soul ascending

There are so many ideas and theories about what truly happens to your soul when we depart Mother Earth. Is our mortal body a vessel that carries the soul, steered by our intuition and desires? Or are we just empty shells, only to be recycled back to the Earth? I have my thoughts and beliefs, as does anyone. Life is about pondering, discovering, and experiencing. Like anyone else, I strive to radiate good intentions by trying to live a selfless life that is inspirational. In doing so, my wish is that as my soul ascends, it will be accompanied by a beautiful soundtrack; one that represents the elation that I experienced in my life balanced with the melancholy of departure. I would like reflect on my life in a satisfyingly content manner during the ordeal, both good and bad.

The intention of this mix is for it to be used figuratively. If a dark cloud casts a shadow over your world, the music presented here will guide you above and beyond. Do not allow the gravity of turmoil and negativity weigh you down. The set here is intentionally a bit cinematic and deep, and I hope that your soul ascends higher and higher as you take in warm colors and the sonic aura that envelopes your soul. 

gazing into the infinite cosmic abyss

I ran across a very interesting comment via Reddit a while ago that stated 'instead of looking up into the sky, you're actually gazing down into the infinite cosmic abyss, with only gravity holding you to the surface of the earth.' Heavy. But true, and a bit scary. We ride the Mother Earth spaceship venturing through the absolute unknown. And there's nothing we can do about it other than enjoy the ride.
To accompany your journey, I've managed to glue together some sounds that were brought to initial life by some of the greatest aural travelers in the field of sonic space. My role is to manipulate and conjure up the family of musical representations that assist you while peering out beyond the cosmic rim into the infinite cosmic abyss. Now that warmer weather is coming, it is a good time to get back into marveling at sunsets that give way to nightly stargazing. I've used only my 'A' list of space traveling composers to give you the best mix (in my opinion) that I've ever created. Use this mix freely as your soundtrack for this. Give thanks that Mother Earth is gluing you to herself so that you can get a good glimpse of the heavens all while hitching a ride on her back. Make good use of this soundtrack while gazing into the infinite cosmic abyss to assist with your journey through the solar system. BTW, I'm posting this on my birthday (exact time as well as date) as I want to give something that means a lot to me. Better to give than to receive, in my opinion. Peace.

lullabies for a rainy morning

I purposely created this mix to accompany those mornings that make one feel the need to stay in bed for an extra bit of time. This mix could also come of use during the day, or evening, if you wish as its main purpose is to erase detrimental mojo. Outside rain is optional as I've included a tiny pinch of rain in the mix to help balance the sounds of nature driven ambience with artist created tapestries of beauty (although rain from the outside will further assist in achieving the peaceful state that you seek). Admittedly, ever since I heard Junkyard Angel's WAITING FOR THE RAIN, I've been eager to follow suit. A tip of the hat.

Just as the morning bleeds into the day and night without an abrupt transitions, the music should meld into your mind without consideration to the shifting moods. The thing is to take in the mix, and let it soak into your mind so that it may bring you solace.

on the threshold of letting go

I've been on tour for a bit, but I'm happy to be able to bring a new mix to the masses. I've managed to piece together an amalgamation of songs that will unlock the creative door to your mind's inner workings. This will give you greater control over the creative juices that color your life and define you as a human being.  While we may not realize it, our mind is the key to the universe. When the gravity of situations bear down upon your mind and soul, look for the pathway that leads to a door that only you can unlock. Within that mental space that only you occupy, keep the things in life that bring you peace and solace within a world that is riddled with turmoil, confusion, and anguish. Your mental universe is much bigger than the world that we know. When the weight of burden and obligation threaten to crush your creativity, energy, and willfulness, realize that you are stronger and better than the situations that surround you. 

memories of the unknown

Deja vu (sorry for the lack of correct characters over the letters) can be described as a sensation of realizing the remembrance of a certain event or place, whether you've actually experienced it or not. We see things, and we remember. We hear things, we remember. Our entire lives are based upon memories, and how they stitch us up shapes who we are. We are formed like clay from the sights and sounds that were with us longer than we can remember.

