Red Cape on the Edge of the Salton Sea

I have a series of photos taken in twilight at the Salton Sea that I was trying to decide how I wanted to present them. I finally decided to write a song and create a music video with the images. I took advantage of this wet, rainy, muddy Black Friday to record the song and put the video together.

Red Cape on the Edge of the Salton Sea
Lyrics and Music by Timothy Price

Standing on the edge
Of the Salton Sea
Dancing in the darkness
Destiny

Wrapped in a cloak
Releasing red
Wakening spirits
From the salty beds

Twilight glows
Off the shore
Cape swirls
Disturbed forlorn

Ceremony’s twilight
Apparitions conjured
Silhouettes dancing
in the night
Dusk turns on
A golden somber
Silence calls
Ghosts asunder

Acronymphomania


My latest song is about the ever present use of acronyms in our never ending search of ways to communicate with as little speaking, typing, mousing, tapping, clicking and swiping as possible. The meanings of the acronyms are in the video and at the bottom of the post.

Acronymphomania
Lyrics and Music by Timothy Price

I’m without
the gift of tongues
Speak in letters
One by one

Nouns and verbs
Cloistered like nuns
Instead of words
Acronymphomania

AAMOF WYSIWYG
TOPCA in TAR
JBOD ISAR
Communication’s FUBAR

Archnymphomaniacs
HAVE NO VERBS
USE NO phrases

Archnymphomaniacs
Puzzled looks
Empty gazes

Monosyllabic
KISS KWIM BLOB
IOW
Like a SLOB

AYSOS MIA?
OMI BAD BUN
SOTD BIA ISO TIA
Achronymphomania

FWIW IMHO
LOOK OUT FOR THE WORS
Communication’s
Syllabic VERSE

Archnymphomaniacs
HAVE NO VERBS
USE NO phrases

Archnymphomaniacs
Puzzled looks
Empty gazes

AAMOF WYSIWYG
TOPCA in TAR
JBOD ISAR
Communication’s FUBAR

Since many of the meanings of the acronyms go by very quickly in the video, below are the lyrics with the meanings of each acronym:

Acronymphomania
Lyrics and Music by Timothy Price

I’m without
the gift of tongues
Speak in letters
One by one

Nouns and verbs
Cloistered like nuns
Instead of words
Acronymphomania

AAMOF WYSIWYG (As A Matter Of Fact What You See Is What You Get)
TOPCA (Till Our Paths Cross Again) in TAR (The Amazing Race)
JBOD ISAR (Just a bunch of disks Information Storage And Retrieval)
Communication’s FUBAR

Archnymphomaniacs
HAVE NO VERBS (Haptic Audio Visual Environments Natural Orbital Ventricular Endocardial Right Bifocal Stimulation)
USE NO (User Support Environment Neurotic Obsession) phrases

Archnymphomaniacs
Puzzled looks
Empty gazes

Monosyllabic
KISS KWIM BLOB (Keep It Simple Stupid. Know What I Mean? Binary Large Object!)
IOW (in other words)
Like a SLOB (Super Lazy Organic Blogger)

AYSOS MIA? (Are You Stupid Or Something? Missing In Action!)
OMI BAD BUN (Oocyte Maturation Inhibitor Bipolar Affective Disorder Bike User Network)
SOTD BIA ISO TIA (Speak Of The Devil Ball Image Analyzer In Support Of That Is All)
Achronymphomania

FWIW IMHO (For What It’s Worth In My Humble Opinion)
LOOK OUT FOR THE WORS (Lazy Object-Oriented Kernel Outline Flippin’ Over Rated Technology and Home Economics Weighted Operative Risk Scale)
Communication’s
Syllabic VERSE (Verbal Expressions Rejecting Society’s Expectations)

Archnymphomaniacs
HAVE NO VERBS (Haptic Audio Visual Environments Natural Orbital Ventricular Endocardial Right Bifocal Stimulation)
USE NO (User Support Environment Neurotic Obsession) phrases

Archnymphomaniacs
Puzzled looks
Empty gazes

AAMOF WYSIWYG (As A Matter Of Fact What You See Is What You Get)
TOPCA (Till Our Paths Cross Again) in TAR (The Amazing Race)
JBOD ISAR (Just a bunch of disks Information Storage And Retrieval)
Communication’s FUBAR

Me and My MX-5

Sometimes when a good deal comes along, you just can’t pass it up. And when the deal happens to be your dream car, you really don’t pass it up. I’ve been looking at the Mazda Miata MX-5 RF (retractible fast-back), but I figured it would be awhile before I bought one. I saw a gray MX-5 RF for sale in a lot on my way home Thursday, stopped, photographed the vin, and sent it to Tristan to get the history of the car for me. Tristan works at Garcia Honda in Albuquerque, and, as it turned out, they got an MX-5 trade-in that was a much better deal. I went up and drove it, and that was it, Tristan sold me the car Friday afternoon, and I picked up the car and drove it home this afternoon after the inspections were completed.  Now I’m the proud owner of a 2017 Mazda Miata MX-5 RF with 7,700 miles on it.  It’s like brand new.

After I got it home and got it insured, Laurie and I went out for a drive about 4:00 PM. We stopped at her parent’s house to show them the car, did a few photos (below), and then drove around with the Bose stereo blasting out tunes from my phone (bluetooth connection). After we got home about 6:00 PM, I decided I needed to write a song about the car. I scribbled down the lyrics, went into my darkroom/music studio, came up with the music, and recorded the song “Me and My MX-5” (above).

