mistermark

The Eclectic Collective

[UNDER CONSTRUCTION]

Tradacoustic series no. 386

Music, mostly recent, a few days, a few months...

created: 2025/05/26

hk_tradacoustic_386

Easy (cropped version of the song by Lionel Ritchie & The Commodores)

Mark's Album (post-2020)

Easy (cover, excerpt)

a slightly shorter version with piano only (song by John Lennon)

Imagine (cover, excerpt)

experimenting with mixing some preset Garageband loops with some original rhythms and melody.

Mark's Album

Latin Kinda Thang

Ledb

I've had this idea for a while to insert a Reggae/Dub section into a Jazz or Blues tune, and finally got around to it. Luckily, this is both - a 24 bar Blues structure in a Jazz style, with 3 horns. As a bonus, I managed to work in a little tribute to Pink Floyd. See if you can spot the several references to the song 'Money' in the Dub section starting @ 2:46, and the subtle nod in the track art. 

Also, one of my fave sounds in music is hearing a trombone player 'go off' in an unhinged solo, bonus points if it's muted with a plunger  ;). I tried at least a very small attempt at that... it comes in right after the 'Dub' section while the sax & trumpet swap melodies from the first half. Maybe it works maybe it doesn't, but I laugh whenever I hear it. All instruments are played by me on keyboard.

***Also, check out the really cool take that fellow Canadian 'Big Al From The Grove' has on this track, where he graced it with his brilliant guitar playing: 
https://soundcloud.com/user-543408605/1-for-the-money-3-for-the-blues

thanks for listening!  

(just realized, this is actually track #100 in my SC catalogue, since starting in 2013. yay!)

-sound sample & some music themes from 'Money' by Pink Floyd (written by Roger Waters)
-image created using Dall-E

All comments welcome, and don't be shy to be critical or suggest ideas to help me improve.   :)

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- Here's a funny photo I took & Photoshopped which was inspired by this Pink Floyd song: 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mark_boucher/53706894609/in/dateposted/

- my best photos on 500px (safe site): 500px.com/p/mrmark?view=photos

1 For The Money, 3 For The Blues (& a Dub interlude tribute to Pink Floyd)

Cast of Characters:
~Mark F-- @mark_fosella -- bass guitar, composition

Llanpsych -- @llanpsych -- Tez – guitar

cgmaness-- @user-419254289-15129531 – Chris – guitar

TexMex Shaman–@texmex-shaman –Stephen–  production, and mix

J.J. Terrell–@j-j-terrell –electric piano, organ, and synth

K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara -–Ken–drums

Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)–@josh-clary-1 –-electric madolin

This song originated with Mark creating a bass line to a metronome, and sharing it with Ken. Ken immediately added his driving drums, and invited the rest of the EC to join in. JJ was first up, laying in his foundational organ, and e. piano magic in the first half, and the cosmic synth melody in the second part. Batting second was Josh, who established the melody in the first half with his electric mandolin, and mirrors the melody in the second half with the same. Next came Tez, who laid in the funky guitar right after the first break, all the way to the end. Batting clean up was Chris, who laid in the psych guitar in the first section, as well as the high guitar part in the second movement. Of course, we needed an expert producer to mix this for us, so we turned to Stephen, who always gets it exactly to everyone's specifications. That in and of itself is quite a skill, and I don't know how he does it, but everyone is always satisfied with his work.
  This is the second song we've done with Mark, who is a tremendously talented bass player, and delightfully creative songwriter. If you aren't familiar with his work, do yourself a favor and hop on over to his page for some delicious bass music. We hope you enjoy listening to this song as much as we enjoyed making it.

The Adventures of Stefan Ortèz (The Eclectic Collective with Mark F)

"ARC" • DUO FOR CELLO & PIANO

Cast of Characters:
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 –Josh – Warwick four string fretless bass, Sigma acoustic guitar, PRS SE semi hollow body guitar, composition
K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken–drums and percussion
J.J. Terrell-- @j-j-terrell—JJ-- organ
Mistermark-- @user-432503709 -- Mark – VST horns - trumpet, bone, & sax, latin drum ensemble, and editing production
TexMex Shaman– @texmex-shaman –Stephen– Production, mix, and mastering

This song began in the dead of winter on a cold night with Josh sitting in his studio with his acoustic guitar playing along to a looper beat. He loves Bossa Nova music and wanted to write a song in that style. Of course, he wrote it with the Eclectic Collective in mind.
Josh also came up with the bass line to the looper, but changed it once Ken weighed in with his perfectly suited drum kit. Ken also added the solid percussion keeping things tight. Then JJ got involved and laid down that wonderfully melodic organ part you hear in there. Josh, having not laid down a lead guitar part yet, used JJ melodic idea for the first verse, too, because it's so strong. Mark was last to the table, bringing several really stunning parts that added a lot of depth to the whole thing. He's responsible for the horn arrangements that joins in from JJ's organ around the middle, those funky percussion flourishes and fills, and then creating that percussion breakdown near the end, playing everything you hear in that break. 
This is an example of Josh exploring a less typical type of music, and it being picked up on and carried through expertly as a group unit. We all love bringing in different influences in the EC, and this fit the bill. We hope you enjoy listening to this song as much as we enjoyed creating it.

