I’ve shared this gargantuan anthem before, but not since 2021. This music was born of deep sadness but eventually became a source of joy.
I was grieving my beloved pit bull, Stacie. She was my baby girl for 16 years. I had to have the vet put her to sleep and I was with her as she passed.
To heal, I needed to make loud, angry metal guitar music. I felt pulled to something riff-based and modal, so I wouldn’t have to think about it very much. This piece has no vocals for the same reason.
I would be remiss not to mention my two main influences on this Trifecta of Doom, the bands Megadeth and Tool.
The final product was three movements, each one about twelve minutes in length. I find Part 1 to be the strongest, overall, but there are elements of the other two that others might like more.
The title is a reference to the intricate and finite spiritual sand art of the Tibetan Buddhist monks and Native Americans.
Tibetan monks working on sand mandala
In this world, nothing lasts forever, but the only way we can be truly alive is to put 100% effort into the things we do. To half-ass things is to be dead before you die.
Navajo sand painting
During that intense period of grief, working on this project was the only thing that brought me any kind of satisfaction at all.
Mandala of Sand – Pt. 1 is the final track on my third album, Area 25, available on all major music streaming platforms.
Below, you’ll find links to get your copy, music videos from Area 25, plus the super-interesting, totally true, absolutely not made up backstory behind the album.
The excellent cover art was generously provided by Dorian Strange.
It really helps me out a lot when you give the videos a thumbs up 👍 leave a comment 💭 and share your favorites on your social media pages ♥️
Videos from Area 25
Unchanged
Into the Fold
Three Day Beard
Hopium Blues
Scorpio
Tact
War on Venus
I Wasn’t Using It
All Around
Upbeat Dance Number
We’re All Gonna Fade Away
At the Bottom
Mandala of Sand, Pt. 1
Trent Boswell Bio
Kevin Trent Boswell is a thing that once blinked briefly in and out of existence. It made noises and gestures while it lasted. The exact nature of its demise is unclear. Some sources say it collapsed beneath the weight of entropy and time. Other tertiary facts suggest the possibility that it was destroyed by a predator, an accident, or perhaps even by itself. The truth of the matter is unknown. Luckily, no one cares.
The Story Behind Area 25
Area 25 is a traveler’s atlas for navigating endless, winding caves, wormholes, cracks in reality, tears in the space-time continuum, black holes, abysmal hellscapes, and all of the most common types of bottomless pits that comprise the modern world.
The somber, dystopian audio guidebook is delivered over an eclectic musical soundtrack of rock, psychedelia, pop, funk, and dire expressions of poetic mental illness.
Area 25 is an exorcist’s manual for the perils of life on Earth for Homo sapiens. It catalogues the sundry catastrophes that plague the upright ape, namely those of poverty, depression, rejection of the tribe, and failed attempts at relationships, friendships, and spiritual endeavors.
Not for the faint of heart (nor the “feint” of heart), Area 25 is a dark, gritty, and gloomy telling of the myriad ways in which hominids undo themselves, rend each other asunder, and even casually rip apart their sole means of survival, the ecosystem in which they habitat. Odd beings, at best; horrible monsters, at worst.
Genesis
An ancient evil spirit was once trapped for centuries inside a dybbuk. Through the foolish mistake of some human, the demon escaped.
The ghoul found amusement in tormenting one particular human critter, who’s name was Trent Boswell. The tortures took shape by possessing the human with an inescapable obsession to create something called “Area 25.”
The demon wanted the brainless exploits of humans captured on record, so it would have something to laugh about, later; much like you might watch an episode of Seinfeld, even though you’ve already seen it several times.
The dark cruelty of this promethean ordeal rested in the fact that the human was entirely lacking the necessary resources for the production of a proper, commercially viable product. It was working only with a ten-year-old Macintosh computer, an old version of GarageBand, an inexpensive condenser mic, a FocusRite preamp, a cheap bass guitar, a pair of 3 1/2” monitors, and a nice Fender Stratocaster.
What the demon didn’t expect, is that the human would actually persist through said tribulations of substandard working conditions, and complete the project. Much to the demon’s surprise, the human finished the project, despite the lack of access to a professional recording studio, or the backing of a major record label.
