Written By: NorthernBandit/Burt K. Arthur
...I used to think If I stopped playing my instruments somehow everything would go away but that is farthest from the truth. So many times I have discovered and perhaps like yourselves, it is a matter of time. Time, not so much the measure of because our lives carry on even when we are not even thinking about it but time as in the reference of all things. I have had moments that I have tried to force a musical idea to fruitition...that is an effort of ill gain. Just like oue relationships with people, Music requires it's own time.
Reply
By: Burt K. Arthur/NorthernBandit
Doesn't really matter that one acknowledges it...though most of us will. Music is deeper in us than many things...Love being the only competitor.
The beauty comes to our sense like so many things do it is however a matter of perception and there is nothing that can direct an idea created in the direction it will go any more than the sheer effort and desire to share the emotion behind the idea of a song in its recording and performance. Keep your faith where it feels strongest and always remember who you are. It may only be Rock and Roll but it is powered by the only thing we know.
Reply
Written By: NorthernBandit/Burt K. Arthur
28 june 2021
All Rights Reserved, Copyright
Aye...another day in the life of music trivia.
...of course I'm not talking about something we all know but the majority of us who have devoted, become captivated by the music in our souls know what I am about to reveal.
In the Professional Music world...reading music, charts was an important asset to have. Not so much anymore but the idea to follow form and commitment makes more sense than not but he is the thing for young Musicians that I discovered for myself.
Learning to read music and learning to play a particular instrument is a value one can not ignore...if you have it within you to follow that path kudos to you. You will go far.
The one thing however is this, not all of us follow the same course or approach to music, even after all is said and done we still follow our own path.
I have been fortunate in my life to have started early and developed what I do with a lot of practice in between. This is the unseen law of musicianship and yes Practice can make Perfect, just remember Rock and Roll is not perfect, like life it's a learning experience.
I am on my own a self taught musician, tutored by the best recorded music can muster but it was and never has been an easy road.
Mostly due to the fact that after one emulates one's hero's weather one comes to their own conclusions about self...do you continue covering others creations or find you way on your own.
I chose the latter...had no institutional training...I learned through the emotion, energy, style and equipment that my music hero's inspired me and I ended up here.
Self taught is a statement finely distorted by the one saying it. If you lived on a deserted island and never heard music at all and made you own instruments and figured out some means to say " I'm a self taught musician " then that statement might really be true but...
Even under those conditions you still would have relied on sounds that were around you and adapt your creativity to those sounds so it is almost irrelevant to say with any strong effort to try to make the point " I did it my way " because no matter what, that is what we all do.
So hang on to your inspiration, follow your heros and learn your craft the only way you know how...and remember to always be grateful for all of those before you...who have felt the boredom and pain, the frustration and Glory...being a creative soul.
It is up to you, no one can make you any more a star than you believe you might be.
Reply
RailHead Road
Written By: Arthur Breinne McKendrick aka Burt K. Arthur
June 26th 2021
All Rights Reserved
The wind and the rain never stopped one man
from venturing forth though unknown land
When the obstacle seem too much for the task
When axe grinding maul splitting force came to a head
Men sweat blood and muscle did pain
And if push came to shove there might be a better way
But the truth is ambition never saved a native soul
Because men with ambition care nothing for the soil
Except for the minerals that lie deep in the ground
Never paid much attention to the life all around
From footsteps to horseback to wagons gung hoh
Still not enough resource to bring all those riches home
So they built a steel highway tied to the ground
And cut though the most beautiful places to be found
They needed communication they need message by express
So they developed a system along the railroad nearly as fast
As the march to move forward and the need to excede
And the carnage and strife no one ever needs
All that anyone of those eccentric men could do
Is pour all of their money into creating the tools
The tools that brought jobs and slavery to a properious place
And brought hardship and devastation to all human race
Just because a man can build a trail build a house
Then like some miracle say it’s his call it home
The roads that lay do no honor or give right
Just because it can be done with little less than a fight
What our forefathers did blind by the power they had
For the time they were living do we dare say it a sin
Those were different times and seemed relevant to some
If there was wrongdoing by whose standard are we to judge
If it enters our thought than we are at best to remain
The keepers of truth of honesty and judgement of what we do today
To stand on the past and pass down critical blame
Is tantamount to a judgement no one can say
We all have our moments our glory in the sun
And the reflection of our undoing in the actions we took
But the essences of life is to learn what we can
And become enlightened by every silkened strand
For like the RailHead Road of our distant past
Is but for us to lean racing forward should not be a curse
To those special things human and such
Wildlife and nature we should not abuse
We all live here we all breathe this air
We all drink this water we all want what is fair
We are nations of people striving to be free
But when the question is ask who really is free
It is a state of mind
It is a place where you choose to reside
It should never be at someone else's expense
It should exist because of the love of all things is first
Reply
What do you do when you feel all alone, few people talk to you and the air is cold? Reach down inside you grab a hold of you guts...punch your fist into the air and sing out loud. Thats what you do!
