Loved you enough

What if? You’ll never know…
Perhaps listening to ‘Loved you enough’ will help though. Contemplative words by Joel Sattler, performed by IanT. and backed up by NunoW with some convincing guitar parts. Here’s your answer;-).

would I be on this path
if only I’d loved you enough
would I be able to laugh
if only I’d loved you enough

would my soul rise from the ash
would my heart be torn in half
would I even need to ask
if only I had loved you enough

would the future be warm and bright
if only I’d loved you enough
would I be able to sleep at night
if only I’d loved you enough

would I be able to put up a fight
see things with a clearer sight

see things with a clearer sight

would I be able to make things right
if only I had loved you enough

the prologue is in the past
they say love can never last
but I feel like I’m tied to the mast
while the sirens sing of my loss
I thought I knew what I should do
but I didn’t know then what is true
I should have left it up to you
but I didn’t reckon the cost

would tomorrow be something good
if only I’d loved you enough
would I be more than I could
if only I’d loved you enough

and in all likelihood
the storms could have been withstood
I should have understood
if only I had loved you enough

(Lyrics by Joel Sattler)

Ballerina

Jen Carie wrote about a traumatic event in a child’s life. And performed it like only she can. Heidar Sigurdsson added the haunting beats and bass and NunoW took care of rhythm and lead guitars. Some shivering production…

The child frozen in place
It only took one shot
What was seen and heard that night
Ripped out innocence, must turn to rock

Daddy whatcha got
Keep breathing, don’t go
Loud bang of a .45
Thief robbed the child’s soul

Ballerina in my box
Dance for me
Ballerina in my box
Set this child in me free

The screams of momma’s voice
Turned to silent stares
Whispers that he had a choice
Streaks of angry tears

Daddy whatcha got
Keep breathing, don’t go
Loud bang of a .45
Thief robbed the child’s soul

Ballerina
Ballerina in my box
Dance for me

(Lyrics & vocals by Jen Carie)

Descendant

My Steinway Grand and Kari DeNeal. And brilliant lyrics by Tez Katajala. That’s all it takes. Sometimes miracles just happen. Pure Magic. Sheer Beauty. I rest my case.

I can’t help who I am
I am a descendant
I can’t show who I am
I’m lost in the dissonance

I’d like to rise above the noise
But I’m stuck in the present
I’d like to fly away
But I’ve been grounded

I need you to help me
To keep from drowning
I’m lost in all the noise
Will I be found

Will I be found
Will I be found
Will I be found

To rise above the noise
I need to be persistent
I am a descendant

Lost in the dissonance
Stuck in the present
Trying to keep from drowning
To keep from drowning

(Lyrics: Tez Katajala, vocals: Kari DeNeal)

No need to be scared

This is a typical 3-minute poppy tune JustVera-style. Todd W. came up with lyrics/vocals and Dan Rosati added some brilliant saxophone. ‘No need to be scared’: a wolf in hamsters clothes.

Btw You might also enjoy the video…

Just because you dream it,
it doesn’t mean it’s there,
and just because you feel it,
it doesn’t mean they’ll care.
They only stop and stare,
so just beware.

So once you know you’ll need it,
but you can’t figure where,
and then the place you seek it,
it’s gone into thin air
if only it were there.

What you sow you’ll reap it,
so you’re the rightful heir
and what you catch you’ll keep it
there’s no need to be scared:
the answer to your prayers.

What you sow you’ll reap it,
so you’re the rightful heir
and what you catch you’ll keep it
there’s no need to be scared:
the answer to your prayers.

(Lyrics & vocals by Todd W.)

