5090 by FAWM: Bear (@mahtowin)

Bear

@mahtowin

Songs

Joined

2021

Near Stutt DE
soundcloud.app.goo.gl/BPRT2ZmqJmUaJjVs8

I live on the country side in the south of Germany. I love to call myself a sound artist, poet and bass player. In my "real" life I work as a social worker and therapist. Music is a powerful force in my life which grows more and more in the last two years. I am a big fan of playing together. So I take any chance to do this.
My artist name is Mahtowin, which means Bear-Woman. It reflects my connection to the natural world and certain animal guides, which seem to inspire my work. The power of the icebear works inside me. And also the power of the Selkie. I think the icebear power makes me play the bass and my Selkie part makes me write some kind of very delicate lyrics sometimes. Both - the icebear and the Selkie are guides to me.
In music as in life I follow many traces. My personal goal is to be aware of what is around and inside me in the present. Now. Try not to think too much about the past or the future (which is hard sometimes, but I try). To stay in present and to recognize the beauty around me (which is a lot) and also the anger and grief, the love and the joy. To accept that all this is LIFE - and I love it!

Very interested in collabs!

Call me she/her/Andrea/Mahtowin/Bear

I'm one half of the incredibly creative and prolific duo "Pennyfeather - Mahtowin"! My duo partner is Paul Pennyfeather aka @ttg105 here on FAWM. Check his music!

I usually write in German - very rarely in English.

"I'll never be like other people, but that's alright because I'm a bear!"
(Paddington Bear)

"One chord is fine. Two chords are pushing it. Three chords and you're into jazz." (Lou Reed)

„Respect your ideas!“ Marcus Miller

#bass #onewomanband #german #bear #pagan #deutsch

Songs

Talking about peace! by @mahtowin +2 more 2d #jfk #peace #bass

Don't Rush This - Ft The Flying Dungarees by @dragondreams +2 more 1w #spokenword #etherealvoices #gentle

Summer is over/Der Sommer Ist Vorbei by @dragondreams + @mahtowin 1w #vocals #flute #reverb

Your Greatest Poem/Dein größtes Gedicht by @ttg105 + @mahtowin 1w #octolute #melodica #pennyfeathermahtowin

go to sleep, little Earth by @mahtowin + @ttg105 2w #lullaby #earth #dreamfolk

My Heart on the Cliffs/Mein Herz auf den Klippen by @ttg105 + @mahtowin 3w #ethereal #dreamy #nature

Snakes and Ladders by @squirrelhavenstudios + @mahtowin 3w #reggae #collaboration

made of wood (remix) by @mahtowin + @wearedinosaurs 3w

Woven by @mahtowin + @ttg105 5w #bass #dark #angy

Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen (Rilke) by @mahtowin 5w #synths #poem #german

we won't let you out! (man in a suitcase - beast in a cage) by @mahtowin + @ttg105 5w #weird #noisy #spooky

black dragonflies buzz by @ayais + @mahtowin 5w #dragonflies #riverstillness #time

Black Dragonflies Buzz by @mandolinda + @mahtowin 5w #refrain #garageband

a day without meaning by @mahtowin + @ttg105 5w #sparkeling #german #nonsense

black dragonflies buzz by @mahtowin 6w #needsmusic #needscollab #needsvocals

Sweet forbidden pleasure! by @mahtowin 6w #love #bass #shame

about birds! collab by @ayais + @mahtowin 6w #birds #collab

She Waits in the Night/Sie wartet in der Nacht by @ttg105 + @mahtowin 6w #descendingchords #gloomfolk #melodica

Here You Are! (Flap Flap Flap) by @freshspotlessyouth + @mahtowin 6w #acoustic

about birds! by @mahtowin 6w #needsmusic #needscollab #needsvocals

THOMASIN by @cts + @mahtowin 7w #movietitlechallenge #spooky #thejellyfactory

The small, delicate and shy idea! by @mahtowin + @ttg105 7w #accustic #dreamy #german

