This solo is very Dire Strait... Mark Knopfler

Second listen... thanks for the blog... makes the song lyrics clear. A postman at 91... amazing!

Postman with the most man... :)))))) Lovely vocal harmonies following this.

Liked the reference to all those classic songs at the end. Noticed that before I read your blog.  Solo is here again... and YOU have definitely been listening to Dire Straits.

oh, guys! you created amazing song! thank you very much!)

ooh yeah, fab keyboards, instantly know it's you by the vocals, fabulousness!

Awesome Guys Great vocal wonderful lyrics and it is so catchy!!!

This is a collection of Dan X2 that fit most closely into the Rock and Blues genres.  These are all original songs by Dan Xd (Dan Blackard and Dan Lockhart).

Dan X2 Rock and Blues

LIFT ME UP

Ambers song Genesha was born out of a new collaboration with ParQushea.

In the midst of our hot tropical summer we start the new year off with an ambient chill flow.
Ambers delicate vocals weave through fields of contrasting atmospheric harmonies.
Chris's guitar infusions complement the soundscape with Neil Orange Peel's percussion.
Arrangement, & production By Orange Peel
His vision brings all the elements together in a chilled ambient track.

Vocals ,Rhythm Guitar : Amber Legay
Guitars : Chris O'Shea
Bass & Percussion : Neil Parker
Song & Lyrics : Amber Legay
Recording ,Arrangement, & production By Neil Orange Peel

Ganesha

Lyrics from John Steinbeck's "The Pearl"

The doctor never came to the brush houses
he spent all of his time with the rich people
The doctor won't come to us
then we will go to him

Do you have any money?
He brought out eight small ugly pearls

I'm sorry my friend but this pearl is too big
No one will buy a pearl this big
Kino felt that he was in danger
the crowd became silent

Do you have any money?
He brought out eight small ugly pearls

Staying Back

Eight Small Ugly Pearls

The wrong place at the right time

Happy Easter
An indefinite but infinite feeling of Love passes through the Universe

Difficult study, Prague, September 2004

Scherzo - New

Scherzo

Mutuel fans, different styles, outrageous result

Outrageous night

Outrageous Night (collab KillaSoundBoy)

another jam on Paul's cool track https://soundcloud.com/paploviante-and-friends/evergreen-open-collaboration-offer
___________ Paul aka Paploviante - backtrack
___________ joerxworx - Akai EWI mit VG Jazz Cello / remix

EverGreen by Paploviante // Jazz Strings Remix joerxworx

just testing a multi channel setup with Kontakt 7 - bass, keys & trumpet is real time improvisation by me, so with all my imperfection ;-)

Cycles

Jigab Rumblesata

Der versprochene 2. Satz. Ein Nachtstück. Ein Abend senkt sich in roten und tieforangen Farben über den Himmel, bis die Sterne am Himmelsgewölbe erscheinen. Eine wundersame, zauberhafte Stimmung breitet sich aus, bis Wolken nahen und wieder fortziehen. Am Ende besingt das Klavier einen nahenden Sonnenaufgang und die Streicher lassen uns einen Moment tiefer träumen.....

Konzert für Klavier und Orchester Nr. 3 d-moll 2. Satz Notturno. Adagio

#155 A little blues in A minor.  'Cause, We all feel a little blue, now and then. 

Lyrics;
Everyone feels 
a little blue now and then 
When you try to forget
But you're thinking of when

How things slipped through your fingers
And what could have been 
Everyone feels 
a little blue now and then

Those hot summer nights
Will melt in your mind
And soon comes the chill
Of whats left behind

Things you regret 
Things you have said
Bury the feelings
Keep looking ahead 

New days will dawn
With good times again
Good times to have with
Loved ones and friends 

But such is the life
Of all women and men
Everyone feels a little 
Blue now and then

A Little Blue Now And Then

#158 Every day the television, YouTube and social media sites present visions of all sorts of violence and depravity to the point of saturation. Until it all becomes just a part of the background.  No judgments here. just an observation. 

I can't listen to this without my foot taping like crazy.


