RockOm

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)

In this week's podcast episode (#66, "Through the Frame of Faith"), musicians Derek Webb and Josh Garrels share how their spiritual convictions inform how they write music. Other topics you will enjoy include how to understand the new face of the music industry, how music is impacted by the setting in which it is written, connecting to the divine through nature, understanding the role of the artist, and more.

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.

An interview with Himalayan/Tibetan Bowl Sound Healer Diáne Mandle

What are your observations with people experiencing change and self-discovery through sound?

Diáne: Healing through sound is a movement from disharmony to harmony, a spiritual awakening with a profound impact on the physical body. As we awaken and our perspective shifts, a domino effect ensues that also shifts our vibration and our cellular make up. The shifts cannot occur as separate entities - they affect the whole of who we are and extend infinitely. This transformation of consciousness is the foundational principle of the Himalayan Singing Bowls. Tuned to the vibrational frequency of AUM, the sound of universal perfection, their sound reawakens in us our connection to the universe. Their frequencies gently penetrate and calm the body/mind, balance the hemispheres of the brain, initiate the relaxation response and decrease, fatigue, pain, stiffness, and emotional tension. My clients often report that during sessions they feel completely transported to another dimension while being aware of that which surrounds them, and return feeling revitalized, deeply relaxed and filled with joy (a sense of wholeness). I work with many cancer patients and they report that pain and the effects of chemotherapy is greatly diminished, enhanced sleep patterns, more clarity, energy and a shift in attitude that contributes to their quality of life. Other reports from patients include lowering of blood pressure, positive changes in relationships and the ability to act on issues which they could not act on in the past.

The Tibetan Buddhist philosophy that the singing bowls are rooted in teaches us that embedded in the energy and frequency of the singing bowls is the idea that nothing exists independently of anything else. Healing is a process where we are released from an ego centered finite perspective of ourselves in the world and move into our essence where our vibratory energy is connected with the universe and where, even at a cellular level, we can experience the interrelationship of all things. Without healing, the core issue that caused a physical condition in the first place is likely to manifest again. Sound is the train that helps us get to healing.

What is energy healing & healing energy emission?

Diáne: The sound of Tibetan bowls entrain our energetic system to resonate with them in their perfection. In the universe every dissonant chord tends toward becoming a harmony and that’s what they help our bodies to do. The harmonic resonance of the bowls literally pulls us back into a more universal energetic flow. They effectively transmit their soothing and peaceful vibrations through our body in a way that affects our entire nervous and immune system and initiates the relaxation response bringing us into a Alpha/Theta brainwave state (waking dream state that is home to creativity, inspiration, intuition and where we can let go of our ego boundaries, of our consciousness of our physical state and connect with the non-physical, non dualistic.)

Who and how can people benefit from energy healing?

Diáne: Healing with sound is about getting back into alignment with the benefic energy of the universe. It is experiencing a vibration that connects us all to everything. Anyone can benefit who is willing to open to this energy.

What is the role of the patient and client in the process?

Diáne: We are equal partners in the process. The ultimate role of the practitioner is to empower the client to remember and strengthen his/her inner wisdom and healer. Ultimately the client is the healer, the practitioner is the guide back to that rediscovery.

About Diáne: Diáne Mandle has been practicing Himalayan/Tibetan Bowl Sound Healing since 2000 when she was already working as a Polarity practitioner and a Life Coach. Wanting to expand her knowledge of energy work she began a two year course of study of Tibetan bowls on the east coast with Sacred Sound Workshops and became their first certified practitioner. After relocating to California Diáne established a private practice integrating Polarity, Sound Healing and Coaching and in 2004 became California’s first State Certified Tibetan Bowl Practitioner/Instructor. Her work includes educational workshops, trainings and concerts nationally. Presently associated with the San Diego Cancer Center as one of its Complementary Therapy Team members she offer regular sessions to their patients. To date she has produced three acclaimed CDs, Return to Om and Sarasvati’s Dream and Being Well: The Journey, as well as two books Ancient Sounds for a New Age: Introduction to Himalayan Sacred Sound Instruments and How to Clear Space with Sound Using Tibetan Bowls & Tingshas. Diáne has appeared on numerous radio and television programs, been published in a multitude of journals, magazines and blogs and has traveled to Nepal and India to select high quality instruments and expand her understanding of the originating culture and healing modality. In June of 2008 in answer to an increasing demand for skilled sound healing practitioners she, in association with Sacred Sound Workshops opened the Tibetan Bowl Sound Healing School. The schools mission is to help create and maintain a high standard of practice with the Sacred Sound Instruments.

