Music
is one of the best ways I know to help me prepare emotionally and mentally for whatever
is to come down the road and so, I’ve
put together a program with three solid sets of music to do just that, featuring,
New Model Army, Riverside, Matthew Perryman Jones, Steve Hackett, Darling &
Co, Julian Lennon, Great Lake Swimmers, Darrel Treece-Birch, and Roger Waters. Have
a listen and if it resonates share it with your friends.
SET: 01
First
up is Bradford UK Band, New Model Army with “Winter” taken from their 2016
album of the same name…
The
first time I heard this song, it made me think of “The Game of Thrones” yet the
song also contained the dark atmosphere of the times we were living in and surely
the dark times we are living in today 2018…what better way to lead off the show
because in order to heal our essence and absolve our fears, we must face the
winter in our lives and walk through it. New Model Army are, Justin Sullivan, Michael
Dean, Dean White, Marshall Gill, and Keri Monger.
Following
New Model Army comes the contemplative sounds of “Riverside” and their song
“Time Travelers” taken from their 2015 album “Love, fear and the Time Machine”…an
instant classic in my mind as “Time Travellers” connects us through music and
lyric to weave a deep meaningful understanding of reality and the times we live
in…the song is a wonderful escape and reflection that’s difficult not to sing…”let’s
go back to the world that was 30 years ago, let’s believe this is our time”. Mariusz
Duda, Piotr Kozieradzki and Jacek Melnicki are Riverside…Riverside also has a
new album in the works due for release in 2018, so we are certainly looking
forward to that.
Rounding
this healing set of music is Matthew Perryman Jones with his 2012 song “Land of
the Living” taken from his forth album of the same name. What can I say, when
you’ve written the most empathic song in the world, you need not worry about
topping it…just remember,
The
spark of light that is in you, is also in me, and all living things. We are all
here for a short time to understand what existence is…we live as individual
shadows of consciousness in a realm of the living.
“The
journey does not end here, for we are a part of an infinite universe that is
consciously alive in all of us, individually and collectively. If you close
your eyes and listen to the silence, you will see that light, feel its
infinity, and understand that you are just visiting here, for a short while, in
the land of the living…and one day, you get to go home…so put away your fears,
embrace life and what comes after…but while you are here, celebrate your stay
through deeds of great vision, fitting of your empathic journey...
And
Now, we are ready to confront the winter of darkness, as we time travel to the
land of the living, on the minstral show…
SET: 02
Its
been an intensive week of insanity in the global geopolitical arena, to say the
least, where plans within plans behind the smoke built up global tensions,
releasing a massive day of events which have left many of us, quite
disconnected. So let’s remedy that.
Steve
Hackett begins this next set with “Behind the Smoke” taken from his 2017 album
“The Night Siren” an awesome album of expression not to be missed… There’s a
great video of this song on the InsideOUT music channel on YouTube which is
well worth watching as it brings to mind some of the real horrors that our
brothers and sisters and their children are experiencing in the Middle East…the
song and video entice us to stand up and face our fears head on, which is the
key to surviving the daily deluge coming at us from all directions. Steve
Hackett brings all of it to us packaged in a song. The song is also part of his
awesome show. I know, because I got to see Steve Hackett and Band here in
Montreal so be sure not to miss them when they come your way…but hurry, tickets
go quickly.
Following
Steve Hackett is Noumea, New Caledonia band Darling and Co with “Massive Day”
taken from their 2014 EP “Close Connection”
“Massive
Day” is a song about a soul who reaches out to guardian angel Hekamiah for
strength and guidance in a time of great darkness and cataclysm…An awesome song
that seemingly brings a wall of sound towards you like a tidal wave. Darling
and Co are, Thierry "Pinpin", Gilbert Seliman, Patrick Eriale, Fred
Mazoyer and Stephane Khoa-Hy
Julian
Lennon closes the set with “Disconnected” from his 2013 album “Everything
Changes” an awesome album that should be on everyone list of CD’s to have.
“Disconnected”
is a reminder that life is more than the controlled illusion we live in
everyday and that our feelings of being disconnected is the actual illusion
because we really are all connected, by our common spiritual essence and spark
of life. A very powerful song to close out the set and ease our disconnected
frames of mind.
And
so, let’s face what’s behind the smoke on this massive disconnected day…
SET: 03
In
life, we are driven forward by an unknown force while always searching for
meaning in whatever it is we are doing…sometimes, in moments of quiet, we come
to reflect on the meaning of life, of where we are going, and how the things we
are doing connect the dots of our past to the present…we are always searching
and trying to find the answers to our silent questions…always trying to make
sense of life’s moments…
The
first song of the set does just that as Tony Dekkard’s “Great Lake Swimmers”
captures that driving force within with their song “Still” taken from their forth
studio album from 2009 “Lost Channels”.
Over
the years Great Lake Swimmers have released six studio albums are now working
on their seventh which should be released later in 2018, so once again there is
much too look forward to in the months ahead.
Following
Great Lake Swimmers is Darrel Treece-Birch with “No More Time” taken from his
2016 album of the same name. The song is about facing the tsunami of emotions
and the five stages of grief after the sudden loss of a loved one. A very
powerful song musically and lyrically in every way.
Darrel
also plays keyboards with the British Melodic Hard Rock band “TEN” , he also
writes / records and performs with original progressive rock band Nth
Ascension.
Roger
Waters ends the three song set with “The Last Refugee” taken from his 2017
Album “Is this the Life We Really Want“. Roger’s empathic and poetic lyrics
gently shakes the listener awake from a systemic apathetic world of illusion to
the nightmarish reality going on in the world around us. “The Last Refugee” is
a reminder to us all that we must change our ways or it will be too late for
our children and grandchildren.
Be
sure to support the artists by going to their official websites, buying their
music and joining their email platforms. Details are in the episode
description.
And
now sit back and listen to another powerful set of music, on the minstral show.
The Minstral Show - (Episode 040)
Riverside
– Time Travellers
Matthew
Perryman Jones – Land of the Living
Steve
Hackett – Behind the Smoke
Darling
& Co – Massive Day
Julian
Lennon – Disconnected
Great
Lake Swimmers – Still
Darrel
– Treece Birch – No More Time
Roger
Waters – The Last Refugee
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