Remembering Domenic 'Micky' Traino... Billie Holiday loving jazz singer, greyhound trainer, garbage man and my father. Dean on vocals and rhythm guitar and the amazing Brian Newport on drums, bass and lead guitar. 

LYRICS
Grew up on different streets 
In a different time
Showed me right from wrong
You liked the simple life
Singing out the blues
Why’d you go so soon?
 
I know you’re still watching over me
I hope you like what you see

On things that mattered most
You stood your ground
Didn’t sweat the small stuff
Happiest around the hounds
Kept your same routine 
And Toots, she was your queen
 
Are you still watching over me
Do you like what you see

Knew I could always find you 
In your backyard shed
Lady Day and ragtime blaring
You left a lot unsaid
Smell of Jim Beam and cigarettes
How can I ever forget
 
Are you still watching over me
Do you like what you see

Sailed through inclement weather
I know there’s been some
In all our decades together
You made it all fun
With a laugh that filled a room
Why’d you go so soon?
 
Still watching over me
Do you like what you see

Domsong

Other Way

Original track by Bill Sukala and Dean Traino. Performed live by Dean and Brian Newport. Recorded by Ted Rudduck. A 1970s surf flick vibe

LYRICS 
Waiting on my golden run
I feel it coming
Biding time to get what’s mine
I know it’s coming

Fortune favours the brave

Made a pact, time to act
Is fast approaching
Hesitate and then you’ll wait
It’s always approaching

Fortune favours the brave

Nearly here, in the clear 
With blinkered vision
About to reap, ocean deep
No indecision

Fortune favours the brave

The Brave

Original song telling a true tale of a lost ring. Dean on vocals and rhythm guitar, Brian Newport on bass, lead and drums.

LYRICS 
I once had a battered, beaten silver wedding band - was too loose for my hand
I wore it on a different finger when I left dry land for the deep

Failed to switch it to a thicker digit, it slipped off in the sea - devastated me
I searched the ocean floor for hours, never to retrieve to this day

I'll find you one day, silver wedding band
Comb the shore each time I'm there
Hope you wash up on the sand - come back to my hand

It symbolised and paralleled the journey I have had, from young lad to a dad
Each scratch and dent represents all the good and bad in life so far

Remember the time I had to saw it off when my finger swelled and went blue - I didn't know what to do
One more layer upon the story of what it had been through and why it meant so much 

I'll find you one day, silver wedding band
Comb the shore each time I'm there
Hope you wash up on the sand - come back to my hand

I once had a battered, beaten silver wedding band...


Silver Wedding Band

An original track about the relationship between a father and son. Warts and all. Mixed by Ted Rudduck

LYRICS 
I wasn’t born to be a banker
Or put on this earth to bake bread
I know I’m here to serve a purpose
And that’s been rattling round my head

Now I’ve come to the conclusion
After all that we’ve been through
The reason that I’m here today
Is so I can talk some sense to you
 
You really put me through the wringer
Put my patience to the test
Now I say with satisfaction
I am heeeeeeere
To get you through this mess

Don’t know how to drive a taxi
I’m not here to dance and sing
But I’m making time for you
Cause I know what it is you bring

Now I’m watching from a yonder
As you finally make your way
It’s taken toll on all around
And I’m closer to my grave
 
In the end I hope you look back 
And say, I really must confess
I know I made your life a battle, but
Thankyooooooou
For giving it your best

Battler

An original track reminding us that we're all more resilient than we might think. Dean on all vocals and guitars.

LYRICS 
Not a lot to say, stormy sky of grey 
Not a lot to do, yeah 
It always comes back blue 

Taking the time to think things through 
Otherwise there’s not a lot to do

Not a lot to feel if heaven isn’t real 
Not a lot to see, yeah
You’re not here with me 

Bumpy ride is better than the destiny 
Rearview mirror, there's not a lot to see
 
Spinning under the ocean
The tsunami will pass 
But I don’t know how long one breath can last

Not a lot to know, let the troubles go 
Not a lot to take, yeah
Never gonna break 

Sleepy dreamer’s eyes are wide awake 
Looking back, it was not a lot to take

Not A Lot

An original song written as an anthem of inclusivity. Whatever you're into, it's all OK! Canned Heat inspired 60s vibe.

