Musicians Collaboration Studio
Virtual Music Studio => Finished Works => Topic started by: canuk62 on December 14, 2009, 10:52:49 PM
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I can't believe we're finally finished this collab..it's been over a year, on and off, in between medical crisis', each of us in turn having ups and downs, times of stagnation and renewed interest....man, alot of crap happens in a year, at least in THIS bunch of guys anyway! ;D
I originally penned this with visions of a simple Neil Young type southern rocker for my friends at the Akwasasnee Res, of the Mohawk Nation which straddles the US/Canadian border (they jokingly refer to myself as the "white Mohawk guy" ;D). Not going into a history lesson, suffice to say, if Columbus or the Spanish Inquisition would have run into THIS bunch when they landed in the new world,instead of the friendly ones handing them flowers (in return got smallpox and near extinction as Europes gift ;D)it would have easily been a couple more centuries at least until somebody would have come back to tell about it! ;D(ask the Vikings who landed here hundreds of years before Columbus and ran in their cousins, the Micmac) Generally regarded as the bravest, most warlike and bloodthirsty tribe. To this day, they have never bowed down to the white man and do things on their own terms (presently having a 1 year long standoff and have seized the Canadian border crossing at the Akwasasne crossing...won't allow the Canadian Border people to carry weapons on their territory).
This is basically a shoot 'em up Rambo/Billy Jack themed folk song, with my usual amount of social commentary thrown in there!
Really proud how this thing morphed into such an elaborately orchestrated composition (that's Jay's doing..the rest of us just rocked out!)...who would ever guess from it's humble beginnings! Best part was, as with most stuff we've done under the CBZ flag, virtually no direction or advice, people just track and post stuff the way they see fit, slide it in the mix..and voila! (then the mixing nightmare begins!). Great job guys!..really proud how this turned out, and I'm sure at every stand-off or shoot out with the authorites with the Mohawk or any other Native band across North America for the matter, if you see it on the news...listen VERY carefully, and in the background, THIS will be pumping out of somebodies pickup truck in the background...the new theme song for the Mohawk Warriors! >:D
Steve McAndrew-Vocals/Guitars
Jay Schankman-Keyboards (choirs,violins,piano,B3,...)
Todd Vierra-Drums/Percussion
Marc Traynor-Bass/Acoustic guitar/Production (Thanks to CD for all the input as well!)
Akwasasne Son (Traynor-2009)
Deep inside the enemy line, Vietnam in 1969
A Platoon hacked through the vines
An ambush, nowhere to run
Most killed, some captured..all but one
The Awkwasasne Son
Charlie didn't know it, but this one had Mowhawk blood
For days they tried to catch the red-skinned one
Their prey became the hunter,Viet-Kong died on that trail
And so their tale of the Red Skinned one prevails
The Awkwasasne Son, this Mohawks tale
Made it back to U.S. lands, no room for Vets from Vietnam
With pain and bloodied hands
Didn't take him long to know, the ones with beads and flowers now ran
the show
While the poor fought the rich mans' war
So he bought a beat-up Panhead, and he headed down the road
To see the land he knew before they sold
To the ones who built those Chinese guns for the Viet-Kong to hold
The lone wolf rides alone towards his home
Like lonesome thunder, rolling down the road
Spent some time along the road, working outside a town near Mexico
A ranchers widow he had known
Then one day Banditos rode in, then tied-up the widow and her kin
Then the horrors would begin
Their leader didn't know it, but the hand had Mohawk blood
They thought they'd beat and kill the red-skinned one
But a 6 inch blade found the leaders heart as the others ran through
the door
Then six Banditos lay dead on the floor, then he said goodbye and
headed-out down the road
Headed North to the place he knows where his kind is free to roam
The Akwasasne, this Mohawk Warriors' home
The lone wolf doesn't run with a pack,fights the battle all alone
Like lonesome thunder rolling down the road
To the Akwasasne, this Mohawk warriors' home
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Great story Marc and great music guys. Very CBZ!!
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Cool attitude song Marc!
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Brilliant Stuff guys , Marc you did a great job with it - it has has your trademark sound on the mix. Love the song and performances. Classic :)
CD
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Thanks alot guys :) Maybe some Hollywood scriptwriter could turn this into some cool b-grade "made for TV" movie pilot for a tv show...resurrect Syllvester Stallone's career! ;D ;D ;D (60 year old Mohawk cigarette smuggler guy (with a 1000 HP smuggling boat) gets approached by the Russian underworld to smuggle in a suspicious looking device into the US (with cyrillic writing on it), paid by a guy (who bears an uncanny resemblance to the Iranian leader whats-his-name Amajinadad), then single handedly takes on the whole nuclear terrorism establishment..then finds out the ones on the top are actually the CIA,..and the plot thickens! ;D ;D)(episode 1)(anythings better than another season of survivor...or worse yet that Kate is 8 witch! ;D ;D (just hope the real bad guys aren't reading this going "Hey Moe, why didn't WE think of this!!" :D)
Later!
