The Seven Rings of Saturnalia

Good day once again to all fine people,

The Seven Rings of Saturnalia : Song Track

I awoke the other morning to a news cast on TV with these spectacular and mysterious sounds of the aurora of Saturn that were recorded by the Cassini probe. This particular recording was in the radio spectrum and was slowed down 44 times to render in the audio range. I decided to overlay some improvisational tracks over top of these tracks from the physics lab at U of IOWA for you. The original recording can and spectral graph can be found here:

UNIVERSITY OF IOWA

I was excited to produce this particular track because earlier, and co-incidently, as part of the cat continuum project, I had simulated schumann resonance:

SCHUMANN RESONANCE

and inserted it as backdrop for a live performance of "Heal the Children" at the Hugh's Room. These types of planetary soundscapes seem to work very well for ambient and even folk tunes....ooppps!!!my secret is out!! :-)

These are very exciting and inspiring times to have these more intimate understandings and connections unfold to further express our place in the giant milky way: more fuel for music making.

Enjoy,

PJ Space Cadet
Music & Words
Copyright 2005, Peter J Slack, SOCAN

North American Dream

Good day once again fine people,

NORTH AMERICAN DREAM

I was considering this song for some time now and it sort of follows on the theme of relationships. The scale of this song however is much grander; it is a plea to mother earth that she is always there to tame our guiding social conscience with that of the earth conscience, or in other words, the relationship we have with the planet and beings we share it with. In a sense, the relationship we have with ourselves is embedded in the relationships we have with others, is part of the relationship we have as communities, and furthermore is part of the relationship we have as nations on the planet. The will of the earth is much larger than the will of all nations combined and follows a different set of controlling philosophies and balances. The earth can shift and change our lives in an instant and, with certainty; we will all live our lives out together on this orb and share it with all other life forms. The moral of this short tale; our controls and balances of social conscience aren't necessarily friendly with the free will of mother Earth.

I suppose one can call this sort of a "stop and smell the roses" country/blues style....Enjoy

North American Dream

Follow me.
We climb to the top put our heads in the fog.
We shoot for the moon but we still hit the ground.
Mother Earth please follow me
Through this North American dream.

Shelter me.
We hide from the truth but we can't stop the pain.
We say that it's right and ignore when it's wrong.
Mother Earth please shelter me,
From this North American dream.

Frighten me
You speak through the trees with deep love from the ground
Your mind is a flash lightening strike to the clouds
Mother Earth please frighten me,
From this North American dream.

Set me free.
We go on our way and forget where we've been
We live out our lives disconnected it seems
Mother Earth please set me free,
From this North American dream.

Warm regards to all,
PJ

Words and Music
(C)opyright 2005, Peter J Slack, SOCAN

DRIFT AWAY

Warm greetings to all fine people,


In my humble opinion, if we are ever to ascertain
the ultimate grand unification metaphor of science
we would probably be best served to first figure
out the true nature of personal relationships and
how this ties into physical reality. This song is
inspired by the concept of hysteresis that, not
only transcends all scales in the grand scheme of
scientific unification metaphors but also, finds
its way into the dynamics of personal
relationships. A relationship is the creative
energy that materializes into something that is
larger than the participants. Relationships
require energy to exist, patience to nurture, and
above all, time and space to grow and change.

DRIFT AWAY

We all drift away,
Like forever and a day.
Never say one last goodbye.

Life has its way,
Every star must cast a ray,
So that twilight never ends.

Turn around and drift away,
Here your heart will always stay,
Never say one last goodbye.

Joy for us all,
Never need to be alone.
There's a sunrise every day.

We rise and we fall,
Surprised confusion do we call,
Just a whisper of goodbye.

Turn around and drift away,
Here your heart will always stay,
Never say one last goodbye.


Words and Music
(C)opyright 2005, Peter J Slack, SOCAN

Raccoon Requiem

A friend was having troubles with pesky raccoons and decided to purchase one of the sonic pest control devices widely available at Canadian Tire etc. and it actually worked. I was inspired to write a happy requiem..if there is such a thing..

Raccoon Requiem

Music Copyright, 2005, PJ SLACK, SOCAN

SANDCASTLES

Happy Spring to all fine people!



SANDCASTLES

A friend of mine was agonizing over the schmaltzy love songs that I had been sending out and requested that I write a "work song". I didn't really know what he meant by "work song" and neither did he when questioned further. ;-)

Well, given that my friend is kind of a space cadet on a cosmic mission like myself, I considered myself duly commissioned to act on his thematic presentation and am pleased to present my humble attempt at a song in the rock opera style.

I decided that the "work song" really had to be a protest song to be in conformance to my generation-x tendencies. I was also inspired to assemble a short rock opera style because my favorite rock opera from childhood; "The Phantom of the Paradise" (1974) , was on the tube recently. This has music written by Paul Williams and is a really cheesy sci-fi horror movie that I just love. Paul Williams is a great songwriter and I suppose this flick is considered a cult-classic by this time. I hope you enjoy this song:

SANDCASTLES
Shape it with your hands.
Sing the phrase that frees your mind.
Build the promised land;
The universe inside your life.

In place the cup forever flowing.
Redeem the bond and stay the home.
Burn the oil and warm to cold times.
Set feast until the cupboards bare.