Lyrics;
The picture was in focus
But blurred out were the faces
Of the children on the street
Who had gone outside to play

The camera panned across 
The gathering of people 
Looking on with feigned disinterest 
To where bullets had been sprayed

Yellow was the color
Of the tape that made a border
Around a scene of horror 
And kept the crowd at bay

And I yawned and flipped the channel
Without a second thought
Always the same story
I see it every day

My apathy intensifies 
My feelings are desensitized 
No longer am I asking why
I see it every day 


The city buzzed with business 
The skyline shines like diamonds 
The traffic standing still 
Where red lights were displayed 

Hear the sound of sirens
The shuffling of feet
The shouts of fierce impatience 
At the usual delays 

Covering the sidewalks
Next to the city hall
People under cardboard
With no place else to stay

But I hardly even notice
As I'm driving out of town
I'll forget them by the interstate 
Cause I see it every day

I See It Every Day

#169 Around 2011, there was an article about a postman named Mr. Wilkinson. He was 91 and still working as a postal delivery man! I was so impressed with that guy. So I wrote Little fictional story about him. In the bridge, I included the postal motto and at the end I did a very small snippet of three songs about letters or postmen. The first one was The Letter by the Box Tops. Next we have Mr. Postman by  written by Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Freddie Gorman, Brian Holland, and Robert Bateman.  Performed by a bunch of different artists, and finally, Return to Sender written by the great Otis Blackwell and of course sung by Elvis Presley. We had a really good time with this!

lyrics;
Mr. Wilkinson is out there
Delivering the mail
Nothing ever slows him down 
Not snow nor heat nor gale

His number one priority 
Be it standard or first class
Is to get those letters to the box
Before the sand falls through the glass

Gravity and natures plan
Can flatten mountains out
And it's harder every day 
To handle such a route

He's always been our message man
So the whole town got together
With envelope and stamp
We're sending him a letter 

Hello Mr Wilkinson
We hope you're feeling great
This is just a message 
To say that we appreciate

That you carry such a heavy load
With a will that never bends
But know you've got some shoulders here
When you've got too much to tend

You're a guy who never cries
And you take care of yourself
You love your Independence 
And never ask for help

But, age will catch us all in time
And we'll lose a step or two
And though it seems it's gonna be a while before it catches up with you

If this world should find you troubled 
If it gets hard to carry on
If dark clouds seem foreboding 
And just living weighs you down

We can kick some dust up in the town
Or shoot the breeze and drink some beer
Or if you'd rather take it slow, you know
We can shoot the breeze right here

You're the post man with the most man
And you've been around the block
You care for every letter no one does it better
You dot the "I"s and cross the "T"s
Before you punch the clock

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays the couriers
from the swift completion of their appointed rounds"  but Mr Wikinson  is superior 

Mr. Wilkinson is out there
Delivering the mail
Nothing ever slows him down 
Not snow nor heat nor gale

Thank you Mr Wilkinson 
For carrying that weight
When you arrive it's right on time
Even if it's late  
Mr. Wilkinson

Rock & Blues

A Letter To Mr Wilkinson

#176 This song is raw rock music.  

It is Killer Joe From Idaho.  This is for all of the keyboard (computer not music) warriors and trolls.  At home, cozy in their pajamas, Mountain Dew on the table and basking in the glow of a computer screen, ready able and more than willing to fill you in on everything you never cared about knowing. Even if it's just made up. 
They're all Killer Joe From Idaho 😉

Lyrics;
He's got twenty five inches of the world in his face
Lighting up the basement of his mom and Dad's place
Yeah!

He's full of ideas 
and a home cooked meal
He's got the social media to tell him how to feel

He's angry bout the way 
Old folks ruin everything 
From too much homework to who's in the west wing

He's plays a battle tank on an online game
Killer Joe from Idaho is his onscreen name
Killer Joe from Idaho 
Yeah!

He hunts NPCs
And he kills like a boss 
Subscription's not a problem 
When your folks 
pay the cost
Yeah!

He's got thousands of friends
That he's never met
You know life is so much better when you live on the net

He can say what he wants
And you're wrong cause he's right 
But he's as quiet as a mouse when exposed to the light 

He checks out what's trending
He's got the latest apps
As for anything else he doesn't give a crap 
Killer Joe from Idaho 
Yeah!

He says what good is a dream  
It's only in your mind
He's got the world on a screen
To download in real time
Yeah!

Meeting people on the street
Just isn't his thing
Cause he's Killer Joe From Idaho 
The keyboard king

He's got twenty five inches of the world in his face
Lighting up the basement of his mom and Dad's place
Killer Joe from Idaho 
Yeah!
Killer Joe from Idaho 
Yeah!

Rock

Killer Joe from Idaho

#178 This has classic "good times" rock and roll feel.  No odd beats, changing time signatures, or weird changes.  Just good classic rock.

It is called Tony's Discount Store.  The friends and "Family" store. Those that shop here get the absolute lowest prices anywhere.  No one asks where the merchandise comes from.  Some things in life are best not to be discussed.😉

Lyrics;
When you shop at Tonys
Friends and family Discount store
You'll find everything you need
When you walk through the door

He says business before pleasure
And business is his game
And he wants you to remember and respect the family name 

Hitch up your horse and wagon
Gas up your old truck
Bring em down to Tony's 
You're gonna save a buck
If you haven't been there yet 
You'll be dealing with regret 
Don't miss the deals
They're such a steal
Lowest prices you can get

He keeps the sidewalks clean 
And he keeps a spotless shop
You're gonna find a deal
Where high prices get the chop
You want the best you'll get the best 
Who could ask for more
Tony's Friends and Family Discount Store 
Tony's Friends and Family Discount Store
Fare acquisti da Tony's!
(Buy from Tony's!)

