Posts Tagged ‘#brother’

Man of Steel

Posted: September 16, 2022 in My Tunes, projects
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Trying to force my thoughts into rhymes
I’ve started over too many times.
Lost my way more often than I can count
Paying for the future from an empty account.

I lived in a palace that is now
Smoldering ash and dust.
I thought I was a Man of Steel
Turns out I’m a bucket of rust.

Running down-hill you can only go so fast
Falling head first, now your feet aren’t the last.
Told a good story, played the main part
Some if it science, some of it art.

I lived in a palace that is gone
Smoldering ash and dust.
I thought I was a Man of Steel
Turns out I am a bucket of rust.

Sometimes you are forced to gamble
Usually there is no preamble.
For some it’s fun to shop until you drop
For me it was just impossible to stop.

I thought I was a Man of Steel
What’s left is a bucket of rust.

I stole the main theme from my older brother. He would often say he thought he was a man of steel but looking around he saw a bucket of rust. He was a wrestler and chess player in school…. an avid reader and ready for any challenge. Even after his third stroke and 2nd seizure this year, he remembers his wrestling days in high school more clearly than many other accomplishments. It is plagiarism, but he is my brother so I think I can get away with it this time.

The Long Road Behind Continued

Posted: February 1, 2019 in Opinions and Observations
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One night I was struggling with the towel over my head breathing in the incense-like vapors. My older brother David walked by and mentioned that it smelled a lot like marijuana. I was not familiar with his reference at the time. So when I was feeling better he filled me in on what pot was and that it was illegal but lots of people thought it was fun to do.

A few years later I was walking around in the city parks on a hot summer day (as I have a tendency to do). I met friends hanging out on the hill side and stopped to talk. One pulled out a joint and asked me if I wanted some. No personal experience here, but I knew more than years ago so I said sure. Almost immediately I felt comfortable and not scared or worried. After smoking I did not feel ‘buzzed’ or ‘stoned’ or ‘hi’. In fact, I felt almost nothing. Almost.

For almost a year I smoked marijuana and never did get the affects people talked about. At this point you are probably asking, ‘well, then why did you continue to smoke the stuff?’. I am not a doctor and even if I was US laws prevent doctors from testing pot. But when I smoked I felt relaxed. It reduced the panic I felt not only during an asthma attack but also doing things that were known to trigger them. During an attack I quickly calmed down after smoking it and I could lose my concentration on trying to breathe and focus on other things that did not make me panic. I stopped taking the other medications and tests.

After about a year I walked around a small pond at another local park and like a number of other people and animals….. I started walking in the shallow pool to cool down and enjoy the day. As I mentioned, there were a number of people and animals in the water at the time the police drove by, but only four people were pulled out and threatened with being “taken in”. Looking back I should not have been surprised that each of us ‘criminals’ were young and had long hair.

After the police men finally let us go (while others were still walking in the waters) I naturally started chatting with the others. They asked me if I wanted to hang out with them. I did not drive yet so I joined them on a beautiful day. They drove around and one of them mentioned wanting to get stoned. They were older than I was (college kids, I think) and they took really good care of me and checked to make sure I was OK. We stopped by one of their friends houses and bought some hash. I was not familiar with this but basically the same stuff only concentrated. We drove to their house, put on some music and then they got out the pipe.

That was when things really changed. The road got a little bit shorter that day, but the story continues.

The Answer

Posted: November 12, 2018 in Poetry
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MSK GS 4
MSK GS 3
MSK GS 2
MSK GS 1

(C) MSK 11-8-2018

Intelligence is not the answer,

Though wisdom certainly is.

I might be waiting for the cows to come home

But I don’t have time for this.

 

It doesn’t take a genius to know,

Facts are the same for everyone.

That doesn’t mean it’s all black and white

Or can be changed with a gun.

 

It’s often a matter of perspective.

And that makes it hard to understand.

Why someone turns grey into black or white

Without experiences of the other man.

 

If you have been supported by faith

Then religion can be your guiding hand.

Survive Jihads, Inquisitions and pedophile priests

You might begin to feel nothing but hate.

 

The police are always there to serve,

And get you home safe at night.

In my neighborhood it ain’t like that at all

So it’s safer to take your chances and run.

 

Intelligence is not the answer,

Though wisdom certainly is.

I might be waiting for the cows to come home

But I don’t have time for this.

 

All the experts seem so smart,

Until you hear from the others.

Sooner or later we have to realize

It’s time to stop killing our brothers.

 

Smart people become rich people,

Their answers bring cash and fame.

