Archive for the ‘Posts by John P. Olsen’ Category

When searching by computer for talented artists in your favorite genre, a couple of simple search terms might quickly get you good results.  If not, you can try searching the many recording labels to help you find talented artists, or at least point you in the right direction.

Lisa Downing is one name to search for, and Vision Quest Entertainment is another search term you can try.  With either result, Lisa Downing’s name will appear since this business was originally her own record label and now a combined talent agency doing business as Vision Quest Entertainment, representing over 1200 musicians in Colorado.

Now that we know Lisa Downing as a businesswoman, let me tell you about her busy career as composer, recording artists, and concert pianist.  Lisa performs in many concert venues including corporate and private events, along with conducting workshops and concerts with Liz Story and Joseph Akins, among many additional reputable artists.

Teaching piano along with her academic studies, Lisa attended the University of Colorado at Denver and Metropolitan State College to study music and piano performance.  Graduating with a degree in Traditional and Nontraditional Music with Keyboard Emphasis in 1982, her educational pursuits appear to be nicely balanced too.

A Delicate Balance is her 2010 Solo Piano, New Age, Neo Classical release, in an album title that is pretty well equal to her business and creative endeavors as a Solo Pianist.  What’s interesting about the inside cover of this CD is the special written diary about the thoughts behind each song’s composition which uniquely portrays Lisa’s intimate expressions during some rather personal moments in her life. 

I did enjoy reading her diary of songs while listening and preparing for this review of A Delicate Balance since it meticulously brought her personal recounting for each composition into the picture, giving her piano melodies a conclusively heartfelt and well spoken reflection.

Without giving away all of the diary secrets, many songs like The Gift, reflect a wonderful positive expression by the classical phrasing leading to the uplifting feel given by full register piano runs.  This song aligned in a moderate tempo made me think of the intrinsic treasures a gift giver feels and the unexpected joyful surprises a recipient receives.

The song Lost nicely portrays the first quiet moments in piano composition before well placed notes makes one realize that someone dear has lost their way, leading to deeper moments of pause and curiosity by her intonation.  After bolder dynamic chords suggest a winding road of lost hope, an upbeat conclusive ending happily points to a more familiar direction, ending with a more moderate calming tone of security.

Indecision is a faster moving piece where treble runs are shown like racing thoughts of indecisiveness, where lower register chords lean towards equal balance in an affirmative way, reflecting the decisive moments in life that are pretty much universal to everyone.

No Matter What I Do involves a special dedication and meaning to Lisa and does reflect this by quieter phrases giving way to pause, leading to a wider path, where positive chords suggest a new resolve in this scenario, ending in a more relaxed contemplation.   

Lisa’s prior albums Think On These Things is much like her current personal melodies with well timed moments of reflection, and her Holiday CD Christmas for Two are traditional holiday arrangements you will easily recognize and are easy to find CDs.

A Delicate Balance is a fine Solo Piano album with the personal Lisa Downing expressive touch.  Reading her song diary while listening to her latest musical gift about finding many delicate lines during the search for perfect balance is sure to please everyone, provided they take the time to search and then find this talented artist for themselves.

Visit this Vision Quest Entertainment artist at LisaDowning.com to sample / purchase or visit her CDBaby.com page here.

Picture copyright Bigstockphoto – og-vision

Just like an orchestra conductor standing on a podium, one New Age artist first held his raised baton in hand, and began to cue the first downbeat gesture for his debut album. What emerged after the final cutoff gesture was made, led to an upbeat direction for his first album’s achievements, and proclaimed admiration for this relatively new artist.

David Wahler is the musician orchestrating Antiquus in a like manner, where his time signature expertly directed a unique phrasing in tempo, dynamics, and articulation, leading to welcoming salutations of praise during the final reception at the end of his first orchestration.

Antiquus is a greatly applauded 2009 album surprising many by the paramount success granted to such a relative newcomer in the New Age music industry. The consistent airplay and high ranking in Zone Music Reporters charts is widely recognized, along with pending nominations for 2009 in 4 categories, yet to be decided. Likewise you will find Antiquus is held in high regard with our own NewAgeMusic.nu Best Albums of 2009 Awards, so these merits do speak quite clearly.

Music itself is not new to David since he began playing piano by ear at age 7, then formal music studies in college academics before directing several theater directing productions, performing with the Rockford Symphony Orchestra & New American Theatre, while also teaching music appreciation to disadvantaged and handicapped children.

David again steps onto the conductor’s podium for a second time. With all eyes watching, and with several decisive taps of the hand baton, he confidently cues in his current 2010 release A Star Dances, in an encore performance notably holding great expectations.

Composed, performed, and arranged solely by David Wahler, this album represents a heartfelt narration surrounding his family circle past and present, where resolution of personal life challenges are reflected as a unique source of inspiration for his music’s identity, lovingly embraced by his close family heritage.

A Star Danced is New Age, Contemporary, Electronic, Ambient, Neo Classical, and Orchestration, nicely displayed by his directing hands, where it becomes apparent this second release sharply manifests a sweeping one and two and timing, in relation to the precision delivery of his already admired discography.

The song Quest is the Epic alpha and omega heralding in 14 classics of A Star Danced, and perhaps a fine talking point of those like myself giving their own conclusions about his second release. To me, this sensational wonder is a revelation to behold, given the heavenly virtuoso trumpet intonation with pronounced percussion taps unveiling moderate rhythms while keyboard and tenor vocals gently mesmerize. Having these bold dynamics and a contrasting sheer ambience of lightly drawn out vibrato notes, it could be telling of a more calming and peaceful resolution made during some of our most challenging moments.

