A dear friend just reminded me of some amazing creativity I contributed to a couple years back, and it made me realize that I never shared this gem here in my own pages.
Philadelphia based band Stereo League approached me in the early spring of 2019 asking if I would be game to work with them in an upcoming music video. They had heard that I was a Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey alumni and they wanted to feature a melancholy clown in the shoot.
The more I heard of the vision for this music video the more excited I was to be in it, as it was definitely a quirky outside of the box concept. The vision called for me to take advantage of many of the skills I’ve acquired over the years, as well as being in a very unique and surreal setting. I’m in!
Little did I know that they were working with a high-end production company with a full crew and a truck load of gear. I’ve done a couple of corporate commercial shoots over the years, but this was on a whole other level within a perfect intersection of passion-project and technical expertise. It’s always a joy to work with consummate professionals, and this weekend was exemplary.
The first day ended up being somewhere between 15 & 16 hours in multiple locations. Even though the hours were crazy long, everyone on set had a blast and it was super playful. We spent the day at one mansion shooting indoor scenes, and then spent the evening an hour away at another mansion’s pool shooting the underwater scenes. Then after wrapping around 2am, the call was made for everyone to crash for 3 hours and then drive down to a town just north of Atlantic City NJ for the ocean segment of the shoot.
Sunrise in Brigantine NJ
My biggest concern was that the last scene in the storyboard was to have me emerging from the ocean at sunrise. If we were on the west coast I could have emerged from the ocean at sunset, but alas. I voiced my apprehension to get into the chilly Atlantic in a pre-dawn hour, knowing that there are crazy things afoot within those waters when it’s dark. It’ll be fine! they said.
Imagine my relief when the production ran slow so that we were just arriving at the ocean as the sun rose, and by the time everyone was in place having schlepped wickedly expensive gear 1/4 mile across the sand, it was daylight and I felt fine going into the water. And then, a week later the producer sent me a still shot from the overhead drone showing this:
Now I’m a thoroughly curious dude who has spent my lifetime cultivating awareness, and the phrase ignorance is bliss has never sat comfortably with me. But in this particular case I was immensely happy to have been ignorant of what was going on. Steve Irwin looms large in my mind…
When all was said and done, this was a pretty incredible project to have contributed to, and we were all thrilled at how it came out. I hope you enjoy the video, and hopefully you’ll enjoy the rest of Stereo League’s offerings as well ~ they’re definitely worth a listen.
Stereo League ~ Natural Mystery
I’m a big fan of another one of their videos “Money in your Mouth” as it’s another playful quirky concept. I hope they continue with this trend for sure. Thanks for visiting ~ Cheers!
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A pandemic tale for the new year – In March 2020, when it became clear we were hunkering down for the long haul due to the pandemic, I decided to order a kora. I was thinking that it would be an engaging creative way to spend my time, seeing as I was out of work. A kora is a West African 21 string harp built out of a large calabash gourd with a long neck made of wood. I’ve wanted to learn it from the moment I first heard one in 1990 when a friend came back from Senegal with street vendor cassette tapes he’d scored. I thought then and still think now that it’s the most enchanting instrument I’ve ever heard and have long thought it would be a retirement goal to learn how to play one. Well, why not now with all this time?
One of my favorite kora players is Sona Jobarteh from The Gambia ~ If you haven’t heard of her she is most decidedly worth checking out. She is the first woman to be widely recognized as a master in the griot tradition of the regions where kora music comes from. I discovered that the luthier that she has worked with for years in developing an evolved kora has them available for sale through her website. They’ve taken the best elements of the instrument from it’s traditional form, and added contemporary hardware and structural reinforcement to traditional materials and have created a concert quality instrument. I reached out and learned that each instrument was custom made upon ordering, and set the process in motion. After all my research and decision making, by now it was late March.
The first question I got asked was how I would like the top of the neck and the handles to be carved. The image that immediately leapt to mind was a spiral and without hesitation I wrote right back. Within a day I was sent a photo asking if the design was alright. I was blown away and said yes. Soon after I started getting photos of the neck as it developed, and then a picture of the calabash gourd that would make up the body of the instrument. Needless to say I was thoroughly stunned at what I was seeing, and that they were sending me step by step pictures of the instrument being created from scratch.