Reply
Happy Summer to all of you...
What are you doing musically that makes you happy?
I am about to embark on a song, I have the lyric already written and the Drums and Bass Guitar in my head so it's time to ROCK!
In the summer time...time to get busy!
Reply
I'd love to be doing something in my Studio...have a lyric ready to Rock.
Maybe soon I'll get to be jammin out.
Here is the Lyrics...
2020 Whiterose
Written By: NorthernBandit/Burt K. Arthur
Copyright: June 6th 2021
Hindsight it’s a funny thing
When your rockin and no ones to blame
But when things are fallin
The domino’s in a maze…
There ain’t no stoppin!
Like when your walkin
And you step on a crack
Do you still think about
If you broke your momma's back
Karma is the thing that you’ll get…
If you look back
Straight ahead
Be sure to look down
Smile don’t fret
Answer the call
You know what to do
2020 hindsight might help you
Ain’t no doubt about it!
Reply
There are a lot of people might say I just sensationalize those that I was influenced by...and maybe so but it's not to degrade or take from them anything but to say they influenced me and I have been honored to create music that come from my heart!
Robert Zimmerman is my influence here...might have sonething to do with my family history, maybe it's just Rock and Roll, I'm not even related to Bob but from a story telling point of view I understand oh so well.
Have a listen if you dare...written, performed and recorded by me.
Thank you Bob Dylan!
https://www.reverbnation.com/northernbandit/song/22783338-2005--exodus-copyright-burt-k-arthur
Reply
Back in 90's I was still trying to find myself on the Guitar...there is only so much one can do trying to imulate your Hero's but thats not me, never has been.
Of course I'm a hack...but I trying what ever I can...I am an Artist and not a very popular one.
Alex Lifeson of RUSH fame is responsible for me crerating this track. When Rush produced there stellar LP Grace Under Pressure I was struck...up till that point Geddi Lee was a challenge for my soul. I wasn't early on ready for the message but as I mentioned, Grace Under Pressure turned me around and I too found a tone I could master at least for one song.
Playing my custom built Strat through a Roland Jazz Chorus 77 this is what came out and with a bunch of inspiration from Neil Peart lyrically..the dialog is similar to a novel called 'A Wrinkle in time' but on a more simplistic time frame.
It is kind spacy, The bass line was influenced by Elvis Costello's early band and also contrieved from a group from the East Coast called Wire Train.
I love this track, simple and discrete.
Play it loud.
P.S. by the way both Alex and I were born in 1953 and we are both Virgo.
Rock forever!
Reply
Oh, but the wind...
Written by: Arthur Breinne McKendrick aka Burt K Arthur.
Out west on the Pacific Coast
Rain falls hard and the wind does blow
but the nature of a mans soul
takes him where he wants to be
and a freedom not many else will see
To stride along the waters edge
with the surf so loud in your head
There is not better place
where you can taste the oceans embrace
The pelican and the hawk dwell here
The whale and shark beneigth the waves
While men in ships
sail hither to and fro
Working the sea
the place many call home
Aye but it is walking on the sandy shore
to be on adventure once more
On a warm summers day
back to the wind
checking out tide pools
looking to see where the horizon is
The drone of the oceans as it constantly speaks
a message, a tale a story of life
How can I hold myself back
how can I deieigh that, that it is alive
Never a moment pass
the connection so deep
A time to look forward to
a time to relax
But the ocean never misses me
I am but in love you see
waiting for the next time we meet
To see the shore and hear the ocean noise
Oh, but the wind on my face
Reply
NorthernBandit / Burt K. Arthur / Mississippi Fats / Blog
What is will be...