The atmosphere in the Title Song by soft soprano and tenor vocals echo nicely behind droplet-like keystrokes and percussion rhythms blending into one relaxing starlit entity. The Seeds of Time are generously sown by guitar soloist Brent Gunter, where his evolving impressions are backed by moderate keyboards and celestial choir.

Come Gentle Night has a light sway led by beautiful keyboard bell tones similar to Peaseblossom & Reverie. Sigh Away Sunday & Vespera are new images holding a conforming poise from the well conducted Antiquus album, giving fresh ambient patterns to the ensemble of songs.

Yvonne is a heartfelt rendition where harp and piano melody embrace to portray a most positive affirmation, and where keys changes bravely touch on an optimistic melodic tone.

It is in this song where piano, strings, and harp join in a tribute to a special person, and where the significance of someone very dear to David is personified.

Missing You is first composed in singular piano notes where a solemn melody gives a peaceful and serene placement of solitude in the earliest moments while nicely responding with a graceful tribute. Piano notes resolve in a most dignified phasing, giving rise by a reverent conclusion, where ordained notes of respect and solidarity become intertwined in the loving arms of melancholy.

Quest ( Reprise ) makes a return odyssey to the dynamic opening impressions, becoming the concluding exodus to again reveal the bold aesthetic testimonial of David’s second album. Devoted to his unique signature which retains your interest and imagination from the first cue to the final cutoff note, I do expect honorable recognition will be given to David Wahler & A Star Danced, pending this album’s overall final reception.

Visit davidwahler.com to sample and purchase or at his CDBaby.com page. You may read our own NewAgeMusic.nu Best Albums of 2009 Awards and my review of Antiquus on our pages dedicated to David Wahler.

Picture copyright Bigstockphoto – pressmaster

Today’s computer enhanced technology is amazing, and when skillful composing is combined with live performers and instrumentals, the resulting musical outcome can become a creation of natural beauty.

Timothy Crane is an artist title using a creative touch with the music technology of today by composing piano music, then adding key instrumentals along with orchestra effects that become full structured works of music he and his close friends enjoy creating. 

Dragonfly is the second release where Timothy plays a leading role as pianist and co-producer of his second album, along with Jason Rowsell who also played bass and mixing.  Friends Rick Henly performs on guitar and percussion effects, while Ryan Day engineered and mixed the album.  Having one last credit I don’t want to miss, Jason Rowsell’s young daughter has a cameo role by quietly laughing on cue during the beginning of song, A Child’s Goodnight. 

The Other Life I Dream is the first album I enjoyed equally from this talented group.  When asking Timothy what was the primary objective on this current release, and what set Dragonfly apart from the first album.  Here is his reply :

With Dragonfly, my focus was more on composition.  Each piece reflects an attempt to craft an instrumental tune that is memorable, unique to the overall album, and noticeably piano-driven, produced by independent musicians who want nothing more than to continue to create and play music.     Timothy Crane

Dragonfly is where I discovered more natural forms of instrumentation become closely acquainted with an animated entity in 11 song classics.  A few songs carry the rhythmic tones that might remind some of a highly recognized female artist at first glance, but I soon found each song is composed with a singular structuring in each melody belonging in a modern New Age, Piano, Instrumental, Cinematic theme.

Dragonfly indeed takes flight with first song  2×2.  In a graceful piano based dance of the keys, a real beauty of a melody greatly captures your attention by the upper tempo modern rhythms.  Well placed staccato notes from strings carry this steady motion while wonderful orchestration carries the appropriate rhythms that lead to a natural form of musical attraction.

Sylvan Grove holds much of the same beauty by piano leading in an upbeat theme while horns and strings inscribe a smooth blend into another most positive melody.  Higher octave piano notes in Star Cross Moon are the first gentle indications of a nice correlation in melodic shades, and when numerous major to minor key changes make a full emotional presence felt during refrains, the result is gratifying.

A Child’s Goodnight is a playful theme that soon matures in a full chord and heartfelt movement, while Salish Sunset in again, a more moderate tempo, along with light recollections in piano phrasing, join with oboe to impart warm tones to the overall picture.

Theft in Eb Major is more of a classic thought in composition with major and minor chords extending vibrant hues while building momentum.  Woodwinds warm breezy notes blend with background choral vocals to instill a more celestial feel with this song.

Theme of Rachel Scott is another focal point where medium range keystrokes give way to lower chords feel of depth and richness, blending nicely with orchestration to become one beautiful entity.  Vasilissa the Beautiful entertains a most peaceful beginning only to be suddenly interrupted by an enthralling performance from piano, choir, and deep thunderous percussion, quickly taking flight as if suddenly startled from a comfortable resting place.

Title song Dragonfly is an impassioned piano solo signaling the finale of this lightly animated album, in a conclusion where I felt every colorful detail was closely examined while producing this incorporated album, becoming the right choice for many people desiring popular music creations having a natural attraction.

Visit timothycrane.com website to sample / purchase, or at his CDBaby.com page.

Picture Copyright Bigstockphoto – FOTOCROMO

Michael Brant DeMaria, PH.D, is a recent Grammy Nominee making the news lately.  Likewise, our recent interview together gave many people an in-depth look into the life of a clinical psychologist, composing musician, poet, author, and dedicator of his Healing Sound Series.

Knowing Michael better now, it’s clear to me his music is an instrumental model in itself, much like his art, books, and poetry, all of which have acquired U.S. recognition, along with international acceptance in Australia, Europe, Russia, and other parts of the world.

