Ospreyshire Origins: Art in the Midst of Pandemonium and Pandemics

Here’s the other new song that’s on the DFxO split album. I multitracked some bass tracks while playing it unplugged. I played some riffs as well as using that instrument in unconventional ways for extra sound effects when layering them. I used a hand drum to provide percussion for it. Despite these anxious times, I wanted to have a message where people can still be creative. I’m not sure if anyone else noticed this, but I reference a certain emo band in one of the lyrics.

This song was also an Ospreyshire first. It was the first time I had a guest vocalist in a song and it was Dave from Dystopian Futures himself who wrote and performed his own verse. He did a great job and I liked how he tied in references to all the songs as well as making an extension of some of the lyrics I say in this track.

Ospreyshire Origins: Is This a New Normal?

This was the first of 2 new songs I made for the DFxO split with Dystopian Futures. Dave from DF suggested the idea of a “lockdown” EP given the state of the world today. I freestyled my observations on the world in this pandemic life by mentioning some of my anxieties and concerns. Yes, I did reference some cases of that covidiot licking deodorants at a store or how another one was assaulting and coughing on a cop in Chicago in the earlier parts of the lockdown period. I used an organ sound as a base after listening to a lot of Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio and Booker T around the time of that recording. Relax, I would never rip them off as the song clearly isn’t an organ trio jazz tune.

Hope you enjoyed my thoughts on the song.

New split EP! DFxO! That’s Dystopian Futures X Ospreyshire, for those scoring at home.

This is what I referred to last week!

I, Ospreyshire got to be involved with a split EP and it’s the first time I’ve ever done a collaborative album with anyone. The other part of the split involves the Scottish experimental punk band Dystopian Futures whom I’ve mentioned on this blog before and I’ve even made a music video for them on their first EP. Dave Emmerson (lead singer/bassist) and I are good friends. We had an email conversation a while ago about potentially collaborating and once the Coronavirus was unfortunately spreading worldwide, he came up with an idea of coming up with a “lockdown” project. Despite him being in the UK and me here in America, we sent each other songs.

I got to remix Dystopian Futures’ song “Apocalyptic Romance” which was really fun. I added some digital synths, random sound effects, a lo-fi recording of me playing a keyboard and I do back up vocals in the middle of the song. Dystopian Futures also got to cover the song “Corona” by the Minutemen. Some of you might recognize that song as the theme to Jackass.

For me, I got to bust out with two new Ospreyshire tracks. The first one is “Is This a New Normal?”. I used an organ setting on my keyboard while adding my trademark acousmatics in it. I also freestyled all of the lyrics which was a first for anything I’ve ever done as a way to reflect about how I felt about the pandemic. The second one is “Art In the Midst of Pandemonium and Pandemics”. I wrote down the lyrics to this one as well as doing some avant-garde soundscapes by multitracking live sounds of me playing bass in traditional and unconventional ways. This was also an Ospreyshire first since it involves a guest vocalist with the aforementioned Dave. He got to write and record his vocals in the song and it really tied in well. I liked how he referenced all the other songs in the split EP with his verse.

Just so you know, this split EP is either FREE or pay-what-you-want. Whether you want to chip in some money or not is totally up to you to get some new music.

Have a great day, everyone!

Pathos Formula Wave: One Score of Rage Lyrics

I’m so so sorry for not doing this sooner. I forgot to include lyrics for the last EP I recorded a few months ago. They’ll be on the Bandcamp page and on here if you ever wanted to know what I was saying.

If you do want to listen and/or download at your own price, then you can click here.

Nonet #1: A Friendship Becomes Astray

You wanted the shiniest medals
As you planted a holy facade
Alas, you were so much less
Sorry for believing
And for my silence
Uprooting will
Be at hand
You false
Friend

Nonet #2: Hate as a Trendy Endeavor

Hatred was the quickest endeavor
Draining a county per second
Growing the most toxic prairies
The unsound are exalted
The congregation howls
As exaltation
to trendy gods
Forsaking
Purest
Hearts

Nonet #3: Crimson Stained Flowers

Pearly flowers shower over you
While basking in crimson waters
Some drones have dubbed you a queen
Wearing a defiled crown
Do you understand?
You say you don’t
But you lie
As you
Smile

Nonet #4: Abject Disrespect

I hope a bleak future awaits you
As you survive a great penance
I want you to think of me
As misfortune will land
Abject disrespect
Will come for you
This mirror
Told you
So

Nonet #5: Dog Whistle Language Waltz

Misinformation is your gospel
Dog whistles are your sermons
Someone should have severed your
Loathsome arsenic tongue
So, great architect…
Will your churches
Be rendered
Unto
Doom?

Nonet #6: Not Another Piece of Art Bashing a Jock (Oh Wait. It is. Can You Not Read the Sarcasm?)

