Songcrafters.org

I recorded this while on vacation.

The music has nothing to do with Jimmy Buffett. More on that below.

Our family vacation began with a lot of stress and actual tragedy.

It was a road trip from Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, to the south west of the country. We have a driver who works for our business, and he was driving so I wouldn't have to.

The first two days on the road, my daughter was violently car sick, hurling into our ample supply of plastic barf bags a dozen times. The day after we arrived at our first stop – Toliara – our driver got news that his 15-year-old son had died suddenly. We sent him back to Antananarivo to take care of that tragedy.

The same day we got intel that our horny teenage housekeeper and pet sitter had told every boy in the neighborhood that we are out of town, so we had to hire extra security to watch our house.

Also: My wife developed food poisoning or something causing her stomach pain.

Without a driver, I took the wheel and we pressed on to the next stop on our trip – Mangily – less than an hour away. I got stopped every 10 km by the police, thanks to my white face. One cop kindly issued me a handwritten "48-hour International driving permit" for a small fee of 40,000 Ariary (less than $10). The next cop who stopped us (10 minutes down the road, of course) looked at it and was like, WTF is this?

My wife's stomach pain wasn't getting any better. I had to think about what kind of medical care I could find for her out there, miles from any hospital, and whether I could transport her there without an incident. We talked to her uncle, who is a doctor, and he told us what over-the-counter medicines we should get. We bought them from a pharmacy that looked like a lemonade stand.

I had a "misunderstanding" with a drunken coconut vendor when I told him that did not want to buy the coconuts he had prepared with his machete, so he proceeded to threaten me with said machete. The hotel had to call armed security to get him to leave us alone.

Our tour guide helped us find a driver we could hire for one day so we can make it to our next stop - St. Augustin - without being pulled over for "driving while white."

We made a side trip to see some sand dunes, and ran into an actual bridge troll, sort of – a crazy and hostile guy who blocked the one-lane raised road across the wet sand flats. He demanded money if we wished to pass. I let our driver and our guide handle him.

Early the next morning, we left the car at a hotel and loaded our bags into big canoe with an outboard motor and headed to Anakao. (You can get there by road I'm told, if you dare, have a 4x4, and full day to kill.) No motion sickness from the kid. My wife's stomach pain was subsiding.

The next morning I set up my Micro BR and my minimal pedalboard on the porch outside the AirBnB bedroom. Still pretty stressed out.

Knowing the calming, meditative power of a delay pedal and headphones, I plugged in and started strumming. (For some reason, I my first chord was a Cadd9. That's never my go-to first chord. I'm an open G guy, usually.) And this little phrase came to me. I played it over and over just letting the echo do its hypnotic magic, watching the scenery just off the beach. The day was beautiful. Time seemed to slow down.


I sat looking over the beautiful turquoise waters, watching Vezo fishermen sail past my hotel, and I played and recorded this simple phrase on my guitar.  I thought about those fishermen, and how their lives are as rich and involved as mine or anyone's, not idyllic, but full of joys and perils I can only imagine. The human scenery service they provided to me is an unintended byproduct of their own daily efforts to keep on living – because living is worth it. 

And I thought, Key West can't possibly be as good as this. Jimmy Buffett can kiss my ass.

The rest of the vacation was really good and relaxing. I started reading a book – the memoir of a Holocaust survivor. That also helped to put my troubles into perspective.

I started writing some lyrics to this. Maybe I'll come back to it another day. Don't bet on it. Feel free to use it as a backer.

this is beautiful Ted and the way you arrived at it sounds like a real trial that your entire family and the other driver had to endure.  I suppose I could say that the destination was worth it but that would be up to you totally.  I admire your adventurous spirit.  I for one, have had plenty also but not on this level.  Congrats to your family on overcoming all those difficulties, and yes, you have an appreciation for how good I have it in the USA (and I intend to not leave like some other celebs who think this place sucks so much)....
the music is incredible.. and I enjoy reading your posts on the Whatsap...

Ted! My favourite drummer from the Dead Kennedys.
Has nothing to do with this song, but i just wanted it to be heard! Like i did with this song. I heard it and it resonates. It pulls you in and makes you relaxed. So much so that i started floating and seeing lyrics in the sky way before i heard any.

It's a three minute song, but after a one minute of great playing i'm still left waiting for the vocals to appear. I didn't (yet) read the post you made because i didn't want to have any preconceptions of the song at hand. Perhaps i should have? Am i missing out on something? I'm sure you didn't write that you'd like me to sing this in a "death metal" style? Then there would have to be at least one word with "Death". Otherwise it isn't death metal. And something else that sounds like metal. Like that Albatross i mentioned while commenting that cover song Stephen made.

A great backing track. Beautiful sound. Relaxed feel. Jimmy Buffett can eat... Well let's not go there. I'll get back to this track when i've read your post. I hope there's an explanation why Buffett can kiss your ass. I bet he's a good kisser! I just hope he holds the tongue ( i mean "holds the silence", what did you think? That i'm a perv? I'm a foreigner. Half of the time i don't even know what i'm writing. I just use words that look pretty and i put them back to back :)).

One heck of a tale. I look forward to the lyrics although it stands perfectly well as a soothing instrumental.

Blooby

You're one seriously funky fellow!

Sorry to hear about your troubles, but the way you're describing it makes for a comedy gold.

Quote from: Ted on September 02, 2022, 12:33:47 PMThe same day we got intel that our horny teenage housekeeper and pet sitter had told every boy in the neighborhood that we are out of town, so we had to hire extra security to watch our house.

