Nothing to Lose (Remix)
Another art exchange, this time with Michelle Chin (from Edmonton!). Her request was for a violin-related piece.
It started off solely as a violin/piano piece. And then, somewhere along the line, 2Pac found his way in. Werd.
Below is her highly realistic sketch of Toby, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Woot!
Jazzmine (A Surreal Art Exchange)
Another art exchange, with the lovely and talented Jasmine Yeh! A jazz piece for a surrealist painting -- and this is the result!
Where is the Wannabe
Way too long ago, I promised a song in exchange for a painting with Pam Yuen. She painted the lovely image below:
This is my response, quite a bit later -- but please enjoy!
A Collaboration with Ben Chen – Pretend to See
A new post to end the summer and start off the new school season right. A collaboration with Ben Chen from the Blank Vinyl Project, bringing his stellar keyboarding skills to the scene.
A Collaboration with the lovely Aneeta Dastoor! – Maybe Baby
This past weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to do a little collaboration with an up-and-coming singer/songwriter in Vancouver, Aneeta Dastoor! After leaving a group of some of our friends entranced after a mini concert on the Knoll, I knew the world had to hear her awesome voice. So, without too much further thought, we got together and made this happen! Enjoy! 'Cause I know I did =).
Lyrics:
Maybe answers don’t live in books and
Maybe your parents won’t like my looks
But maybe / Baby/ We can make it if we try
Maybe we’re two birds of a feather, or maybe we’re not even that good together
But Maybe, Baby, We can make it if we try
They say the world wasn’t made for lovers, but I believe x 3 that the world was made for anyone, who holds it close to her heart
They say the world wasn’t made for givers, because giving and giving you’re left ot shiver
But I believe the more you give the more you receive
So maybe pig don’t fly in the sky, and maybe if i smoke that I won’t get high
But maybe, baby we should give it a try
Maybe People’ll keep fighting each other and maybe I’ll never understand my mother
But maybe baby, we can change it if we try.
They say the world wasn’t made for lovers, but I believe x 3 that the world was made for anyone, who holds it close to her heart
They say the world wasn’t made for givers, because giving and giving you’re left to shiver
But I believe the more you give the more you receive
Maybe answers don’t live in books and
Maybe your parents won’t like my looks
But maybe / Baby/ We can make it if we try
UBC Terry Project Theme Song! (Now with Video!)
Two weeks back, Elysa Hogg, one of the co-coordinators of the UBC Terry Project approached me with a request to write a theme song for their Terry Videos. They wanted something slightly whimsical and upbeat that would go along to a video of the Terry Panda (the official Terry Mascot) going around and doing crazy things.
I'm a big fan of Pandas and an even bigger fan of what the Terry people do around UBC and beyond, so it was a natural and fun project to take on. I must say that the whole time I was doing it, my mind retraced memories of Popular Mechanics for Kids (now that I think of it, Terry's Florin and Elysa do indeed remind me a tad of PMFK's Elisha and Tyler...). Hopefully the Terry videos will be just as intriguing!
On another note, as you may have noticed, this is the first post with a Youtube for the audio! Which means, as promised, I now have a Youtube channel which I will in due course try to navigate. You can check out the page here. Please do subscribe, as I will most likely be posting my songs on there from now on (whilst keeping this site up and running..for now)!
“Finding Home” – Featuring Ekaterina Dovjenko!
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This next one is a collaboration between myself and the lovely Ekaterina Dovjenko! - with her doing the lyrics, and me putting it to music.
This song was originally a request to write a folk song to her lyrics, but it turned out a little less folksy and contemporary ballad-esque. But I think her lyrics are more than adaptable and stand out regardless of the exact style they're in, so hopefully that's fine =).
In other news, I may soon be getting myself a Youtube channel going. Consultations with my advisory board are happening in the next week or so, so I will keep you updated as to how those meeting pan out.
Enjoy!
----
You were my warm, warm sweater
In the cold, cold eve
When we would look at stars.
And kiss behind the trees
But there's no summer romance for us now
No nothing left for me
Where did you go I’m all alone
playing hide and seek.
So spin, spin away
And walk down the road
I've built this house of cards
And I’m not coming home
You couldn’t be sober around me
And I was drunk with love
Our smiles through the smoke
Brought jealousies from above
And yet you said good bye that day, outside was raining so
You sat me down in the dark and told me you had to go
So fly, fly away
And walk down this road
You built this house of cards
And I’m not coming home
EPIC BANJO SOLO (Turned into a Violin Solo =S)
Will I be your memory?
Forgotten save in dreams
Come run with me through fields of straw,
Come swim in my own sea
Entrapped but swimming free
So swim, swim away
And walk down this road
We built this house of cards
And someday I’ll find a home.
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“Acoustic Quotations” – Flamenco/Jazz Guitar
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This one goes out to my good friend, Marc Forster, who showed me a flamenco piece which he wanted me to replicate. I could never come close to matching the virtuosity of the group he showed, but here's a product of having quite a bit of fun playing the guitar within the constraints of that genre.
Enjoy!
“Violin(ce) is Necessary” – Classical Meets Electro
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Hey all,
This is another request, this time from Jocelyn Ling. I don't remember the exact context in which it was requested, but she wanted to see if it was possible to combine classical music with electronic music of some sort. This piece is my attempt at that!
Hope you enjoy, and keep the requests coming!
Johannes
Pilgrim
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Title Updated to "Pilgrim", thanks to discussion and suggestions from Lucas and Ekaterina!
I've been dabbling a bit more on the piano as of late, especially after writing Contemplation. Somewhere out of some piano doodling this song came about. It is the first piano ballad that I have posted online anywhere, so hopefully it comes across okay. Part of me wishes I could sing this song with a bit more of a Tom Waits feel to it, but I think I would have to consume too much alcohol and tobacco and too many painful wartime experiences to achieve his voice's raspiness.
Also, this piece is thus far unnamed, so if you have any suggestions for a good name, leave it in the comments area, and I would happy to adopt any good ideas!
Next, to work on posting up some more requests!
-------
Lyrics:
I said it’s all I ever wanted
Back on that night so long ago
Those royal dreams adventures far and pure ambition
But this life is short you know
So with your soft and tearful blessing
I stepped, a pilgrim down my road
But with a path of golden streets and optimism
It’s hard to see what you’ve let go
‘Cause dreams can take you through ‘till morning
But when we wake, we all need a home
So wake
Wake me up
Before I let this go
And lay by my side
We’ll fall asleep
And never dream alone
Now years have vanished since we parted
Fate has carried us our ways
And somewhere mid the forks we took
And our new companions
Our memories have come to fade
One day we’ll sit alone and wonder
Try to retrace our paths and lose our way
You realize the dreams you had were right in front of you
Only when it’s taken all away
‘Cause dreams can take you through ‘till morning
But when we wake, we all need a home
So wake
Wake me up
Before I let you go
And stay by my side
We’ll fall asleep
And never dream alone
Name: Johannes Rebane
Year: 3rd year Finance and International Relations