This ego and a stadium are
The same size and beckon spotlights
Touchdown minds and field goal hearts
Embossed like big letters
Along with colors
For the home team
Varsity
Buffered
Pride

Nonet #7: Valleys of Endless Pretension (A Post-Rock Fanatic Satire)

Swarthy monochromatic get ups
Scream “I’m a talented composer!”
Drowning in delay pedals
Incalculable times
Pretentious bridges
Turning noses
Skyward and
Faking
Art

Nonet #8: An Expose on a Feedback Loop

You have no light to complain about
The sound of my voice as you scream
Constantly while bossing me
And being petulant
You need to grow up
Stop projecting
All your faults
Onto
Me

Nonet #9: One Score of Rage

Once core of rage under lock and key
Re-contextualized into
An unbound sonic thesis
Despite my placid moods
I’m far too patient
Which was a curse
For being
Silenced
Then

Inspiration for Pathos Formula Wave

I didn’t expect to get some attention for my new EP, but I appreciate those who’ve listened to it. If you haven’t then here it is.

I wanted to strip my sound down for this concept. This involved a restricted setting with the recording and writing process. For starters, every song had to be based on the same poetic format. In this case, I chose the nonet. That’s a nine line poem with nine syllables each. There are also nine songs on the EP, so one can say I went up to the nines, right?

The recording process is even more minimal than previous recordings I’ve done with my last EP, singles, and compilation contributions. I only used my voice and acousmatics for this one to see what sounds I can get or manipulate. Some of the found sounds are more obvious than others like using a bathtub in one example.

Besides the composition, I thought this EP was therapy for me. I have to be honest with all you readers. I have a lot of issues with internalizing my anger and sadness. A ton of people have enraged me for most of my lives. Most of them are people I haven’t done anything wrong to. I won’t name names, but the tracks involve people who’ve bullied me in the past, some racists who’ve given me hell, and former co-workers who questioned my worth while getting special treatment. This has been a long time coming. The times when I was open with my anger, people treat me like I’m Satan himself. Not to mention a lot of those same people never owned up to THEIR actions and wrongdoings which frustrates me more. You really want to get on my bad side? It’s when others don’t take responsibility for their words or actions when they do something hurtful. I was sick of hiding these feelings for years now and they manifested in spoken word form.

So what do you think? What was your favorite song on the album? What are your thoughts on how I created this EP?

Maybe this could lead to something good and that’s saying nothing about another album I’m writing and recording. Wink wink.

Pathos Formula Wave is HERE!

My latest EP is now available for the public. This involves nine nonets of some of the angriest poems I’ve written as of recently. All the tracks involve my voice and acousmatics. No instruments here, everyone. Pathos Formula Wave: One Score of Rage is available at your price including free.

Track listing:

Nonet #1: A Friendship Becomes Astray
Nonet #2: Hate as a Trendy Endeavors
Nonet #3: Crimson Stained Flowers
Nonet #4: Abject Disrespect
Nonet #5: Dog Whistle Language Waltz
Nonet #6: Not Another Piece of Art Bashing a Jock (Oh, Wait. It is. Can You Not Read the Sarcasm?)
Nonet #7: Valleys of Endless Pretension (A Post-Rock Fanatic Satire)
Nonet #8: An Expose on a Feedback Loop
Nonet #9: One Score of Rage

Pathos Formula Wave is on Bandcamp tomorrow!

What is the Pathos Formula Wave, you may ask?

This is an EP that will be on Bandcamp. Unlike most of my other recordings, this only uses vocals and acousmatics only with no instruments there. Also, all the tracks are based on the nonet poetic structure. I will also proclaim that this has some of the angriest poems I’ve ever written. Even though the content isn’t as intense as “They Dreamed of Devastation and Deceit (Circle of Lies)”, there’s a lot of rage that went into the lyrics. One of the songs I have might as well be acousmatic hardcore with me screaming the whole way through.

I hope you check it out tomorrow!

8/1/19…

The Old-Timers are back, BABY!

My friends in the Scottish/South African hardcore band The Old-Timers FINALLY released some new music in the form of a 4 song EP. It’s Short Sharp Shift and it’s 4 short songs and the whole EP is a minute and a half long. I’m glad Dave and Don are making music together again. Big props to ZAP Records to releasing this EP! It’s only $1 to buy. Come on, you can’t even get a song for that same amount of money, so support independent music.

Justin Yates’s new music and new music video!

It’s time!

My friend Justin Yates released his newest EP called “Friend”. He even released a new music video for his song “Burn”. Justin Yates is someone I’ve known for years when I got into the local music scene and he’s one of the few people from that area who I still talk to and never lost respect for. He works harder than so many other musicians I know. Feel free to check out the music video and to buy his EP.