In his psychotherapy practice, Dr. DeMaria created ONTOS ( Greek for Being ) to help people live more meaningful and effective lives by ambient music interwoven as relaxation therapy.  I feel The Series can be perceived much like a form of cognitive conditioning, becoming an audible portion of his personal inner message by design, helping one acquire a new perspective and begin a refreshing journey on a path to wellness through calming music. 

The River  first began the Healing Sound Series, with  Ocean  his second project based on over  25  years of personal and professional research in the fundamental principals of sonic healing techniques.  Ocean was conceived to help hurricane survivors much like himself, begin anew and return to a more peaceful existence.

Where our rivers are a beginning source during their natural paths across the landscape, The River by Michael Brant DeMaria is like a template to discover a new direction, if even for a single day.  In addition, while help customarily arrives in the form of understanding words from this highly educated man during his medical practice, Michael’s healing music has a similar philosophy.  It is where gentle curves in The River now become the stimulus equivalent for discovering a natural direction in which to travel.        John P. Olsen

Siyotanka is the third story based narrative that won a Native American Music Award in the Native Heart category, and placed him on the Grammy ballot for Best Native American Music Album, also retaining the # 1 position on ZMR Top 100 charts in December 2009.

“The River is an album dedicated to all who listen from the heart” are words Michael used to analyze this first in series.  More than familiar with his music, I find this a realistic concept. 

Descriptive song titles likewise assist in what you will hear on The River, which relies on Native American Flutes, keyboards, piano, and indigenous percussion to form the reservoir, rising momentum, and infiltrating sunbeams heard in beginning ambient songs First Light, The River & Sunlight.  

Journeying is one of the more intriguing songs to me, having a rhythmic percussion and keyboard enhanced xylophone effect, when left to the imagination, places one in a forest habitat, residing right beside gently lapping water’s edge in a restful moment of singular, peaceful solitude.

The Rain features an indigenous flute solo while a thunderstorm’s echoing claps can be heard in the distance as if releasing every negative thought from afar, along with dispersing light water droplets that transform to create a colorful sunset at dusk, leading into piano and woodwinds calming sounds in a quiet Night Fall.

Moderate keyboard sequences, along with single touches on the piano keys treble octaves make positive reflections in Moonlight & Stillness lightly glow by their conforming ambient phrasing, while indigenous woodwinds direct a more solemn indication to denote the threshold hour of Midnight.

The River’s 10 song origins instinctively find a natural pathway to The Sea where most rivers lead.  In comparison to seas partially confined and bound by land, Michael’s directive of these rivers hope to point towards a new concept releasing everyone’s unlimited potential, in relation to the vast open horizons observed in our five greater oceans.

Visit ontos.org here and then sample / purchase on his music page, or CDBaby.com page.  Read our interview on our page dedicated to Michael.

Picture copyright Bigstockphoto.com – WizData

It’s pretty easy to get sidetracked from doing what we really want to do everyday, and a 25 year departure from songwriting was longer than what this musician had in mind, but his migration back to composing have many people moving to new heights. 

Bill Wren is often referred to as the Rare Texas Songbird, in a declaration I thought appropriate having the surname Wren, yet it uniquely describes his musical aspirations and return flight to perfection.  First playing bass in a Rock band, Bill realized after one stellar show in front of a crowd gone wild audience, music was his final destination. 

One day in a Life is his release already gathering attention, having many songs winding up #1 or in the Top 10 at SoundClick.com & Broadjam.com, with songwriting awards in Indie & International Song Writing Contests. Reading everything I could on Bill Wren, I also learned that lifelong friends played a major role leading to an early formation of his musical biography that endures even to this day.

One day in a Life is like a beautiful bird of paradise and where Bill Wren excels the most, in heartfelt compositions that exhibit the very essence for each characteristic style given by every performing musician on the album he calls a friend. 

Wren states the album’s success is due in part to the arrangement and production work of Frank Ralls, along with musical assistance of Terry Winch & Ike Strum, with a host of vocalists and instrumentalists who together, have assembled a refined album with a right at home presence. 

One day in a Life answers the call to  11  songs in New Age, Orchestration, Neo Classical, along with structured blends of Jazz, Blues, and Rock, building a comfortable resting place to display his versatile compositions.  The calm acoustic guitar strides heard in the title song characterize the overall attraction given to the entire album, giving a hint of the harmonious novelty waiting within each well rounded song.

Daybreak shows the smooth artistry of this album sporting a fragrant touch and vibrant flare, where rich orchestration plays the intermingled leading role while supporting soloist and softer vocals.  Much like En Mai, lavish cello entries appear to drift and sway in time to gentle winds and deep sentimental overtones, with an emphasis on instrumental soloists as the chosen method to hallmark every occasion in this album of versatility.

Ocean Breeze features acoustic guitar giving the arrangement a moderate tempo and under closer examination, exhibits a form of poetry in motion while gently transitioning to a more complex guitar rendition, making the move during nice orchestral balance and light percussion effects.

I Will Waltz For You, with it’s descriptive title, glides right into motion filled pirouettes in time to dance rhythms, while Lovers Rendezvous has a moderate tempo with saxophone and piano adding an impassioned rendition, contributing to a pleasing sense of atmosphere. 

Setting the ambiance again is Heart to Heart, in singular key piano melody and Night Fall, where piano, saxophone, and soft vocals maintain the beautiful colors perceived in this albums theme.

The song Old Friend provides the forethought in this lighter flute melody backed by a full symphony of warmth and sincerity, and since everyone is great as an individual soloist on the album, it does help me summarize with certainty. 

The qualities I discovered in One Day in a Life, do facilitate a level of relaxation one person can easily enjoy alone, morning, noon or night, but with such an engaging album like this one, is always best experienced in the company of good friends.