My Cinnamon Skin/Meine Haut aus Zimt by @ttg105 + @mahtowin 7w #bass #hypnotic #german

to the stars / an die Sterne by @mahtowin 7w #stars #bass #experimental

Digitalis Purpurea by @mahtowin + @ttg105 8w #flowerpower #surealisticloveafair #digitalis

dead flame by @mahtowin + @wearedinosaurs 8w #electronic #ambient #jazzy

About my strange idea of love / Über meine seltsame Vorstellung von Liebe by @mahtowin 8w #triplebass

About Goats and Octopods by @ttg105 + @mahtowin 8w #dreamy #pop

I'm made of wood by @mahtowin 9w

brown fruits by @mahtowin 9w #needscollab #political

The rustling of the forest leaves in the wind by @mahtowin + @ttg105 9w

Walking on the Moon by @mahtowin + @wearedinosaurs 9w #ambient #slothcore

I've always wanted to be understood by EVERYONE! by @mahtowin 9w #bass #vocals

My Paper Home by @ttg105 + @mahtowin 10w #beauty #alternatetuning #ethereal

Let Those Miracles Shine by @billwhite51 + @mahtowin 10w #confidence

Das rote Sofa / the red sofa by @mahtowin + @ttg105 10w

Der Geist unterm Sofa (Lied für meine Katze)/The ghost under the sofa (song for my cat) by @ttg105 + @mahtowin 10w #cats #gloom

Das gebrochene Licht auf dem Fluß / the broken light of the river by @mahtowin 10w

Twilight of the Gods / Götterdämmerung by @mahtowin + @ttg105 10w #dark #gloomy #chaotic

Soundboard

@billwhite51 2d

i love what you did with jfk and would be honored to be listed as a collaborator

@coolparadisoMod 1w

I had not got to all of yours yesterday but I have now!

@fuzzy 1w

No, I certainly have not lost interest in your music.
I am losing interest in this site, though.

@chrismyth02 1w

thanks for your kind words on "the brave one" i was so excited to work with songwritingzen on that one

@fuzzy 1w

Thanks for your concern.
I'm sorry I have missed listening to your songs this summer, a natural consequence of my stepping back. I'll get some listening in before the end of 50/90, though! 😀

@heather 1w

Du, ich weiß auch nicht, ob ich irgendwas in der Richtung schaffe! Aber atmosphärisches ist genau das, was ich mir vorgestellt habe...können wir jedenfalls im Hinterkopf behalten und wenn es in diesem Monat nicht klappt, dann vielleicht im Februar!

@sbs 1w

Thanks so much for your kind comments. I hope to be back in February…

@heather 1w

Entschuldigung, ich war in den letzten Wochen plötzlich durch verschiedene Shitshows abgelenkt! Wenn ich versuchen würde, zu Ötzi etwas zu schreiben, würdest du die Musik dazu machen? Das könnte sehr cool sein :)

@billwhite51 2w

i agree. in fact, the whole song is a capsule history of the united states rising and falling on an intentional blindness to the reality of its past, present and future.

@billwhite51 2w

thank you for you comments on intentional blindness. Your interpretation is both valid and astute, but i was writing about political manipulation of reality and kept the liner notes bare so people could interpret the song in their own way, and not be told how to think. your comments make me very happy that i left iit open to individual interpretation. now i can listen to the song and hear it in a new way.

@squirrelhavenstudios 2w

Thanks for the kind words about Country Music Big-Shot! And, again, great work on our collaboration!

@arcane 2w

A lot of my tracks are like pictures: I paint something with sound. However, what I'm painting is not always clear at first, and when I let deep emotions express themselves, I have to wait until the track is finished to get the full meaning.
The project I'm working on at the moment is very introspective, and the fact that there are no lyrics allows me to connect with my feelings and to understand them better. As for listeners, they are free to put any meaning they want to the music: they may see a landscape, or connect with feelings of theirs, or just hear some sound.
So, I suppose there's no specific message: it's more like giving people a key, and let them choose what door they want to open.