Marc
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Cool tune and shining performances!
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Nice tune! Great story telling :)
Roger
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Marc, you missed your calling brother. You should be that scriptwriter and Director. Your vision for that film is complete. I could see this surprise them at the Cannes Film Festival. In a couple years you might just get Ahmadinijhad's (sp, who cares) help on this.. his popularity is waning and they will probably out him soon anyway. He would be a great pick for the bad guy in a future James Bond movie too, don't you think?
Thanks alot guys :) Maybe some Hollywood scriptwriter could turn this into some cool b-grade "made for TV" movie pilot for a tv show...resurrect Syllvester Stallone's career! ;D ;D ;D
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Oh WOW! I absolutely love this. :D Fantastic story and a really memorable performance from everyone. Cool Beyond Zero is way beyond first-class. :)
Outstanding music, vocals, and mix. Excellent job, Marc, Steve, Todd, and Jay. :)
Donna
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Thanks Donna, I kinda like it to, classic Traynor 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)
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like a fine wine..
there is something to be said for working through a project with no budget or time constraints. eventually you have to call it done, but at least you don't have the pressure.
one of my faves from the CBZ gang - I'm really happy with this, glad to hear everyone else likes it too. You guys just rock :)
Go CBZ!!!
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Thanks a bunch Donna...as we come from opposite ends of the spectrum (think I flunked out of Eng grammar...but did well in "shop" class though! ;D) I take that as a major compliment! ;)...I tend to think of the little songs/stories I write as midway in between the country guy singing about his pickup truck and a bottle of whiskey on Friday night, and some blue blooded British rock star guy living in a Castle singing about mystical dragons with lingo/lyrical hints to novels that only somebody with a Doctorate in Eng Literature would know about or comprehend! ;D
Yeah Jay, I don't think we'll ever call anything done here! :D The most fun i have in this, as generally we just know what the tune requires, it's unspoken (a good chemistry going)...the guys just send in their seps however they felt like playing them at the time, I load them up in the daw and it's like opening a Christmas present...turns out completely different than you'd think it would have! ;D On this one (as with any tune I've contribute here), 100% of my tracks on this were all the 2nd or 3rd take off the original demo as well, something to be said about the raw energy and attitude of a tune you haven't practiced/rehearsed to death as well ;)
Keep rocking!
Marc
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Hi Marc,
Massive song - another great story in a song from you (you ought to collate these stories about these unfogettable characters).
As remarked by the others, this has your stamp all over it, but I hear it as a CBZ song, every member of the band, Steve, Todd, J has put in heartfelt super performances - it sounds like a co-written band tune actually.
Great mix/production, its almost like you are in an southern rock "Abbey Road" phase!!
Solid follow up to "Too Little".
Cant wait for the album..
CHeers
Andy
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Thanks Andy, you've written some beauties yourself bro :)
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What can I say. Top notch of course. Love this guys. VERY cool vibe. Man there's some really cool subtle stuff happening throughout this song. Everythings spot on. Damn guys!!! TOO good. 8)
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Thanks Dave, Break With Protocol is still way up there IMHO ;D ;D ;D 8)
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Cool tune guys. Lot's of texture. Interesting story line.
Nice job!
Nick
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Thanks again for the kind comments guys! ;)
As I stated in the last post..we're never done with a song :D...Jay didn't like his strings, so he retracked (we can't hear the difference, but he can..so that's what counts I guess!), this is the updated mix, will remove the first (the beauty of digital non-destructive editing! ;D)
Later!
Marc
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Thanks Marc.. just when ya think you're done. I appreciate the extra mix :)
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Thanks Marc.. just when ya think you're done. I appreciate the extra mix :)
;D ;D Thanks Jay, seems everything goes in a big circle as we learn a thing or 2 as well...listen to mixes from a year ago and go "how did I make that sound so bad!"...sure George Martin was saying the same thing for years as well! :)
Marc
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Thanks to all :) :) :)
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Oh :o... Another One... Jesus folks, you got a load of tunes landing here all the time and all of them are great.