Now blood, once clear the sunset.
Now mist, once clear the air.
Now slave, once free the spirit.
Now count more and compare.

What happiness, possessions for your slavery?
What store in heaven takes these treasured wears?
Did trade fund slavery of misfortune?
Some hidden crime did the counting make.

Shape it with your mind,
Subtle textures, woven fancy.
Presenting to the blind
who seek counting concrete statutes.

Labyrinth laws entwined to guide the counting;
Fortune given substance over weight.
Climb high this mountain, never reach the summit.
End futile waste of life of never knowing.

Shape it with your hands.
Sing the phrase that frees your mind.
Build the promised land;
The universe inside your life.

Warm regards to all,

PJ

WORDS AND MUSIC
(C)opyright 2005, Peter J Slack, SOCAN

IN MY FAVOURITE BOOK

Happy Easter to all!

This is a song that I had the great opportunity to perform at the Winterfolk Festival in Toronto this past February. Finally I took some time to produce a track for this song along with a new beginning. This song is dedicated to all of my sisters who I love dearly.

Song Track: In My Favorite Book

IN MY FAVORITE BOOK: Lyrics

In my favorite book
There's a crease in the pages,
Saving words that remind me of you.
Saving words that remind me of you.

In my favorite book
There's a picture of a sunrise,
Reminding me of days with you.
I loose myself spending days with you.

In my favorite book
There's a story with happy endings,
That reminds me of your stories for me.
I loose myself in your stories for me.

In my favorite book
There are words that you wrote me,
Saying the story reminded you of me.
The story reminded you of me.


Cheerz,

PJ

WORDS & MUSIC ©2004 Peter J. Slack, SOCAN

LOVE WALKS IN

Hello fine people,

Best wishes to all. I would like to share this submission to a songwriting contest. This is a story of a lady who rekindles fond memories of dear friends from school days long past and it is set to a slow country groove. The rules of the contest were that it had to include the words "slingshot" and "James" and there was also other writings that served as subterfuge to evade the real root of the story: .. It's a love story of course..I mean what other kind of schmaltz does this Slack cat write anyways? :-)

Song Track: Love Walks In

LOVE WALKS IN: Lyrics

Who am I if not who I am?
A wanderer, a drifter, alone.
Take me away, if only a day,
together in the gentle afternoon.

Then love soars in; slingshot around the sun.
Then love walks in; forever does it stay.
It seems like only yesterday.

What purpose have I if not to find you?
A gambler, indifferent, alone.
The energy of earth to a grain of sand;
a spirit in flight through the world.

Then love soars in; slingshot around the sun.
Then love walks in; forever does it stay.
It seems like only yesterday.

Who asks nothing of yet answers to all,
bare foot do I walk through the stones.
A soul in the dark, aimlessly lost,
yet a candle burns fast in my heart.

Then love soars in; slingshot around the sun.
Then love walks in; forever does it stay.
James, you really save the day.

ENJOY!!!!

PJ

WORDS & MUSIC ©2005 Peter J. Slack, SOCAN

CATS ON VENUS

Hey!!..

I unpacked the "Metaphysical" function generator and the first setting was labeled "Cat on Venus"....I couldn't help myself but had to wrap a little song around this particular soundscape over the holidays:

Song Track : Cats on Venus

Cats on Venus : Lyrics

The high priestess of the temple
floats across the sky,crystallizing life
from the tear drops in your eyes.

Bring the right sphere to the left,
where it meets call it center,
thread with life, needle gently;
never a straight line.

In life we pattern freely,
in death we move as earth,
through space around a center,
never a straight line.

Happy New Year!!!

PJ

WORDS & MUSIC ©2005 Peter J. Slack, SOCAN

HEAL THE CHILDREN

Hello fine folks,

Song Track : Heal the Children

Well!!, in anticipation of the ensuing new year I've put a re-enforced concrete lid on the "CATACLYSM" musical project....I've literally stuffed 1 hour and 20 minutes (23 songs) on 1 CD and thus required a well engineered cap.. If you email me your snail mail address I will gladly mail you a copy of the final CATACLYSM release CD or ...just ask me if you see me to give you a copy and I may just have one for you.

I am pleased to announce the launch of a new musical campaign for 2005 code named: "THE CAT CONTINUUM" and also with an inaugural song attached below for your viewing pleasure. This song is also a submission to the New Foundation for their show at the Hugh's Room in January. The theme for this upcoming show is GLOBALIZATION and I am honored to give you my musical take on this hot topic:

HEAL THE CHILDREN :Lyrics

What's yours is yours.
What's mine is mine, but
maybe we should feed the children, together.
What goes around,
all comes around, but
maybe we should heal the children, together.
Turn up your nose,
I turn my cheek, but
maybe we should free the children, together.
The world is large,
yet the world is small;
if we fail to save the children, together.

What's yours is yours, what's mine is mine.
What goes around, comes around.
The world is large, the world is small.

Best wishes for the holidays,

PJ Slack

WORDS & MUSIC ©2004 Peter J. Slack, SOCAN

EDEN

Hello to all,

I am pleased to release to you all this evening the MP3 files of "Eden" on behalf of the Players of Instruments (POI) collective.

POI EDEN CD TRACKS

Special thanks to Keith Winter and his crew at Sentex Communications for their continued support and resources to make this internet thing work for us.

Cheers,
PJ