So good! Love your vocals Mark! Heard this a few times on others pages and still grooving to it!

Brilliant work from all concerned. Shreddin' vocals, as you say, MM! And that bridge/solo is very very nice.

Yes...another great work from you guys! The raspy vocals match the mood so well. 👏

Definitely has that Rod Stewart / Faces vibe on the vocals

Beautiful collab! Bravo! Mark, I see you play a big role in this track!

Fabulous song. Great vocal man. Description explains the evolution really nicely here 👌🏽🔆 Nice job

a few songs where I take a turn at the singy part, either the lead, or backing harmony, or just a little noise here & there.


Playlist photo by John Curley; iPod Photoshopery by me

Singy stuff (songs with my voice)

Here'n'Now

an excerpt of the intro of a song written by my good friend Dyniss from back in the day when we were in a band together (lead vocal - Dyniss, harmony - me). It's a good example of our vocal tandem when we sang together. 

Here is a cover of Dyniss's band covering "We Can Work It Out", with me on vocal lead: 
https://soundcloud.com/user-432503709/we-can-work-it-out-with-dyniss-vocal-mark?in=user-432503709/sets/singing-stuff

Here is a medley of Dyniss tunes recorded from our rehearsal sessions:
https://soundcloud.com/user-432503709/dyniss-ditties-bestest-bits?in=user-432503709/sets/compilations

For more about Dyniss, visit http://dyniss.com/

Live in the Studio

Less Than Me (intro harmony / song by Dyniss)

I think this was the only cover tune we did back in my band days playing with my great friends Dyniss, Morris, and Alex. Here I take a turn at lead vocals with Dyniss on harmony. This is a ‘live’ version recorded in Dyniss’ studio (I believe in one take), though we performed it live on stage often.
Them wuz some good ol' times.

Dyniss Band members:
Dyniss - acoustic guitar, backing vocal
Mark - keyboard/accordion, lead vocal
Alex - 6 string fretless bass
Morris - Drums

Written by Lennon, McCartney

We Can Work It Out (cover; vocal mark)

My grandma's favourite song. that's papa on guitar, me taking a turn at vocal. I also do a pretty lame job trying to strum accompaniment while dad plays the middle solo. Originally recorded around 2014 with my phone mic, I also recently (in 2024) used AI tools to isolate the vocal & guitar into separate tracks so I could better adjust the balance. happy with the result. 

This song’s got a lot of meaning in our family. About as close to a perfect country song as it gets for me. 

(written in 1946 by Fred Rose. covered by the likes of Hank, Roy, Charlie, Elvis, and of course, Willie.)

Here's one other song we did together around the same time: 
- Back Home Again: https://soundcloud.com/user-432503709/back-home-again-cover-take-2-collab-with-dad 

All comments welcome, and don't be shy to be critical or suggest ideas to help me improve. :)
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here's some pictures I took: www.flickr.com/photos/mark_boucher/
my best photos on 500px (safe site): 500px.com/p/mrmark?view=photos

Voice Memos, country

blue eyes crying in the rain (cover, with Dad)

Arrite... dusting this one off again for another year.
First, to answer the question I know everyone wants to know about this one - "Is that your real hair?!?" 
No. No it's not.   😎 
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I lived in Japan for a year between 2002-2003 doing the teaching English thing, and made some good friends at one of the schools I worked at. We sometimes went out for Karaoke (of course!) and on one such night around Christmas I took a turn to sing one of my faves - Blue Christmas, the Elvis version. 

This is a live recording of me that night. The exuberant reaction from the group is partly due to the fact that I was/am normally a pretty quiet & reserved fellow, especially in crowds, and they were both shocked and seemingly quite impressed by my getting up to sing Elvis, and by how much I apparently sounded like him. 

I could translate some of what they're saying here, but you'll get the idea. For example though, the word "Sugoi" means "Cool!". In another spot, someone walks into the room mid-song, and another person says "hey hey, this is cool, it's Elvis!... watch this..."
See what you think.  ;)

Happy holidays everybuddy!

