A composition in four movements commemorating the plight of the Great Auk on Funk Island in the Key of A Minor, on electric and acoustic guitars.

1) Man's Arrival         03:39
2) Dark Days             02:43
3) Desperate Times  02:35
4) 1844                      03:48

Cover image "Funk Island" by Walton Ford (b. 1960), 1998, watercolor, gouache, graphite and ink on paper 60 ¼ x 119 ½ in. (153 x 303.5 cm.)

The Funk Island Suite in A Minor for Electric and Acoustic Guitar

January 2022 sessions at AukMaster Studios. Various guitars. Partially inspired by a trip to Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.

El Paseo del Morro

December 2024-February 2025 Sessions at AukMaster Studios

Long Winter Blues

Waiting for My Plane to Land

Buy on Vinyl

Sempre Serenissima

Getting through the shortest day of one of the longest years. Three tracks:

1) Rhythm guitar: Guild A150 unplugged
2) Electric bass: Ibanez GSR200 direct into mixer
3) Lead guitar: Guild A150 through Fender Champion 600 with clean boost and compression

Long Haul

More reminiscences of Puerto Rico.
Two tracks on the Martin GPC-16e Rosewood.

Paseo del Morro

Paseo Del Morro

Two tracks on the Takamine EG523sc-12 twelve string.

Cycles of Isolation

A little lunch break mandolin jam. When working from home, every day is take your mandolin to work day.

Two tracks on the Ibanez M522 mandolin.

Pranzo con Mandolino

Keeping warm with the archtop on a cold January morning (7 degrees out, high of 18). Two tracks on the Guild A150 Savoy, unplugged.

Dead of Winter

Two tracks:
1)Rhythm guitar: Fender Standard MIM Telecaster (neck PU)  through Fender Champion 600 with chorus and compression
2) Lead guitar: Fender Standard MIIM Telecaster (bridge PU) through Fender Champion 600 with tubescreamer and compression

Where the Spirit Takes Me

Three track blues jam after stressing out over another Longhorns game that should have been an easy victory but ended up ending in an overtime defensive stand, but a "w" is a "w"...

Electric bass: Ibanez GSR200 direct into mixer
Rhythm guitar: Guild A150 Savoy with flatwounds, mic'ed and through Fender Champion 600 with chorus and compressor
Lead guitar: Gibson ES-137, bridge position, through Fender Champion 600 with Tubescreamer, analog delay, and compressor

Twelve Bars, Three Tracks, One Blues Jam

Two tracks on the Player Strat through the Fender Champion 600:
Rhythm: position 2 with chorus and compressor
Lead: position 2 with tubescreamer, chorus, analog delay, and compressor

Beacon

Three tracks:
Electric bass: Ibanez GSR200 direct into mixer
Rhythm guitar: Fender Player Strat, position 4, through Fender Champion 600 with chorus and compressor
Lead guitar: Fender Player Strat, position 2, through Fender Champion 600 with chorus, fuzz, analog delay, and compressor

Following the Mary Celeste

Two tracks on the Martin GPC-16e Rosewood

Somnambulist Musings

Two tracks on the Fender Player Strat through the Fender Champion 600:
Rhythm: with chorus and compressor
Lead: with fuzz, chorus, analog delay, and compressor

High Tension Wire

Three tracks:
Electric bass: Ibanez GSR200 direct into mixer
Rhythm guitar: Guild A150 Savoy mic'ed and through Fender Champion 600 with compressor
Lead guitar: Guild A150 mic'ed and through Fender Champion 600 with fuzz, analog delay, and compressor

Two tracks on the Fender Player Strat through the Fender Champion 600 with various effects.

Moon Over PCH

Time Space Anomaly Number 2

Two tracks on the Fender Player Strat through the Fender Champion 600 with various and sundry effects...

Thoughts and Meditations

Three tracks:
Electric bass: Ibanez GSR200 direct into mixer
Rhythm guitar: Guild A150 Savoy through Fender Champion 600 with chorus and compressor
Lead guitar: Guild A150 Savoy through Fender Champion 600 with chorus, analog delay, and compressor

Ca' d'Oro

Two tracks on the Standard Telecaster (MIM 2006) through the Fender Champion 600:

Rhythm: neck pu, with chorus and compressor
Lead: bridge pu, with chorus, fuzz, tubescreamer, analog delay, and compressor

Aspettando

Four tracks:
Percussion: CP by LP congas
Electric bass: Ibanez GSR200 direct into mixer
Rhythm guitar: Martin GPC-16e Rosewood
Lead guitar: Fender Standard Telecaster (MIM 2006), bridge PU, through Fender Champion 600 with compressor, chorus, fuzz, tubescreamer, and analog delay

Youth in the Rear View Mirror

Abstractions

Two tracks on the Martin GPC-16e Rosewood.

Clear Skies

Two tracks on the Fender Player Strat through the Fender Champion 600
Rhythm: position 4 with chorus and compressor
Lead: position 2 with chorus, fuzz, tubescreamer, analog delay, and compressor

Two tracks on the Fender Player Strat through the Fender Champion 600 with various and sundry pedals...