@arcane 2w

Don't be sorry, of course I am interested! Thanks for sharing your process with me! 😄
I regard music as a fully-fledged language, and very often, words are an hindrance when I sing. The voice doesn't sound the same when the meaning it carries comes from deep within, and isn't structured by words. I'm glad we share that approach. 😃

@arcane 2w

Sorry, I'm late again, haha.
Weirdness: Just embrace it! I've been more praised for my weird stuff than for my more standard stuff (yeah, I was more standard in the beginning, haha). Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder -- or in this case, of the listener.
"I can hear a choir chanting „Om mani padme hum“": There are no words, but I'm not surprised you hear some. I've used that "wordless" approach for years, and discovered that people tend to hear words when they listen to my choirs. It probably has something to do with the resonances, and with the human brain wanting to find meaning everywhere. What's great is that people hear what they want to hear, in a way. I enjoy that. 😄

@heather 2w

Jass ich bin erholt und habe viele Ideen, leider nicht so viel Zeit aber was soll’s 😀 Ja, vielleicht schreibe ich die Musik zu Ötzi, ich traue mich wenig, was den Stil angeht, aber einen Versuch ist es wert….in dem Museum in Bozen waren wir übrigens auch, echt faszinierend, was sie anhand von genetischen Daten über ihn herausgefunden haben. Der Tod an sich bleibt aber ein Mysterium. Und was wollte überhaupt dort, so hoch im Gebirge? Ich bleibe dran :)

@heather 2w

Hey there! I went back and forth on whether to post this, as it probably sounds very strange, but: I was on holiday in Südtirol close to where they found Ötzi and as we were touring various museums, I started hearing music in my head that was very much your style. I thought "she would write a great song about this." Something about the mysterious way that he died - murdered with an arrow from behind and then left with all of his valuable belongings to die on this mountain pass 3000m above sea level...and then undisturbed for thousands of years...just thought I would share these random thoughts!

@sbs 3w

“The vodka in a tub” is a nod to bathtub gin during Prohibition in the US - lol! Thanks so much for your listen/comment. Cheers!

@ayais 3w

Glad you liked to hear about Andre (was Maurice) the fragrant skunk!

@squirrelhavenstudios 3w

Okay, I just tried again (5:25 pm EST). If you don't get it, let me know and I'll just post it on the FAWM site and we can try that way, if that works for you.

@squirrelhavenstudios 3w

I did. I'll try again and if that doesn't work maybe I'll post it on FAWM and you can download it on your end?

@squirrelhavenstudios 3w

Just sent you an email about our reggae collaboration. Let me know what you think.

@atam94 4w

thank you for the kind words on "Topple"!!

@jeff9 4w

Thank you most kindly for the listen and thoughtful comments about Missing Everything.

@dragondreams 4w

Thank you. :-)
The voices are part of a Soundpaint library:
https://soundpaint.com/products/forgotten-voices-cait
The whole story of the Curry House Massive and how an accident in the kitchen sent it into space was a theme I ran during FAWM 2014. I did a lot of Indian fusion tracks and they got called "tandooritronica". Someone else named the fictitious band the "Curry House Massive", hence the #chm tag.

@freshspotlessyouth 4w

Since you asked, I intended that to be a song of inter-generational trauma: shame, fear, and self-loathing passed down father to son :)

@dreamscuba 4w

I trust you...go with it. Thanks

@billwhite51 4w

add a choir and find out

@dreamscuba 5w

Thanks for your comments on my punk song and I welcome your lyrics/vocals. Thanks.

@arcane 5w

Thank you for your kind feedback, Andrea. Sorry it took so long to reply to you.
"Do I hear desperate voices in the background? Or am I imagining it?"
You are not imagining it: there are layered vocals, medium and high range, holding a C note. You have a good ear!