LYRICS 
Whatever floats your boat
Whatever gets you there
Whatever turns you on
Nobody cares

If you’re happy, then it’s OK

Whatever kicks you off
Whatever is your thing
Whatever rings your bell
Or gets you going

If you’re happy, then it’s OK

This world is made up
Of so many different cats
When you worry about someone else
You lose track of where it’s at... yeah, yeah, yeah! Alright!

Whatever flicks your switch
Whatever starts your car
Whatever picks you up
No matter who you are

If you’re happy, then it’s OK

Whatever

An original song of teen rebellion against paternal guidance. Dean on all guitar and vocals

LYRICS 
You’ll never work me out
Don’t know what you’re talking about
Don’t try stand in my way
Ain't listening to what you say

I’m getting outta here
My vision’s crystal clear
Move out. Start again
Sleep on the couch at my friend’s
 
And you, always telling me what to do
When you haven’t got a clue
Still think it’s 1972
When you were somebody

Must say before I go
One thing that you should know
You know nothing, you never will
You’re out of touch and over the hill
 
And you, always telling me what to do
When you haven’t got a clue
Still think it’s 1972
When you were somebody

I said yeah, yeah, yeah oh

Somebody

An original song looking back on a journey of togetherness. Dean on all guitars and vocals. 

Met You

My original song about the bond between a dad and daughter. Dean on rhythm guitar and lead vocals. Brian Newport on lead guitar, bass, backing vocals and drums.

LYRICS 
It's taken time for us to get to this point 
You sitting here with me
Been through it all and you've seen a lot of things that you didn't need to see
You're like an old soul who's wise beyond your years 
Taking everything in your stride 
Beautiful girl you put a smile on my face
Fire blazing bright inside 

Whenever I'm with you and your eyes of blue
Nowhere else that I wanna be
Watching you make your way so easily 
Uncovers the road ahead for me 

Wicked sense of humour poking fun always 
No better sound than your laugh
You know what you like, you're so self-assured and ubercool 
Picture perfect photograph
Best of all you put others before yourself 
With nothing to gain 
No bad in you and I'm proud of what you do 
I just like seeing you grow and change 

Whenever I'm with you and your eyes of blue
Nowhere else that I wanna be
Watching you make your way so easily 
Uncovers the road ahead for me 

Eyes of Blue

Original track saying turn off the self critical voice inside. Dean on all vocals and guitar.

LYRICS 
Hey you, where you going
Looking like you lost your way?
Solo, rudderless 
Hope to find a better place

Take it easy on yourself 
Why don't you pick on someone else?
Take it easy on yourself

Where's your happy soul
Trapped inside a darker space?
Know that you're not alone
Many others feel the same 

Take it easy on yourself 
Focus your mind on something else
Take it easy on yourself

Break away and find a way to get through 
You're not the first to have stuff going on
Take the stairway up into the open 
Feel the sun

So glad to have you back 
See the smile upon your face
Gathered once again 
Don't let your talents go to waste

Take it easy on yourself 
Gotta be better for your health?
Take it easy on yourself

Easy on Yourself

Original track about beliefs found online and their validity. Dean on all vocals and guitars

LYRICS
Look into the future 
Tell me what your crystal ball 
can see in store for me?
Is it in the constellations? 
Take a tarot from the deck 
then read my leaves of tea

What you believe might deceive 
a wayward mind
Better change your way or maybe stay behind

Trawling through cyberspace 
You replace the history books 
with fake conspiracy 
Your sceptical opinions 
twist the story into shape 
until it meets your needs

What you believe might deceive 
a wayward mind
Better change your way or maybe stay behind

Open your mind... or stay behind...



Stay Behind

Tongue-in-cheek attack on the annoyances big city living brings! Original track. Dean on all guitars and vocals.

LYRICS
Kooks at the mall, Kooks on the street
Kooks on the bus, Kooks under my feet
Kooks in the lineup, Kooks at the bar
Kooks in my space when I’m parking the car
Kooks in government, Kooks in town
Kooks at work, Kooks dragging me down
 
Kooks all around, Kooks in my way
Get outta here... or some Kook’s gonna pay

Kooks at the beach, Kooks at the store
Kooks at the club, Kooks on my door
Kooks riding bikes, Kooks in the queue
Kooks at the gym, Kooks wearing blue
Kooks in management, Kooks in white shoes
Kooks on the A-list reading the news
 
Kooks all around, Kooks in my way
Better watch out... or some Kook’s gonna pay
 
I should be more patient, soften my view
But everyday’s hard just to get through
Surrounded by kooks who don’t have a clue
Makes me wonder... maybe I’m a kook too?