The musicians and credits on this album are, Frank Ralls, Terry Winch, Ike Strum, Sandy Williams, Nick Curry, Janet Planet, John Gibson, Jim Farrelly, Kyle Wehner, Michael Houston, Kelly Willard, Tom Washatka, Patrick Harshbarger, and Chris Lieber.

Visit the Rare Texas Songbird at billwrenmusic.com to sample or CDBaby.com to purchase.

Picture copyright Bigstockphoto.com – Ardith

Classical Orchestral Harps can be thought of as divine or celestial instruments, having an origin dating to around 2500 BC, often reminding one of angels and religious cherubs poised in a statue.

Lizary Rodriguez Rios is the harpist I had in mind while writing this first sentence taken from an earlier review of her Harp Therapy album inviting listeners to relax by the soothing music this stringed instrument can provide.

Valentines Day is approaching and a great time to tell you about this music professional and bring up the celestial instrument, since the harps early origins are ironically thought to be modeled after an archery weapon. Given this fact, even the romantic Cupid would like to own this instrument since it strongly resembles a bow and arrow.

Lizary Rodriguez Rios credits are quite impressive, securing a Doctorate in Musical Arts and 4 time awards winner of international harp competitions around the world, touring with the Grammy Award Nominated Harp Fusion Ensemble.

The recipient of a Centennial Achievement Award is a respected one of many, in an overall long list of awards and recognition she has achieved, drawing attention around the world as a harp soloist and composer, so expect a right on target delivery.

The many concerts and festivals people have attended, like the prestigious Casals Festival in Puerto Rico, venues in the United States, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Spain, Russia, and other countries have certainly enjoyed the experience, so chances are good you will too.

Harp Voyage was her first album, and much like her Harp Therapy are specifically composed for relaxation, massage, and yoga, while also finding a comforting niche since the songs serve as the perfect auditory background music during church services, memorials, hospitals, and even weddings. Lizary has informed me she is presently working on a Christmas album, so another fine project of her specialized music is expected in the future.

While Lizary’s harp CD’s are not exact centerline in New Age music, her high level of expertise as a harpist is decidedly front and center by delivering a highly regarded level of comfort, from a natural talent who is devoting much of their life achieving the very highest in musical standards.

For your next special occasion or just great classic music to relax by visit lizary.net here. Sample at CDBaby.com here, and read our pages dedicated to Lizary.

The Piano as the leading musical instrument can be appreciated using just a few simple well placed notes.  It’s the pianist who takes the leading role by their note by note delivery to determine the style and complexity of the note structure in hopes of creating a classic piece of music everyone can appreciate.

Ann Sweeten is one musician widely recognized for her classic style, setting a high standard in quality among many pianists in the wide range of genres employing piano music as the chosen manner for pleasing an audience.  In a skilled full range delivery on a Steinway Baby Grand, her classic signature sound deserves respect in a natural way, lending itself to beautiful music that many have found, gives new meaning to the term music appreciation.

Just This Side Of Spring  showcases her latest composing lead performance as a Steinway Artist and music professional, with several talented artists at her side.  Will Ackerman for one, performs on acoustic guitar on the title song, along with co-producing the album with Ann, who also conducts vocals and synthesizers.  Andrew Eng on viola & violin, along with bass performer Michael Miksis, and Trisha Craig on Flute are the accompanying musicians featured on several songs contained on this album, who do excel in terms of fluidity as a collective unit.

Having authored a number of Piano Solo reviews in the New Age genre, I promptly identified an admirable level of richness and depth in tone I rarely hear in many comparative piano solo albums.  Stylish tonal qualities held in even the quietest patterns give complex sequences and a prolific feel of realism within every individual phrase.  I likewise concluded the classic instrumentals supporting Ann Sweeten on Just This Side Of Spring clearly strengthen this opulent quality, validating my initial first impression.

In addition to her recognition as a Steinway Artist & Composer, her achievements are numerous, including voting privileges in the National Recording Academy of Arts & Sciences, ASCAP Popular Award Recipient starting in 2002, and continuing every year up to 2009. 

The ZMR nominations and awards are just as numerous and her talents are not limited to music achievements and concert performances on piano.  Ann is also a professional actress, singer, and ballet dancer, realizing many achievements in her diverse life. 

Just This Side Of Spring is a thoughtful Piano Instrumental album that holds many elegant touches while leaning towards the classical side of life, while shown in a natural realistic way too, becoming a great follow up for her previous Piano Instrumental album Grey Sky and Bittersweet. 

I concluded that both Just This Side Of Spring & Grey Sky and Bittersweet make you feel a pleasant sense of comfort and enjoyment in a much desired way, given by a qualified pianist who delivers an admirable performance on a Steinway Baby Grand, in another new release of her music almost everyone can appreciate.

Visit annsweeten.com and sample / purchase here.  Ann’s discography can be found at most music outlets, on-line and specialty stores.  You can visit CD Baby.com here.

Music is an important aspect in many people’s lives, with just one specific genre becoming their favorite form of musical entertainment.  That’s fine really, but most realize it does limit the total music experience, and a vast range of enjoyment found in all forms of music. 

Isaac Shepard from Southern California is like many of us who share the same philosophy when it comes to the unlimited resources for finding great music in other genres, becoming revitalized in the process, and similar to the way Isaac put it, just might make you appreciate your favorite form of music even more.  

Isaac began playing piano by ear at an early age and this early love of music began as a family circle of musical talent while performing with his father during many community venues in California, including benefits for homeless shelters, social gatherings and church events.  I am pretty sure this early introduction and appreciation of all music genres was a rewarding first step in the right direction as he began a well rounded approach into his individual projects as a piano soloist.