Find out more about Diáne, her books, music and healing work at SoundEnergyHealing.com.

An Interview with Medeski, Martin and Wood drummer Billy Martin
By Trevor Harden and Tom Crenshaw

The earth is populated with thousands upon thousands of musical acts who write, record and perform within their comfort zones, using the live stage to rehash their recorded music. Sparse are the bands willing to experiment, improvise and truly "play" in the playing of their music. Medeski, Martin and Wood, however, are one of those bands.

With as broad of a musical palette as any ensemble, MMW explores and experiments with sound, rhythm, and melody, unafraid to take chances or even to fall on their faces. But don't expect that often, as the group's well-honed skills and superb musicianship are the envy of musicians and fans worldwide.

Now in their eighteenth year together, MMW has completed a new series of albums entitled The Radiolarians Series (the last of which, Radiolarians III, was released on August 4th). The project itself was innovative in that it thwarted the tired, age-old pattern of touring in support of an already recorded album. Instead, they wrote the music on tour, performing (or even creating) fresh pieces for live audiences, only to return later to the studio to record the new pieces.

In this interview, drummer Billy Martin talks about the Radiolarians process, the band's openness to change, the "motherly" power in creating something new and tapping into higher dimensions through music.

RockOm: We recently spent some time with Brazilian vocalist Flora Purim and her percussionist husband Airto Moreira talking with them about their heritage, Brazilian rhythm and sound and how they’ve contributed to its evolution. Before becoming part of Medeski, Martin & Wood, you were a part of the NYC Brazilian scene in the 1980s. What led to your discovery and joining into that scene and why do you think the Brazilians seem to know something intrinsic about rhythm that the rest of the world envies?

Billy: The Brazilians have a unique rhythmic vocabulary unlike any other, which for me was very magical. When I was younger I discovered and fell in love with it so I dropped everything and for two years only played Brazilian music. It changed my life. It's a different way of being and a whole different world. I still love it and I learned a lot about African rhythms through Brazilian rhythms, really. The way I phrase and play drums is heavily influenced by that style. But once I learned to play Brazilian-style, I realized I couldn't only be a Brazilian drummer or percussionist. I had to take it my own way and reinterpret it.

RockOm: You’re also a visual artist with your printmaking, painting, pencil and pastel drawings, and other mediums. Do any of the creative attributes of visual artistry help with your creating musically?

Billy: Absolutely. It comes from the same place of exploration and experimentation. When I make art, it's usually through an improvising technique where I'm not sure what I'm going to end up with, which is the same way that I create music.

RockOm: Medeski, Martin & Wood has successfully experimented and reinvented itself many times over the years. What do you think has contributed to your being open for change - which seems to be a problem for many other bands?

Billy: I think it's just our personalities, where we're coming from and where we're going, and the chemistry we have. It's also the love we share for creating new things, keeping it fresh, being involved with growing and learning, and not being afraid to take chances. We all share that in this band. There's no real strong personality that says, "I just want to play the same thing every night. I don't want to be challenged. I just want to make the money. I just want to play the same thing and play the same little trick I do every night that makes people go 'Ooh, ahh!' Let's collect the check and play it safe." For us, that's like the fuckin' devil. It's just not the way we work.

RockOm: Many of your songs are thematic in that the song title and the composition or expressed feeling all seem to be communicating a certain theme. How much of your writing starts with a non-musical idea - where you want to write a song about a certain subject and then you put music to that idea - as opposed to just writing music and naming it later?

Billy: Only a very, very small percentage of anything is conceptual where we say, "Let's do something that's about this or let's take this title and create a piece of music." It's more that we want to communicate with sound and use our musical vocabulary to see what happens. We just get together and see what happens when we have a musical discussion. Then we will take notes on it, record it or just think about it. But there's only about 5% of our music that comes in [conceptually].

RockOm: Reflecting back now that the Radiolarians project is complete, would you say you and the group have accomplished your objectives with what you were aiming for in this collection of albums and tours?

Billy: Definitely. I think originally we were going for four different "seasons" but to me this is even better. I like the number three: we're a trio, three is a powerful number, and three volumes of music is perfect. It's asymmetrical; I like that. I am really happy with what happened. We didn't know where it was going to end up and each record evolved out of the previous one. And that was the whole point, that it was an evolving process of writing. That theme is in there: evolution, revolution, re-evolution.