At this point i was seriously thinking if the bread i ate had developed a somekind of a mind altering fungus.

I kept on hanging until i got to this part:

Quote from: Ted on September 02, 2022, 12:33:47 PMThe rest of the vacation was really good and relaxing. I started reading a book – the memoir of a Holocaust survivor.

After which i went and threw the bread away. I think i have to go lie down for a sec.

What a relief!  I thought I was gonna have to fight with ya because I enjoy Jimmy Buffett!

Sounds like a horrendous vacation (at least the start).  Sorry you had to go through so much BS.

The tune you crafted is very relaxing.  You've created your own "stress reliever"

;) John B

A beautiful sound and chords Ted. Wow, that is quite an adventure that got you to it. I'm glad all turned out alright for you and yours.

Chord changes made me think of Stones straight away. Nice playing. Sorry to hear of your holiday from hell.

That sounds like a holiday trip from hell. sorry to hear all that bad luck. I'm glad it ended better than it started. The photos of the place look beautiful. But What a great song. Lovely playing and a nice melody.

Darren

What a story glad you all OK so sorry about your driver your worst  nightmare really  can't  imagine it.
You tune is so relaxing cool stuff!!

Quote from: SE on September 04, 2022, 03:02:12 PMso sorry about your driver your worst  nightmare really  can't  imagine it.

I know. A week later, after he had buried his son, he came back down from Antananarivo to meet us in St. Augustin. And he drove us back home over the next three days.

I don't know many details about what caused the death of his son, but it was some kind of gastrointestinal problem. And I assume it was probably preventable. That's the thing about living in a poor country like Madagascar. The grinding poverty just becomes the wallpaper to your life, if you let it. And our driver was unemployed for awhile. We only hired him recently.  I try to never forget that 90 percent of the population live on less than $2 per day. Sometimes when I see someone with a possession that cost more than $200 – such as a crappy car, or a motorcycle – I think to myself, "There's a top-10 percenter."

There are a lot of reasons why a country like Madagascar is poor (and Songcrafters is a music forum, not a global macroeconomic forum). The open secret is that the world is rich enough to provide education and health care for everyone, and we could live sustainably if we only wanted to. It doesn't have to be this way. But we – the humans of the world (particularly the privileged) – choose to let it be this way.

And all that was part of the mix of emotions that was going through my mind as I watched the Vezo fishermen sailing their canoes. Me, a middle-class kid from America, owner of a 12-person diesel-powered van, de-stressing at an AirBnB, regarding the sailors as some kind of decorative aquarium put in my field of view for my benefit. I need this right now, after a series of minor issues. But never forget that I'm not the center of the world. I'm a lucky bastard, and not entitled to any of this.

The man who drives my van just experienced a loss greater than anything I've ever had to grieve – something probably preventable if he had an extra $200 for an emergency, or if his government could provide basic health care (rather than allowing the wealth of the country to be extracted and exported by people who's basic needs are met many times over). What about his needs?

And that's why I got stuck trying to finish lyrics for this song.

What a story  :(  . Very stressful holidays, but the music is so beautiful, meditative and relaxing. Nice pic and track.

Man, that sounds more than a bit harrowing. But you made a very relaxing, calming tune, Ted. It helps one appreciate how music can get us through the bad times as well as the good ones.

Well, maybe except for that Buffett dude... ;D

Quote from: Ted on September 02, 2022, 12:33:47 PM

Jimmy Buffet Can Kiss My Ass

Recorded on Micro BR
Ted: Guitar and SY-1 Synth

I recorded this while on vacation.
********************************************************
Hi Ted,
What a trip, and I am glad to be reading this, and know that you guys made it through.
This music sounds so calm, a different vibe what you just went through on the trip.
My blood pressure is plummeting with this lovely song.
Thanks for sharing this.
Rene

Absolutely beautiful instrumental Ted! I love the looping melancholy feel of this. Very sorry to hear of your troubles at the beginning of your vacation and I hope you had a good time later on. That picture of the beach looks stunning, truly a paradise!

Thanks Redler, Cuthbert, Rene, and Berry Patch!

I keep thinking about whether to return to this, and to maybe put lyrics on it.  We'll see. It did bring to mind a much older idea with a similar tempo and rhythm – something I've never recorded, and it already has lyrics. That project might come first.

Also:

Quote from: Ron D Bowes on September 04, 2022, 07:43:40 AMChord changes made me think of Stones straight away.

Yeah, I tried not to think about "Waiting for a Friend," and eventually listened to it for the first time in years. I was relieved to hear that the rhythm isn't quite the same.

This is a little beauty I missed first time around. Beautiful soothing playing. And being Jimmy Buffet just passed away seems a fitting OTDB.

Mike

Quote from: Mike_S on September 02, 2023, 05:08:07 PMAnd being Jimmy Buffet just passed away seems a fitting OTDB.

What a coincidence!

Thanks!

this is beautiful and may Jim RIP

Cool relaxing track and nicely recorded. Drunken coconut venders? Crazy guys waving machetes? Jeez, don't think I'll be holidaying in Madagascar this year.

Really enjoyed the guitars and loved the story as well. I feel a little guilty that I found plenty of humor in your narrative, but I never got more mature with age!

This is good!!

Beautiful instrumental  ..  Very sorry to hear about your troubles and the very sad event that took place .
Once the lyrics are done you will have to put vocals on this track to tell your story.. it would make a great song.

That was some king of holiday but produced such a beautiful piece of music dreamy and very enjoyable