GARVIES

The Dance of Life

2014-09-15T14:13:00.000-04:00

Distant drums capture us, I prick our inner ear. The leather thudding pulls on me, and leaning into it's rhythm I perceive that current running through me, this electricity in my bones. The past is not so silent these days. Eventually enough though, we pool like mercury and like birds of a feather we rock together just to chase ourselves as deep into these moments as we can just to get closer to that pulse rippling out from the centre of the Universe, out to the centre of the Earth, up to the centre of my heart, up to my brain setting it ablaze sending a fire down to the end of my spine, down to the end of the line that follows the lines I write, the lines I read, the lines I ride, the lines I draw, nearer.. with each mask, I draw closer to the centre of the web of time; and from there, from the centre one can see clearer, one can see the fine strands of this one sentient weave. This one leaf on the tree of life can see that we are all but tied into this electric storm of possibility and so all we can really do is bop and weave together in the dance of life, so roll up your sleeves, stomp your feet and sing along with me:

Let it out, let it in. Kick it up and lock it down. Dream it up and breathe it back out! (x3)
Again! Louder!

|)(

Starling..

2014-06-16T12:42:00.000-04:00

This here, a demo production of GARVIES latest track "Starling".
Written by Daz Collins & featuring on bass & vocals.
Produced by Johnny Marks & featuring on guitars.
Recorded in Tofino BC 2014/04/20 (in A=432Hz)
This is the latest mix from Johnny as at 2014/06/16.

Serenade the dawn with your tongue.
Give it all you've got.
All the way down to those warbling notes.
Ride back up to the heights.
Use the length of your throat,
and sing like you're falling.
Lets row that boat
deep into the morning,
Starling.

Folding my wings around your tenderness;
licking your talk while you've been sucking my sentences;
flicking your locks while you've been chuckling, my little Empress.

Salute the sunset with yourself held high.
Reach through the sky and embrace the night.
Feel the stars, they're tingling.
Spectrum swim up my spine,
right through my mind & like roots from the core,
we unfurl & explore.
Starling, have we met before?

Starling....

Folding my wings around your tenderness;
licking your talk while you've been sucking my sentences;
flicking your locks while you've been chuckling, my little Empress.
Spreading your wings around my gentleness;
licking your talk while you've been sucking my sentences;
picking your locks while we've been loving it, endlessly.

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A CD Cover Design..

2014-01-03T21:27:00.000-05:00

I was recently commissioned to design an album cover for Canadian grunge-rock band Broken Caliber.

Here are some photos from the process from pencil to shelf!

Sepia Crows in Spray-paint on Sixteen Canvasses

2013-05-16T04:24:00.001-04:00

The Rookery in Kitchener/Waterloo, Ontario.

Peace & Equality Meditation

2013-02-12T19:43:00.000-05:00

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Join with the Peaceful Frequency that permeates the Global Atmosphere deep in it's Silence to bring a peaceful new world into being by focusing the Power of our Collective Thoughts of a Peaceful World combined with our Feelings of Love and Gratitude; Creating a Powerful Global Magnetic Field to pull Our Envisionings into Physical Reality. This is Peaceful Evolution. We envision the future as we choose it, as it would be in the present, with love & gratitude. Positive thought/imagination begins the process, love & gratitude are the emotions that fuel the fire of creation.

Print or write the following down on a piece of paper:

"I am grateful that we have all united as one in our intention to created a conscious global society that now meets the needs of every individual. I am grateful that the love of power has now been overcome by the power of love & that the wealth of our beautiful planet is now equally distributed & enjoyed by everyone. I am grateful that we now emanate love, compassion, peace and harmony. I am overjoyed to have been a part of this peaceful change, as it was for the highest good of all."

Feel free to add anything! Make sure it is in the positive ie. refrain from the use of words such as "don't", "won't", "can't", "should" etc, as well as the names of anything you do not wish to manifest in Our New World. Focus only on the positive aspects. Put this piece of paper up somewhere you'll frequently see it, & meditate on it as much as possible throughout the week, visualizing a peaceful, beautiful, enlightened, integrated society & holding the frequency of gratitude in your heart as you do.

We are the Change, with Love.