Written By: NorthernBandit/Burt K. Arthur ...I used to think If I stopped playing my instruments somehow everything would go away but that is farthest from the truth. So many times I have discovered and perhaps like yourselves, it is a matter of time. Time, not so much the measure of because our lives carry on even when we are not even thinking about it but time as in the reference of all things. I have had moments that I have tried to force a musical idea to fruitition...that is an effort of ill gain. Just like oue relationships with people, Music requires it's own time.
Reply
The power of sound...
By: Burt K. Arthur/NorthernBandit
Doesn't really matter that one acknowledges it...though most of us will. Music is deeper in us than many things...Love being the only competitor. The beauty comes to our sense like so many things do it is however a matter of perception and there is nothing that can direct an idea created in the direction it will go any more than the sheer effort and desire to share the emotion behind the idea of a song in its recording and performance. Keep your faith where it feels strongest and always remember who you are. It may only be Rock and Roll but it is powered by the only thing we know.
Reply
What we all do...
Written By: NorthernBandit/Burt K. Arthur 28 june 2021 All Rights Reserved, Copyright
Aye...another day in the life of music trivia. ...of course I'm not talking about something we all know but the majority of us who have devoted, become captivated by the music in our souls know what I am about to reveal. In the Professional Music world...reading music, charts was an important asset to have. Not so much anymore but the idea to follow form and commitment makes more sense than not but he is the thing for young Musicians that I discovered for myself. Learning to read music and learning to play a particular instrument is a value one can not ignore...if you have it within you to follow that path kudos to you. You will go far. The one thing however is this, not all of us follow the same course or approach to music, even after all is said and done we still follow our own path. I have been fortunate in my life to have started early and developed what I do with a lot of practice in between. This is the unseen law of musicianship and yes Practice can make Perfect, just remember Rock and Roll is not perfect, like life it's a learning experience. I am on my own a self taught musician, tutored by the best recorded music can muster but it was and never has been an easy road. Mostly due to the fact that after one emulates one's hero's weather one comes to their own conclusions about self...do you continue covering others creations or find you way on your own. I chose the latter...had no institutional training...I learned through the emotion, energy, style and equipment that my music hero's inspired me and I ended up here. Self taught is a statement finely distorted by the one saying it. If you lived on a deserted island and never heard music at all and made you own instruments and figured out some means to say " I'm a self taught musician " then that statement might really be true but... Even under those conditions you still would have relied on sounds that were around you and adapt your creativity to those sounds so it is almost irrelevant to say with any strong effort to try to make the point " I did it my way " because no matter what, that is what we all do. So hang on to your inspiration, follow your heros and learn your craft the only way you know how...and remember to always be grateful for all of those before you...who have felt the boredom and pain, the frustration and Glory...being a creative soul. It is up to you, no one can make you any more a star than you believe you might be.
Reply
RailHead Road
RailHead Road Written By: Arthur Breinne McKendrick aka Burt K. Arthur June 26th 2021 All Rights Reserved The wind and the rain never stopped one man from venturing forth though unknown land When the obstacle seem too much for the task When axe grinding maul splitting force came to a head Men sweat blood and muscle did pain And if push came to shove there might be a better way But the truth is ambition never saved a native soul Because men with ambition care nothing for the soil Except for the minerals that lie deep in the ground Never paid much attention to the life all around From footsteps to horseback to wagons gung hoh Still not enough resource to bring all those riches home So they built a steel highway tied to the ground And cut though the most beautiful places to be found They needed communication they need message by express So they developed a system along the railroad nearly as fast As the march to move forward and the need to excede And the carnage and strife no one ever needs All that anyone of those eccentric men could do Is pour all of their money into creating the tools The tools that brought jobs and slavery to a properious place And brought hardship and devastation to all human race Just because a man can build a trail build a house Then like some miracle say it’s his call it home The roads that lay do no honor or give right Just because it can be done with little less than a fight What our forefathers did blind by the power they had For the time they were living do we dare say it a sin Those were different times and seemed relevant to some If there was wrongdoing by whose standard are we to judge If it enters our thought than we are at best to remain The keepers of truth of honesty and judgement of what we do today To stand on the past and pass down critical blame Is tantamount to a judgement no one can say We all have our moments our glory in the sun And the reflection of our undoing in the actions we took But the essences of life is to learn what we can And become enlightened by every silkened strand For like the RailHead Road of our distant past Is but for us to lean racing forward should not be a curse To those special things human and such Wildlife and nature we should not abuse We all live here we all breathe this air We all drink this water we all want what is fair We are nations of people striving to be free But when the question is ask who really is free It is a state of mind It is a place where you choose to reside It should never be at someone else's expense It should exist because of the love of all things is first
Reply
What do you do...