 

Fit the mold

Not everybody fits the mold. But: ‘without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible’ (Frank Zappa).
When I heard Christine Linge’s performance of Mike Mantecon’s lyrics I stopped breathing for a moment. Sheer beauty. So I put her voice in the center and just added some arrangements to create some extra tension. And then I discovered Jannik Gade’s acoustic guitar. Just amazing…

So many will tell you
That it isn’t worth the time
To chase after fantasy
When you only have one life
So many will tell you
That the dream was never real
That they know the way
That you should think and feel

Maybe you don’t fit the mold
Or piece together right
Maybe you don’t conform
To their wrong and right
Maybe you don’t fit the mold
But it’s alright
It’s alright

Many will sell you
On a dream that isn’t yours
And after all they tell you
You may feel unsure
Many will sell you
What is wrong and what is right
But none of them speak louder
Than the voice down inside

Maybe you don’t fit the mold
Or piece together right
Maybe you don’t conform
To the wrong and right
Maybe you just don’t fit the mold
But it’s alright
It’s alright

Maybe you don’t fit the mold
Or piece together right
Maybe you don’t conform
To the wrong and right
Maybe you don’t fit the mold
But it’s alright
It’s alright
It’s alright
Yeah it’s alright
It’s alright

(Lyrics: Mike Mantecon, vocals: Christine Linge)

Roll with it

 

Steve Winwood did it once. Oasis wasn’t bad. But ‘Roll with it’ by JustVera is something else…
Ray Kaliss at his best. Both lyrically -parental advisory- and vocally. With the help of Joeysix (guitar) and Bil McCarthy (drums) of course. Three minutes of powerpop with a wink. Just love it.

Walking down Hollywood and Vine
Just trying to score a good time
Had nothing particular on my mind
When a hot girl drove up beside me
She opened the car door, and she said

Roll with it, Go with it, Roll with it, Go with it

She said, why don’t we go to my place
It’s a real safe space
When we’re there I’ll sit on your face
And I said ‘Oh my goodness
What are we gonna do about this?’
Well I guess I’ll just aaa…

Roll with it, Go with it, Roll with it, Go with it

Said her name was Jack
That nearly gave me a heart attack
Said ‘Why don’t you drive me on back’
I opened the door, I got out
And I said ‘Listen lady, you just gotta live with it… sooo…’

Roll with it, Go with it, Roll with it

Go with it, Roll with it, Go with it, Roll with it

People are too damn sensitive. Hit that solo.

(Lyrics & vocals by Ray Kaliss)

Drops of Rain (Therese Marie)

(Troubles with SoundCloud? Try the player at the bottom of this post:-).

‘Drops of Rain’ is the heartbreaking story of the tragic loss of John Heavern’s little sister. Words that cut, recited by himself. The singing part is convincingly performed by Louis Marchena. JustVera with a bleeding heart.

Eyes of flaming embers
seek fuel, as others wonder
the cause of crystal stares
I place their faces under.

A stepping stone too far
for most to blindly reach
must somehow come ajar,
move outward, and beseech
a helping hand, still unknown
by others, and myself.
My heart and soul softly moan,
as dreams cry out for help.

Time marches to my door
and feeds upon my doubts.
The answers I’ve ignored
must cast the shadows out.

Life can traumatize,
when life delivers dread
and when all faith inside
leaves a heart misled.

I shiver, shout, cry and plead,
as a piece of my heart is pierced and bleeds.

Caught within a tragic dream,
cast among the dust and haze.
A zombie’s eyes look longingly,
emotions black and thoughts of grey.
Consoling souls give words of hope,
their pity falls like drops of rain,
it soothes the flesh to some degree,
but doesn’t seem to ease the pain.

Please help me to awake from this,
into a world I knew before,
where ignorance was silent bliss
and death sailed towards a distant shore.

Caught within a tragic dream,
deep emptiness in misery.
No isolation too extreme
in traumatized reality.
Lonely chasm fate’s created
walling in a pool of pain.
Reality has separated,
calling out in drops of rain.

Miss you, Little Sister,
my simple words just can’t explain…
voices heard in drops of rain
pour… out… your… name…..

Free afflictions from within!
the mold is bonded strong.
Catch a glimpse beyond this skin,
towards worlds where bliss belongs.
See a sage as no one has,
seek passage past a mind.
Wash away this captious world,
leave drops of rain behind.

