Song List Page







  

Heart Lake Song List

Sound Clips available soon

1. Mitakuye (Relations)
2. Coming Home
3. Heart Lake
4. To Good Times
5. Following Sea
6. Autumnwood
7. New Snow
8. River's Edge
9. Tempest
10. The Minstrel
11. Here Wtih Me
12. Friday Harbor
13. Cirrus

About the Music

1> Mitakuye (Mih Tah koo yay) - is the Lakota Sioux word for Relations. I am part "Mohawk" (Kaneinkehakas)and believe that All things are related, People, Animals, The Earth..., and are deserving of equal respect. This is dedicated to "All My Relations".

2. Coming Home - I have been to some beautiful areas on vacations, and even though the trips have been fun, it still feels great to go home. This piece captures that feeling of coming home.

3. Heart Lake - One of the most important pieces to me. My Grandparents lived in the State of Washington for many years, and I spent almost every summer there with them on the San Juan islands. It is an incredible area with very friendly people. This piece is to the people of the pacific northwest and my Grandparents C. Elmer, and Thelma May Richmond who made such a difference in my life.

4. To Good Times - is about deep friendships,and how they continue to touch the heart even after they are gone.

5. Following Sea - This piece was written for my father Walter before he passed on. I had trouble naming the piece until one day when I was Kayaking off Gloucester Harbor. I wanted to go to a couple favorite areas, but the waves and the currents decided I would go another way - the conditions can be referred to as a "Following Sea". I wound up seeing some beautiful areas that I wouldn't have seen otherwise. My father was pretty good at doing that, sending me in directions I wouldn't have thought of going - and though it hurts to admit it now - a lot of times he was right.

6. Autumnwood - I've lived in New England all my life, and one of my favorite seasons is Fall for the beautiful colors of the trees as they change.

7. New Snow - This piece brings to mind the beauty of fresh snow covering the ground and trees. It seems to wash everything clean and leaves a crisp smell to the air.

8. River's Edge - is about the loss of innocence. It was written after the Columbine school shootings and the others that came shortly after that. The feeling is that we are at the edge of a fast river. We can either jump in and go along with the flow to be swept away, or we can change the course of the river before it does more damage to our homes and families.

9. Tempest - brings to my mind a carnival ride that starts off slow, speeds up - builds in intensity - and gradually slows to a stop.

10. The Minstrel - is a playful piece that brought to my mind images of court jesters and circus clowns.

11. Here With Me - is again a reference to friendships, and spending time together.

12. Friday Harbor - is on San Juan Island in Washington State. It's a beautiful ferry ride from Anacortes, WA and an incredible Island. This piece was written after a day of Kayaking and watching Gold Eagles and seals playing with us and following us around, and it catches a little bit of the beauty that was around us.

13. Cirrus - is light and carefree. Watching cirrus clouds go by gives me a sense of peace, and I tried to catch that feeling with this song.

Music of any kind is such a great way to express yourself. I find that it can paint pictures as well as evoking emotions. I've had a lot of people tell me that my songs need words and singing, but to me the music itself is stronger than any words I could come up with. The pieces can say different things to different people and the above descriptions are just what I was feeling as I wrote the pieces. I would love to hear what the songs say to you.

Take care, enjoy the music, and Skennen'kowa (Great Peace).
Dean