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here's some pictures I took: www.flickr.com/photos/mark_boucher/
my best photos on 500px (safe site): 500px.com/p/mrmark?view=photos

Blue Christmas (Karaoke in Japan)

Music by Paploviante
https://soundcloud.com/paul-racle

Lyrics & Vocals by Cosmic Keanu

Back to You (I'll Find the Way)

Every time we break away
I feel blue,
just thinking of you

Can’t hide away
from the pain,
feel it night and day

Heart weighs heavy 
on my mind,
thoughts are unkind

So much trouble 
there to find,
I can’t unwind

Only one thing
on my mind,
silence on the line

Without you, 
I can’t rest
It’s meaningless

I feel so lonely I could die
Without you

In the dark my mind plays tricks on me 
you set me free

And when I call out your name
I feel eternity

Has it been a year or just a day
Time’s gone away
Time’s gone away
Time’s gone away

I’ll find the way
To get back to you

Wait there for me,
I’ll be there for you

I’ll find the way
To get back to you

I’ll find the way
To get back to you

I feel so lonely I could die
Without you

In the dark my mind plays tricks on me 
you set me free

Every time we break away
I feel blue,
Just thinking of you

Can’t hide away
From the pain
Feel it night and day

Without you, 
I can’t rest
It’s meaningless

I’ll find the way
To get back to you

Wait there for me,
I’ll be there for you

I’ll find the way
To get back to you

Back To You (I'll Find The Way) Paploviante & Cosmic Keanu

Dad & me making music together. took us over 40 years but we did it! This was recorded around 2014 or so I think. 

dad - acoustic guitar
me - voice

We tried this in 2 takes. The 2nd take had a bit louder, stronger sounding vocals, but the singing wasn't quite as subtle and soulful as this one, which is the 1st take. Even with the funny botched ending, this was always my preferred of the two versions. Unfortunately the vocal recording on this 1st take was too quiet (gotta find a better way to record singing than in the basement with my phone mic!). But after looking for years for a way to bump up only the vocals, I finally made use of one of the many AI tools popping up these days for isolating instruments from audio recordings. The tool I used is called 'Splitter AI / vocal remover', but there are others out there. Finally, I was able to isolate the vocals & guitar into separate tracks and make the voice  louder. 

(Song by John Denver)

I'm happy to be sharing these examples of my family making music from back in the day. :) Here's the other song we did around the same time. This is a very special song in our family, and I was super glad I got to sing it with my dad playing.  

Blue Eyes Cryin' In the Rain: https://soundcloud.com/user-432503709/blue-eyes-crying-in-the-rain?si=29d81db0b84147ab9c54e6a0062a498f&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

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here's some pictures I took:
https://500px.com/p/MrMark?view=photos

Back Home Again (cover - take 1) [collab with dad]

Cast of characters:
Llanpsych-- @llanpsych -- Tez – rhythm and lead guitar, seed idea
J.J. Terrell-- @j-j-terrell—JJ-- organ and synth
Mistermark-- @user-432503709 -- Mark –  piano, harmonica, VST fiddle, vocals, lyrics, mix, and production
TexMex Shaman– @texmex-shaman –Stephen– layered guitar parts and fills, mastering
K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken–drums and percussion
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 –Josh – mandolin and four-string fretless bass
Composition – The Eclectic Collective

This song started as a guitar skeleton that had been a twinkle in Tez's eye several years ago. He'd been hanging on to it in hopes of finding a suitable home for it. When he introduced it to the Eclectic Collective, we all jumped on it. First up was Ken, laying in his dynamic, powerful drums and percussion. Then Stephen laid down some fiery fills as well as a solid comp part on his guitar. Inspired by the Stones sound of the guitars, Mark added some piano, harmonica, and VST fiddle, then got to work on some lyrics and vocal melody. Josh was atypically late to the party, but managed to get his bass in there, too, thus completing the rhythm section. JJ was next up with his splendid organ and synth to fill in the sound. 
  By this time, Mark had written and recorded some throat shredding vocals, which he added to the mix. We all decided that it now had a Rod Stewart/Faces vibe to it, so we tried to amplify that flavor. To this end, Josh dropped in a mandolin part, as well.
  At this point, the song needed a dynamic push to close out the song, so the decision was made to amp up the crescendo at the end. Ken summoned his best Keith Moon energy, and Tez laid down a killer solo, while Stephen added the big Townsend chords. 
  Mark had been editing and mixing the whole time, and did such an excellent job with it, we decided to go with his mix from the group project. Stephen did master it masterfully before we put it out here, too, though.
  This one got done in a really quick turnaround, and we're really proud of it and hope you all enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed creating it. Thanks for listening!