Maybe I’m a kook too? 
Yeah, I’m a kook, you’re a kook, he’s a kook
She’s a kook, we’re all kooks!

Kooks

Anti-elitist original track. Dean on all vocals and instruments.

LYRICS
Couldn't care about the car you drive 
Or your trophy home by the sea 
Corporation job doesn't impress 
Nor the obscene salary
Where you went to school isn't important
Or the letters that come after your name 
Doesn't matter who your daddy is 
You're spoilt rotten just the same 

It don't make you somebody special 
Ain't gonna bow and scrape to you 
No it don't make you somebody special 
But then what's special to me 
Is probably different to what's special to you

Got no interest in your net worth 
Or your chalet on the Aspen trip 
Spend a fortune on your wife's facelift
And your country club membership
Wouldn't wanna mingle in your crowd
With their habits and therapy
I wonder if your friends would stick around
If you lost all your money

It don't make you somebody special 
Is my message getting through?
No it don't make you somebody special 
But then what's special to me 
Is probably different to what's special to you

What's the point of your life?
The way you strut around can't hide 
the emptiness you have inside

It don't make you somebody special 
Can't bring myself to look at you
No it don't make you somebody special 
But then what's special to me 
Is probably different to what's special to you

It Don't Make You Special

Original track. Dean on all vocals and guitars 

Run Away

Mid-North Coast Dreaming

Getting attention can be difficult! Original track. Dean on all vocals and guitar.

Didn't Notice At All

Existential ponderings. Original track. Dean on all guitars and vocals.

Being There

Original track. Dean on all vocals and guitars.

Damaged Goods

Original track. Dean on all guitars and vocals. A song saying how life instantly feels better when you get together with friends and play or listen to music.

LYRICS
When you see me and I see you 
It doesn't matter what we've been up to 
Pick up where we left off last time 
Everything will work out fine 

...then to my surprise, I realise 
I never heard birds sing so sweet 
The sunrise never looked so good
Not felt the warm breeze for so long
If I could make each day like this
I would 

Things on your mind just let em go
Get in a groove go with the flow
Best thing to do is keep moving on 
Lose yourself in the beat of a song

...then to my surprise, I realise 
I never heard birds sing so sweet 
The sunrise never looked so good
Not felt the warm breeze for so long
If I could make each day like this
I would 

I Would (Make Each Day Like This)

Tracing human de-evolution from the cave to the oval office. Dean on all vocals and guitars 

Beasts

Constitutional recognition for First Nation Australians is long overdue. Original track written in 2020. Dean on all vocals and guitars. 

LYRICS 
Waiting round for the day that never comes 
Is it so hard to say you got it wrong?
Hide behind the mistakes of kings and empires
Recognised rightfully, you know that is required!!

Chance to make things right again 
For the future generations 
Speak true history, can't pretend 
Set the record straight! There's no debate!

Passed the dirt hand to hand a long time ago
Finding Gough's way again seeds will sew
"Bring Them Home" and "Close The Gap" have failed before 
No more band-aid solutions, write it into law!!

Gotta open eyes, open arms, open minds and open hearts
Kev's apologised, so reconcile and recognise. Make a start!!
Understand, don't own the land, Indigenous people custodians 
Need a referendum, not incarceration! Only way to fix the nation!!

Chance to make things right again 
For the future generations 
Speak true history, can't pretend 
Set the record straight! It's not too late!!

Set the Record Straight

Original track. Dean on all vocals and guitars 

LYRICS
Landed from outerspace, fish out of water
Centre of everyone's attention 
asleep in the corner
Searching for kinsmen who might 
be on the same path
Wrong destination feels like 
a b&w photograph

Suburban wasteland, no home for aliens
Suburban wasteland, no home for aliens... 
like me

Kissed by the golden sunshine 
in from the cold
Lucky to find ocean solace 
to paint canvas bold
Silence the extrovert who is buried within 
Smiling alone in the shadows 
a loss is a win

Suburban wasteland, no home for aliens
Suburban wasteland, no home for aliens... 