What do you do when you feel all alone, few people talk to you and the air is cold? Reach down inside you grab a hold of you guts...punch your fist into the air and sing out loud. Thats what you do!
Reply
In the summer time...
Happy Summer to all of you... What are you doing musically that makes you happy? I am about to embark on a song, I have the lyric already written and the Drums and Bass Guitar in my head so it's time to ROCK! In the summer time...time to get busy!
Reply
First day of Summer tomorrow...what are you doin?
I'd love to be doing something in my Studio...have a lyric ready to Rock. Maybe soon I'll get to be jammin out. Here is the Lyrics...
2020 Whiterose
Written By: NorthernBandit/Burt K. Arthur Copyright: June 6th 2021
Hindsight it’s a funny thing When your rockin and no ones to blame But when things are fallin The domino’s in a maze… There ain’t no stoppin! Like when your walkin And you step on a crack Do you still think about If you broke your momma's back Karma is the thing that you’ll get… If you look back Straight ahead Be sure to look down Smile don’t fret Answer the call You know what to do 2020 hindsight might help you Ain’t no doubt about it!
Reply
Folk music probably not...it is life
There are a lot of people might say I just sensationalize those that I was influenced by...and maybe so but it's not to degrade or take from them anything but to say they influenced me and I have been honored to create music that come from my heart! Robert Zimmerman is my influence here...might have sonething to do with my family history, maybe it's just Rock and Roll, I'm not even related to Bob but from a story telling point of view I understand oh so well. Have a listen if you dare...written, performed and recorded by me. Thank you Bob Dylan! https://www.reverbnation.com/northernbandit/song/22783338-2005--exodus-copyright-burt-k-arthur
Reply
RUSH...now.
Back in 90's I was still trying to find myself on the Guitar...there is only so much one can do trying to imulate your Hero's but thats not me, never has been. Of course I'm a hack...but I trying what ever I can...I am an Artist and not a very popular one. Alex Lifeson of RUSH fame is responsible for me crerating this track. When Rush produced there stellar LP Grace Under Pressure I was struck...up till that point Geddi Lee was a challenge for my soul. I wasn't early on ready for the message but as I mentioned, Grace Under Pressure turned me around and I too found a tone I could master at least for one song. Playing my custom built Strat through a Roland Jazz Chorus 77 this is what came out and with a bunch of inspiration from Neil Peart lyrically..the dialog is similar to a novel called 'A Wrinkle in time' but on a more simplistic time frame. It is kind spacy, The bass line was influenced by Elvis Costello's early band and also contrieved from a group from the East Coast called Wire Train. I love this track, simple and discrete. Play it loud. P.S. by the way both Alex and I were born in 1953 and we are both Virgo. Rock forever!
Reply
A new writing by me.
Oh, but the wind... Written by: Arthur Breinne McKendrick aka Burt K Arthur. Out west on the Pacific Coast Rain falls hard and the wind does blow but the nature of a mans soul takes him where he wants to be and a freedom not many else will see To stride along the waters edge with the surf so loud in your head There is not better place where you can taste the oceans embrace The pelican and the hawk dwell here The whale and shark beneigth the waves While men in ships sail hither to and fro Working the sea the place many call home Aye but it is walking on the sandy shore to be on adventure once more On a warm summers day back to the wind checking out tide pools looking to see where the horizon is The drone of the oceans as it constantly speaks a message, a tale a story of life How can I hold myself back how can I deieigh that, that it is alive Never a moment pass the connection so deep A time to look forward to a time to relax But the ocean never misses me I am but in love you see waiting for the next time we meet To see the shore and hear the ocean noise Oh, but the wind on my face
Reply