The end result, a tabulation of human follies and foibles, will now provide the escaped beastie with comedic entertainment for the coming aeons, long after humans have disappeared from the planet; which should be anytime within the next couple of decades.
“Three Day Beard”- music video from the new Trent Boswell album, Area 25
“Three Day Beard” from Area 25, by Trent Boswell
Release date is February 22, 2023. Note, it may be up to a week before the album starts showing up on the various music platforms.
Available on all the major music streaming services, like Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and many more.
Album cover art by Dorian Strange.
Lyrics for “Three Day Beard”
I.
Standing in a soup line Sucking on a tail pipe Working on a new crime; Against myself, How many times Can I kill myself? Before I die? God knows I tried To find out
II.
I wandered where the women went Thought my soul could be at ease I never lost my good intent But found myself wishing I’d never had it at all Never had it at all Is that what you’d call A fall from Grace?
III.
Listen here man and wo-man alike I won’t tell you about all the cigarettes And the booze, and the other scenarios I won’t tell you about all the hard feelings And the petty larcenies I won’t tell you about all the Broken bones and homes Rendered in brutal beatings And I won’t even tell you about the sadness; The heavy, “wish we weren’t here” melancholy But I will tell you this: There are people who walk this earth Who are so beautiful, on the inside, They make angels blush And you… Ain’t one of them
IV.
Allow me some time To be angry I’ll shout, not speak my mind I’m hungry; Don’t wanna eat
V.
Forgive my trespass I’m not sorry Thought maybe you had grown, Just a little, I was wrong But don’t worry You will
You will Just not with me
VI.
If you wipe the slate clean, Just kick back and dream: Never learn a thing About what you see
VII.
My license to be blind Has been revoked Just in time And now I see the work Cut out for me
This was a refreshingly positive experience. With every post I make on Instagram, I get hit up multiple times for paid promotions. It’s always a sleazy approach like “I love your stuff! Let’s work together!” even though you know they sent that message so fast, they couldn’t possibly have listened to the song.
This guy Bobby asked me on TikTok if he could review me on his show tonight. I said yes, but I was thinking, “Wait for it… he’s going to hit me with a dollar amount, a pay-to-play thing.” I don’t do those. But he didn’t ask for anything. He’s got a pretty intelligent approach to it, he offers pay-to-play, but also gives free plays and reviews, no questions asked.
A spin and review on The Crockpot Cartel Show
He played a few minutes of my song (the format is that each song gets roughly two minutes, so he can fit more into the show). He gave some kind feedback on it and all he asks is that viewers stay active in the chats, giving ratings for each song (he uses a 1-1,000 rating scale). Even though most of what got played was either hip hop or rap, he stayed open to other genres. My music is really different from everything else I heard tonight, but he gave it equal time and thoughtful consideration.
In the chats, it looks like people rated my tune anywhere from 600 to 1,000 with an average of maybe 800 or 900. One person said 2,000 but that’s not inside the range you’re supposed to use 🤷♂️🙃
I was pleased, especially since most of the people there were making hip hop music. He asked everyone to add constructive criticism to any songs that they rated low, and said no hating on anyone. The overall thing was a nice surprise for sure.
You can catch his show and submit your music for consideration at: Bobby Everything
New Album on June 8th
June 8th release date
This album has the song on it that was reviewed in the show. The song is called “White Elephant.” You can watch the full video here:
I’m offering a special package deal. Below, you’ll find a list of all my poetry titles, as well as my album Flagship. For just $72, I’ll send you a copy of one of each of the poetry booksANDa copy of the Flagship CD.
That’s $39.21 off the cover price. Better still, this flat price includes FREE S&H.
The free shipping offer applies only as long as it’s in the continental U.S. If you want international shipping, you can contact me privately so that I can calculate a specific S&H price for you.
all nine of my poetry books, plus a copy of the music CD Flagship, for one flat price and FREE shipping!
There are several tiers of support, each one with more benefits than the last, starting as low as $3 per month.
Many thanks to the following, for the images in the video. You may or may not like the music but if you like the video, the credit for that is all theirs.
