Getting totally drunk at a friend's house will lengthen your

[jimboloco]

This brings to mind something that I think would be a neat idea: a grand Studio Eight mixtape exchange.
See, have everyone who wants to participate make a mix CD

it's all jive slang to mee. don't let me hold up the progress of civilization, pleaze,
and I PRAY
IT IS PROGREZZ

i believe in gawd
an i believe in claude
thazz youzze.

let me step back
taken aback
a back seat to this jammin.

Jive slang? Huh?
I just use country slang, south & midsouth stuff, and I guess some Delta stuff that bled over from the blues. And some stuff that I made up.

why don't ya extrapolate on that and paste a url with a downl;oad link sop we can hear your sounds, Marksmon?

[Marksman45]

Well, Jim, I would, 'cept I just deleted all the downloads and am in the process of putting up new ones, which is gonna a long time because I have a slow connection at this location

I'm lookin' at having "Wintersong" (stripped-down folksy acoustic guitar stuff; similar to Nick Drake's work), "Father Crow" (raw, raucous insanity, with evil organs), "The Lame Horse Dirge (Mr. Tomi's Grimsong)" (high plains Western mournful), and "no. 12" (I don't know where to begin describing this one) uploaded for download; maybe also "No Flower Will Grow" (solo guitar instrumental composition)

[Marksman45]

Well, I got the new ones up if'n anyone wants to listen
http://www.angelfire.com/indie/btw/downloads.html

[Lightning Rod]

I listened to your cuts, mars

your vocal quality is, as usual, peculiar and fascinating

I like the second tune where you copped a major feel on the Capt'n.

[Marksman45]

Thanks, L~Rod

If you think my voice sounds peculiar just having heard me sing, you oughtta hear what my singing voice sounds like compared to my speaking voice. Most of the people who know me hear my songs and ask who sang it

"Father Crow" is definitely one of my favourites, and definitely Beefheartian, 'though it's not one that I modeled after a Beefheart song (like "BURN(!)" after "I'm Gonna Booglarize You Baby" or "Quinoa & the Winged Bean" after "When Big Joan Sets Up")

[bennie]

Mark's man, I listened to wintersong. It's a really great track. The guitar work is very impressive; strikes a chord (excuse the pun), with me, similar to Nick Drake's lush acoustics, and the vocals sound like a fine malt blend of Nick Cave and David Bowie.

I'm with LR on the 2nd track. Very Cptn Beefheart, lyrically. Musically it's there too but I can hear Love in there too and a bit of the Doors.

The third track reminds me a bit of Patti Smith. There's also some Nick Cave in there too.

These tracks are all really impressive. So what/who are they? Are these all you or friends or what?

I'll listen to the other songs later.

[Marksman45]

These songs are by the Dream & Shadow Huntsman Group, which consists of me by myself. These are songs for the album I'm working on, working title is "The Continued Adventures of the Dream & Shadow Huntsman Group" ("continued" because half the songs are old songs and half are new)

What's cool is that I had never heard Nick Drake or Nick Cave at the time I wrote this stuff. I had heard *of* them, and was interested, but had yet to hear them ("Wintersong" is over 5 years old, "Father Crow" I wrote 2 years ago, the others are in between). Of course now I've got <i>Pink Moon</i> and <i>Murder Ballads</i>.

I don't think I've ever heard Love or Patti Smith, what sort of stuff is it?

Thanks for listening, Bennie, and I'm glad you like it!

[bennie]

The other band I was thinking of when I said Love was 13th Floor Elevators. But I couldn't remember the name. I don't listen to them that often but one of the tracks reminded me of them.

Arthur Lee and Love were a 60s band. West coast. They had great lyrics and incredible song structure. Sort of a bridge between the hippy bands and bands like the Doors who preached of death and sex rather than love and hapiness; Love was somewhere in between the two. Lots of tracks about injustice, that sort of thing. I bought Forever Changes by Love because it's considered on of those "must have" classics by annoying music fans like myself. It's a gorgeous album and one which takes it's time to get to your core. You have to give it time.

Patti Smith is a Rimbaud obsessed NY poet punk. She does a cracking version of the Who's My Generation. I only have her album Horses. A lot of her lyrics are spoken word rather than sung.

I'd recommend you download some Love songs off off Forever Changes and if you haven't heard them you should also check out 13th Floor Elevators.

Let me know when your album is done and dusted. I'd like to buy it.

[jimboloco]

Uh, is that the west coast of Scotsland, like Glasscow, right, uh, Bennie? A music lit student you are, professor.

"Well, I'm listenin to Wintersong" right now, basic acoustic poetry guitar voice harmony.

This ain't the polka happy hour for sure!

Love's lament writes a song poem,
the voice range is surprising from rather deep base to almost treble, kind of interesting tone as well, it becomes entrancing, like, you hear the music and it flows.
and the "Dreaam annd SShadow ThThe Dream & Shadow Huntsman Group darker than Love's lament, a hint of primitive or like 13th century percussion. in "Father's Crow".....
And the downloading jive too!

[jimboloco]

Now I am listening to "Lame Horse Dirge."

I got stuff to do but will get it all down.

"I'll not linger here
the dark side's got an extra spear
and don't you shed a tear over me."

Hey Chicago Kla, are we atill drunk at your place, or what?

[izeveryboyin]

right on marksy... you're hip!!! Jim... *wink* *wink* Wink*
--K

[Marksman45]

Alright, I'm hip! Yes! Finally! :)
hehehe

[mousey1]

Gawd!!!! Didn't it take an age to download Marksy......damned dial-up.....anyhow.....

None too shabby at all! I like "Wintersong" the best. The dirge was very dirgie. I really like your lyrics.

How did you start, lyrics first and then music or vice versa? Did you teach yourself to play or take music lessons?

[Marksman45]

Thanks, mousey!

The music for "Wintersong" was written specifically for a poem ("Wintersong") that had been before; "The Lame Horse Dirge" came almost entirely in a dream. Most everything else I've written, the words and music were written completely separately and then attached to eachother later. I play back a composition, and attempt to sing various poems of matching mood over it. When some work, I pick the one I liked best.
Sometimes while reading a poem, I hear drum work in my head that fits it, and then I write music around that drum work.

"No Flower Will Grow" was originally a piece I improvised on keyboard and luckily recorded. I later learned to play it on guitar.

I'm self-taught, never taken a lesson. I still refuse to take lessons or go to classes about music. I even taught myself sheet music. It's a very laborious task for me to write or read sheet music though.

[izeveryboyin]

what?!!! huh?!!! Mars... I didn't hear your song!!1 *pouts* I wanna see your song!!!
--k