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Painted On the Wall

by David Barber & Radio Phoenix

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1.
(hook) You got to hop up on this vibration You know you got to hop up on this vibration I said you got to hop up on this vibration You know yo got to hop up on this vibration Verse Check it check it out It's that dirt music, freshly unearthed unearthly feeling Delivered directly from God, God willing Derived from the rawest rhythms ever combined Sources of inspiration I find's all a part of the scheme Like I'm constantly copping a cup of coffee and popping in a physical copy of A Love Supreme just to shift the colors and the shapes inside of my dreams. (piano solo) (hook)
2.
Dirt 03:58
(Verse 1) Let the umm Dark chocolate mocha spark my chakras and unclot the spot thats clogging my thought process Hop out of bed to unblock my inner prophet Lock myself in a room until my health is a tomb I want my soul to glow through every solo that I blow I focus in like a pose in a dojo I might ball like nike mojo just toss me a cup of jo and I drop into my zone I got the power to tackle a hundred foes while I'm shackled in a hole with an elephant on my skull People are ants, I'm a tarantula Feeling like every track I craft is a masterpiece on the roll Like my caravan when I jump it over a mega ramp and pull the E break to slip back in my gypsy camp That's my kumpania Gather round I'll drop the scoop on ya (Verse 2) I really dig it when I really dig into my subconscious combine everything I ever thought at one time And when the planets align I walk on the pacific sea like Jesus sandals were mine I'm too unspecific to see what I actually want to be Come listen to me I'll confuse you too Stick two words together then perform some voodoo Let you view it and now I got a hand in your mind Somebody stop that raggedy rad kid rocking loafers and rags from brainwashing us with his pantomimes Got stressed depressed but now I'm fine still I can't recline Ask me any question I probably answer in rhyme Matter of fact, I pry open my third cataract Spark the chakra with the dark chocolate mocha now that I shine (piano solo) (Verse 3) My dad told me my bars were too cerebral I told my dad his cerebral was too barred Two bars in I'm about to be too far out the realm of the radar I guess I'll just cruise farther Intellect kicked raspier than chewbacca Celebrate the outcome like booyaka booyaka I clocked into work paper back under my arm Find myself in a novel exiled by Mustapha Swapping literature on the railroad tracks where you'll find me when the world finally cracks Matter of fact I'm bending words like the sword on Count Duku's Kick the system like McMurphy when he flew over the Cuckoo's nest Yelling look who's back and look who's just alone at home reading just to look my best I've been looking for new hobbies because rapping's a synch Conduct myself with the character of Atticus Finch Avoid a brainwashed culture like the savages did It's not A Brave New World it's an enslave you world I'm Bobby Pendragon fluming in to save the world I'm John Mayer waiting on someone to change the world I'm myself By myself ninety percent of the time unintentionally different Been depressed since 5th grade thanks to Lemony Snicket Now when life hands me lemons I start snickering after I vanish from view of the telescreen Those dagnab thought police been trying to vaporize me for 33 years consecutively They haven't caught me yet Second time I felt a threat I fled to Ankeny alley grabbed some voodoo doughnuts declared myself as a scalawag Ran a couple vocal numbers with O'malley then ran across Burnside without stopping to check
3.
Paige Olivia 03:37
(Verse 1) Dear Father in heaven Take care of my father on earth, mother, sister and my niece Kissed her on the nose as I left connected foreheads with her to feel a second of peace Like does this tiny human know of any evil yet, and are my dogs capable of evil at all Every endeavors pure until you get people involved I concluded I don't need 'em, except like three of them Give or take a baker's dozen depend on how many those people is peeping this song Grooving to it and singing along I tried to peace some of this mess together but some of the puzzle pieces seem to be wrong. (Chorus) And I don't really like that sound I don't really like that sound And I don't really like that sound (Verse 2) Dear Father in heaven Bind satan away from these children I used to go to church every Sunday this old man would pray that's exactly what he'd say He'd say Dear Father in heaven Bind satan away from Paige Olivia and all four of her great grand parents Memo and Granddaddy, Grandma and Pop Grand mommy already chilling up top Remembering her pushes me past pettier worries that keep my mind locked She gave me a peanut butter and honey told me that she loved me sat next to me I remember it well Nowadays I make my own, and tell myself I need to be better and sit in silence in this white box alone. (Chorus) And I don't really like that sound I don't really like that sound And I don't really like that sound (Verse 3) Dear Father up above Hold my hand as I break below the surface Allow me to feel your spirit in the darkest ravine Surround me to keep my heart pristine Allow me to feel your spirit in the darkest ravine Surround me to keep my heart pristine Instill in me the drive and joy of being alive so that I can spread love to every single living being because (Chorus) You know that I like that sound You know that I like that sound x4 (Piano solo) Dear Father in heaven Take care of my father on earth, mother, sister and my niece