I spent a bit of time this summer at my childhood hometown, and seeing so many familiar things brought back floods of intense feelings. But for the life of me, I couldn't quite put my finger on why. Everything was very much a part of my life, but at the same time very distant from me. I tried to recapture and revive the initial moments of certain landmarks that had meant so much to me many years ago. But in the end, I gave in, retiring the fuzzy thoughts to my gray matter as balloons that I had let go so many years ago. Like most, I could spend all of my time and energy seeking the puzzle pieces that have long turned into a wind-torn memory. 

for the lonely souls

Most of the time that I do my really deep music listening, it's when I'm lost within my own thoughts. I don't have to converse with others, do any sort of active reasoning on anything, or have judgments or ponder solutions. My mind is a sponge, open and dynamic, my mood and feelings shaped by oncoming colors that slowly build castles in my mind.


I created this mix for the sleepers, for those needing time to put on headphones and breathe deeply, the ones who want to hear the thoughts within their own grey matter without obstruction, the souls that want to have a soundtrack for a moment in their lives, the ones who need a backdrop for contemplative pondering.........in the end, it's for the listener that craves a bit of solace in a chaotic world, and to aid your soul searching, surrounded by the colors of peace and solitude.

deeper space (beyond the mind's eye)

Let's take a bit of time to delve into the inner workings of our cerebral cortex, to the place where sight becomes sound, color has flavor, and moods create life. We'll use this area of our minds to take in the sounds of this mix, and sail gently into the ether of peace and tranquility. Allow the sounds to rinse away the bad vibes and negative moments that plague you, as they are replaced with a renewed sense of creativity, clarity, and focus. 

As I come home from a long 32 day tour of playing music and a lot of traveling, it is nice to have my first day blessed with amazingly sunny and warm weather (after being in states like Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and so on....). I'm greeted by birds singing outside, and the smell of the fresh sunshine-laden earth. Nothing can be better than that, and the sense of peace and joy is reflected in this mix that I present to you. While I did buy quite a bit of new music on tour, I decided to create something from what's been on my secret mixtape rather than use my new morsels (which are being saved for the next mix). It took me quite a bit of time to fully realize and bring into fruition what I've put together here, and I really hope that you like it.

i hear the colors

Fresh and hot off the presses comes tasty new sounds for the mental space travelers that need some colorful and harmonically charged transitions and segues for their life's soundtrack. For this mix, I found a way to put together a lot of things that have been really getting my attention lately. I also worked with getting some samples from the FREESOUND site (that I've used on various original projects). 

There are many things throughout the day that we hear and take for granted. The many sounds  that we hear provide our day with color, experiences, moments, and memory. We are influenced by what we  hear our whole lives, whether it's music, communication, sounds, or what-have-you. The music here represents to the beautiful colors that I've managed to be fortunate enough to have taken in within the last few months. I'm gifting this aural experience to you, the listener.

daydreams at nightfall

For me, the saddest time is not winter, but the approach of fall. I don't hate the fall season. I love it! But knowing that summer and the vibe it has brought is withering into a memory is a hard pill to swallow. In summer, I'm invincible; I am reborn with every hot burst of sun, thriving to gather the energy of every new day, leaving little or no wasted moments in my wake. Every summer day is a new awakening, brought about by the renewed anticipation of Mother Earth's sun-song upon us. Get the point? I freakin' LOVE summer so much that it pains me to see it dissolve.

The first thing that I notice is a shortened day. Just a few days ago (and it's been a while since I've actually realized this and posted this narrative), I was fully aware that it was dark at 8 o'clock in the evening (edit: at this time, even sooner). Already. Sadness is upon me. Next, the leaves shed new colors and die, and the sky will be overcast with impending change. But all good things must end.

the black keys (and the white ones, too)

Being a guitarist, I give my piano playing musician friends a hard time. I accuse them of having no soul since they can't get vibrato, sustain notes without the aid of machinery, and can't bend notes. In other words, they can't do all the cool stuff that guitarists do (keyboards are another story). But to say that they don't emote is a bold statement. Piano covers a lot of ground, even if you can't take it to a campfire (still got them beat!). Just put on most amazing soundtracks and you can feel piano wire delicately gluing the mood to the scene. 
I remember being a young guitarist and sitting in a piano practice room with a big hollowbody guitar. I'd rest the end of the neck somewhere up on the piano, hold down the sustain key, and play really nice add 9 sus 11 chords and listen to the overtones that formed like a cloud, barely dissipating. That could be my first dive into real, live ambient, and those moments have defined a valuable moments in my life.