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ORIGINAL LYRICS BY MISTERMARK:

Never was one for being sociable
but lordy knows how I tried 
every time I tried to talk to a girl 
she would always run away and hide

Nobody told me 
nobody cared
nobody told me 
the girl was scared

Back at the party you asked me to dance 
but I didn’t know what to do 
my two left feet had me runnin’ round in circles 
so I always came back to you

Been so long since somebody held me 
made me feel i’m gonna win
but drinkin' that jug o’ juice gonna help me 
when I’m takin' it on the chin

Nobody told me 
nobody cared
nobody told me 
they never dared

another party you ask me to dance 
and I don’t know what to do
my two left feet got me runnin’ round in circles 
and I'm still comin’ back to you...

Nobody Told Me (The Eclectic Collective)

We're All Loving The Wrong People

Asedio

Space Solfege Chemistry

Space Solfege Laboratory

Sometimes the moon is almost as bright as the setting sun, but with a purple hue. the only song in a major key on the 1987 album resonance.
learn more> www.jh0st.com/resonance/

lunaria annua (1987)

utube  : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJEOUUSYrkM 
auteur compositeur , violoncelle pizzicato , batterie, clavier, voix, sound design: benjamin fontaine 
violon : Rosin Dust

années folles

Cactus

Contemporary work for String Quartet, Woodwinds and Percussion.

My Method of Composing and Producing

I'm sharing my method of composing and producing music recordings in case other composer-producers like me might find ideas worth exploring in their own work. I use this method for Classical, Avant-Pop or Neo-Folk Instrumental genres, not for Ambient and Soundscape pieces. Non-composers might find this explanation interesting, but having a bit of music theory background will definitely help. I consider myself a humble learner when it comes to music theory. 

I owe a debt of gratitude to British musician and educator Gareth Green, whose Music Matters online courses and free YouTube lessons have taught me so much over the past few years. Thanks to his instruction, I’ve moved from struggling to compose music by trial and error to something more enjoyable and productive. The knowledge I've gained has taken my work in new and expanding directions. As the saying goes, “Theory is not a cage — it’s a map. It doesn’t make the journey for you, but it keeps you from getting lost.” 

When I start a new piece, I begin by choosing a key, and picking a scale drawn from one of these sources:
 
1) Western Tonal / Functional Harmony - major or minor chords I II III IV V VI VII
2) Modal Harmony - Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, etc.
3) Slonimsky's "Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns" 
4) Messiaen’s "Seven Modes of Limited Transposition" 

For many pieces, I also decide on a progression, one as a simple as I IV V, or something more elaborate.  

Next I create a "scales and progressions" piano track in my DAW (digital audio workstation software) and enter the chords I to VII in my chosen key. These harmonized scales serve as a basis for writing multipart harmonies and finding pivot chords for key modulations. 

At the start, I know what instruments I want to use, making adjustments along the way. I tend to write chord parts first, then melodies created through a mix of improvisation and direct input in the DAW. Sometimes I start with a melody.

I develop melodies and variations of a phrase by some combination of: a) passing it from one instrument to another, transposing it by an interval that sounds pleasing, b) reversing it, c) inverting it around the tonic (first) note of the scale. These are well-known methods. 

After completing a section, I choose another scale and maybe a new key and repeat the process until I have a draft of the entire piece. Then I export a recording and listen to it “offline”, take notes of errors and new ideas, and incorporate them back into the piece. Often this “compose / listen / compose” cycle is repeated many times. These iterative cycles include adding new ideas, polishing transitions between sections, changing the arrangement, and incorporating expressive details like accents, and articulations (staccato, sustain, portato etc.). I’m often working several different pieces at once. 

Last is mixing and mastering: balancing the loudness between instruments and adjusting elements like reverb, compression, and equalization. I tend to mix as I compose, even though many producers frown on that approach. I find mixing as I go helps me envision the completed piece and make adjustments to the choice of instruments; it self-inspires me when the piece is starting to sound good.  At the end I do a final mix, but as the saying goes, “A mix is never finished — it’s surrendered.”

In the end, this method gives me a basis for exploration and creativity and helps me stay focused. The goal is always to make a piece of music that feels expressive, cohesive, and emotionally resonant.

Suite for Chamber Ensemble 2024

Suite For Chamber Ensemble 2024

Tribrid: a three-way hybrid...term seems to have a recent resurgence due to popular culture. For me it was more about three sector mass spectrometry!! 

Tribrid Revamp ('Tribrid Vamp' remix)

Acid house original track with heavy dissonant overtones.

Nobody Told Me (The Eclectic Collective)

mistermark

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