4.
Head Rap 05:31
(Hook) Checka checka wait checka I can't breathe I can't breathe I can't breathe Checka checka wait checka I can't sleep I can't dream I can't breathe (Verse 1) Checka checka wait checka let me breathe I resonate till I'm one with the seven seas I let my chest vibrate depressive tendencies get suppressed Checka uhh Let me breathe I'm like Chill man let me chill I'm easy going trynna cop a mellow groove Hop the max without paying I got water in my shoes I lay and wallow in my blues Ever since I was born under water while rocking a head wrap I've been following the truth Meaning I'm walking behind myself flip the TV off I stop swallowing the news Ever since my blue and white bike got stolen I been bumping Resurrection 'till the early morning Pin point the very source that inspired me I wrote my first rap on the head wrap that I was born in I'm barely a rapper but theres barely a rapper that could rap his head around the styles that I'm exploring And that's word to my mom If she ever heard my song but (Hook) Checka checka wait checka I can't breathe I can't breathe I can't breathe Checka checka wait checka I can't sleep I can't dream I can't breathe (Verse 2) You don't matter Nobody cares about you There I go again talking to myself Nobody cares what I do I pinky promise Still I'm trynna cop a mellow groove Juke through the rhythm like a running back I showed a bum named Greg selling crack some of my songs He called a buddy over and told me to run it back Thats the first night I got to Portland My shoes weren't even soggy yet Now I walk the wasteland with nothing as far as plans, I got nothing in my hands light saber tucked into my waist band I'm Mace Windu how I lace the music with tasteful nuances that could shape your mood And that's word to my niece I pray the world gets better just so she could find peace but (Hook) Checka checka wait checka I can't breathe I can't breathe I can't breathe Checka checka wait checka I can't breathe I suffocate on what I can't be Crawling through the deepest crevice of creativity reaching for a peak that I can't see (Verse 3) Search through hard soil Disperse sick verses 'till my heart spoils I won't conform to the social norm I just approach a mic and perch like a gargoyle There's three of me watching out for a hunchback I sound like Dori trying to talk to a humpback That means I'm too deep nobody will listen My styles more like free jazz than it is to typical rap My styles more like free jazz than it is to typical rap I could sense it ever since the day Sybil Trelawney foresaw my fate The prophecy cracked tell Voldemort I'm on my way Wipe away any wizard when I wave my wand Decapitate uruk-hai when I raise my sword Carry light into the darkness when I praise the Lord I hop up onto any track with my inhaler because (Hook) Checka checka wait checka I can't breathe I can't breathe I can't breathe (Bass solo) Check checka wait checka Let me breathe I resonate 'till I'm one with the seven seas Let my chest vibrate depressive tendencies get suppressed Checka uhh I can't breathe
5.
The sun tried to rise But the sky wasn't ready And I wanted to wake up But my dreams wouldn't let me And now I'm all alone And still I can't go home The window by my bed speaks the chaos of the city
6.
Stealthily plotting my escape But monuments keep toppling over the ruines I'm usually lost in Unusually exhausted Ninety percent of this person's personalities worthless fairly often Barely stepped up to the platform and I'm steadily coughing Voice has been mad scragglier than the average ever since my tonsils chopped I'd say I'm chilling (Piano) This music is the chauffeur of the mood Stand up out my chair just to get closer to the moon I might pull a Remus Lupin Rock bags under my eyes Howling on this beat as long as the beat is looping See me scoop an extra spoonful of dark roast into my keurig after repeatedly snoozing Because the sky is dreary and the cities grey Everybody's gloomy I only travel in the dark of the shadows I go to battle with the sharks in the shallows I'm that megaladon Prehistoric beast that Stoic monster of the open seas Stowing mantras in my memories Zoning out of consciousness every time the rhythm starts developing And when the feeling begins to envelop me the sickness starts to swell up (piano) Imagine having a radical state of mind with a Emphasis on extravagant sense of four dimensions And figments I can't afford to mention Cuz the ideas that sent them watch me while I sleep They mutter to me while I lie awake But the moment I awake These vivid visions evade me i'm back in the room I fell asleep in and my mind is straight These visions these dreams tuck me into bed When the sky is dreary and the cities red Its either thoughts of eldritch abstractions that intoxicate me Or these realities I dread In reality I read some Lovecraft copped the mind set Dropped Gemeinschaft flipped the lights off and sat there Inhaled the black air that surrounds my movements Now concluding I'm the only man capable of thinking in these cloudy ruines A bunch of phonies and frauds with too much purpose Lurking in these cloudy ruines