Exploring the musical space and taking in all that it has to offer is a universal calling and can be life-changing.  You might discover a genre that pushes your boundaries and leaves you wanting more, or you might come away being that much more thankful for what you call your own.          Isaac Shepard

 The Renewing is Isaac Shepard’s most recent stride into a nicely rehearsed form of expression as a solo pianist, where his individual composing performances offer relaxing ballads, classical progressions and beautiful melodies in each of the  10  songs composed with a pleasing source of renewal in mind.

Tears Can Fall  is a peaceful balled where an extending range of emotion has a presence in both the keyboards and what you will find in your first sample song in new music discovery.  Lead off phrasing is like a gentle question and answer session with treble notes asking the need to know questions and lower octaves blending in a responding reply that contrasts the upper octaves curiosity in important matters pertaining to harmonic togetherness.

Doors of Life has quieter moments in the earliest measures, moving into classic timed refrains before climbing to full heights in terms of the growing melody heard during this piece with steadiness like a soulful march.  While piano keys move to greater distances in this song, the melody flows and sways by nice runs along the keyboard while sweeping notes trickle right in time with a more moderate background.  

All Smiles like the name suggests is motion moving in an upward direction in an easy going natural movement shown by classic form, with strong stanzas recognizing a positive fullness in depth.  The rich fullness of a quiet melody blossoms while reaching full cord progressions with classic touches filling in the outlining shades of color, giving a more dignified tone to the overall feeling of happiness in this pretty song of joyful contentment.  

The Renewing tells of dancing rhythms resting beside moments of introspection, becoming a nice getaway from the pounding beats and winding guitars competing for your attention.  Whatever your favorite form of music is, here is an opportunity to explore Isaac’s latest solo piano release and become pleasantly refreshed in the process.   

Visit isaacshepard.com to sample his unpublished music, popular entertainment gaming soundtracks, and two prior solo piano albums,  Swept Away  &  Deep Joy.  You may also visit CDBaby.com to sample  The Renewing.

Article © John P. Olsen 2010 - Picture ©  Bigstockphoto – Wilmy

No reproduction without prior written permission

Mars Lasar is one of the first musicians many people recall when thinking of nature inspired music.  His music with a thoughtful dedication to protection of the heartland is a constant reminder of this gifted artist and his ability to promptly place you there.

Mars has just released another nature inspired project that really puts you on location, in a sharp salute that is a natural acquisition with his large fan base, and for all who appreciate his artistic creations gently carved from our native habitat of woodlands and ecosystems.

The time enduring  Eleventh Hour Series, Olympic National Park, & Yosemite: Valley Of The Giants, are all earlier landmarks of his dedication to conservation music that, sure as our world turns, are steadily becoming more relevant with each passing day.

Tahoe Spirit  is his newest declaration into New Age / World / Nature genres to virtually guide you one heartbeat away from the Great North Western Sierra Nevada Wilderness, Lake Tahoe, and deep into Washoe Indian Territory, in a trail blazing musical expedition that nicely illustrates the territorial lands that are a vital part of our American Heritage.

David Rose is a distinguished talent from the band Painted Raven, and principal performer on Traditional Native Flutes, while divine song vocalist Cadence Spalding, likewise join Mars on piano, bass, keyboards, and programming.  It is during their unparalleled journey together where everyone can become a part of, and be a witness to the vast open wilderness, monumental mountain horizons, and the pristine waters that reverently hold the secrets of this regional gemstone.

Mars Lasar employs a careful artisans approach while composing all of his inspired by nature music, making a lasting impression on you every time.  The effective result of a delicate polish given to Tahoe Spirit results in a fine grain finish, directing you to an exceptional visit to the pristine beauty of our native woodlands all Americans can call home.

Tahoe Spirit  makes a bold first impact of  10  song legacies known with a deeply moving and beautifully synthesized Tahoe Legends.  Beginning with a grand opening, this Epic song makes one quickly realize the musical terrain is going to be firmly held on a plateau of picturesque beauty.  The woodwinds David Rose provides are encircled by percussion effects and heart pounding stanzas that Mars expertly recreates during your guided visits to memorable discoveries in music.

The Great Spirit  has more of a calming presence by woodwind interludes and echoing drum rhythms that noticeably accent an inherent note by note recollection about a past civilization of people who are an important part of our heritage and who once called it home.

Washoe Meadows  has the attribute as a gentle song with a relaxing melody, articulating a pleasing sense of atmosphere, perfect for those seeking an adventurous ambiance where gentle streams and natural forestry are a realistic part of the visual beauty you will hear in this total music experience.

Lake In the Sky  gives a peaceful moment of reflection by woodwinds gentle tones and dreamy melody shown in a breathtaking way, providing a soft tranquil flow between stanzas while bass and drums add a range of depth by the subtle undercurrents.

Alpine Meadows  makes a heartfelt impression on me every time I listen to it, in an uplifting song where the bond of this trio shines so very brightly while standing together in musical unity.  Mars places an Epic, yet comforting climate controlled feel on keyboards that instantly takes you there.  David instills the calming winds with haunting flute passages recognizing the presence of the people living before us there, and Cadence gently vocalizes a soft radiant melody, glowing like the sun by her wonderful declaration to remind everyone why we become united there.

Tahoe Spirit  greatly captures your attention by a bold testimonial about our native lands worth preserving, and is a wonderful presentation from talented artists united in heart, mind, and spirit, who give you the feeling that you also belong and can go there too.

Visit marslasar.com to sample here then see his photography pages.  You can also read my recent interviews with Mars Lasar and NewAgeMusic.nu’s Top Album of the Year winner Cadence Spalding, on our pages dedicated to this outstanding musical team.  You can find out more about flutist David Rose at painted-raven.com here.