The poorest will always be poor; just look at them.

There’s no one else to blame.

Studio Way

Posted: July 9, 2018 in MUSIC
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Here is another song my brother David recorded at a studio years ago as part of his Studio Way project.  My brother wrote the lyrics and is the vocalist on these tracks.  Terry Boehm played keyboards.  Tom Collier wrote the music and played guitar.  This one is called, “Focus On Your Feet”.  A fun toe-tapping song that sticks in your head!

The songs were being finalized in the studio as each came up to record.  The rhythm tracks were recorded first, with lead instruments and vocals added later that day.  A lot of people ‘freeze up’ their first time in a studio with the tape rolling (yes, this was back in the days when they used tape!) so recording can be very stressful – but with a bit of focus you can come out with great memories.

Studio Way

Posted: June 13, 2018 in My Tunes
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I may have some free time for a little bit and I would like to catch up on a bunch of things that have been on the back-burner for a while.  I also hope to pull up old band and other video projects and push them hard into the hi-def age.  It will be a lot harder than it sounds as some of my media is very old tech.  We shall see.

I also wanted to share with you some of the songs my older brother David did in a studio years ago.  I was not involved in writing or recording these songs.  My home studio was meager by today’s standards and I was only set up for one-man songwriting stuff.  I was not able to record an entire band at one time back then.

My brother’s band was doing some original songs and jamming pretty often.  Tom Collins and David had an inspired writing session for a couple of hours before practice.  The band mates were so excited with the new material they made calls and booked time in a recording studio the next week!!##!!

I will detail the studio experience and give the band members and authors their due in future blogs.  Here is a tune from the Studio Ways session that will kick things off well.  “My Dog Loves You Too” is a heart-warming love song with a pleasant twist of humor.  David was faced with a challenge to write a funny love song.  His ex-wife Cynthia came up with a few guitar parts and the song writing took off!  Like this one, all the songs were literally finished and arranged in the studio the day they were recorded.  It gives a great live feel to the collection.  Tom Collins wrote most of the music for this recording and my brother wrote the lyrics.

Please enjoy “My Dog Loves You Too”.

 

From the beginning

Posted: May 7, 2018 in My Tunes
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Those that have visited my site from the beginning to those that have read my posts and comments over the years will know that I started a musical path early-on in my childhood.  From my parents selecting musical instruments for Christmas and my birthdays to my older brother David writing poetry that I would turn into beat and melody (using whatever toys I had available at the time!).

As my interest in poetry grew I tried to soak up what he already knew.  Younger, I did not have training, but I had a natural feel for timing/rhythm and melodies.  I picked up theory, arrangement, recording techniques and a million other things from people way smarter than me in later years, but early it was just experimentation and the fun in creating.

We shared a lot, critiqued a lot, and bounced around things as they got better and better.  Writing lyrics is funny.  We use them to tell a story or create a mood.  Vocals can put us in a trance or allow us to laugh ourselves silly.   Lyrics by themselves they are often trite or ‘nothing, really’.  But put them in front of the right music and performance and they can become life altering.

Over the years there were countless songs we co-authored in one way or the other.  I often leaned on my strong points in the beginning and created the chord progression and melody, but David learned to play the guitar and we later played piano/keyboards.  It is difficult if not Impossible to know what parts originated where.  I stopped trying decades ago!

I have posted songs that we are particularly proud to have been even a small part in writing.  (I think there might be one or two more I have not posted yet, I will have to check LOL).  In the following weeks I would also like to post a number of songs my brother wrote and recorded years ago.  He and a few friends went into a recording studio and laid down his new songs even as some were being finalized.  As I did not record or perform in his “David K and Studio Way” session, it was great to hear this completed project for the first time.

Here are a few of the favorite songs I posted on this blog.

https://wordpress.com/post/midimike.com/205

https://wordpress.com/post/midimike.com/173

https://wordpress.com/post/midimike.com/116

https://wordpress.com/post/midimike.com/50

I will do a little research and post a few tunes from “David K and Studio Way”.

 

Music for “This Moment”

Posted: February 5, 2018 in family
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When I wrote the lyrics to This Moment, I had been thinking about my younger brother.  He died from throat cancer a while back.  He was the funniest and kindest person I have ever known.  Even in the last few weeks of his battle you would never know he was losing.  I spoke with his doctor and stated my brother was exhausted; no money or resources, no physical or emotional strength reserves, no medical options left.  I was told others that were in a better state might be able to hold out longer.  Soon my wife and I got a call and rushed to the hospital as we had a number of times before.  He was in ICU this time and there was nothing to be done.  The next expectation was the cancer would eat through the main artery in his neck.  I will spare you the rest.