RockOm: What would you say you learned most about the band or just in general through the Radiolarians process?

Billy: It's hard to say; we've been together for eighteen years. Musically, we're changing all the time and so as far as what we learn, it's almost hard to put words to it. I guess patience, learning how to be patient and how not to repeat ourselves. But that's an ongoing theme. On a more technical level, I'd say we're learning about making records and releasing them ourselves. We're learning how to be a record company. The things we've dreamt about are becoming true now because we've been involved with other labels and this is now our own thing. We're also learning to do more with less, financially. With Blue Note, Capitol or Indirecto there was some money there. I mean it wasn't our money... but then we didn't own the end product. It was our music but physically the recording wasn't ours and that kind of sucked. The trade-off was investing in ourselves and taking the money out of our own pockets and all the sudden you get more serious about it in a way, because now it's our responsibility to package this thing and get it out there. We've become a little more careful how much time we've spent on recording, mastering, editing or whatever.

RockOm: There’s a freedom inherent in music as well as a long history of cutting edge, innovative jazz that touches on or hints at a higher dimension in music besides the norm. What’s your experience with sound as a vehicle to higher dimensions, or higher levels of consciousness, and would you describe MMW’s music as a means to reaching those states?

Billy: Yes, it's the quickest way for me to "get there," as far as reaching another level of communication. I'm not very good with words and I've developed my own way of making music and using sound that is my own. It's been an inspirational and spiritual self-discovery that I've gone through. There's magic in there; it's real magic. Sometimes I'm doing it and I don't take it so seriously. I mean I'm always focused and trying to do my best but there's times when I don't take myself so seriously that I say, "Check me out, I'm a master and you're going to learn from me." I don't do that unless I'm teaching. I'm only going to say, "This is who I am when I'm being sincere. I'm going to do some stuff - some of it is going to work and some of it isn't - and I'm not going to be so serious about myself." But then people come up to me and they say, "Oh my God, you changed my life." To me that's the magic, the power of that stuff. Sometimes maybe when I'm not witnessing this spiritual thing that's happening, other people may be getting it. It's really cool in that way. Sometimes I'm conscious of what I'm doing and what's happening and other times other people see it.

RockOm: Do you notice those magical or mystical moments when improvising with your bandmates and you lock into a groove that seems to have come from beyond yourself?

Billy: Yes and a lot of it comes through the improvising when we make these discoveries. We look at each other like, "Oh my God, how in the hell did we just decide to do that? We didn't plan this; it just happened." We look at each other with our mouths open sometimes and that's the beautiful thing about it. Just being creative and not repeating yourself note for note is probably one of the greatest things you can do because you're creating something that hasn't been done before. When you're doing that you're creating a new thing and putting a new thing into the world; it's very powerful. Not powerful in a warrior way, more in a motherly way of creating a new being. That's a spiritual thing.

RockOm: Camp MMW has wrapped it's 2nd year. Tell us about the camp and what you've learned in working with musicians of varying levels.

Billy: We do it upstate New York in the Catskills which is in this area called the Full Moon Resort. It's a beautiful spot on hundreds of acres and the way it's set up is just perfect. We have the barn for master classes where we show films and there's other spaces in which we teach. John, Chris and I will have workshops at the same time so some of the student body comes to my thing because I'm going to do Afro-Brazilian rhythms or I'm going to talk about improvising and soloing or they'll go to John's where he's going to talk about his keyboard setup or what it means to improvise. It's a very intimate setting where we're getting hands on with the students, we're creating ensembles and they're getting to play with people they've never played with before under our direction. They also get their own time to do jam sessions at night with other people and cross-pollinate. We give them the juice and the ideas or concepts they can use and we end up having a really good time. It's only our second year but I'm confident that it's something we'll keep going.

RockOm: You're about to embark on a new string of fall tour dates. What are you anticipating about this coming tour?

