RockOm

By Trevor Harden, Trevor@RockOm.net

Since forming in 1985 as a band of middle school students, the rock quartet known as Live has grown to become one of the most popular and enduring alternative rock acts of the past two decades. They gained massive mainstream success with their sophomore breakthrough album Throwing Copper in 1994 and have since gone on to sell more than 20 million CDs worldwide.

Live frontman Eddie Kowalczyk is currently on an acoustic tour called Open Wings, Broken Strings with Leigh Nash of Sixpence None The Richer and Art Alexakis of Everclear. He is also working on a rocking new solo album to be released in spring of 2010 (details and mailing list at eddieklive.com).

Eddie sat down with RockOm's Trevor Harden to discuss his spiritual journey, rediscovering the Bible, the power of performing acoustically and more...

Trevor: Since Live's first album, Mental Jewelry, you've always allowed depth and spiritual truth into your lyrics. That album came out when you guys were very young so was there a catalyst that started you down that spiritual path? Can you speak about where that longing for something deeper came from?

Ed: Sure. I was baptized and confirmed Roman Catholic but never really got into it much beyond the routine of occasional church going and the formalities of the religion, never really digging that deeply into it as a child. Then as a teenager, I had a natural tendency to dig a little deeper than what was handed to me as a kid, in terms of spirituality and religion. When I was about 16 or 17 in high school I noticed that I was really interested in meditation and seeking Truth and a deeper meaning to my existence. I ended up wandering into a metaphysical bookstore that was near where I lived one day and saw a book by J. Krishnamurti called You Are the World; I bought it on a whim. It ended up being a book about questioning conditioning. He put everything into question in terms of what we accept as true or real and why we do so. It was maybe the first time I did that - to look at the ideas and beliefs I held about God and Truth and ask myself if they were accurate and what I was getting from it.

So that started my questioning which then led into years of meditating and reading. I've always been an avid reader of scripture and philosophy and never went to college so that was kind of my education. In the mid-1990's I met Ken Wilber and became really good friends with him and read his book called A Brief History of Everything which was a major watershed opening of my mind. Then about four or five years ago I did something called the Big Mind project with a man named Genpo Roche, a Zen master who developed a piercing kind of Zen questioning process. Since then I've come full circle by re-investigating the Bible from a metaphysical point of view - reinterpreting scripture in a way that relates to consciousness. That has been the main focus of my life for the last four years. It's definitely not a type of Christianity that people would recognize as typical or dogmatic; it's about the furthest you could be from fundamentalism but nonetheless Christian in nature. I'm really discovering the Bible for the first time in terms of unlocking its potential to teach us about reality.

Alongside all of that, it's music all the time. Music and songwriting is an extension of that search and has given me a lot to think about. It's been a fount of inspiration for me throughout the years and people seem to dig it.

Trevor: What are you finding in the life and teachings of Jesus that you weren't finding elsewhere or that you're finding unique?

Ed: It's unique in it's power, unique in it's breadth of influence. But you have to get away from looking at it as just a moral code and dig deeper into the language of the Bible and I'm interpreting it as it relates to consciousness itself or being itself. One of the simple ways that I see the power in it is every time the Bible says God or Lord or Christ is to relate that directly to consciousness itself, which is ever present and intermingling with your own being at a very deep level. So that unlocks an interest in prayer and meditation that was there but is now even more driven to a deeper place, understanding that as we touch that deep level that our life becomes the fruitage of that. We're happier, our relationships become more harmonious... "you shall know them by their fruits" stuff starts to happen. There's an extra sparkle in my eye and a smile that wasn't there for a while by ucovering that because of the depth of this prayer and practicing going to that place where we all become one. There's a very powerful silence there and it really reveals a lot.

As a musician and artist, you can't really ask for more than that. I come out of these periods with incredible inspiration and want to sing about it. Being able to go full circle and pick up the Bible again has been very powerful for me because it was a book that I really just didn't understand in a way that meant much to me for years. It's a sort of a coming home, but in my own way. It has been really, really exciting and powerful.

Trevor: You're currently offering the free download of your song "Forever" on eddieklive.com. It's a beautiful acoustic version of the song with the great line, "The darker the night, the brighter the dawn." Can you tell us a little about your inspiration for this song?

Ed: Again, coming from rediscovering the Bible and words like faith, that particular lyric is trying to express that when we see our ideal - the best case scenario, the most loving scenario, the fullest life, God or Truth - to keep our attention there in spite of what is appearing as an obstacle or limitation. As you keep the faith and keep your attention on that ideal and get more and more stronger doing that you find that the negativity leaves. You discover you've moved past the limitations and closer to the ideal in ways that are beyond imagination. Everyone has experienced that but this was just putting it into a context that is hopefully inspirational to people. It's something that has had an incredible impact on my life.

Trevor: All musicians talk about that mystical thing that happens in a live setting where there's a unity and connection you have with the audience. I'm sure it happens at both the loud rock concerts with the band as well as in the quiet, acoustic solo performances that you're currently doing. Can you talk about how the texture of that is different in both of those settings?

Ed: It's really different. Look, I love to rock. I've been in a great band for years and love to turn up the amps and have all the lights going and the big PA. But there's a part of you that sits by yourself in a room and writes a song that doesn't get to be on stage then. He has to recoil back into a little place of being there, but not really. Stripping it down and making it an acoustic, intimate setting really allows that guy to come forward. I had really kind of missed him. You obviously have that when you start out, when the crowds are smaller, but as the band gets bigger and your art succeeds, it becomes a persona that is designed to fill these big spaces. With this "Open Wings, Broken Strings" tour, the idea was to strip that down and put artists on the bill that were also ready for those types of things in their music. There's a fullness about the show that everyone is sharing in and the crowds are just loving it. A lot of them have said to me, "I never knew it could rock that much or be that compelling." That trips me out because that's where the music comes from, but I guess yeah, if you've never seen me acoustic you wouldn't know. This is just another view and it's really neat.

Trevor: In that setting you can talk about the meaning behind the songs and share the background a little bit. Are there any of your songs that you're particularly enjoying "clearing the air" about? Is there any song that you really enjoy telling the real story and meaning behind because it has maybe been misunderstood in the past or is perhaps a bit cryptic?

Ed: You know, I keep them that way a lot. I actually just did an introduction to "Lightening Crashes" the other night and said if I had a dollar for every time someone asked me what this song meant, I'd have a lot more dollars. I basically stepped off it again by saying that I have a feeling about what it means but people have received such different impressions about that song in lots of good ways that I don't want to influence that. I've said it's about reincarnation for me at periods of time in my life but I still tend to back away from that because there's something about the openness of it - letting it be interpreted in the way people receive it - that is really powerful.

www.eddieklive.com

By Tom Crenshaw, Tom@RockOm.net

Why is it that it most always takes a major crisis in our lives to bring about the wisdom and ultimate peace found in the act of surrendering? We come to find ourselves completely and utterly broken; a brokenness that forces us to our knees with a subsequent surrender to a higher power has precious, life changing lessons for us but only when we can learn to say "yes" to all things that come into our lives.

Deepak Chopra says of surrender, 

"The highest aim of any spiritual path is surrender. Although you may associate the word surrender with defeat or weakness, it is the most powerful spiritual action, offering you infinite freedom and possibilities. Surrender is trusting that God, the Universe, or a higher intelligence can accomplish anything, even when you can’t foresee the outcome of a situation.

"At the level of spirit, everything is always unfolding perfectly, and you don’t have to struggle or force situations to go your way. It is only your ego-mind that believes you are an isolated individual trying to survive in a hostile world. In truth, you are a spiritual being. By surrendering to Spirit, you end the struggle, freeing yourself from fear and doubt and releasing the obstacles your ego has created."

True surrender is being grateful for and learning to express heartfelt gratitude for whatever is currently going on in our lives, regardless of our current perception of what those events, conditions, and circumstances that we are experiencing may consist of.

Once we are able to effectively initiate this gratitude, we will find that those events, conditions, and circumstances that may appear to be unpleasant or working against our desired outcomes will, with almost magical certainty, cease to exist. We'll then begin to be able to see them change and begin turning into events, conditions, and circumstances that clearly are bringing us closer to our desired outcomes. Here are some songs that can help us open to the idea of surrender with new eyes, ears and hearts.

SONG: “Living Prayer” by Alison Krauss (listen)

EXCERPT: “In your love I find release/A haven from my unbelief/Take my life and let me be/A living prayer, my God to Thee.”

REFLECTION: The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians, “Lord, I believe. Help me with my disbelief.” Alison Krauss comes in a close second here evoking the same message as she relays that in God’s love we can find a “peace that passes all understanding” if we surrender our beliefs and life to a higher power. Surrendering does not mean we lose anything, it means we can let our lives, through surrender  be “living prayers” to God and all beings.

SONG: “Bad” by U2 (listen)

EXCERPT: “This desperation, dislocation, separation, condemnation, revelation, in temptation, isolation, desolation/Let it go/And so fade away…/Surrender.”

REFLECTION: Bono’s vague lyrics here are open to interpretation but are reportedly about a friend's heroin addiction. We can use these words to remind us whatever we are experiencing that is undesirable can be let go of, that we can let our experience, our story pass into the presence of that which accepts all our faults without judgment. In this song Bono's voice  soars into the realms of both pain and exasperation, as well as velvety consolation in an effort to convey the experience of moving aside and letting all things “fade away.”

SONG: “Mind Games” by John Lennon (listen)

EXCERPT: “Yes is the answer/And you know that for sure/Yes is surrender/You got to let it, you got to let it go.”

REFLECTION: John Lennon was inspired to write "Mind Games" from a book authored by Robert Masters and Jean Houston which accentuated the force of the human brain to induce various states of consciousness. The song's positive message reminds us that saying "yes" IS the key to surrender and allowing for answers to come. By expressing "yes" we move into a higher state of being and from this openness, a space for peace and healing expands and possibilities are endless.

YOUR TURN: What songs speak to you about surrendering and letting go of preconceived outcomes allowing for new possibilities and insight?

In this week's podcast episode (#66, "Stripping Away"), musicians Carly Simon and Heather Maloney share interviews with RockOm. Carly talks about stripping down her hits for the new album Never Been Gone and singer-songwriter Heather Maloney shares about the stripping away process that occurs in meditation.

CLICK HERE to visit our Podcast page to download this and other episodes of the RockOm Podcast. While you're there, be sure to hit the Subscribe link to get automatic downloads of episodes as they come available.

As it turns out, Academy Award-winning singer-songwriter Carly Simon has a mystical side that is rarely made public. She shares with RockOm this week about using music to connect with others, as prayer and as a way to heal the world in Carly Simon Hears the Voice of God. Also in this interview you can preview and find out details about her latest album, Never Been Gone.

Also be sure to check out our new Featured Track of the Week from indie-folk rocker Heather Maloney. Hear Heather's song "Let It Ache" - about realizing that pain is just part of the human experience - all week long in the right column of the home page.

by Heather Maloney

Visit Heather at...
MySpace.com
Buy the new CD

At the age of 21, Heather Maloney began her musical career performing as a jazz singer alongside Grammy nominee Hui Cox in Manhattan. Her varied musical interests over the years (Joni Mitchell, Bobby McFerrin, Billy Holiday, The Beatles, Phillip Glass, Ravi Shankhar) began to shape a sound that would become distinctly her own. After studying classical operatic vocals, classical Indian and jazz, she booked it up to the woods of Massachusetts to focus on her growing interest in meditation. Heather has been living at a meditation retreat center for the past two years, where her current album, Cozy Razor's Edge, has slowly brewed in her solitude - a compilation of folk/indie/pop-rock songs directly affected by her experiences in meditation.

Featured Track: "Let It Ache"

Click to Play

"I was sitting a week long silent meditation retreat and my heart was aching. For a couple of days I was coming up with a number of stories as to why it was aching. Then came a moment when I said to myself, 'Oh this is just heartache. I can be with this. I don't need to figure it out to make it go away.' This song serves as a reminder that suffering and pain is part of the human experience and it's OK. Not only is it OK, it's fertile ground to grow from." (Heather)

By Trevor Harden, Trevor@RockOm.net

Modulation (mod-yoo-LAY-shun)
1. The process of changing from one key to another.
2. In electronic music, the term is applied to a change of frequency, amplitude, or other changes of similar nature possible through electronics.

(Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary)

Modulation, in music, is the act or process of changing from one key or tonal center to another. You can hear samples of various different kinds of classical music modulations - including Direct Modulation and Pivot Tone Modulation - HERE.

For a person with no music theory background this all most likely sounds like incomprehensible jargon. It's one of those things you have to hear to fully understand, but the truth is you've heard it many times.

Take this song for instance. Listen starting around the 3:00 mark; do you notice the upward shift at 3:17? That's modulation or a key change.

Well, Pir Vilayat Khan (1916-2004), the great Sufi master once said that "Meditation...could be defined as the art of modulating consciousness." The same could be said for prayer or other forms of spiritual discipline. Like a song that suddenly or gradually shifts one key higher, doing the work of spiritual discipline shifts our consciousness a notch or two closer to the "Divine Reality." As lay monk Brother Wayne Teasdale says in The Mystic Hours: A Daybook of Inspirational Wisdom and Devotion:

"To modulate our consciousness through meditation is to allow for its transformation, the change from self-preoccupation to God-realization, from ego-fixation to Divine Love... Gradually, as we learn to fine-tune our normally uncontrolled thoughts and preoccupations, we tune to the Divinity already ever-present in our consciousness."

If you have the ear to do so, as you hear modulations or key changes in the music you listen to this week, let it be a reminder to continue in your spiritual practice. Like tying a ribbon around your finger to help you remember, allow musical modulations to be "a reminder message from the universe" to stop and take a moment to pray or - in some other way - align yourself with Divine Love.

RockOm Round-up is a quick glance at what's going on around the world in the areas of music and spirituality...

• The ever-changing Thenewno2 - Son of Beatle George Harrison, Dhani dedicates his band's new album, You Are Here, to the yogis of the Himalayas. (chicagotribune.com)

• Gospel Music Association rumors and problems; where does GMA go from here? - "It started with whispers last week that the board of the Gospel Music Association might be closing its doors. Just whispers, that is, until someone with inside knowledge tweeted that GMA was considering closing its doors and asked if this was the end of Christian music." (blog.beliefnet.com)

• Blasting the US with punk Islam - "Punks from the left and right reject us, we're slammed for using Islamic ideas – but we don't care, this tour's a labour of love." (guardian.co.uk)

• Israeli Rock Group Chasidica mixes Metal with Spiritual - "Rock guitars clash with klezmer violins, clarinets and sometimes middle eastern darboukas when Chasidica, a new Israeli rock group takes the stage. Sagi and Idan Givol, two brothers raised as secular Israelis in Ramat Gan are using what they call Chutzpahdik Kedusha to help themselves and others identify with Jewish tradition." (israelinationalnews.com)

• Birmingham audiences to get preview of Yusuf Islam's new musical - "A long-held ambition by The Artist Formerly Known As Cat Stevens to write a stage musical has been realised – and Birmingham fans will be among the first to see a preview. The singer, who changed his name to Yusuf Islam after his conversion to Islam in 1979, will showcase Moonshadow during his show at Birmingham NIA on November 23." (israelinationalnews.com)

By Trevor Harden, Trevor@RockOm.net

Sixteen years ago to this very day, one of the cheesiest pop songs to ever reach #1 on pop radio topped the charts and remained there for five weeks.

The seven-minute, overdramatic epic was the foundation upon which one very... uh... beefy rock-God belted out the catchy hook that had people across the planet simultaneously singing along and scratching their heads...

"I would do anything for love.
Yes, I would do anything for love.
I would do anything for love,
But I won't do that."
[Meatloaf, "I'd Do Anything for Love"]

Wait, what? You won't do what, Mr. Meatloaf?

In a world yet to be saturated with the Almighty Google, blogs or online forums, we were left wondering what in the hell that one thing was. In one breath he proclaims love as the highest ideal, to which he gives the entirety of his heart, mind and soul; in the next, he is hung-up. The limits had been tested and the test came back negative. To misquote ESPN's Chris Berman, "He... could... [not]... go... all... the... way."

Most of us are also like this. We claim that love is both the road upon which to walk as well as the ultimate goal. Because of our spiritual convictions, we're first in line to say that because all people are sparks of or children of the divine, that unconditional love and compassion should be the foundation upon which we build our lives.

Then comes the application...

The truth is that most of us have limits. We're willing to be loving and compassionate - but to a point. I will do anything for love, but...

• ...that jerkwad just cut me off.
• ...I don't really deal with those kinds of people.
• ...you offended or hurt me in some way.

Remember these immortal words from Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, "Everyone I know has a big 'but.' C'mon, Simone, let's talk about your big 'but.'" Indeed, we all have a big "but." Very few of us are spiritually developed enough to love completely and at all times.

Fortunately, in this life - at least as I experience it - there is a divine grace that blankets our shortcomings and there is therefore no need for guilt or shame, even when we blow it. And it's not even that love and compassion are required of us anyway. If we choose to not make either a priority, that's our prerogative. It's just that most of us who have chosen to pursue Truth have discovered that Love is indeed worthy of our entire heart, mind and soul.

Over the next few days watch for where you come up against your edge. Try to discover your "but" - that place where you reach the limits of your love. Don't beat yourself up about it; we all have a threshold. But see if you can lean in to your "but", your limit, just a little. Through love, attempt to see other people for who they really are, instead of what they have done to you or who they may appear to be through your projections.

We may never get to the point where saying "...but I won't do that" is truly absent from the way in which we love others, but through practice we can enjoy getting as close as we can.