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Archaeopteryx Summer - 2012 Tipping Point

2012-07-01T14:33:00.000-04:00

Turning on the invisible taps to let it flow. Flicking the switch just to let it grow. In the light my heart shows me the way to go. Unfocused we wither, unless the beating art splashes brain-paint up on the inner walls of your skull, your bedroom, your territory. Look into the morning sun, open your curtain-eyes & dive into the stream of all that is. The wind will tell you where on Earth to shine your indigo torch. Where to dig your well to water your organic crops to sustain yourself & your tribe. Trees & rocks make homes, creativity makes money with all the time in the world.

It is the beginning of the second half of the most auspicious year I've known and I'm feeling strange, as usual. It seems people are finally becoming aware enough to recognize the death-twitches of the old world system; it's last few grabbing gasps, begging for believers. There are still but a few spiral-eyed followers, still swallowing the false news on the mainstream; still wallowing in separation. As for us out here unwrapping the new present, unfolding into terminals of love & light rainbows, connecting dimensions, mixing holograms with footprints; we are dusting off our carbon & cliff-diving into 5D. Its that freedom I've always felt approaching, like the chattering hoot of the Transcontinental; it's rumble grows. I am human, and that is my ticket.

We are free sentient beings born unto the Earth. She is my mother & the Sun is my father. The people are my brothers & sisters, all people of all cultures. In the real world view there is no separation. Open transparent truth is our tongue. Uplift yourself by uplifting those around you. Change everything for the highest good of the All, with the deconstruction of all non-serving entities operating on profit over people principles, the redistribution of the Earth's bounty in accordance with the needs of each territory & it's beings. All countries become territories & borders & military endeavors are shut down forevermore. Sustainable organic farming spreads as fast as the real history of mankind is released through the redesigned media industry now based on truth & the upliftment of all. All life now thrives & everyone, no matter who they are, can go wherever they want on the Earth & know that every being they meet along in their journey will help them along in their way & care for whatever need that may arise in their desire to live their highest truth.

No more feeding the system, feeding the corporations & governing parties that seek to keep you paying to live. Thats poison on the shelves, time-bombs that you can't point fingers at. It is merely left-overs holding up the smoldering hologram anyway, change is unavoidable and totally embraceable.

Bob Marley sketch in pencil, coloured digitally.

Let the river flow, let the dreads grow.

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Out of my Mind w/ John Marks Video

2012-03-13T03:46:00.000-04:00

Written by Darin Collins & Phil Hogsten in Cape Town, South Africa in 2006. This version recorded & co-produced by Darin Collins & John W. Marks in Kitchener, Canada in Nov 2011.

Vocals, Bass & Beats - Darin Collins
Guitar - John Marks

'Imagine' by John Lennon / Yoko Ono Lyrically Revisited in New World English..

2012-03-03T12:52:00.003-05:00

I've got a theory on the go that stems from an understanding that all things including words & thought carry a vibrational signature that ripples out into the universe thus manifesting & calling into creation that which is being described. So, upon thinking that the most lyrically powerful song in the world was 'Imagine' by John Lennon / Yoko Ono - I suddenly realized that it was full of as much negatively charged ideas as positive. I thus endeavored to remove all the negative & replace with positive in a creatively responsible way:

Imagine there is no heaven
It's easy if you try
Just Earth below us
Up above us only sky
Imagine all the people, living for today..

Imagine there is only one country
It is rather easy to do
Something to be alive for
It could be so cool
Imagine all the people, living life in peace..

You may say I'm a dreamer
but I'm not the only one.
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one..

Imagine pure intentions
I wonder if you can
Go feed your neighbor
A siblinghood of man
Imagine all the people, sharing all the world..

You might've thought I was once a dreamer
Well I wasn't the only one
I knew someday we would join hands
And the world now lives as one.

<3 |)( 3/3/12

Right Now..

2012-02-06T21:17:00.000-05:00

I am all the peace in the world. I am a slow-motion light explosion. I am all of us. I am you, before & after. I am your bliss, rare & sought-after. I am an organic computer operating on all levels from the dance-floor to heaven & back again. We are the super-intelligence of the Universe and we are free to be the surging power of the combined light of all the stars there are, here by car or there by Mars, I walk this Earth with the attitude of gratitude for this infinite abundance of Epicness. Things grow in my footsteps & there's lightning at my fingertips. It just makes me wanna shake my hips, raise my arms in the air & wave them like this..