Billy: We're always into writing new music but now that we have all three volumes of Radiolarians, we'll throw those out. We'll sprinkle the set with Radiolarians tunes and improvise on that and then we'll start experimenting with some new ideas. We may even get into a little more visual stuff too - video that relates to the Radiolarians - if it works out. But basically it's going to be the same guys up there trying to do some new shit. [laughs]

http://www.mmw.net

Thanks to Myles Grosovsky and Sneak Attack Media

By Tom Crenshaw, tom@RockOm.net

Yesterday I interviewed the legendary percussionist Airto Moreira for an upcoming feature planned at RockOm. For those who may not know of Moreira, Arito has worked with Miles Davis, Chick Corea, Francis Ford Coppola, Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain and Flora Purim (Moreira’s wife who is a celebrated Brazilian jazz singer herself) to mention a few. I can only say his unpretentious viewpoint of his accomplishments precedes his reputation as a musician - quite impressive for someone who has contributed some of music's greatest rhythms. I was particularly struck by how Moreira expressed his acting as a channel from which a rich spiritual joy pours forth. It was when joy overtook him that he knew he was creating and performing music of the most extraordinary kind.

How can we, as Moreira, become a channel or a vessel for Spirit to express joy in the carrying out of our obligations - be it creating or performing music, or simply performing our daily work, no matter how mundane our tasks may seem?

One of the most effective ways to “get out of our own way” and express joy in the moment is to recognize the moment for what it is: it is sacred. This moment is, as the greatest teachers of spiritual enlightenment have taught for thousands of years, all that we can truly exist in. In recognizing the moment, instead of reliving the past or anticipating the future, we can begin to witness our being carrying out what it is we are doing in a new light. We become present and capable of being a channel to express joy.

Another way we can express joy is to not judge what it is we are doing in the moment so quickly. We tend to jump right in, right away at any given moment and define what we think is going on before Spirit has the opportunity to color our awareness and shed its light on our being. Take for example playing music. There isn’t a right way or a wrong way to play a note in music- there is simply the most effective way to communicate how you are feeling in the moment. How can we perform passionately while we're worrying about the last note that just tanked and anticipating the notes to come, hoping they won’t turn out like the notes before?

The same can be said for experiencing music as a listener. Upon hearing new music we tend to anticipate where we think the music is going.  Again, we’re not in the moment but referencing experiences from the past (“this sounds like such and such song”). We can’t experience the full joy of the music because we aren’t present – we’re anticipating or judging what it is we think we’re going to hear.

Today, spend some time being fully present in the moment in whatever you are doing and open up your being to become a channel for expressing joy. You’ll know when you are recognizing this sacred moment when you’re quickly filled with all that is good and joyous. When you can’t contain anymore, all that goodness will spill over and out, out into those around you and into the world.

You are designed from joy, to be filled with joy and to share that joy with those around you. Be present and open, don’t judge and become a channel. You have beautiful music inside you that is already in-tune with all that is good.

Watch for RockOm’s interview and podcast featuring percussionist Airto Moreira coming in September.

"We are all notes in this eternal song; God plays his flute, we all dance along." So sings Trevor Hall on his latest album - a self-titled release, available today (7/28/09). Trevor is a longtime friend of RockOm, having been featured several times on the site and it's no wonder why. His outstanding music is a blend of the sacred and secular - melding funky, acoustic-reggae jams with deep, spiritually significant lyrics.

Released by the legendary Vanguard Records, Trevor's new album features guest performances by Colbie Caillat, Krishna Das and Matisyahu. Over its 12 fantastic tracks, he explores themes of spiritual lightheartedness ("Internal Heights"), death and surrender ("Who You Gonna Turn To?"), unity between faiths ("Unity"), the story of Krishna ("Volume"), his accepting of all spiritual paths as one truth ("Many Roads") and more.

Despite these heavy themes, however, Trevor's music never comes off as preachy, but rather as humble, gentle and exploratory. The music gently jumps from hard rock to reggae to contemplative ballads and back again. Bathing in these songs of divine love and devotion, the listener is transported both to the transcendent beyond as well as to what lies within.

Fans of spiritually-significant lyrics and up-beat acoustic rock owe it to themselves to pick up a copy of this album. And even if those labels don't fit you exactly, it's nearly impossible to not be moved by this landmark musical accomplishment.  Purchase your copy of Trevor Hall today at iTunes, Amazon.com or other retailers.