Picture Copyright Bigstockphoto – mantonino

Salva Moreno of Psicodreamics is the predominate musician widely recognized in Continental Europe, the U.K. and overseas markets, where his unique form of fantasy and mythology inspired discography easily creates a magical divide from many New Age artists.

Valencia Spain is where Salva takes the stage to portray his principal role as Psicodreamics master of ceremonies, and into the hypnotic realm of the dark unknown.  He exploits this select style of fantasy music cloaked in an intriguing shroud of mystery every time, as if he were a music magician pulling another album out of a black hat.

AzhDark Passion is a project based on a novel by Tanith Lee titled Night’s Master, and although composed years ago, the project is relevant today as it was yesteryear. 

In a surreal form of Ambient, New Age, Neo Classical, and Chill Out, with symphonic interludes, the  12  songs offer one a chance to make their own conclusions about his openly mysterious music, performed to the beat of her chilling adventurous novel.

Psicodreamics beautiful array of mysterious albums make a great contradiction in sound and effect, becoming like a roller coaster ride of sensations, where you are taken close to the thrilling edge, but without the danger of losing your grip and falling into complete darkness.

Title song  AzhDark Passion  is a perfect example since the first few measures in music immediately place you in a past century, watching a cloaked figure on a black horse drawn carriage that steadily travels past you on a cobblestone street, before disappearing into the night.

The Sweetest Gift  is gentle like a soft lullaby making you feel safe and sound, but a hint of mystery lurking in the shadows is waiting behind each note.  Song of the Living Night conjures up much of the commingled fight verses flight feelings also, since woodwinds lull you into a relaxed state of mind by the bright melody, while symphonic undercurrents make you suddenly realize that creatures of the night may actually live under your bed.

The Forge  places an emphasis on choral vocals harmonizing in unison, while percussion timpani drums add precise measurements of rhythm as if an alchemist were adding ingredients to a copper caldron.

Morning Light  features Priscilla Hernandez in contrasting female vocals to become the silver lining in this song, blending with generous percussion and sound effects full of mystery, in a rhythmic pace that balances together quite well, considering colorful vocals are encased by darker images from the distant past.

Electronic in New Age music plays many roles, and the select role of mystery and imagination Salva Moreno performs as a musician, is composed using an effective sleight of hand that magically transports you into a world of fantasy.

The  Ambiethernum  album is a compilation of Psicodreamics best Ambient and Space music from his many projects to date, and is a great way to discover more about the magic behind Salva Moreno.  You can also read my album reviews and our recent  interview together by visiting our pages dedicated to Psicodreamics here.  Visit  psicodreamics.com website or click here to sample.  You may also sample at CD Baby.

Picture copyright Bigstockphoto – DanTe

There are a multitude of genres where an acoustic guitar enables an artist to express themselves personally.  When placed in the hands of a skilled musician, this stringed instrument becomes a beautiful companion, telling everything about the artist with each passing measure.

Ciro Hurtado is one skilled solo guitarist or guitarrista from California, whose performances include Traditional Latin, American Folk, World, Fusion, Latin Jazz, and many more popular genres, becoming adapted to many forms of personal expression.

His natural talent, along with studies at the Guitar Institute of Technology have placed him in a well recognized stature as a musician, highly regarded for his artistic technical abilities and versatile rhythms for many years now.

Ciro’s musical compositions on guitar are not limited to specific categories since his adaptable styles also range from more traditional Jazz, Flamenco, Classical, Pop, Blues, and Rock, so versatility does play an important role in his music.

Guitarrista  is the  5th  album to explore his talents as a guitarist, where many rhythms and sub rhythms on this project are abundant, in a solo album that finds many points of interest during this thoughtful encounter with individualistic expression.  Latin influences play an important factor during his many changes in style too, as both hands connect with the strings in a well versed manner.

Performing without percussion, brass, or winds, his solo touch of the strings give multiple layers of well versed melodies and nicely done sub rhythms, giving me the impression that any added musical accompaniment would be unwanted sound that just gets in the way of his unique approach to this solo guitar album.         

John P. Olsen

The intricate patterns, along with a relaxed atmosphere, greatly emphasize his individual composing and performance skills, while also telling a beautiful story to his audiences.

Some of the pieces in this album were written a few years back and others were composed specifically for this project.  Each piece has a story, a place in my life, a part of who I have become on this long  journey.         

Ciro Hurtado

Besides his solo projects, and performing with Strunz and Farah, he founded the popular group  Huayucaltia,  touring in the U.S. and other countries while opening for Sting, Jackson Browne, Carlos Vives, and other highly regarded artist. His numerous movie and documentary musical score credits are recognised in the film industry as well, since producers have also taken note of his versatility as a guitarist.

Ciro Hurtado’s prior albums  In My Mind  &  Tales From Home  both have accompaniments that blend just right with acoustic guitar, and expert performances are shown in all of his albums. 

This comes from a person who recognizes that the guitar is really just a pretty instrument, and that a beautiful outcome is always dependent on whose hands the guitar is placed.

Visit cirohurtado.com to sample here, and cdbaby.com to purchase here.

Picture Copyright Bigstockphoto.com – devulderj

Composing musician Dr. Michael Brant DeMaria,  clinical psychologist, recognized poet, author, public speaker, and now recipient of a prestigious Grammy Nomination, was interviewed by John P. Olsen, contributing author with NewAgeMusic.Nu.

John :  Giving the fact the Christmas season has arrived, your musical and professional endeavors are numerous, thank you for taking time out for us.