7.
(Hook) Carry the vibe Feeling my soul Bury my mind then I fill in the hole Because Im feeling the style when I chill in my zone 2x (Verse 1) I wake up Then I fall asleep in the shower I stay stuck in a dream blow away with the steam Throw away the paradigm thats paralyzing my demeanor then carefully tip toe around the regime But since I mystified inside the mist I missed my ride and I been making this journey alone Either way I'm all alone in this gilded era of phony people and clones chilling on their phones I'm probably chilling in my room Elephants on the shelf a gorilla playing a stand up bass painted on the wall Thats the cave Where I travel to as a ghost and where I stay to develop my prowess dare I say There I said it I'm clearly pathetic just a shapeless mass that evaporated hypothetically A hyperactive hermit Hallucinating while asleep in the shower the waters pretty hot but the bars could burn it My thoughts teach my thoughts new thoughts and I just pause to learn it Pause the service My empty particles are lost at the circus Theres always a part of my that wants to desert this feeling of a lack of purpose Wait I just figured out what it was I got to cast a ring into the fiery mouth of Mordor Defeat a dark mark like Morsmordre Over throw the Sith and bring balance to the force and then rap and rhyme well I guess thats what I was born for Praise dance for an hour already I think I better do four more Thrust that hollow body into my grip I morph into a performer (Hook) 2x (Verse 2) Feeling my vibe Sometimes I'm feeling my villainous side but I put my feelings aside Hop out that single file line then Walk into the jungle just to see what I could find Just me and my half Komodo Dragon half K9 Riley mon The Rastafarian straight out of hibernation Bout to go and see what we could stir up Somebody shifting through my head just to see what they could corrupt They try to color me bland Dark ways of thinking try to scuffle me in I shuffle the deck then stuff them back in Then they're never out of place again for real Man swear I been doing my thing I might sit I might stand Either way Im chopping any mic stand whenever I swing my right hand Like Jimi Hendrix standing up next to a mountain I pummel any terrain into rubble then funnel into a drain to a tunnel where I remain in a puddle But the puddle's just the shower that I fell asleep in I'm knee deep in lack of sleep induced hallucinations I carry the vibe Feeling my soul Bury my mind because the world is exactly what I'm escaping Turn the water off and lace up the boat shoes to conquer the day Kick the verse then I saunter away (Hook)2x
8.
Outro 03:31
Ralph Peterson told me I didn't have to be from a region to own the music of it That's why I'm speaking in patterns that leave you thinking I'm kinfolk to rap dungeon descendants and jazz cats Fakebook and mic in my back pack The extra weights got my hips misaligned But whats more important the body or mind I still body a whole verse while embodying Chet Baker on Body and Soul Second of all Let me take a second to recollect my multiple foci Spoken word lines that poke you in both eyes and make your forehead tingle The Lord said mingle and eat with venal tax men and corrupt people so I Cop a gyro on third street then squat the curb to eat while I watch the mural sitting on the face of the wall that I'm facing I feel the art speaking to me Better get it in my soul Like Charles Mingus Symbolic self portrait in three colors Hitting the band stand and hollering Lord Jesus I just pray the Lord sees us soon
9.
10.

about

Rapper and jazz musician David Barber's first studio album.
Collaboration with Portland based trio, Radio Phoenix.

The album is a unique mix of genres, primarily pulling from hip hop and jazz, but blending them in such a way that's never been done before is what truly makes the album unique. It was recorded in live takes, just the raw music as it naturally existed. This style of music, David refers to as, "dirt music", mentioned on track 1, and in the title of track 2.

The lyrics are informed from a wide array of sources and ideas, ranging from dystopian novels, legendary jazz musicians, God, coffee, despair, and so much more that you'd have to listen to truly understand.

The band is far more than just accompaniment, it is an ongoing musical conversation throughout the album. A deep pocket, riveting groove, heavily swung solos, and the bands willingness to drift entirely into free jazz inspired frenzies, are all aspects that, when paired with David's unique, rhythmic lyrical delivery, make this album one of a kind.

David Barber - Vocals, guitar
Ben Spriggs - Piano
Alden Zac - Bass
Lee Hauser - Drums

credits

released July 23, 2017

Big thanks to Jim Abdo at Broken Works Productions

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all rights reserved

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about

David Barber Portland, Oregon

David Barber is a hip hop artist and jazz musician from southern Oregon. Now based in Portland Oregon

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