Hitch up your horse and wagon
Gas up your old truck
Bring em down to Tony's 
If you want to save a buck
If you haven't been there yet 
You'll be dealing with regret 
Don't miss the deals
They're such a deal
It's as good as it can get

After hours in his office 
With some lucky gentlemen
He gives them so much business 
They'll never need shop again

He keeps the sidewalks clean 
And he keeps a spotless shop
You're gonna find a deal
Where high prices get the chop
You want the best you'll get the best 
Who could ask for more
Tony's Friends and Family Discount Store 
Tony's Friends and Family Discount Store

Porta tanti soldi!
(Bring lots of money!)
Tony's Friends and Family Discount Store

Tony's Discount Store

Dan X2 is Dan Blackard (Reno, Nevada & Susanville, California) and Dan Lockhart (Carmel, Indiana & Edwardsville, Illinois).  We met here on SoundCloud.  We like making music together.  We have written and published over 300 songs together.  More songs written together than Lennon and McCartney.

You can find Dan Blackard's music here:
https://soundcloud.com/daniel-blackard

You can find Dan Lockhart's (aka ProgRockDan) music here:
https://soundcloud.com/dan-lockhart
https://soundcloud.com/user-276716031
https://soundcloud.com/progrockdan-instrumentals

The ProgRockDan1 site was taken down by SoundCloud. It was located here:
https://soundcloud.com/progrockdan1

We play the music that comes to us.  Much of our music has a basis in blues and rock.  Although we venture into other musical territory.  You will find hints of jazz, country, bluegrass, soul, classical, and other music in our songs.  We have a number of songs that change time signatures and pace.

When we first started recording we called ourselves Dan and Dan. 
 You can find our music under that moniker here:
https://soundcloud.com/user-590884876

We stopped using the name Dan and Dan's because there were to many other Dan's using that name.  If you google Dan and Dan we would not show up.  We believe that Dan X2 to be a moniker that we could own.   If you google Dan X2 we are right at the top,

You can find more Dan X2 music on ReverbNation:
https://www.reverbnation.com/dananddan5

The first Dan X2 album is now available on iTunes.  Songs on the album are not available on SoundCloud.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/4114/1439066447?app=itunes&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

You can also find the Dan X2 album on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3hEejRAQYPj9q130D5lZ8f

You can also find the second Dan X2 album:  "Playing the Odds" on Amazon Music:
https://www.amazon.com/Playing-Odds-Dan-X2/dp/B08C4VNX3R

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6oI3XsqPph3v6Xkg2BjVDG

and other on-line music sites.

We have a music making process that fits our unique skills.  We each do the parts that best fit our skills and interests.  Dan Lockhart does the initial song development.  Dan Blackard writes the lyrics, perform the vocals, and adds lead guitar.  Dan Lockhart then takes the track and do all final production (mixing and mastering).

Dan Lockhart writes all of the chords, timing, changes, and develops the track.  I then send two tracks to Dan Blackard.  One track has Dan L. describing the song.  Tell him the key, the timing, and any oddities about the song (changing keys or time signature...).  In the track Dan L tell Dan B verbally where is the verse, chorus, bridge and any other important information.

Dan Lockhart then send a second track that does not have this verbal dialogue.  This is called the instrumental track.  This is a track to which Dan B. can sing and add his parts.  Dan Blackard then returns  four pieces to Dan L:  a complete version of the song, a solo track of his vocals, a solo track of his guitar parts, and the artwork to accompany the song.

Dan Lockhart add his information into the original file.  Dan L. listen to it and make changes to the song to enhance the meaning of the lyrics. He sometimes adds instruments or takes away some instruments.  As Dan L. play many instruments (guitar, keyboards, banjo, mandolin, pedal steel, violin, viola...), he can make a lot of adjustments.    On rare occasions he move pieces about.  Dan Lockhart then masters it and prepare it for final production.

You can find press releases about us in the Lassen News here:
http://www.lassennews.com/former-resident-creates-album-with-near-stranger/

and in Current in Carmel  here:
http://www.youarecurrent.com/2018/12/20/carmel-resident-partner-create-album-through-internet/

You can find Dan X2 videos Here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7p2YTgLdrMAJjSBBwrgRew

Out albums are also on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCicvC6l-R73MzdLHLdcFuZQ

We hope you enjoy our music.

A Letter To Mr Wilkinson

Dan X2

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