BT Fasmer and I also congratulate you on your current Grammy Nomination and recent win with the Native American Music Award, ( NAMMY ) in the Native Heart category in October.  This must be very rewarding, so how does it feel to be recognized by these achievements, and why do you think  Siyotanka  makes such a decisive impression on those who make award decisions  ?

Michael :  Thank you so much John, and please thank BT Fasmer for me.  Your words are greatly appreciated.  It is a great honor to be recognized with a Native American Music Award.  Although I work in many genre’s of music including New Age, World and Ambient music – I have a deep love and respect for Native American culture, music and wisdom and it’s meant a great deal to me – so this honor is particularly meaningful. The music of Siyotanka really appears to have touched many people with its sincerity, simplicity and honesty.  My goal with the music was to serve the story and try to tell the story musically even if you had never seen the play or are even unfamiliar with the Legend of Siyotanka. 

What’s beautiful about it is it is really an archetypal story for musicians.  We don’t have room to go into the whole story here – but what I can tell you is it’s a story about finding the song that lies inside of our hearts and the importance of sharing that song with the world – because it is that soul song that tells us who we are, where we come from and where it is we are going.  Ultimately, it is also a story about peace – how wood is fashioned for the first time into an instrument of love instead of into a weapon of war.  I think that is truly an important story for our time. 

I have a deep love and respect for Native American culture, music and wisdom and it’s meant a great deal to me

Michael Brant DeMaria

John :   You have also performed with Grammy nominees, past winners, and are now among a select group of musicians.  Who are some of the artists you have performed with in the past, and what is it like to perform with these other fine musicians  ?

Michael :  Thank you again John for your kind words.  It is an incredible honor to be recognized in this way.  My first love was music and it has been my therapy and a balm to my heart and soul so often in my life.  I’ve had the honor of performing with many of my musical heros.  Two in particular, David Darling and R. Carlos Nakai are two that inspired me for many years.  It was Nakai’s Earthspirit which was the first Native American Flute recording I ever heard.  It literally brought tears to my eyes.   David’s cello can also just reduce me to a puddle.  To admire someone for so many years and then have the opportunity to play with them is a true joy.   I actually have studied with David over the last four years and am know certified with him as a Music Improvisation Teacher through his Music for People program.  He has a huge and generous heart.  He’s nominated in the New Age category this year.  

John :  Perhaps you could tell us how your musical odyssey began.  What were the circumstances of your early beginnings in music, and how did you progress from there  ?

Michael :  At the age of 6 years old I would go to the family piano and strike one note at a time and close my eyes to enjoy listening to the note arise and then slowly dissipate.  I could do that for long stretches of time.   I had a number of surgeries as a child and I realized at a very young age that this process was very healing and soothing for me.  I realize now as a psychologist it was a form of music therapy I was practicing – like meditation or self-hypnosis – a trance state if you like.  For me, all I know is it felt very sacred to me and could take me to another world.  

Then the next turning point musically came when I was 9 years old when I heard my first live jazz at the local high school auditorium.  I was absolutely captivated by the drummer on his pearl white drum set electrifying the audience with his syncopated rhythmic playing.  My heart did a triple back flip with a double twist – I was just blown away !  I went home that night and announced I was going to be a drummer.  It didn’t go over too well – we were a quiet Catholic family – but I sat and practiced my drum pad for months until my parents saw I was serious enough and then one day relented and bought me my own white pearl set of drums that I just adored and played every chance I could get.  I had found rhythm and I was addicted !

Then at the age of 18 I bought my first Moog synthesizer.  That 6 year old that liked to plunk one note at a time was totally blown away with the sounds that came out of this synthesizer – WOW ! It was like a drug for me.  And not only could I generate a sound, but I could modulate it in all kinds of ways.  I became a dedicated synthesist for many years.  I always heard sounds within me that I have sometimes called the music of the spheres or the hum of God – and here was this keyboard that allowed me to explore to my heart’s content some really wild, far out sounds. 

Then, at the age of 31 while heading out to enact a very traditional vision quest in Canada I heard a Native American Flute for the first time – and that took me to a whole other world.  There was something about the bittersweet, hauntingly familiar sound of the flute that took me to an even deeper place inside.  I had never played a wind instrument before and to make sound with your breath – well, there is nothing quite like it. What was different about the flute was I was in need of some profound healing – it helped me cry and grieve and slowly, but surely brought me back to life after suffering from what I have come to call ‘compassion fatigue’ after working with severe cases of child abuse and neglect for many years.  As a result, I’ve spent the last 16 years exploring a variety of ethnic and world percussion and aerophones into my music resulting in my last three commercially released albums, The River, Ocean and Siyotanka.  

John :  Later in life you began your own private practice as a clinical psychologist and therapist, creating ONTOS, to help individuals and groups advance in life.  What are the principals, mission, and what led you to create ONTOS  ?    

Michael :  ONTOS is the Greek word for Being.  Being is the most inclusive word in every language.  The verb ‘to be’ weaves its way in and out of every sentence and every moment.  It refers to the most mysterious essential core of who we are – our inmost Being.  For me Being refers to the wholeness that we already are when we connect to the truth that is in our hearts – which is our natural interrelatedness with each other, the natural world and the cosmos – ultimately to all things.  

We are very lost today as a culture and a species.  We have lost our natural sense of being part and parcel of the earth and cosmos.   We have rather been taught the big lie of western culture that somehow we are different and superior to nature when in fact we are part and parcel of nature – we are a part of the web of life, not the owner or exploiter of it.  We are paying a dear price for that today – and we need this deeper wisdom of the interconnectedness of all beings to get back into a healthier alignment with the natural world and each other.   All human beings share 99.9 percent of the same DNA – only .1 percent accounts for all the differences between all people.  We are all truly brothers and sisters, siblings in the cosmos.  We even share 50 percent of the same DNA with Bananas! We are all connected with all living things.  The mission of Ontos is to know that people heal and get better when they begin to experience their connection to life, nature and each other in a more fundamental and profound way.