After a couple weeks of back and forth with design choices I got a message that the kora was finished (!!!) and that now the luthier would tune it up and stress test it for 2 weeks to ensure everything settled into place before being shipped. Oh man was I blown away seeing these pics and knowing this glorious creation was soon to enter my life. I also fell in love looking at the place this was made, seeing the palm trees in the yard, and truly hope I can visit there someday.
I finally got a message on May 14 2020 (will never forget the date) letting me know that my kora was finished & passed through all of the stress tests before shipping. There was only one problem – now the national mail service in The Gambia was closed due to the pandemic. Dang. So now I began my wait. Long story short – this turned into a masterclass in patience. International shipping resumed mid October after a couple of agonizing false starts, and we walked in the door Halloween night (!!!) to find this lovely surprise after waiting over 7 months from when I ordered.
I ended up in a lovely correspondence friendship with the agent for The African Guild due to this extended process, as we exchanged emails weekly that became increasingly personal ~ I look forward to meeting him someday. And now I’ve embarked on the most enchanting musical relationship I’ve ever known.
This has been a profound process throughout, especially knowing that the instrument that I now play daily was made specifically for me. Sometimes I walk into my office studio and just look at it, marveling at it’s journey across the ocean and into my home. The kora truly is a magnificent creation, a work of art that implies a cultural sophistication and aesthetic depth far beyond what is typically attributed to the region where it comes from. There is such a wealth of musical heritage and creativity born through the kora, and I am honored to hold one in my hands. It teaches me daily, and I’ve never known an instrument to lead me on as readily as this one.
This might very well be the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done. If you’re reading this, then I’ve committed and can’t postpone or talk myself out of it anymore.
The Short Version ~ I’ve challenged myself to release a piece of music a day for however long I can, starting on March 17, 2020 (also the first day of Coronovirus isolation in our household).
Put me in front of 1000 people as a vaudevillian and I thrive. Put me in front of 20 people with a guitar and I may appear confidant, but inside is sheer terror. Sharing original music is one of the most intimate things a human can do. We become vulnerable in a way that very few other things make us. We are emotionally naked and fully exposed and standing in front of a full theatre in our underwear just waiting to be judged. But you’re reading this, so I’ve committed. Let’s jump off the deep end together…
I’ve been playing music for just as long as I’ve been a juggler (since early high school!), but most of my friends and acquaintances probably don’t know that. My music-making has mostly been in the spirit of “this keeps me sane and balanced” and more like self-guided personal therapy than anything else. With a few memorable exceptions, I’ve mostly kept it to myself over the years.
I’m sensing that it’s time to change. I have a deep reservoir of music that I have been recording for 30 years now, most of it solo, but there have also been some excellent collaborations along the way and one flat out band. Even if one person other than myself hears any of these things, it’s doing more than sitting on my shelf gathering dust, so I think it’s time to let some of them out.
Maybe some of these creations will even be appreciated…
I’m not exaggerating ~ I have hundreds of recordings from over 30 years of self-guided musical therapy ~ I’ve thought of these as explorations of my emotional spectrum turned into sound. The pieces weren’t meant to be “songs” in the traditional sense, nor do most of them seem to fit anywhere genre-wise. Most of these pieces were written either as meditations, as sonic reflections on a thought or a feeling, or they helped me to work through challenging emotional passages or situations. Sometimes I listen to something years after the fact and think that I captured an archetype, or at least drew a personal map through turbulent waters. But when all is said and done, Music has been my comfort animal, reassuring to keep close, but definitely with a mind of its own.
So I’ve set myself a challenge ~ I’m going to release a piece of music a day for at least a month, probably more, and see what happens. I’m calling it Eric’s New Eccentric Music Archive (E.N.E.M.A.), as it’s a huge release of material that has previously been pent up. 😉 Sorry not sorry. I had to go there. I hope that made you smile. But it feels accurate ~ I’ve been holding on to this stuff for far too long.