In addition, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for an exclusive interview with Trevor Hall, right here at RockOm.net in a few short weeks.

www.TrevorHallMusic.com

A behind-the-scenes look at the song "Unity"

An Interview with Corey Smith

By Tom Crenshaw, tom@RockOm.net

Corey Smith definitely has a fire of unconventional conviction in him. You can hear this faith, as he describes it, “a calling to be honest and real,” in his music and can witness it at sold-out shows across the country. Smith’s incredibly energetic live shows, combined with clever, well-crafted lyrics and a soulful Southern voice has earned him an enthusiastic legion of fans. Smith says, “It really starts with a song. It’s just about writing songs that, for one reason or another, connect with people and impact their lives.”

Smith’s roots are in rural Jefferson, Georgia but his dreams of becoming a singer-songwriter were fueled by the diversity and sounds of nearby Athens, Georgia. Smith has long since paid his dues penning such anthem-style, crowd rousing sing-a-longs like “Twenty-One,” “I’m Not Gonna Cry,” and “The Wreckage.”

Smith has taken full advantage of the internet - or you might say the internet has taken advantage of him. His music is readily available for fans, old and new to download and even share without too much concern for profitability. Smith explains it this way, "I get asked if I mind when someone burns my music. I'm just flattered that people want to."

In July 2008 Smith released his fifth album - a six-song EP recorded live at The Georgia Theatre in his adopted hometown of Athens, GA. As you’ll hear in the podcast accompanying these brief interview excerpts, 2009 finds Smith writing new songs for yet another CD due out in the fall, which is sure to keep him touring well into the future and continuing on in his much deserved success.

RockOm: I’ve read where as you were growing up you loved singing gospel. You still enjoy singing gospel?

Corey Smith: I think I sing gospel music. I think my music is very religious, especially the stuff I write now. It’s not what you would normally hear in church, but it’s my form of gospel. I grew up in a fundamental Southern Baptist home, raised largely by my grandparents. The church had a big impact on me; it was where I learned how to sing and where I was first exposed to live music through the church choir. It was probably my bedrock as a musician. Later on, a lot of the things that I learned to listen to was in reaction to that. As I got older I didn’t want anything to do with gospel or country music because it was what my parents and grandparents listen to. I wanted to rock. In high school I was listening to alternative music, all the 90’s rock, and gangster rap and such. But it was largely a reaction against my upbringing.

RockOm: Tell me about that spark, that line, melody or lyric that suddenly appears in your head and starts a new song.

Corey Smith: It’s euphoric and very spiritual. At some point in the writing process when I feel like I’ve got the spark, that the song is on its way, I’ll say a silent prayer, just like “Thank you.” I do believe that for me the music comes from God. My whole experience as a musician is a part of a much longer, deeper relationship with God. It’s not traditional; it’s a much different relationship than I thought I would ever have [with God] as a kid. It’s something that goes beyond what I learned in church. To me, even the songs that have cussing in them and are about raunchy things - it’s still God. My calling is to be honest and real and sometimes it’s hard for people to listen, but I try to stay focused when I’m writing on not censoring myself so much. For me, now, it’s really largely about the music letting the melody dictate what the song is going to be [about]. Having the music parts, to me, those are the parts that get me excited. When I hear the melody that’s when I feel like I’m really channeling something. Then I’ll let the melody inspire an emotion or mood or idea that will then turn into the words.

The entirety of RockOm’s interview with Corey Smith can be heard at the RockOm.net podcast for the week of May 28, 2009.

www.coreysmith.com

www.myspace.com/coreysmithmusic

Physician Uses Harp To Soothe, Heal Patients

Newswise — The soothing tones of a harp filled her room at Loyola University Hospital as Donna Kuzniar closed her eyes and mentally journeyed off to a more serene place and time, free of the pain and worry of her serious illness.

She remained in her tranquil haven for about 30 minutes until the harpist, internist and pediatrician Linda Fisher, completed her performance and quietly and unobtrusively packed up her music, stand and portable harp and prepared to leave.

"God is great," a tearful Kuzniar said after briefly thanking Fisher. "When you get somebody like Linda Fisher who puts herself out there, it's really encouraging. It's just so generous, so generous of her spirit."

Fisher is among a growing number of health-care professionals who play therapeutic music for patients in hospitals, hospices, homes and other clinical settings to help promote healing. She plays for adult, pediatric and adolescent patients suffering from illnesses ranging from cancer and stroke to trauma and cardiovascular problems.

"What a music practitioner does is provide a healing atmosphere with live music at the bedside of patients," said Fisher, assistant professor, division of internal medicine/pediatrics, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, Ill. "In many instances patients don't even have to interact physically or verbally with a practitioner in order for this form of therapy to be effective."