@newukenewyork 5w

Thank you! And thanks for the collab -- I loved your version so much! :)

@newukenewyork 5w

Hi! I did make an ukulele-only version of the fireflies song. Is that what you were asking? I didn't recreate your melody or arrangement, which I thought was beautiful, as I didn't have chords for what you did with it, I reinterpreted it on ukulele. But since recording this demo, I have done it more slowly, not with the percussive strum. So it has many evolutions/forms. :) https://youtu.be/t6FXUthZfn0?si=Jq5MUTagbIllaKXI

@atam94 5w

thank you so much for the kind words on "Falling Off" !!

@newukenewyork 5w

Thanks for your comment on "Everybody Get Up" -- it was very fun to do something so different!

@kirjis 5w

Thanks for your really kind words!

@freshspotlessyouth 5w

Thanks for your kind comments. I wouldn't worry too much about what it all means. I certainly don't. Maybe you would like to write your own lyrics/melody for that song. I could probably make it better, if you're interested

@ayais 5w

I had a few minutes and added some music to the haiku. Hope you like it.

@ayais 5w

Re: wormhole - thanks! Glad it reminds you of your mechanic because that's what I was getting at. My she-vocal went through some DAW pitch adjusting ...

@cbmagic 5w

Thank you for your kind words, I am glad you like the song.
I lived at Haun AFB in the 80's. I loved it there.

@farmyardorchestra 6w

... and for kind words on Rainy Lullaby!

@farmyardorchestra 6w

Danke schön für deinen Kommentar zu Stag Struggle!

@ayais 6w

Okay! We sound good together! I replaced the initial version - I hope that's the right way to do this...

@ayais 6w

Ok, I'll send it. I might try adding vocal and if I do I'll send that too. Maybe we can harmonize?

@ayais 6w

Posted some music for About birds, but I think you or someone else should sing it. Sorry (:-) for the complicated pattern!

@freshspotlessyouth 6w

Well, I'm always interested. I've done a number of collabs over the years. Keep in mind: I'm not a musician or a singer or a songwriter. I don't play or perform anywhere at any time, except here. I rely more on inspiration than craft or knowledge or skill. If that works for you, then let's go. What do you have in mind? Or should I pitch you an idea when I get back from camping? Maybe I should take a guitar with me

@billwhite51 6w

thanks for your comments on the hole. It was placed in the world of my child hood during the 1962 Worlds Fair in Seattle, and the Hole and the danger of falllig into it came from a dream i had last night.

@newukenewyork 6w

Thanks for your comment on "Me and My Cold Comfort (Taffy)" -- I collect so many "extra" noises on my recordings, and it does make me laugh. :)

@slusk 7w

Hello there, bear woman! Thanks for your comments on "Hold Me Tight - I'm In Love". There's a secret sauce to the tight vocals (not that there is much to improve after @cts has delivered).

@sirius 7w

Thank you for your kind words on my song! =^.^=

@mashala 7w

Lieben Dank für deinen schönen und wertschätzenden Kommentar zu meiner Übersetzung! :) Happy Fawming! Du warst ja schon super fleißig seh ich...

@cts 7w

Yes I doooooooooo! 😄

@cts 7w

Good morning! Super early where I am. I should be in bed. Thanks for stopping by and listening. That's another collaboration I'm super late on. I'm mixing our song right now and it should be ready later on today. Also, can you send me the whale tune you did, please?