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New Music Video for "Dripping"

2011-09-09T11:25:00.000-04:00

Here it is folks, the new music video for "Dripping"..
Shot & edited in Kitchener & Arva Ontario.

Written by Darin Collins & Phil Hogsten
Featuring John Marks on lead guitar & Vann Le on violin
Song & music video produced by GARVIES
Special thanks to Raven Cox for her invaluable help in this production, I'd also like to thank that kick-ass electric storm that swept Ontario on August 25, 2011 :)

I hope you love it!
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Today

2011-08-16T12:21:00.000-04:00

Goodbye identity, hello timeless wild sizzling life-force. I see through the illusion of separation (divided & conquered we are weak) & choose to re-connect with reality (one massive family of light-beings). As I move from square to square observing the sleep-walkers, I find power in a burning desire to have our dignity restored. I'll live for that, I'll dance for that, I'll fucking scream for that!

Remember who we are; we are all remembering now.. We are waking up together, pools of consciousness are gathering..

Being the change, today is the day.

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Coming Up For Air

2011-07-12T15:10:00.003-04:00

I feel something coming on,
like a hot wind from Avalon.
She greets me with a smile
and we walk the green mile.
Destined to be true, said she was testing me blue..
Destined to be in love with you.

Like the underwater wish-wash, tumbled up and down,
I look around in and out, for my up or down.
Sailed across the seas, just to smash my teeth
on a jagged reef oh no, not again please..

It's so damn dark down here, I've had enough.
Time's running out, I'm coming up..

I'm coming up for air, do you hear me up there?
I'm coming up for air, I said do you hear me up there?

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A little video experiment..

2011-05-22T16:15:00.004-04:00

Good Mourning Ancient History..

2010-10-26T13:45:00.002-04:00

It's a normal day in paradise, the smell of riots in the air. The angry people are swallowing their bitter pills with their mourning tea. How many sugars would you like with that tea? Keep swallowing, set me free. Finally. Out of gas in the city, out of time in the present; out of tea in Hell.
I'm a victim too, suffering a similar fate. Clogged up with consumerism, this lump in my throat: Couldn't compete, it seems like defeat but I don't care, I want out of here.. I want out of this pig-pen.
My spirit had weakened & I felt done like the dishes. Fed to the fishes.. Too far down the rabbit hole to find passage home. The anti-sweetener rally is in full effect. Nothing special, just wind & snow. It is cold out there, working to buy the things that end up owning you. I don't want your big house, your fancy car. I don't need your massive flat-screen, your $tress. No more tea, no more luxuries..
I want the sunrise, the fish fire by the lake. Lying on my back staring at the stars. Trees & love. I want that message to be heard, loud & clear like forest silence on mushrooms.
I want you to stop wanting to pay for happiness. It's free.
Riding snow, waiting for waves, carving up the tar. Taking it too far.. Grinding the curb, finding the words.. Picking up the bass, slapping it in your face.. These are a few of my favorite things..

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Laying down the Foundations..

2010-09-26T23:57:00.000-04:00

I finally found some time to scrape the Ancient King Studio together a little.. A friend contributed some recording gear & it's looking like my art & design / film & sound recording & editing lounge is coming to life.. Here's a multimedia snapshot, with some of the new mixes of Emergency..

Surfing in South Africa Slideshow..

2010-09-06T13:46:00.000-04:00

A Done Deal..

2010-08-09T23:11:00.004-04:00

At the edge of time stands a pale white mime who slowly performs his lonely rhyme, to the icy blue velvet chimes inside his mind; he wiped up the grime & opened up a gold mine, found himself at the end of the line; followed the signs & now he's fine, sipping his wine; the deal signed.

Ancient Dancefloor..

2010-07-19T16:25:00.007-04:00

I've been a million times around the sun,
I never ever thought I'd find the one.
You showed me things I thought I'd never done;
you played me songs I thought I'd never sung.

I never ever thought I'd have so much fun,
I never thought I'd see it come undone.
I never ever thought that I'd be the one;
I never thought I'd start a revolution.

I tried to hide myself in society,
if I reveal myself they'll think I'm a freak.
I try conceal myself in sobriety;
if I let myself out I'll never rest in peace.

How many times have we been here before,
I sit & wonder, how many times more?
I think its time we did this once & for all;
lets come together on this Ancient Dancefloor..