Fisher has performed for hundreds of patients at Loyola. Though she performs a wide variety of musical genres, popular tunes are not a regular part of her repertoire. But she does try to take into account individual musical preferences and carefully observes patients' reactions and adjusts to find the music that best suits patients' therapeutic needs.

"The music I play is not necessarily familiar," said Fisher, who is finishing up coursework towards certification as a music for healing practitioner. "It's healing music that puts the patient in a special place of peace as far as the music's rhythm, melodies and tonal qualities."

It's been long recognized that music can have a profound effect on the human body by easing anxiety and promoting relaxation. However, research indicates that music in a clinical setting can do much more by aiding healing. Studies done in the early 1990s at Bryan Memorial Hospital in Lincoln, Neb., and St. Mary's Hospital in Mequon, Wis., concluded music "significantly" lowered the heart rates and calmed and regulated the blood pressures and respiration rates of patients who had undergone surgery.

In 2007, a study in Germany found that music therapy helped improve the motor skills in patients recovering from strokes. Other studies have found that music therapy can boost the immune system, improve mental focus, help control pain, create a feeling of well being and greatly reduce anxiety of patients awaiting surgery.

"The theory seems to be that live vibration, which is essentially what music is, helps promote human healing since from our nervous system to our very atoms, we as human beings have a lot of vibrations coursing through our bodies," said Fisher who performs for any patient interested.

Fisher decided to take up a musical instrument 12 years ago as a way to ease the stress and tension of busy days seeing and treating patients. She settled on a harp because she was always taken with the instrument's unique acoustic qualities.

"I was driving home from work thinking that I needed another diversion, something more artsy," said Fisher, who is board certified in internal medicine and pediatrics.

She periodically performs music for prayer and meditation in Loyola's chapel, plays religious music in her church and is a member of a harp ensemble called Harpe Diem. She got the idea to incorporate the harp as part of her medical mission after attending a therapeutic harp conference in Salt Lake City.

"I thought this was something I could do because I'm used to working with patients and I thought this would be another aspect of healing," she said. "It's like Loyola's motto, 'We also treat the human spirit.'" This program does make a difference. Putting people in a better spirit or better state of mind is an important part of healing. It's an important part of what we do here at Loyola."

Source: Loyola University Health System

In recent interviews, rock singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge has been opening up about her battle with cancer and the awakening that this experience has brought with it:

During days of total stillness during "dose dense" chemotherapy, Etheridge said, "My mind's tape ran off the reel, it just stopped -- there was nothing left to think about... I imagine this is where yogis and people who meditate try to get to ... and what's behind that is this incredible soul, it's this spirit."

Read more about how Melissa's trauma has opened her up to see the beauties of life and the depth of spirit HERE [offsite @ The Arizona Republic].

Over the Rhine is an Ohio-based indie husband-and-wife duo with a huge devoted fan base and eleven studio albums under their belts. Known for their unique yet ever-changing sound and thoughtful lyricism, Over the Rhine has made a name for themselves while playing the industry game their own way. OTR's Linford Detweiler spoke with RockOm's Trevor Harden about their career, the band's newest release, The Trumpet Child, and the biblical imagery and whimsical political musings within.

Linford Detweiler: I think when people walk away desiring to be a better human being (laughs) that something important has happened. I know when I encounter any kind of creativity that moves me on some significant level that's one of my immediate responses. I just want to be a better person. I love that art can do that – there's something mysterious about how and why that happens. But that's what keeps it interesting and meaningful for us, to get caught up in that sense of creativity being a springboard to being more fully alive.

RO: You've also said that one of the things that Over the Rhine has been interested in – among other things – is "challenging the status quo and taking power away from those who have too much and transferring it to people who have too little." This sounds to me a lot like Jesus' saying that "The first shall be last and the last shall be first." In what ways has Over the Rhine's career and music promoted that attitude or approach?