Toward the Unknown

Three tracks:
Rhythm (x2; chords and arpeggios): Martin GPC-16e Rosewood, mic'ed and direct into mixer
Lead: Fender Player Strat, position 2, through Fender Champion 600 with chorus, fuzz, tubescreamer, analog delay, and compressor

Atmospheric Meander Number 2

Two tracks on the Guild A150 Savoy archtop mic'ed and through Fender Champion 600.
Rhythm: with chorus and compressor
Lead: with chorus, fuzz, analog delay, and compressor

Blues Jam on the Archtop

Two tracks on the 2006 Fender MIM Standard Telecaster through the Fender Champion 600
Rhythm: Neck PU with compressor
Lead: Bridge PU with fuzz, tubescreamer, analog delay, and compressor

In the A-Frame

Blues jam on a 4th of July morning in the home studio. Three tracks:
Electric bass: Ibanez GSR200 direct into mixer
Rhythm guitar: Gibson ES-137, neck PU, through Fender Champion 600 with chorus and compressor
Lead guitar: Gibson ES-137, bridge PU, through Fender Champion 600 with chorus, fuzz, tubescreamer, analog delay, and compressor

Westchester Blues Trio

Two tracks on the Fender Player Strat through the Fender Champion 600
Rhythm: position 4 with compressor
Lead: position 2 with chorus, fuzz, analog delay, and compressor

New Space Age

Trying to evoke the feeling of walking around Castello in Venice, late at night and alone. Two tracks:
Rhythm: Martin GPC-16e Rosewood, plugged in and mic'ed
Lead: Fender Player Strat, position 2, through Fender Champion 600 with chorus, fuzz, tubescreamer, analog delay, and compressor

Verso San Francesco della Vigna

Three track on Fender Player Strat through Fender Champion 600.
Rhythm, position 5 with chorus and compressor
Sitar leads, position 5 with Ravish Sitar Pedal (EH) and compressor
Lead, position 2 with fuzz, tubescreamer, chorus, analog delay, and compressor

Psychedelic Auk Number 2 in E Minor

Instrumental blues; three tracks:
Electric bass: Ibanez GSR200 direct into mixer
Rhythm guitar: Gibson ES-137, neck PU, through Fender Champion 600 with chorus and compressor
Lead guitar: Gibson ES-137, bridge PU, through Fender Champion 600 with chorus, fuzz, tubescreamer, analog delay, and compressor

Pokey Train

A journey through time and space in four tracks:
Percussion: CP by LP bongos
Electric bass: Ibanez GSR200 direct into mixer
Rhythm guitar: Guild A150 Savoy, unplugged
Lead guitar: Guild A150 Savoy through Fender Champion 600 with chorus, fuzz, analog delay, and compressor

First Approach

A dreamy three track recording:
Electric bass: Ibanez GSR200 direct into mixer
Rhythm guitar: Fender Player Strat, position 4, through Fender Champion 600 with chorus and compressor
Lead guitar: Fender Player Strat, position 2, through Fender Champion 600 with chorus, fuzz, tubescreamer, analog delay, and compressor

Vaporetto dei sogni

Two tracks on the Fender Player Strat through the Fender Champion 600 
Rhythm: position 4 with chorus and compressor
Lead: position 2 with fuzz, tubescreamer, chorus, analog delay, and compressor


Tasteful Noodles

Testing out my newly repaired, re-biased, '65 P-Reverb amp (built originally by my late father from the StewMac kit) with no effects except a bit of the amp's spring reverb and tram in the lead track.

Electric bass: Ibanez GSR200 direct into mixer
Rhythm guitar: Fender Player Strat, position 4
Lead guitar: Fender Player Strat, position 2
Percussion: CP by LP bongos

Clean Dry Amp Test

Second test of newly repaired, rebiased '65 Princeton Reverb kit originally built by my late father; this time with a little more gain and FX.

Rhythm guitar: Fender Player Strat, position 4 with chorus and compressor
Lead guitar: Fender Player Strat, position 2 with fuzz, tubescreamer, chorus, analog delay, and compressor

Dirty, Wet Amp Test

Two tracks on the Gibson ES-137 through the '65 Princeton Reverb"
Rhythm: neck pickup with chorus and compressor
Lead: bridge pickup with tubescreamer, fuzz, chorus, analog delay, and compressor

Giro da motoscafo

Three tracks:
Electric bass: Ibanez GSR200 direct into mixer
Rhythm guitar: Guild A150 Savoy through '65 Princeton Reverb
Lead guitar: Guild A150 through '65 Princeton Reverb with clean boost, amp-based trem and reverb.

Two tracks on the Fender Telecaster through the Princeton Reverb:
Rhythm: neck position with compressor
Lead: bridge position with fuzz, tubescreamer, analog delay, compressor, and a little trem and reverb from the amp.

Too Hot in the Kitchen

Getting a little heat with the humbuckers through the Princeton. Two tracks on the Gibson ES-137 through the '65 P-Reverb with a bunch of effects.

August Heat

Four tracks:
Bongos: CP by LP
Electric bass: Ibanez GSR200 direct into mixer
Rhythm guitar: Gibson ES-137, neck PU, through '65 Princeton Reverb with chorus and compressor
Lead guitar: Gibson ES-137, bridge PU, through '65 Princeton Reverb with chorus, fuzz, analog delay, and compressor

Last Ferry

Two tracks on the Fender Player Strat through the '65 Princeton Reverb:
Rhythm: position 4 with chorus and compressor
Lead: position 2 with chorus, fuzz, tubescreamer, analog delay, and comrpessor

Untethered Space Walk

Nothing like a Strat through a Princeton Reverb. Two tracks on the Fender Player Strat through the '65 P-Reverb:
Rhythm: position 4 with chorus, compressor, and reverb.
Lead: position 2 with fuzz, tubescreamer, chorus, analog delay, compressor, and reverb.

Glowing Glass Single Coil Blues Groove

Two tracks on the Gibson ES-137 through the '65 P-Reverb:
Rhythm: neck bucker with chorus and compressor
Lead: bridge bucker with fuzz, tubescreamer, chorus, and compressor

Alla destra, sopra il ponte, poi alla sinistra

Two tracks on the Gibson ES-137 through the '65 P-Reverb:
Rhythm: neck PU with chorus and compressor
Lead: bridge PU with fuzz, tubescreamer, chorus, and compressor

AukMaster

Pinned to spotlight

Popular tracks