  

Pienso entonces en todos los que me quieren,  /  Then I think of all those who love me,
o al menos en los que a veces lo parecen…  /  or at least about those who sometimes seem to…
¿Por qué es tan difícil la coexistencia  /  Why is coexistence so difficult
en medio de una sociedad inteligente?  /  in an intelligent society?

Sólo pido…  /  I ask only…

No deberías dejar pensar a algo imperfecto,  /  You should not allow something imperfect to think,
sino limitarlo a cumplir su función social.  /  but limit it to fulfilling its social role.
Sólo quiero ser un engranaje más, señor,  /  I only want to be one more cog, Lord,
en tu rebaño de almas, sin preguntas.  /  in your flock of souls, without questions.

Esta vida que me has dado, señor,  /  This life you have given me, Lord,
me tortura, de modos insospechados,  /  tortures me, in unsuspected manners,
a buscarle un sentido a mis dudas,  /  to look for a sense to my doubts,
lo cual, tal vez, sea precisamente su fin!  /  which, maybe, is precisely its purpose!

Sólo pido…  /  I ask only…

ER43FI10 97-18

Sólo pido no tener deseos (Ya no quiero imaginar)

Thanks for visiting. This is a retro eclectic music mix with a strong keyboard base.  Looming influences from among others Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Lou Reed & Jon Lord. The songs are mostly about the human condition.

I am always looking for a guitar player that wants to collaborate. Would be fun to find a real drummer also.

A Gat is a cat in Catalan - it all makes sense if you’re me.

To all of you likers and reposters that don't listen - what's the point?

Always On My Mind | Davy Vance 🎸

TheGat(s)

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