(Lyrics/voice John Heavern, vocals Louis Marchena)

Tear out my heart

Desperately passionate…
Ian T.’s vocal interpretation of my lyrics. Amplified by his own rhytm guitars, Chris Bouchard’s drums and Jean Lui Toudou’s slapping bass. A song I wrote and recorded five years ago, but was reborn today.

I search and don’t find
I’m gasping for breath
I’m willfully blind
I’m hearing deaf

I whisper and yell
I fight and I flee
Just craving your smell
Please come to me

Tear out my heart
Razor fingers cover my chest
Tear out my heart
Execute my cardiac arrest

I’m losing the pace
So wordless and slow
Just silence and space
Please come to me

Tear out my heart
Razor fingers cover my chest
Tear out my heart
Execute my cardiac arrest

(Lyrics by Justus, leadvocals Ian T.)

This is now my heart

The original idea for this song originates from years ago. After a first impulse by Suzann Baldwin -only the title is what’s left of her lyrics- and fresh guitars by Olivier Demaine, this track started to gather dust again. Until Steve Rice came along and added his lyrics and convincing vocal performance. Doubt, anger and hurt as being part of love…

This is now my heart,
In a world that’s torn apart
I keep searching for a spark
I keep searching

What you left for me
Is but a hollowed memory
Filled with love’s debris
I keep searching

What is this pain I seem to hold
My angry bear it took control
Those lonely nights my heart it froze
I got nowhere that I can go

Could you take me back again
Or dust me off and just be friends
How does this lovers quarrel end
Is this where I leave?
You leave me

Will you leave me?
Will you?

A painted storm inside my head
My favorite color, always red
The loop it plays those words I said
I think I’ll put my bear to bed

Could you take me back again
Or dust me off and just be friends
How does this lovers quarrel end
Is this where you leave me?

(Lyrics & vocals by Steve Rice)

Once upon a time…

…there was this guy Justus who composed an instrumental piece he called ‘Every dog has its day’. Many years after that he got involved in online musical collaborations. As ‘Every dog has its day’ had been his favourite ever since, he decided to revive his tune. So he sent out several requests to songwriters and singers for lyrics and vocals. For years the project was gathering dust. Nobody seemed interest but then, out of the blue, Steve Rice came up with lyrics and a vocal track. (And later on Dan Rosati put his tasty sax on the cake.)

A new chapter was written. But singer Steve -hardrocker by nature- challenged me to try a rockier arrangement as well. So I went back to the drawing board. Killed some of my darlings -plus Dan’s saxual contributions…- and created this new rocking version of ‘the old dog’:

But since all good things come in threes, I decided to explore the other side of the spectrum as well. Just for fun. Getting out of my comfort zone. I built an entire new soft, jazzier version with the help of talented musicians in the online community. Subsequently I swapped most of my original midi/Reason instruments for the real stuff. Next to the vocals by Steve and Dan’s saxes, there are acoustic drums by Bill McCarthy, the Fender Rhodes by Gabro Jazz and a real upright bass by Jeff Dalton. Them jazzcats rule…

I should have known you’ld never let it be.
You always twist it up in front of me.
You laugh and say it doesn’t mean a thing.
We both know that bird can’t help but sing.

Tie me, I’ve been flailing, won’t you tie me down again.
Short pause between my banter, I can’t help but try to win.
Can’t help but drool, I’m like a fool foaming at the mouth.
You turn away, I shout and say that I can’t live without.

Every dog has its day, some dogs can’t help but bark some just run away.
Every dog has its day, some dogs, their tail tells the tale they just want to play.
They just want to play, they just want to play, they just want to play.

Every dog has its day, some dogs can’t help but bark some just run away.
Every dog has its day, some dogs, their tail tells the tale they just want to play.
They just want to play, they just want to play, they just want to play.

(Lyrics & vocals: Steve Rice)