We've been a billion times around the sun,
we never ever thought we'd live as one.
We showed you things you thought that couldn't be done;
to bring the world back together as one.

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Majestic Jester Tea..

2010-06-01T09:10:00.006-04:00

I'll reach inside your recesses
deep inside thee,
plant a seed of majesty,
let it grow into a tree.
The jester deep inside of me
has just awoken, see?
Check your potency.

A chance he'll take

to enhance his wake
as he knows there has to be..
A turn to the maternal,
eternally special.
That species spectacular..
Specifically designed to define the divine in rhyme,
just in time to align the I in you,
to harmonize internationally;
unzip the borders & let anarchy in for tea.

|)(

the psychotic banter of a delusional freedom-fighter

2010-05-03T17:24:00.006-04:00

I would like to share something I wrote a while ago, actually on July 23, 2007 at 12:27pm to be precise. It just blows my mind that this is where I was at, and I do get considerable joy looking back from a time period of almost 2 years & the distance of an entire ocean & hemisphere away. I must say that I am glad not to be struggling as I was back then.

So without further ado;

The Psychotic Banter of a Delusional Freedom-Fighter..

I caught wind of a notion once, follow your dreams & you will succeed, but only if you don't give up. I traded the concept of work for this and have slowly saved up knowledge, can jam all sorts of instruments now, bass, sing, rap, write, guitars... This I thought was worth more than money, but as it turns out, trust-fund kids do it easily because time is another factor in this neotenic calamity. The time I found myself spending chasing money bothered me. I'm currently average with large potential just like everyone, the only way to tap into that potential is to study, practice & play live. I'll realize my full potential. I'd like to travel the world alive, playing music that is explosively inspirational, creatively intelligent, thought provoking & with an irresistible groove. I choose to manifest this life I've allowed myself to consider. I feel the people around me imagine music is a hobby, a pastime, a distraction from the real world of work, bills, alcohol, sport and television.

Nothing will stop me, music is so important in life. Imagine no art. It's so important to support the youth in their exploration of themselves. Sending them off to the concentration camps of modern financial enterprise is an option but not necessarily going to lead them to the realization of their highest capabilities, unless highly funded of course. Let capitalism die for it is a trick, it is modern legal slavery. That small percentage otherwise known as the wealthy command gluttony and waste large sums on exclusive entertainment such as golf courses and ski-slopes; while exploiting the under-privileged in distant areas unseen to the every-day first-worlder.

So many people so many faces, so many we know still out of place in this rat race, your fat face is still a disgrace and for that you can thank our distorted marketplace. Up the ranks, up the stakes, give thanks to the rat race. Real power lies in your heart, not in your wallet; in your actions, not your pocket. Don't spend your life chasing ghosts, you'll find a premature end to the times you love most. Stop doing what you just endure, do what you are here to do so we may all sing in harmony together.

This trick has done well to suck the life-force & wild playfulness from mankind, who sits there unbeknownst on his treadmill consuming all the rubbish he's seduced into buying by the hypnotizing tube in his home. It's an ingenious system and works well in keeping the masses at bay, but by doing a few small things like watching less television, abandoning the need for accumulating more wealth than is necessary, dodging useless fear thrown at us by insecurities.. You probably won't die, but you might be lucky enough to have a change of perception. This is the age of light where information is freely available, and an awakening is in the process of unfolding. I imagine a tipping point is in sight. Our entire human history is recorded in our DNA; people are realizing that we all grew from one tiny pocket of humans in Africa & that we are essentially all one big family.

Trace the roots, visit the chief. Embrace the now, envision & teach. Listen to the ancestors speak, culture is not lost, culture's come full circle. The information stored in our DNA is beginning to leak into the collective conscious. The lights are flickering on. The powers of evolution & freedom are unstoppable. Together we stand up here in this new world, stretching; rubbing our eyes.. marveling at this new world view.

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ANCIENT KING GARVIES IS BORN!

2010-04-11T22:43:00.005-04:00

The story of the band that changed the world with their music. With lyrics as hard hitting as Bob Marley's, a stage presence reminiscent of Jim Morrison & rocking the bass like Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers; the guitar player emulating the raw fire of Jimi Hendrix; the drummer nothing short of the herd of elephants known as John Bonham: together they resembled a sonic thunderstorm. They took the classical rock sound of the sixties' psychedelic revolution & updated it a splash of contemporary funk-rock & reggae; & in so doing Ancient King Garvies & The People opened the doors to the mindset of the masses, revealing those flaws in the structures of society that had kept the people divided & conquered for centuries..