@songwritingzen 7w

Thank you so much for your comments on "Dead Man's Curve" I really appreciate it. I also appreciate your comparison to Matt Bianco... Wow! That's a blast from the past. I once played a cassette of the first album (self titled I believe) until the tape just gave up. I was studying music in high school at the time and I was obsessed :)

@arcane 7w

You're very welcome!
If your stuff is weird, then what should be said about mine?? 😆

@arcane 7w

Thank you very much for your lovely comments, Andrea! Much appreciated. 😀

@cts 7w

Awesome sauce! 😄

@squirrelhavenstudios 7w

I would be up for a reggae collaboration. But I'm operating at a slower speed this 50/90, so please give me a couple of weeks to come up with something. Would you want me to do lyrics as well, or would you like to handle those as part of the vocals?

By the way, you've been on my mind a bit this 50/90 and here's why: about a week before this 50/90 started, I opened an art book I have to a random page and there was a painting by a German artist named Conrad Felixmuller. The painting is called Bedrucktsein im Atelier (Depression in the Studio)(please forgive my lack of usage of the umlaut - I have no idea how to add that to text). I thought it might make an interesting topic for a song, and because it was a German artist (and a German title), I naturally thought of you. But I have done nothing about it yet. I'm not suggesting that be the title or topic of our reggae collaboration, but we could probably do worse. Let me know what you think, and if, regardless of title, you want to do the lyrics or you want me to handle them. I'm fine either way.

@newukenewyork 8w

Thanks so much for listening to and commenting on "Sublimation (The Water Cycle)" -- I really appreciate it! :)

@timfatchenMod 8w

Thank you Andrea for your continued listening and comments. In a lot of respects, I'm not now in a good place, and some days are just bad days. (Others I can cope with. ) So it's doubly appreciated! Especially on a cold miserable wet dull morning!

@squirrelhavenstudios 8w

Thanks for the nice comment about Working From Home!

@farmyardorchestra 8w

Thanks for commenting on (and lamenting) The Death of a Rube!

@dreamscuba 8w

Thank you for your comments on Howling Moon. I will look to expand it. I was initially just playing with some effects and plugins. However, I will add more. Thanks.

@coolparadisoMod 8w

the second voice is me - detuned to sound more female

@farmyardorchestra 8w

Thanks for your comment on Haystack Needle! It made ME smile.

@cts 9w

Hi there. Do you Zoom or you Discord?

@arcane 9w

You're very welcome, Andrea!
Hope you have a wonderful 50/90!

@newukenewyork 9w

Thank you so much for your kind words on "Peter, Sew Your Shadow On" -- it felt like something special to me. <3

@heather 9w

Amerikanerin 🙋‍♀️ Super, dann haben wir eine geheime Sprache quasi, was machen wir damit 🤣

@heather 9w

Hallo und ja, ich spreche deutsch, ich wohne nämlich seit 20 Jahren in Berlin :) Maybe that’s why I had so many ideas about your Brown Fruit song…I feel the same way…

@massnerdy 9w

Thanks for the listen!

@cts 9w

Thank you so much for taking the time to listen. Work has been relentless but I'm going to push through. I'll be in touch soon. 😀

@newukenewyork 9w

Thanks very much for your comment on “Secret Family Recipes!”

@candle 9w

I'm glad you liked the banjo 😃 And thank you for the great comments on both Desperate Vindications & on Parasite Dolls.

See You In The Shadows…

@sbs 9w

Thank you so much for the favorable vibe compare to Grace Jones on “A Man Like You.”

@atam94 9w

thanks a bunch for the kind words on "My Own Rhythm" and "Tangerine" - I really do appreciate it!

@moth_man1 9w

Thanks for your kind words. You helped motivate me to write a second verse. Version two is up now

@headfirstonlyMod 9w

I know Nils very well! In fact, this happened last week:
https://www.headfirstonly.com/blog0724.htm#Jul_02_24

@cts 9w

It's coming. My work schedule is being a bit uncooperative as of late. I'm trying to get things situated. It won't be too long.

@andrea 9w

EDM is electronic dance music 😀

@fuzzy 9w

Hey! You may need to re-post your Forum thread about your missing song; I tried to click on the thread and it gave me a "500 Error". Not sure if it's the site or my old laptop that's causing the issue.