As he woke up and looked around, he was puzzled and almost excited at the same time.  He could not talk, so he wrote something on a piece of paper and handed it to me.  “Is this real?” was written at the top of the page.  Between the medications and his state of mind, he was not sure if he was dreaming or not.  He had been in hospital rooms many times, but he knew this was different.  I told him that we are in the hospital.  I confirmed he was dying and there was little time left.  His artery would rupture soon.  A moment difficult to prepare for.

The lyrics worked their way from my thoughts to the paper as I recalled that time in the hospital.  How I felt: how he must have felt.  My thoughts wandered to the many times I have talked and laughed with him over the years.

Your thoughts and comments were truly appreciated.  I put the lyrics to music recently. This is not a perfect recording.  This is as far as it goes for me.  Please accept it as it is. For all of us that have lost loved ones and friends, sometimes we just need to share the loss.  Maybe it makes it easier to turn the pain into great memories.

This Moment

Posted: January 15, 2018 in Poetry
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© MSK 12-9-2017

While you sleep

You will lay safely.

I will caress you

I will keep you warm.

 

When the world

Is beyond your touch

I will hold your hand

I will call your name.

 

There is pain

Lost behind the door.

‘Til then embrace it

And the good things in life.

 

This Moment

With all the others

I’ll remember you

And still hear your laugh.

 

Overwhelming

What if it’s not a dream?

I’ll tell you what’s real

As moments remain.

 

This Moment

With all the others

I’ll remember you

And still hear you laugh.

 

In memory of my brother Christopher.

Perspective is Amazing

Posted: January 29, 2016 in Opinions and Observations, Uncategorized
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As I look back on the songs and projects I have been involved in I also want to share with you projects from the core of artists I grew up with that influenced me to do more and get better in my craft. I have a good number of writings to pick from.  Here is a set of lyrics from my older brother David.  I have mentioned him a few times already so I wanted to give you some examples of his writing.

This is a song called “Singing Wheels”.  It was written in February of 1977. We have a lot of themes about driving and being on the road.  We often contrast between city life and nature as we are drawn almost equally to both. The song has beautiful chords and the melody is haunting with a fluid motion that fits the lyrics quite well.  I will post the song in the future.  At this point, the boy is able to see the man he became!  Perspective is amazing from decades later.

“Singing Wheels”  © 1977 C David Kennedy

The lights of the city spread like stars below me

Traffic swirls around me as I leave.

And time moves slowly in a car that’s moving swift

I guess you call it relativity.

 

If the boy I was could see

The man that he became

He’d be pretty happy I suppose.

But the best things about him

Were just ballast for the flight

His hopes are dim and his dreams are tame.

 

And while Singing Wheels spin over whispered lullabies

My car eats the highway in the rain

Windshield wipers tell a tale rhythmic and serene

And thunder mourns the crying of the skies.

Forgetting Your Name

Posted: October 8, 2015 in Opinions and Observations
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I have pointed out on more than one occasion that I have a difficulty remembering names and dates.  This took its toll in my History grades for sure, but also had dramatic effects growing up and through adulthood.  For this I do not apologize other than try to work on ways to reduce that block.  I also acknowledge it and inform others that it is not intentional.  In two minutes I will forget your name.  It is nothing personal.  If I had a pen and paper I would write it down and if I can discretely enter in my cell phone I do.  If not, your name is gone.  I will remember your voice and the conversation.  I might be able to remember your face, but that is not guaranteed either.

Fellow bloggers’ names I will trigger more by the Picture/logo/Avatar and tag-line than the personal name.  From time to time I will post songs and lyrics from members of the center core I mentioned earlier.  I will feature other artists I have worked with as well. For many, I simply do not know the names of the many band members I have recorded or worked with.  I hope they will contact me so I can give them credit for all their works and talent.

To that point I do not overlook or diminish the writing partnerships I have had.  In the early years we did not think of copyrights or co-authorship.  We never discussed mechanical licensing or royalties.  Digital rights weren’t even a dream in the Product Development plans.  Pay-per-Click (PPC) wasn’t until years in the future.  Yet, here we are.

I feel I need to mention that my brother C David Kennedy has been referred to in a number of my posts while relaying the earlier years of poetry and song writing.  He is especially proud of his involvement in a few songs I have previously posted; “Red on Your Blue Suede Shoes”(c), “Quiet Nights”(c), “The Pleasure Tax”(c) and “Miracles in Your Hand”©.

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