In this day and age of pre-recorded loop libraries and samples, I ask you to keep in mind that throughout this archive 98% of the things you hear are original sounds being played by me ~ I have a fair collection of acoustic and electric instruments as well as various hand drums and percussion instruments, and am also very fond of creating new sounds and textures in synthesizers. There’s also a didjeridoo and a ukulele, two of my favorites. On rare occasions, I resort to utilizing a pre-recorded drum loop because I’m hearing the need for something in the mix that I don’t know how to play myself or can’t figure out. But for the most part, even in the most densely layered compositions, everything is being played by me unless otherwise noted.
In going through my archives I’ve realized that there are a significant number of pieces that I truly love and have helped me through some pretty challenging times. In probably every case, I never shared them because I’m a perfectionist and they were never quite “there” in a public way, or I was too insecure and felt too vulnerable sharing such an intimate thing. And then my creative process always has me looking over the next horizon and so I never followed through and finished or polished a piece because I was already moving on to the next inspiration, or the next thing to work through.
So I’m done with that ~ a big part of the reason why I feel compelled to let all of these things see the light of day now is to just get over that feeling of “it’s got to be perfect” before I want to share because you see where that’s gotten me ~ 30 some years worth of creativity sitting in a vault. Maybe I’m just at that point in my life where I don’t care anymore whether these things are perfect or not, or whether they’re sketches never fully realized… I’m ok with that.
I’ve come to realize that I’d rather share and let go of these things to change my habits, as I don’t think these habits have been serving me very well for all this time ~ musically I’ve become an inadvertent hoarder, where in real life I cherish sharing whatever I’ve got. It’s time to realign my energy, deepen my integrity, and stop being so afraid that I will be judged for not being good enough.
I’m going to start this offering with the most recent project I’ve been working on for a couple of years now, and the creation that I’m certainly the proudest of ~ The Small Craft Advisory. It started with writing a poem that I thought might be fun to set to music, which turned into something else entirely. There are now 9 or 10 (or 12) of these things and each one has been a profound discovery process. I’ve come to think of them as a series of podcast opinion pieces set to theatrical sound sculptures. That might be the name of their genre. This collection also feels decidedly activist, and perhaps they may serve some purpose.
So here they are, in all of their imperfect glory, for what they are, warts and all. Starting tomorrow, a musical creation a day for at least a month, in all likelihood more. This is how I’m going to spend my Coronovirus retreat from the world.
If anything speaks to you, I’d love to hear about it! If something moves you or causes you to think of someone in particular, please consider sharing it with them and passing it along. I’ve come to appreciate that creativity in any of its forms only becomes real when it’s shared and touches someone else’s heart ~ please let me know if I do.
And if you think to yourself “Damn I’d love to mix this into something else entirely” please do and let me know ~ I’ve long suspected that many of these creations are only going to be fully realized by changing context completely, and that’s something beyond the scope of my wheelhouse. I’d love to collaborate with someone who knows remixing and Ableton type things well ~ I’ve got even more snippets, phrases, and themes that I’ve never done anything at all with that would lend themselves to electronic composition and remixing.
In other words, are you my George Martin? Where are you, George? Let’s take this to the next level. I’ve got boundless musical creativity and I need you…
Ultimately I’m feeling the need to clear my creative energy out so that I have room for whatever comes next. I’m also experiencing in my heart of hearts that for a thoughtful caring human, the challenges of our times demand a response.
This is my response… Positive creative caring energy cast into the world like seeds into a garden.
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In Alan Moore’s “V for Vendetta” the underground lair of the main character is a treasure trove of art, music, and cultural artifacts that he calls the Shadow Gallery, an endless source of inspiration and enrichment that by its very nature threatens the oppressive status quo. I remember being really struck by how awesome that was, collecting all of the masterpieces and subversive art to ensure they survived, and encapsulated by the thought that “A revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having” ~ I took this to mean that all of the things deemed frivolous or dangerous by the vested interests of a corporate state are verily the very things that bring color, wonder, joy, and meaning into our lives.