And here’s a short excerpt of the the rhythm section with all the percussion action more isolated:

https://on.soundcloud.com/z7WcB9VvfZWHgAUu8

Meet The New Bossa (The Eclectic Collective)

Wood Winds

When a folk guitar meet a cello from the orchestra.  For a wowan I loved in the past: Maude

Maude

Cast of Characters:
Joe Stroffolino-- @joseph-stroffolino -- Taylor 114ce acoustic guitar, main vocals, harmony vocals, lyrics, composition
Llanpsych -- @llanpsych -- Tez – Epiphone Les Paul electric guitar
K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara -–Ken–drums and percussion
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)–@josh-clary-1 –- four string Fender Precision Bass, and Roland organ
TexMex Shaman–@texmex-shaman –Stephen– Tom Anderson Custom T electric guitar, mix, mastering, and production

  
This song began when Joe, feeling a bit nostalgic, wrote the lyrics and composed it on his acoustic guitar. He recorded it and sang it with expert harmonies, then decided to share it with Eclectic Collective. We were all very excited to get work on our second song with Joe, as we all admire his songwriting.
  First up was Tez this time, oddly enough. He was able to identify all the fill spots and light up the solo without the rest of us even adding anything yet. Next came Ken, who usually goes first, adding his steady grooving drums and tasty percussion. Once the drums were down, Josh completed the rhythm section by adding his fretted bass. He also worked out an organ part to give the whole sound a bit of thickness. Also adding some thickness and texture, Stephen added a clean electric rhythm part, as well. 
  Once we had it in can we asked Stephen to mix and produce it for us, which he did in his always expert fashion. 
  This, as mentioned, is Eclectic Collective's second song with Joe, and we all enjoyed bringing it to life with him. He's a wonderful collaborator and an all around good dude. Do yourself a favor and go check out his page, which is rich in great songs. We hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed making it.

Original lyrics by Joe Stroffolino:

If you find yourself in trouble and you think you've lost your way. 
Here's hoping that you find a path to a better day.
I sure hope that you're happy.  I'm wishing you the best.
I hope you find what you're looking for as you continue on your quest.
I hope you find all the answers to all those questions vexing you.
I hope you can find a way not to bite off more than you can chew.
I sure hope that you're happy.  I'm wishing you the best.
I hope you find what you're looking for as you continue on your quest.
You spread your wings and you flew so far away from me.
I hope that you're enjoying your new reality
All those places that you said that you wanted to see.
I hope they're as good as you expected them to be.
I want you to know that you hold a special place in my heart.
I think about you often even though we are apart.
They say that when you love somebody sometimes you gotta be willing to let them go.
You gotta let them spread their wings and fly wherever the wind decides to blow. 
I sure hope that you're happy.  I'm wishing you the best.
I hope you find what you're looking for as you continue on your quest.
I hope that you're happy. I hope that you're doing well.  I sure hope that you're doing swell.You spread your wings and you flew so far away from me.
I hope that you're enjoying your new reality



I Hope That You're Happy - The Eclectic Collective with Joe Stroffolino

Cast of characters:
The Beautiful Dark -- @thebeautifuldark -- Carl — VST orchestration, vocals, lyrics, and compostion
K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken -- drums, percussion
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 –Josh – Warwick fretless four-string bass, Fender Precion four-string fretted bass, and Roland Phantom synthesizer
TexMex Shaman– @texmex-shaman –Stephen– Tom Anderson Custom T model electric guitar
Mistermark-- @user-432503709 -- Mark – VST string arrangement
Llanpsych -- @llanpsych -- Tez – Fender Stratocaster electric guitrar, mix, and production