L: I think some of it has to do with the ethos of the band and our do-it-yourself work ethic from the beginning. The music industry, the whole power structure of it, was centered around LA and New York and Nashville and there was a lot of discussion early in our careers about getting on board and moving to one of the power centers for the industry. But we took a little more of a communal approach; a little bit more of a historical approach, maybe, in that we opted to stay closer to home where we had roots, where we also had friends that had been important influences to us and where we had a sense of community. Right off the bat we said, "Thanks but no thanks," to aligning ourselves with some of the big industry structures and decided to strike off the beaten path a little bit. That being said, I hope our recordings have filled a niche on people's shelves and served a purpose in a way that they couldn't really find exactly what we were doing anywhere else. There was a little bit of something kind of strange and wonderful about what we were trying to do with our music. I think we gave permission to a lot of people to sort of strike out on some sort of creative journey with or without the partnership of a record label or a publisher and [promoted] the idea that everybody has something to contribute, something to say, [that] anybody that wants to live with their eyes wide open can participate in this bigger conversation.

RO: Your new album's title track, "The Trumpet Child," beautifully blends apocalyptic biblical images with some jazz references. Is this a fresh modern retelling of the Christian end-times Revelation story or does it have a second, metaphoric meaning?

L: "The Trumpet Child" was an interesting song for us in that it kind of veered into a new territory musically. There are a couple things going on there. Some of it was on sort of a personal level and there's also a bigger, spiritually symbolic level. On a personal level, one of my earliest memories was the sound of the trumpet at a camp meeting revival that my parents took me to. It kind of woke me up to the world; it really is one of my very first memories. The sound of that trumpet up on that little wooden stage appeals to my imagination and so the idea of a child discovering a trumpet was always a powerful image to me. I can remember the first time I heard a piano as well. It seemed like a strange little wooden house was calling my name when I heard what was coming out of it. There's also an image in the Old Testament about the lion lying down with the lamb, the earth being healed, and a child leading the lion – which is a powerful image that some of us grew up with in Sunday school. So there's some of all of that tangled up in there and I guess the song is just a riff on this idea that we hear over and over in gospel music that the earth might be reborn somehow with the sound of a trumpet. We were wondering what that might actually sound like and thinking of [how if] some of the great American horn players like Louis Armstrong and so forth did start blowing riffs in the sky, what kind of a musical ride that might be.

RO: And now just several weeks away from the big 2008 presidential election, I'm sure your song "If a Song Could Be President" takes on a timely significance. It seems to speak of how hope, democracy, love, and change can – as your lyrics state – "break us out of a minor key." How have you seen your thoughts about this song or your mindset while you're performing it change in light of the current political landscape we find ourselves in?

L: The song was kind of a whimsical little idea that popped up on our radar while making The Trumpet Child. We got to thinking about what might happen if we sent some of our personal favorite songwriters to Washington to help sort some things out. We got to wondering who might do what. John Prine could run the FBI. In concert, we talk about the fact that Tom Waits could be Secretary of State. Emmylou could be ambassador. I think those are all still really good ideas (laughs) but I think one thing that we were hoping that the song might contribute is this sense of reminding people that American music is something that we still hold in common regardless of political affiliation. It seems like as the political landscape sort of revs up that there's a lot of pressure on people to divide into separate camps, surround yourself with people that think like you do. There's very little opportunity actually for real conversation. We've noticed that if we go to an Al Green concert, it's one of the most beautiful mixes of people in the same place with a very diverse audience – black, white, wealthy people, working class, people that are drawn to the religious component of Al Green's gospel music, people that are there because they love the early love songs. It's just this big melting pot of America in the same room and music is the common thread that is getting people back together in the same place. I think people forget and take for granted all the music that could've only happened here in America – ragtime, blues, jazz, rock n' roll, bluegrass, country and western, or gospel music. There's so much music that has come from this messy experiment called America. So we were hoping that the song might be a reminder that music is something that can get us out of our separate camps and remind us that we are all Americans.

RO: Lastly, Over the Rhine is on tour and people can catch you all over the country. In December, you're doing a two night 20th anniversary concert in Cincinnati, back where it all started. What can people expect at such a special event like this?

L: We've put out quite a few CDs over the past 20 years so we've decided to break it up into two nights and focus on our first decade of recordings on the first night and the second decade on the second night. We've had a pretty amazing revolving door of musicians that have inspired us, contributed to these recordings over the years and toured with us. Obviously Ric Hordinski and Brian Kelley, the two co-founding members of the band, were extremely significant in getting the music of Over the Rhine off the ground. So they're going to join us on that first night and we're going to revisit some of those early songs we've not played in years. And yeah, just invite the people that haven't been around in a while to join in and hopefully make a bit of a lovely ruckus for a while.

www.overtherhine.com

[Edited by Andrew Hoogheem]

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