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.

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.

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

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?

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

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

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!

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.

There seems to be a strong theme emerging from some of my latest songs. I was born and raised in cities, and while I lived in them for most of my adult life, I knew I would be more than fine living in the middle of nowhere (having tested that assumption on occasion).

So when the opportunity arose a few years back, I jumped ship.

If you listen to Entangled, Let Me Off, Bercée d’illusions (in French) and to some extent Living The Dream, it’s pretty easy to figure out that my apparent fixation on cities stems from both personal and philosophical/political/environmental considerations.

Regardless, I hope you’ll enjoy this new chapter in what is maybe shaping up to be a concept album, and which you’ll find on these fine, non-corporate sites:

• My hand-made site
• My Faircamp site
• bandwagon.fm
• Mirlo

(Still debating whether I should keep posting on bandcamp. In the meantime, if you want to pay for Cities, you can do so on Mirlo).

You Are Not Alone was composed and recorded by C.Circo and myself for the Comfy Collaborations tribute album, which was coordinated by Deborah Pickett to celebrate the legendary #RadioFreeFedi Comfy Channel. The album features collaborations between various artists who connected through the now defunct seminal #Fediverse radio station. It is full of comfy gems, so be sure to give it a listen and read the liner notes.

You might also want to read about how You Are Not Alone came about and was made.

And finally, as a totally superfluous but hopefully fun bonus, my Faircamp site contains a couple of extras:

• You Are Not Alone (disco reprise), which is built on top of the lovely weird loop at the tail end of You Are Not Alone, and echoes the themes from the main song.
• You Are Not Alone (reconstructed), which gives you an idea of what the source material sounded like before it got superbly refracted by C.Circo, in case you were wondering.