Where is my rocket to take me home
Exit closed, signs overgrown 
Darkness comes, I got nowhere to go 

Suburban wasteland, no home for aliens
Suburban wasteland, no home for aliens... 
like me, like me, like me

Suburban Wasteland

Use To Be

Original track. Dean on all guitars and vocals

LYRICS
Can't wait no longer for the phone to ring 
When it does, you say you want me for nothing 
Wasting away locked inside these walls 
There's no sound anymore 

The gear is gathering dust
The wolf is by the door 
There's no sound anymore

I'm packing, stacking, filling, moving, doing fine 
Cupboard's full and shelter's mine for now 
Mindless body breaking over time
There's no sound anymore 

Booty's in the bank 
Trinkets fill the floor
There's no sound anymore 

I pass you by and say my world has changed 
Still put finger in the pie sometimes 
I'm speaking but not sure you're listening to me
There's no sound anymore


No Sound

Original track. Dean on all guitars and vocals.

LYRICS
Home alone. I'm home alone!!

Party at my best friend's house tonight
Don't think I'll go, it doesn't feel right
All the 'in crowd' are gonna be there
I haven't got any nice threads to wear

I think I'll stay at home... better off alone

I should make an effort, get out on the town
But I like it better no-one else around 
I hear people talk, I got nothing to say
Never meet nobody if I stay this way!

I think I'll stay at home... better off alone

Being reclusive, some say is a curse
But listening to people talk crap 
There's nothing worse!!

...so I'm home alone, home alone...

I think I'll stay at home... better off alone

Home Alone

Original track. Dean on all vocals and guitars. 

LYRICS 
All he needed was to see her again
But he got carried away 
Tried to find out who were her best friends 
But he got carried away 
Had to know if she was all fine 
But he got carried away 
Called her cellphone 98 times!
Then he was carried away... 

...to a room where everything's white 
No windows to let in the light 
Padded walls and double deadlocks 
Medication and electric shocks!

He don't wanna live this misery 
Can't accept that they weren't meant to be
Gotta break out of captivity 
Before they schedule his lobotomy 

All he wanted was to see her smile 
But he got carried away 
Only sat outside her house for a while 
But he got carried away 
Used a tracker to see where she's been 
But he got carried away 
He doesn't know why the cops were so mean
When he was carried away...

...to a room where everything's white 
No windows to let in the light 
Padded walls and double deadlocks 
Medication and electric shocks!

He don't wanna live this misery 
Can't accept that they weren't meant to be
Gotta break out of captivity 
Before they schedule his lobotomy 
He don't wanna live this misery 
Trapped inside his fantasy
Just a menace to society 
He ain't the same as you and me!

Carried Away

An experimental eastern vibe stylistic departure. Original track. Dean on all guitars and vocals. Sampled and altered sitar excerpt. Master by Ted Rudduck @soundted

Another Place

Original track. Dean on all guitars and vocals. Master by Ted Rudduck @soundted

LYRICS
Talking to myself, yeah, that’s OK
Answer’s right every time
In the end, there isn't much left to say
Shut up shop, all is fine
So much grey, I pray for black & white
At the heart of bad I find the good
Stars shine brighter on the darkest night
Lingers longer than it should 
 
Empty, empty, empty, empty

So quick to quip and cover up your chip
Mistakes made, swallow pride
Sails are filling fast to steady up the ship
Skin is thick now, let it slide
Signs are posted, next direction clear
Treadmill hums along the same
Narrow viewpoint I don’t wanna hear
Pretend away the pain and shame

Will it fade away? Hopefully some day
 
Empty, empty, empty, empty
Again, again, again, again...

Empty

Original track. Dean on all guitars and vocals. Career change and the worth you place on what you do. Master by Ted Rudduck @soundted 

LYRICS 
Life keeps racing on by
But I’m still going the same pace
You say what’re you doing now
Come back and join the rat race
I say I’ve got nothing left
The more I give, the more it takes away
I’m not cut out to be stuck in a box
Gotta drop down a gear at the end of the day

If I ever get over it, I’ll be over it
And you’ll be over there laughing at me
By the time that I get over you
I’ll be over the hill
Kicking back til it’s over

I search for meaning in everything
But nothing seems to inspire
It's easy to get sick of the things you love
No purpose equals no desire
Sometimes wish I had’ve stayed on track
Have way more money to spend
When I weigh up what’s important to me
Then I see all that crap is just a means to an end

Power down now and then 
And one day, switch it on again 

If I ever get over it, I’ll be over it
And you’ll be over there laughing at me
By the time that I get over you
I’ll be over the hill
Kicking back til it’s over

Dean Traino

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