I don’t want to be a stickler, but actually, it’s not “Halloween”, it’s “Hallowe’en”, short for “All Hallows Evening”, when the ghosts of the dead came forth from their graves, the day before “All Saints Day”, November 1st. It is all so complicated.

It’s like Saint Nicholas was a son of a bitch and a mean man who left lumps of coal on Christmas Eve, and Christmas was a time when gangs of vandals roamed through the streets unopposed.

Aren’t humans fun?

Anyway, I’ve been writing socially relevant songs tonight, and I came up with seven that I thought would be all right, but it’s very subjective — not that your opinion is worth much, either, at least not on that issue. Continue reading →

Very Fine walking liberty silver half dollars in handpainted flips is how you can turn a $6.90 item into something that, framed, will sell for hundreds. I have only a few left, if anyone’s interested. Prices vary according to condition of coin.

Now, About Those Songs…

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So tonight, I’ve been making more video/songs — in tonight’s batch, i’ve focused on hip-hop funk, and i heartily hope it meets your approval. If not, i’m braced for it.

imagine an old fuddy-duddy like me, at 83, putting out hip-hop tracks. Well, I figure that if Ari Melber over on MSNBC can handle it, so can i. Continue reading →

Hopefully, nothing will drop suddenly out of the sky and land on Earth, but you never know… if things look okay, go ahead and take a chance on reading this.

So, tonight, instead of making new songs — I already have plenty, and some would say too many — I spent a few hours reviewing the songs that are already up on youtube. Continue reading →

Echoes Through Time: Songs for Now and Beyond

In our recent work — if you think about it, we actually work as a band, considering various lyrical twists, band sounds and featured vocalists — and we’ve been capturing more than melodies; we’re reaching into the pulse of the world, capturing beats of history, snapshots of change, and reflections of human emotion. I’m including YOU in this endeavor, and your feedback is invaluable. The songs we’re crafting are more than tunes to tap a foot to—they’re portals or doorways. Every lyric, every chord holds the potential to take us beyond the everyday, to stir memories and evoke possibilities that many of us have forgotten how to feel. Continue reading →

Here’s my latest batch of videos, including some variations, the idea behind which is to get reactions and feedback from you, regarding stuff you liked and stuff you hated.

Don’t be timid, let it all hang out. I’m prepared for criticism, lay it on me. Keep in mind that these are not necessarily finished products. I have a songbook from which people can take all the songs they want, and make variations on them.

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Some of last night’s songs, posted below, are songs that touched on the themes of current events and the broader turbulence of the times. Capturing the essence of what’s happening around us through music is powerful, because it turns those moments into something people can connect with emotionally. It’s not just about chronicling events but offering perspective and feeling through melody and lyrics.

That’s pretty much the function of folk songs, troubadours and town criers. Continue reading →

Crafting Songs for the Cloister Auxiliary

I’ve been at work creating songs with my poetry and the occasional free-verse. Well, that’s the news. Just kidding, there’s more… much more. Continue reading →

From Ancient Rhymes to Modern Times: The Art of Poetry enhanced with Music

For as long as humans have gathered around fires or under starlit skies, we’ve shared our stories through words, rhythm, and song. Long before ink met parchment, the art of storytelling wasn’t just something to read—it was something to hear, to feel, and to move to. In those days, poetry was inseparable from music. Words were spoken in rhythmic chants, set to a beat with rhyming words at the ends of sentences, that made them easier to memorize and share.

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they call it stormy monday, but tuesday’s just as bad. well, i did a little research and found out that i can’t use those tribute videos on youtube — they’ve got rules against it, and use of those could be hazardous to my channel, so i put them away for our own enjoyment.

meanwhile, work is progressing on the new books — there will be the book about the God State, and another with case histories, which will take up three volumes at 300 or so pages each.

so tonight, i made about ten songs related to the CQR ammies, then a dozen more, with a difference — i made a spanish version of each of those. Continue reading →