 This song began as a musical letter written, composed, and sung by Carl to Eclectic Collective. Carl and Josh had been sniffing around each other's pages, admiring each other's work and collaborators. So Carl reached out with this friendly, uplifting song, as a gift to the band. 
  Ken was first in line, adding his awesome, driving drums to give us a heartbeat to build upon. Josh came along next and completed the rhythm section with his trusty four-string fretless bass. Stephen was next up to bat, adding his dynamic raspy guitar, which almost sounds like an electrified fiddle. Next up, Mark followed with his trippy synth and powerful strings to add to Carl's original composition. 
  We had it pretty much done sounding, but wanted to spice it up a bit, so we came up with the idea for a coda. Josh added his bass and synth for it, and Tez came up with the thrilling guitar part of it, as well. Tez also added the thrilling guitar intro, too. 
  Once it was in the can, we asked Tez to mix and produce it for us, which he did in his always expert fashion.
  This is the first song EC has done with Carl, but we know it won't be the last. We all admire him for his creativity, proficiency, and prolificacy. His page is worth a stroll, too, as it contains a lot of gems.
  We hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed creating it.

Original lyrics by The Beautiful Dark: 

Hey Collective Seeds,

Let's work things out across that water
There's a cable under sea,
We can send all sorts of...
Music/Words/Sounds - It's insane!
Look Lads,
That's life in the fastlane!

So it's ones and zeros
Mine and yours and theres
We are all heroes...

Watching the fire,
From a distance we're warm
But not from their mire,
From this musical charm.
It's a bonfire,
An inferno.
Earth got plenty to turn off...

So we can sing to love
And we can play for more dove.
Let's combine our powers. Collective!
A Paddy/Yankee toasted sandwich

Tex festival streak
Psyched for more free
K2 to peak
Mistermark chimes ' found life fought
Give, You Entheogenic Psychonaught
Collective lands
Psyched for more free

Dear Collective - The Eclectic Collective with The Beautiful Dark

2025-05-20

something is ringing here

I've been on this kick lately posting short isolated tracks of previously uploaded full songs, just to highlight certain parts. In this one, it's an isolated section of the vocal track & harmonies, with a bit of percussion. Here's a link to the full song, a cover of the infectious "It's All Right" by Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions. I'm really not much of a fan of my own voice, but had some fun playing around with this one. :)

The full song details are at the linked page:
on.soundcloud.com/JG34TadM9uxvzEmi9

More goodies in the "ISOLATED TRACKS" playlist:
soundcloud.com/user-432503709/sets/isolated-tracks

thanks for listening!

It's All Right (ISOLATED vox)

Cast of characters:
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 –Josh – Warwick fretless four-string bass, composition
J.J. Terrell– @j-j-terrell – organ and synth
K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken — drums and percussion
Mistermark-- @user-432503709 -- Mark –- clavinet, VST saxophone solo, VST horns, effects, production editing
TexMex Shaman– @texmex-shaman –Stephen — Tom Anderson Custom T electric guitar, production, mix, and mastering
Llanpsych -- @llanpsych -- Tez – Fender Telecaster HHS electric guitrar
The Beautiful Dark -- @thebeautifuldark -- Carl — vocals and lyrics

This song began back at the beginning of the summer, when Josh was messing around on his electric piano and found a structure to which to add his bass. As soon as he opened the project to the rest of Eclectic Collective, JJ jumped right in, adding his thrilling organ and ethereal background synth. Thus, Josh dropped his original e. piano part in favor of JJ's new parts. Ken was next up, adding the drums in reverse order from how he and Josh usually do it. Ken is very skilled at being able to add drums to a pre-existing bass line, which he displays in here. He also added the clever auxilary percussion you hear throughout. Mark was next to the trough, adding his funky clavinet, as well as his sax solo you hear lighting it up in there. He also added some well composed horns toward the end, not to be confused with JJ's synth. 
  Then it was time for the guitarists to do their thing. Stephen added the strong, melodic solos in the first two breaks with his guitar and wah pedal. After Tez added his thrilling solos at the end, Stephen went back in and added the funky rhythm guitar part. Tez also added the funky guitar riffs throughout the verses.
  All that was left was to get Carl in on the action, as he is the newest core member of Eclectic Collective. He wrote a poem and sung it in his signature, wild style for us.
  This is Eclectic Collective at its almost full strength, pulling six musicians from two different continents and four different countries together to create a song. We hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed creating it.
   On a side note, this will be Eclectic Collective's last song for two weeks. As most of you know, we release a song every Thursday at midnight. Due to vacation and travel at the end of summer, we'll be skipping  next Friday, the 15th, but should be returning the following Friday, the 22nd. We may also put something out this coming Tuesday, the 12th, so please stay tuned. Can't thank enough those of you who tune in regularly and support us every week. 
Original lyrics by The Beautiful Dark:

