RockOm

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

• A Talk With Regina Spektor: Jay-Z, Her Beloved New Musical, and Spirituality on Far - "Some of your listeners have said that your latest album, Far, had too many religious undertones for their liking, and some have even called it 'preachy'. As a listener myself, I feel your references are just drawn from your philosophies, maybe related to your background or to myths and stories that you enjoy. What are your thoughts on this? (consequenceofsound.net.com)

• Holy headbangers - "Hellish images fly out the window when you hear Celestial Portal screaming about 'breaking free' and 'choosing the light'. Blood Covenant looks like it walked right out of LaVey's The Satanic Bible but actually growls about the New Testament."(timesofindia.com)

• Creed Comes Back: Who Still Believes? - "Lyrically, Creed resembles a platitudinous version of U2, indulging in spiritual, religious themes. Sometimes those lyrics get spectacularly vapid..." (kansascity.com)

• Exclusive: Cory Chisel On His Breakout Album - A very cool article and interview with last week's RockOm Featured Track of the Week artist, Cory Chisel (huffingtonpost.com)

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

• What music would you choose to die to? - "Ghoulish question, I know, but someone asked me the other day and I keep wondering. The concept of music to die to was introduced to me as a child by Gervase Hughes’s essay on Beethoven in his book Fifty Famous Composers, still the best short introduction to classical music." (blogs.telegraph.co.uk)
• Derek Webb's new album pushes some hot buttons - "Some have accused [Christian Musician] Webb of using profanity to grab attention — not unheard of in ministry. Webb defends the use of the word as an effective use of his primary tool: language. And he's willing to be at the center of controversy, something the former Caedmon's Call member is used to." (kentucky.com)
• American and Muslim, Sufi mystics band goes global - "With a discombobulating mix of blonde hair and ecstatic cries of "Allah, Allah!", the members of Islamic band Debu sway on stage at a strip mall on the edge of Indonesia's capital. Led by a clutch of American siblings, the band of adherents of Sufi Islamic mysticism have become a perennial hit during the holy month of Ramadan here in the world's largest Muslim-majority country." (Google/AFP)
• Hip-hop innovator Russell Simmons seeks world change - "Russell Simmons may not change the world single-handedly, but it sure looks like he's trying. At 51, the hip-hop pioneer, entrepreneur and philanthropist has opened his wallet to causes from funding art and meditation in schools to promoting Muslim/Jewish dialogue to empowering youth to create social and political change in their communities." (chron.com)
• "George Harrison of Counting Crows" Releases Solo Album - "Counting Crows founding member and longtime bassist Matt Malley describes his first solo CD, 'The Goddess Within,' as 'intentionally Beatle-esque.' 'I was always considered the 'George Harrison of Counting Crows,'' Malley said. 'I was always flying off to India to meditate and learn Indian music during breaks from touring or recording. This is the result.'" (reuters.com)

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

• 'The Music is Filled with Colors' - An Artist and a String Quartet Interpret Music by Czech Composer Krása, Who Died in the Holocaust: "The composition is powerful, compelling and contains a message of hope and promise," he said. "There's a spiritual quality to the sky; it really works symbolically as a sign of freedom." (forward.com)
• Marin Interfaith Council concert takes world music to eclectic spiritual level - "'Interfaith music is the way we really need to go in terms of living peacefully together,' said Cantor Linda Hirschhorn, Vocolot's founder. 'The more we can appreciate each other's culture, the more places there are where our beliefs can intersect. And when we find those, then we have more in common that we can share.'" (marinij.com)
• Indian classical music icon Hangal dead - "Leading Indian classical vocalist Gangubhai Hangal died Tuesday at a hospital after a brief illness... Her demise was mourned by the Indian music community which said Hangal reached the pinnacle of music, battling poverty and defying gender and caste barriers in the conservative, pre-independence India." (earthtimes.com)
• Three days of peace and music make a comeback - "'It was an amazing event in that a group or community of people came together, that it was peaceful at a time when things were pretty horrible,' Lang said. 'All these things we had been striving for came together that weekend -- I thought this was a chance for us to demonstrate what the world was going to be like when we were in charge. I think it was a moment of hope in a very dark time.'" (manchesterjournal.com)

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

• Musicians' country gathering results in "Glory" - Several top Christian artists "gathered in the rural setting to write and record the old-fashioned way. There's no studio clock ticking, no label executives stopping by, just camaraderie and a sense of creative adventure." The result was Glory Revealed II: The Word of God in Worship. (Billboard)
• Rob Thomas' new album explores darker themes - "Rob Thomas' new CD, Cradlesong, reveals a more complex side of the singer: themes of despair, and even death, are explored in various songs." (Yahoo! News)
• Bridge to Zimbabwe: Music gives insight into African culture - "The music of Shona culture is more important than its notes or the rhythms, it is a spiritual device. 'Music is the framework for how you want to worship,' Murungu said. 'It has healing properties and the affect of bringing peace.'" (WickedLocal.com)
• Band spotlight: South Africa's Civil Twilight - A spotlight on the band Civil Twilight whose spiritual lyrics "weave a tale of hope, longing, love and more and are like thought provoking poems set to music." (examiner.com)

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

• The spiritual lessons of Michael Jackson's life - Even though we're all getting a little weary of all the MJ news, here's a great reflection on the spiritual lessons one can garner from Jackson's legacy. (American Chronicle)
• Bargainin' for Interpretation - In a new book entitled Bargainin' for Salvation: Bob Dylan, A Zen Master?, a Florida International University professor "interprets the oeuvre of Dylan's career through a Zen Buddhist perspective and includes but digs much, much deeper than Dylan's obvious Buddhist influences." (Examiner.com)
• Clippers: LaPorta's spirituality keeps him grounded - When pro baseball player Matt LaPorta steps up to the batter's box, the song that begins blaring is Christian worship artist Lincoln Brewster's song "Everlasting God." (Dispatch.com)
• Multi-Platinum Selling Group 'Diamond Rio' Mark Christian Music Debut - "After two decades of making music, acclaimed six time vocal group of the year and GRAMMY® nominated Diamond Rio are unveiling their 11th album and first full length Christian record The Reason on Word Records on Sept. 22." (christiannewswire.com)
• Wanderlust Festival: Sounds like a stretch - "This month’s Wanderlust Festival fuses yoga and music in a three-day spectacle of physical and artistic hedonism that will kick your asanas and soothe your eardrums." (newsreview.com)