@farmyardorchestra 10w

Hello again, Bear Woman! Thanks for your comments on RaIn Reigns. What you call "sitar" might actually be the koto I found in my Garageband instrument library. :-)

@trebled 10w

Thanks so much for your very kind words about my song - really appreciate it. I’ll be back to listen to some of yours when I have some time later. Thanks again! :-)

@billwhite51 10w

Got it. Will post later tonight. This afternoon is going to be dominated by skirmishes. Thank you. It is an awesome track.

@billwhite51 10w

both my facebook and yahoo mail has been hacked. the only way to reach me is here and BWhi51@gmail.com

@billwhite51 10w

what address did you send the email to? i havent received anything in my BWhi51@gmail.com box.

@stephenwordsmith 10w

Hi Mahtowin.

I'm very sorry that the other collaborations put you off - I had no idea it would spiral into the lyric of a thousand versions; by the time I went to sleep, there had only been one other offer, and they were pointed very firmly to my collaboration policy. Yours was the version I was looking forward to hearing the most, not least of all because you were the first to offer.

You would still be very welcome to post your own version. However, if you feel you would rather spend your efforts on something more unique, I'm sure I will write at least one more piece before the winter is out :)

Apologies again.

@newukenewyork 10w

Thank you so much for your comment on “Breaking” — I appreciate you taking the time.

@metalfoot 10w

Some of us were talking about making it so Stephen had an album's worth of renditions of "It's Hard To Start A Fire In The Rain"-- I really want to hear your version. Please don't give up on it!

@newukenewyork 10w

Thanks for your comment on “It's Hard to Start a Fire in the Rain.” I think it’s so fun to hear different interpretations. Can’t wait to hear yours!

@newukenewyork 10w

@mahtowin if you want an exclusive on @stephenwordsmith’s lyrics it won’t hurt my feelings. Just wanted to check in since you asked first.

@stephenwordsmith 10w

By all means, I would like that. Danke schön for thinking of me!

@dragondreams 10w

🙏❤

@ayais 10w

Thanks for comment on Our Anthropocene. The challenge will be to keep humor in, and I'm hoping that the mild psychosis of the main character will allow for that.

@slusk 10w

Hi, thanks for commenting on Bone Hard. It seems like I have a distorted guitar period of a dark/pessimistic kind. Could use some therapy ;) . I don’t know if you would like to continue our coop from Fawm. Everything was left as the Time stopped in February.

@cts 10w

Message sent! 😀

@cts 10w

Hello! Hello! Good to see you back in the spot. I'm gonna need your assistance like - very soon. I was thinking about that movie challenge title you assigned to me. I'll send you an email.

@tamsnumber4 10w

Have a great 50/90!

@ayais 11w

Yes! I look forward to hearing your fine music too! We're traveling in the middle of July so I will have a slow start, but driving across the country ought to give me some good ideas.

@squirrelhavenstudios 11w

Hi! I hope you have a great summer as well! Looking forward to hearing your songs too! I hope all is well with you.

@billwhite51 11w

ii emailed you some lyrics.

@gm7 11w

Hey great to see you back again!!

@billwhite51 11w

i will try to write a text about confidence, but it is hard to have any confidence when the whole world is swinging to the right. the two major problems as i see them from here are the arrogance/inhumanity of the dictators and the
apathy/complacency/complicity of tte people.

@billwhite51 11w

i have been enthusiastic about your work with Paul, and look forward to your latest album. If you have time durign 50 90, I would love to collborate on something with you. If you have an idea of a theme you would like me to write on for you, please let me know. Otherwise, I could write something that I feel, from my point of view, that you would be the best person to express it.

@dragondreams 11w

Hi Bass Sister. 😀
I'm sure we'll be working together a few times between start and finish.

@fuzzy 11w

Hey!!!!
I'm looking forward to hearing more of your bass awesomeness this summer!!!!!