What followed is refered to by some as one of the key events that triggered the Dawning of the Age of Light.

The End of PARKLANE..

2010-03-23T22:47:00.013-04:00

After a year & a half long whirlwind romance with the rock band PARKLANE, we have decided to take a break. It's been an amazing journey & has introduced me to a very special new friend, namely, Canada.

Here is the album we recorded, "Volume I", with a couple rarities thrown in for good measure..

Much love to Ryan, Daniel & Damo (& Graham) for all the good times in 2009. We'll be back with a new show when the time is right. In the meantime I'll be working on my own well-being & getting myself settled into this fine country.

To the future!!

|)(

2009-10-31T21:53:00.001-04:00

Oooh.. the moonbeams tonight are diving deep into your 3rd eye so u cant deny the clean stream of energy making love with your enemies but she's running on empty & mildly violently too but two cans of goo from the interplanetary zoo & swallow the blue pill with a couple dollar bills too to get your fill & spill a bottle of plenty synthetic genetics to teletranslate into a pragmatic emphatic avenging the eventual revenge of a handful of vengeful fence fool schemes of diabolical schematics so i'm aborting all abortions to avoid all the bullshit so I remain unentangled in an evangelical game of snakes & ladders from Adam to the present God dammit I present to you the gift of the Now so stand up & shake like a mad cow, awaken inside to find yourself alive just to realize that the journeys the prize, look into my real eyes I drift because, this shift could cause a rift that could ripple deep into forever through the inter-dimensional broadway & right there you remember the way of the intellectual broadsword landlord reaching deep into your hand leaving it mauled like you're on the cross nailed to the new North Pole, your recurring role here is eminent your eminence and as this relevant evidence suggests let me point you straight to the point of this benevolent dilemma, this free triple bypass affair.. I've noticed you're still here.. Listening to this in the cool night air we stare deep into each other's eyes just to ripple deep into forever through the poetic never never-land dreaming of forever, so we take to the skies to endeavor to revel in the jewel of dual existence never severed from the seven-headed tribe so never fear your epicness is here ripe & ready to tear the air clear of potential snares so bring back the high hat so we can get high on that & jack that J so we can get the jam on in this holy temple of contemporary life...

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The Body Rock Tour in development..

2009-10-02T09:58:00.001-04:00

Things have been crazy, no word of a lie. In the last two months the drummer & lead guitarist. Damo & Dan quit PARKLANE & flew back to South Africa. It wasn't a pleasant experience & I obviously have my reservations about those two humans.. One thing is for certain, I'll miss Damo. Anyway, Ryan & I had to go somewhat underground & try recreate the band. After a long search & auditioning some not so awesome drummers, we eventually found the deadliest drummer this side of the Bermuda Triangle.. Graham Shaw. He was in a band called Spies previously, things had just come to a cul-de-sac for them so he was ripe & ready to step into the PARKLANE time-machine.. We have so far had about 5 rehearsals & one show which was in a little town called Bracebridge two weeks ago. We have not found a lead guitarist yet, aren't really looking too hard anyway as this 3-piece situation is actually quite rad. It's obviously a whole other ball game in the pyramid formation as opposed to the diamond.. but I'm down with the ancient Egyptians :)

Meanwhile, back at the Ranchero, our tour is developing into a 24 show extravaganza stretching from Ontario to Quebec.. I'm looking forward to it oh my goodness... We have been here over six months now & haven't been out of Ontario yet. This country is MASSIVE.

It's been too long, Self!

2009-09-30T02:05:00.000-04:00

Mulling over this & that & why color in black & white & why others might jack one up in thy temple of divine bureaucracy; rather not you see, its just my sublime hypocrisy.. Inoculate me please! Take me to the sea Major, i'm not a minor scale Libra but like Lennon I make lemonade when life hands me lemons & turn to my imagination to imagine all the nations as one with no guns, no borders, no one world orders conjuring up what they taught us to fear; our sons & daughters will live right here where we stand together as one under the sun with clean water you hear!!

I'll drink to that, Cheers...

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