 

Me and My MX-5

Lyrics and Music by Timothy Price
TimothyPrice: vocals, lead and rhythm guitars, bass and electronic percussion

Me and my MX 5
Oh how we like to drive
Don a hat, hide the top
Drive and drive, we never stop

1st gear roars off the line
2, 3, 4, 5 takes no time
6th gear gets me in the jive
cruising along at 95

Driving my MX-5
Makes me feel like I’m alive
In Soul Red, black racing stripe
The really cool, sporty type

Dead of Night

After posting Lovelorn Wasp performed by Coughing Cooties last Sunday, there were requests to hear something by Violent Phlegm, another virtual group that collaborated with AWB to form Coughing Cooties. Dead of Night is Violent Phlegm’s first single.

Dead of Night
Words and Music by Timothy Price
Performed by Violent Phlegm

Still standing I’m bleeding in the dead of night
Battling daemons ’til dawn’s early morning light
Reaching for the future, tried shaking off the past
Following ambitions holding dreams were fading fast
Wading against the current, I stood against the wave
Control-alt-delete, I refuse to be a slave

Tumbling through the ether in the cold and dark
Social media’s shadow leaves its ugly mark
Cyberspace warriors fight by fiber’s light
Daemons call me out in the dead of night

Control-alt-delete, I refuse to be a slave
Wading against the current, I stood against the wave
Following ambitions holding dreams were fading fast
Reaching for the future, tried shaking off the past
Battling daemons ’til dawn’s early morning light
Still standing I’m bleeding in the dead of night

Tumbling through the ether in the cold and dark
Social media’s shadow leaves its ugly mark
Cyberspace warriors fight by fiber’s light
Daemons call me out in the dead of night

Freaking On The Food Chain

Resa, who has Graffiti Lux Art & More and Art Gowns, commented on my post Now For The Rest Of The Story earlier this afternoon with “Well, that’s something I’ve never seen. The food chain ……. is freaky.” I replied “Freaking On The Food Chain. I might have to make a song out of that phrase.” Resa, not missing a step, said “You go for it! Waiting to hear it.” After I got all my outdoors work done in the late afternoon, I came in and created Freaking On The Food Chain. It’s pretty much an improv on all tracks. Below is a photo of a couple of beavers on the opposite bank of the Rio Grande after sunset you can ponder while listening to Freaking On The Food Chain.

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The Capsaicin Club (Red or Green?)

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What is that paparazzo doing to that “poor innocent guitar”, as Laurie likes to say? Listen to the The Capsaicin Club for clues.

Stay tuned for the video.

The Capsaicin Club
Music and lyrics by Timothy Price

Timothy Price: vocals, rhythm and lead guitars, digital percussion, recording, final mix.
Ron Blood: bass guitar, recording, post processing, final mix.

 

Raw From Off Center

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Loki

This week’s improvisation is called Saturday’s Improv (not a very creative title I know). I find playing lead guitar solo improvisations are very difficult. Coming up with fresh melodies is most frustrating. So I’ve started laying down base tracks: percussion, rhythm guitar and bass, and them playing improv solos all the way through the song, and taking them however they come out. I laid down all the tracks and the solo work today between watering, doing chores around the house, and taking a couple of walks in the bosque. There are two different guitar solo improvs that are very raw as the song goes back and forth between modes. I’m having lots of fun, and thought I might as well share the fun. I’ve include photos of Loki, Spunk and Marble, a photo of pear blossoms, and a photo of my darkroom/music studio showing the 10 tracks that make up Saturday’s Improve on the computer screen.

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My music studio in my darkroom.

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Spunk

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Pear blossoms

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Marble

In a Vacuum Improv

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What to do on a cloudy, wet, windy, cold spring day? Work on music in my cosy darkroom/music studio, go for a walk out to the river in the rain, capture the above photo, and finish an improv for this post. I created “In a Vacuum Improv” by playing the rhythm guitar and a bass line over a recording I made of a vacuum pump the Iceman used to suck moisture out of the refrigeration system when he repaired our floral refrigerator. The pump made such interesting sounds and rhythms, I simply had to record it. I added a couple of percussion tracks, and played the lead guitar to finish it out. I say it’s an Improve, because I only played the lead guitar once through.

Still Small Voice

Today’s video is original music I wrote using a prayer by fellow blogger Michelle Marie for the lyrics. On December 7, 2018, Michelle Marie posted Still… Small… Voice on Tell Me About It at https://tellmeaboutit.co/2018/12/07/still-small-voice/, and I had a feeling there was an issue with her daughter, Alex, who has serious health problems. I commented that her prayer was beautiful, but sad, and asked how Alex was. Michelle Marie responded that she had been very sick and in ICU the week before. Michelle Marie mentioned that Alex just wants to lead a normal life. I could certainly relate to that having had a lot of health issues myself over the years. I didn’t realize the gravity of the situation until Michelle Marie emailed me with details. Alex almost died.

After getting the full story, I was inspired to write a song using Michelle Marie’s prayer for the lyrics. I was trying to imagine what is was like for Alex to be in ICU clinging to life, and started working on creating an etherial lullaby. I finished recording the song on December 15, 2018, and sent it to Michelle Marie. When I learned that she plays piano, I transcribed a short version of the flamenco guitar into piano and sent her the sheet music. She sent me images to use in a video, but I had to think for a long time how to do a video to go with the music. I finally came up with what I believe is a suitable video.  Here’s my version of Michelle Marie’s Still… Small… Voice.