I am so proud and delighted to be able to say I collaborated on a song with the one and only @Traiken@mastodon.social! As I wrote in the liner notes on my #Faircamp site:

I stumbled on a poem by Traiken on Mastodon which really spoke to me, and before I knew it, I was writing a melody to it. I sent a rough arrangement to Traiken hoping he wouldn’t be offended. Thankfully, he was thrilled, went on to gloriously flesh out the arrangement in his inimitable style, and this is the result.

Traiken’s music is instantly recognizable, both due to his signature sound and his unique compositional style. In fact, I’m such a big fan that I was moved to review his album Heartless Angels on NHAM!

That’s why I felt some trepidation when I sent him my demo, and why I’m so glad that our respective styles and universes melded so well and So Much!

If you haven’t heard it yet, I hope you’ll give it a proper listen up until it’s massive, rousing finale, and then tell the whole wide world about it!

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How did this whole sknot business come about you ask? Spoiler alert: don’t read if you want things to stay shrouded in mystery! Back in June, I wrote a rather angry song, and I guess I felt hesitant to release it after the more positive albeit bittersweet songs on my recently released offbeat album...

I joked on Mastodon that I could release it under a pseudonym, and immediately thought of “sknot”, i.e. “not sknob“ maybe (I don’t pronounce the k in sknob or sknot, but you do you, I don’t mind either way.)

Plus it reminded me of a silly lyric that has been living rent-free in my head after hearing it played live only once on TV over 40 years ago:

She said your nose is running honey/I said sorry, but it’s not

(I searched for that song/live video yesterday and found it! And yes, I remembered the lyrics and melody correctly, because my brain is weird...)

ANYWAY, before talking myself out of it, I bought the sknot.fr domain name, whipped up a #Faircamp site, asked Ordos Mk.0 (@ordosmarkzero@ravenation.club) to master my mix, and then published the song there.

I also created a new artist under my Mirlo account, a great feature by the way, and published the song there also. I set it up so that all proceeds go to @mirlo@musician.social if you buy it, a small but heartfelt gesture of support.

But wait, there’s more!

To my utter delight, musician and remixer extraordinaire (and all around delightful person) C.Circo (@CCirco@ravenation.club) gloriously remixed “What Will It Take“, and took it where no sknob or sknot had gone before!

And there you have it.

Will sknot release more songs? Who knows!

(Although I’m told he has some half-written lyrics lying around, so I guess it’s at least a possibility.)

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the bonk way is my collaborative contribution to The Four Seasons of Bonk Wave: Autumn Waves 3 Sample Challenge

I didn’t know what to do with this edition’s sample pack. I lack the required chops (I am sample-challenged), and I said as much on Mastodon... That’s when C.Circo (@CCirco@ravenation.club) came to the rescue by suggesting we collaborate on a track, and this is the result. The lyrics are an ode to the ethos of #bonkwave, and an expression of my gratitude towards C.Circo, who embodies that ethos.

It was mastered by Ordos Mk.0 (@ordosmarkzero@ravenation.club)

You can hear it alongside a ton of other great #bonkwave sample-challenge tracks on The Four Seasons of Bonk Wave: Autumn Waves 3

You can also find it on my Faircamp site, which has an exhaustive collection of bonkwave-related materiel.

Finally, the bonk way is available on my shiny new hand-crafted music site.

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Downfall was written back in October for the Four Seasons of Bonk Wave fall album, which was appropriately released in spring (if you’re in the northern hemisphere like me :)

Downfall also sparked and opens my upcoming album, offbeat. For now, you can hear it alongside a ton of other great #bonkwave tracks on The Four Seasons of Bonk Wave: Autumn Waves 2 (Autumn Waves is actually a triple album!)

You can also find it on my Faircamp site, which has an exhaustive collection of bonkwave-related materiel.

Finally, Downfall is available on my shiny new hand-crafted music site.

And thank you to @ordosmarkzero@ravenation.club for mastering the track!

If you’ll pardon a little music geekery, all these months after having written and recorded the song, I’m still kind of amazed by how moving from D minor to D minor 7 (pretending is phony...) changes the feel of the song. And it’s not just the arrangement or the harmonies. I get the same effect when I’m just strumming an acoustic guitar.

Also, don’t ask me why, but I remember that when I sat down to write the music, my initial idea was to make a song with a lot of silence in it. I mostly failed, but still.

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A song that I wrote and recorded before overthinking it. The idea (and the key to the song) came from a dream, which says a lot. You can listen to Choo-Choo Train on:

• my brand-new hand-crafted music site
• my trusty Faircamp site

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Sample challenge! Wannawadda is my last-minute contribution to the The Four Seasons of Bonk Wave: A Midsummer Bonk’s Dream 2 sample challenge.

Weaved into this compilation are the tracks that people put together in response to the first inaugural Bonk Wave Sample Challenge that was served up right in time for the Summer-themed compilation.

I don’t know what was more fun, making this, or listening to how all the other bonkwavers rose up to the challenge?

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Hot on the heels of his smash hit Hi It’s Spring, I was delighted to partner again with Sam (@ethicalrevolution@climatejustice.social) on Better Than That. The song is included on The Four Seasons of Bonk Wave: A Midsummer’s Bonk Dream 1, and you’ll also find it on this Faircamp page, along with an alternate mix.

Breaking news: check out Sam’s amazing video!

Credits:

Music, lyrics, lead vocals, lead guitar by Sam Keyboards, guitar, background vocals by sknob Arranged and mixed by sknob Mastered by @ordosmarkzero@ravenation.club

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The embargo on the first of my TWO-AND-A-HALF summer bonkwave songs is finally lifted! Ukulele Bonk is my contribution to The Four Seasons of Bonk Wave: A Midsummer Bonk's Dream 1.

You can also listen to Ukulele Bonk

• On my brand-new music site
• On my Faircamp site

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Hi It’s Spring by Kid Sam and sknob was written by 8 year-old Sam (@ethicalrevolution@climatejustice.social), sung by grown-up Sam, and arranged (or produced or whatever the kids call it these days) by me for the latest #bonkwave compilation, The Four Seasons of Bonk Wave: The Bonks of Spring 1. An early listener swears it is destined to be the hit of the summer.

What do you think?

Oh, and ducklings!

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The Rite of Bonk, is my programmatic music contribution to the latest #bonkwave compilation, The Four Seasons of Bonk Wave: The Bonks of Spring 1. Some people might call it swirthy, others might think it is #NSFW, while others still might argue that it is in fact #NotBonkwave.

I guess you’ll just have to decide for yourself.

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