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By Trevor Harden, Trevor@RockOm.net

You probably remember Venn diagrams from high school (or perhaps you're still using them in your classes or business). While each circle signifies a unique set, overlapping sections represent any common ground.

Since the beginning of known culture, religious traditions have remained mostly within their own circle, rarely choosing to overlap into its neighbor's territory. It's an egoic defense mechanism that shouldn't be blamed; in fact it makes perfect sense. Thankfully though, we're beginning to move into a postmodern era where the overlapping of circles is becoming more and more common. Doing this brings with it not necessarily a diminishing of each individual circle (as traditionalists would have you believe) but an attitude of acceptance and coexistence.

I'm reminded of the famous story by Thich Nhat Hahn:

Twenty years ago at a conference I attended of theologians, and professors of religion, an Indian Christian friend told the assembly, "We are going to hear about the beauties of several traditions, but that does not mean that we are going to make a fruit salad." When it came my turn to speak, I said, "Fruit salad can be delicious! I have shared the Eucharist with Father Daniel Berrigan, and our worship became possible because of the sufferings we Vietnamese and Americans shared over many years." [from Living Buddha, Living Christ]

Notice he didn't say fruit purée. A banana still remains a banana and the apple chunks are still apples. Similarly finding common ground between Islam and Hinduism, for example, and allowing their Venn circles to overlap doesn't necessarily mean the loss of either's unique identity.

What does all of this have to do with music?

As various bloggers, musicians and writers have said many, many times here throughout the pages of RockOm, music is one of the tools that allows people within different circles to begin the process of moving toward one another.

Take the old dichotomy of 'secular' vs. 'sacred'...

This week two very interesting articles piqued my interest. The New York Times reported about a church in Brooklyn that, because of dying church activities and attendance, opened its door for artists to use the building. Non-religious musical groups began rehearsing in a space that, in a previous era, may have been looked down upon because of their 'secular' bent. In a remarkably similar story, a blogger at musicthinktank.com shared last month a very cool story about overcoming reservations of performing 'secular' music in a church setting. She shares,

"I find it encouraging to see more mainstream Christian churches are also seeing that artists like myself are not off topic at all. For a few hours a month, they allow their house of God to also be a House of Blues, where secular artists entertain, educate, and inspire people to do good..."

So what do we make of all this and why do I even bring it up? For a couple of reasons...

1. Cease seeing other as other | Please be cautious of the times where your inclination is to draw a line in the sand, believing someone to be different than yourself. Their circle may overlap with yours more than you think. At least consider giving that person or group the respect to be who they are without requiring them to transform their circle into one that looks like your own.
2. Allow music to help you break down walls | Rarely are people as closed-minded about their musical tastes as they are about their religious belief systems. Get to know folks by asking them about their favorite music (everybody has a favorite!).  Or attend a concert and notice how 'different' everyone is from you, yet they're there as well, enjoying what you're enjoying.
3. It's all 'divine' | If you're a person of faith, consider allowing the lines to blur a bit between what you consider 'sacred' and 'secular'. From a musical angle, see if you can find God in a pop song or can connect to something larger through a rock concert experience. Or simply use whatever music is on - Jay-Z, Megadeth or Miley Cyrus - to help center you in the present moment.
4. You can still be you | Begin to understand that in finding common ground with others, your own beliefs and preferences aren't threatened or lessened in any way. There is a way in which we can drop our guard and find acceptance and understanding toward others while still standing firm and being rooted in our own tradition and convictions.

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by Josh Garrels

Visit Josh at...
JoshGarrels.com
MySpace.com
iTunes

Josh Garrels has spent the past seven years moving around the country while recording his own albums in spare bedrooms, space heated garages and old attics. He experiments with a unique fusion of folk, breakbeats, and soul music by layering elements of electronic sampling and organic accompaniment. Lost Animals, Josh's latest album of B-sides, collaborations and singles, comes off the heels of 2008's critically acclaimed Jacaranda, which Paste Magazine chief editor Andy Whitman calls "quietly uplifting, sorrowful, real, and transcendently hopeful music."

Featured Track:
"All Creatures"

Click to Play

"'All Creatures' derives it's chorus from an old hymn written by St. Francis of Assisi. He had found a deep connection with nature in relation to God, as he would address 'brother sun, and sister moon' while communing with the birds and animals of fields. Much like St Francis, I've found serenity in worshipping the Creator of all things by delighting myself in his creation. Yet at the same time, when I see the perversion, destruction, and exploitation of his creatures, great and small, I find myself lifting up a cry for mercy, justice, and redemption of all things.' (Josh)