My own Shadow Gallery has been kept secret for a very long time, and I’ve come to realize that by having it buried I am essentially hoarding what should be shared. What’s the point of being creative, having stories to tell, and songs to sing, if they’re not shared? For years I have written and composed and recorded and then moved on, putting whatever was created on the shelf and not looking back ~ it was always about the process and how the act of creating something was essentially therapeutic. But I’ve come to realize that this pattern doesn’t serve me anymore, nor potentially anyone else, and so it’s time to open the doors and explore.
All of my projects, all of my offerings, are the tales I have to tell,
The Tales from the Shadow Gallery.
As a creative, I can’t help but produce and am happy to be finally taking my creations off of the shelves and begin leaving them out for you to find. But I needed a place to set free the music and writing and circus performance art that comes through me in all of their various forms, and so it’s time to build a house for all of this creativity. Projects might be whimsical or serious, some philosophical or opinionated. Sometimes it’s just a pure celebration of the human spirit or exploring the depths of the human condition, or focusing on the wonders of our earth. Sometimes the spotlight will be on how we grow and evolve through our pain and turmoil to become better versions of ourselves, as individuals, as communities, and as the living organism that is earth.
For so long I’ve tried to make sense of where all of these different expressions fit, so instead of trying to find that place I’ve decided to create it as well. And here we are ~ I raise my glass to you ~ Cheers for sharing this adventure with me! So welcome to my Shadow Gallery, and as we emerge into the light I hope you are touched and inspired by your visit. If any of these tales move you in any way, please consider sharing them in your world and amongst your friends, and invite them to visit the gallery for themselves.
Onwards Team Human…
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The phrase Temple-Earth first came to me in late 2008 while trekking in the Adirondacks of New York. It haunted me and stuck in my mind in a way that few ideas have over the course of my life. I loved the idea of merging the words into one and fusing the concept that a reverent attitude towards the Earth, treating it as a sacred temple, would be a powerful energy to nurture. At the time I thought it to be the title for a piece of music I had been working on and released that celebratory mystical musical journey in 2010 (a story in its own right). At the time I thought that’s that and moved on to my next project, as well as a major change in my life’s trajectory.
Years later, the phrase still haunted me in a way that I began to suspect meant it wasn’t done with me and wasn’t merely the title to a piece of music. I allowed it to gestate and began to think of TemplEarth as the kernel of a community, and once there it began to bloom in a living way, not content to be a static thing on the record shelf.
I’ve been very inspired and shaped over the years by the eco-philosophy writings of Thomas Berry, the spiritual-philosophy of Joanna Macy, and Zen-Buddhism in general, as well as by all of the earth activists and spiritual warriors treading the path. Artists like Alex Grey that awaken our deeper selves through the resonances in their work and music that stirs the soul are constant sources of motivation, and part of the vision for TemplEarth is to cultivate an ever-growing community of artists, musicians, and activists who embody these ideals through their work, helping to stir the pot and help awaken humanity.
The re-awakening of indigenous cultures, and in particular those communities who have arisen to defend the Earth, has been a profound source of energizing direction, as I firmly believe that the emergence of these Guardians and Protectors will usher in a new era of reconnecting with Earth in a fundamental way.
TemplEarth has evolved over the years to embody a philosophy, an outlook, a community, an artistic vein, an arts organization, as well as it’s current gestation as an active seed for a periodic celebratory gathering ~ stay tuned for more as TemplEarth unfolds, for it’s an idea whose time has come.
If any of this resonates with you, please consider connecting, signing up for my newsletter, letting me know of your activities that align, because together we are strong and have the power to enact change, and the more of us there are moving forward with power and vision to help heal imbalances and restore environmental integrity, the closer we are to making it so.
If you’ve enjoyed your visit, consider signing up for the occasional newsletter that features new releases, inspirations, and other Tales from the Shadow Gallery…
If you’ve enjoyed your visit, consider signing up for the occasional newsletter that features new releases, inspirations, and other Tales from the Shadow Gallery…