John :  Stress for the caregiver is always a result when providing treatment to patients, so how do you yourself regroup, after treating hospice, cancer patients, and abused or neglected children in your care  ?

Michael :  Music, meditation and time in nature.  I like to say my holy trinity is nature, creativity and spirituality.   They bring me back into alignment.  Another analogy I like to use is if I go to the river and get a bucket of water and bring it to people who are thirsty I have to be honest with myself when the bucket is empty and return to the river.  In this way, I remember that I am simply a fellow journey or who is all too human and I try very hard to remind myself to take care of myself in order to be of good to others.  I’ve burned out once before and am very sensitive about avoiding that again.  For this reason I limit my clinical work to three days a week – and try to keep 4 days a week open for my creative work.  This has been a really nice balance for me.  Creativity tends to put into my heart and soul what therapy takes out – and therapy tends to put in what creativity pulls out.  It’s like crop rotation – replenishing myself by alternating between being an artist and a healer.

John :   In your Healing Sound Series you began with  The River,  which led to the  Ocean   album.  Your next in series will be titled  Earth.  What led you to begin the series, and in what ways are the albums alike and what are some of the tonal differences in the series  ?

Michael :  Great question John.  The  Healing Sound Series  arose from my desire to use music in a way that our ancient ancestors understood it’s use most – for healing.   Our culture is the only culture on the planet that has used music primarily as a form of entertainment.  To the ancient and indigenous cultures on our planet music was always used as a form of community building, ritual, meditation, prayer and most importantly, healing.  The medicine man or woman used music, dance and song to do their healing work.  This was the first inspiration for the  Healing Sound Series. 

 The second is that as a psychologist I  make sound tracks for relaxation tapes and visualization journeys for my clients and have for the last 25 years.  I wanted to challenge myself to use this music and make it available to massage therapists, acupuncturists, yoga teachers and meditation teachers on a larger basis.   It is also the desire of that 6 year old inside of me that still sees the miracle of life being how something arises and then disappears – perhaps it is an acknowledgement of the fleeting nature of life and how we each come into the world as a song and then must also eventually return to that place we came from.   The River actually arose out of my work with hospice patients and my belief that life is like a river – and that when we die – like the river – we just change form as we empty our being into the vastness of Being itself – the Ocean.  

The Ocean became a natural follow-up to the The River – to explore this more formless place – the place from which the river comes from and to which it returns.  You see this whole mysterious process of living and dying just fascinates me to no end – and music has been an amazing vehicle for me to explore this fascination in a healing way – and it turns out has been healing to others as well – which gives me great joy. 

John :  Your current release  Ocean   is dedicated to hurricane survivors like yourself, and reflects on events that have happened in your life.  Do you mind telling about this past event, and what is your musical objective for both you and the listener  ?

Michael :  The  Ocean  album documents a particularly tragic and painful time in my life after we lost our home during hurricane Ivan.  We had to move into the back of my office – my daughter was a senior in High School at a time.  Our lives were turned inside out and upside down when a 15 foot wall of water enveloped our whole neighborhood.  90 percent of the homes on our street were destroyed.  The place I taught my daughter to ride her bike, do her first cartwheel and build her playhouse – the place we called home would never be the same. 

Music has been an amazing vehicle for me to explore this fascination in a healing way – and it turns out has been healing to others as well – which gives me great joy.

Michael Brant DeMaria

 The water had always been a source of relaxation and peace for me – now it looked anything but – an ominous, unpredictable and dangerous force.  It really took me initially to a dark place – but it was out of this darkness that the music started to teach and heal me.  I started having dreams of swimming with dolphins, whales and strange underwater creatures.  The music really reveals that out of this darkness something beautiful comes.

John :  Siyotanka   hit  # 1  and remained in the Top  20  chart for  6  months, you went on to win a Native American Music Award ( NAMMY ) in the Native Heart category, recently presented in Niagara falls.  This album is based on a story, so could you tell us the storyline, and theatrical aspects of  Siyotanka  ?

Michael :  Siyotanka  is the Lakota word for ‘flute’ and sometimes is translated as ‘great song’.  The legend of Siyotanka involves how the first Native American Flute came to be. It’s about a boy trying to find his place in the world. 

He thinks he is to hunt and elk – but doesn’t have much success and on the way he is distracted by this hauntingly beautiful, ghost like music.  He follows the sound until he comes to a cedar tree that has had a branch hollowed out by termites.  There is a woodpecker who has hollowed out a number of holes in the branch and is jumping from one hole to the other and as he does the wind blows through the branch and creates this mysterious music.   He wants nothing more than to make this wood sing like that.  It takes time and many adventures – a vision quest, a dream of the spirit of the woodpecker and many other lessons, but finally he learns to make the wood sing.  He learns about humility, respect and listening deeply to Nature. 

The story reminds us when we are lost and alone, feeling rejected and abandoned, if we look inside our hearts and find the song that is living there we can find our way even through the darkest of times.  How a piece of wood can be fashioned into a musical instrument instead of into a weapon – to bring peace instead of war, love instead of hate. Truly a story for our time.   The play itself was quite a production.  We had a 30 person production team with actors, crew, a beautiful set designed by my co-writer Stephen Lott who also did the ‘shield’ for the cover of the CD.  You can find much more about the legend and some of the story behind the music at www.siyotanka.com

 John :  You also are currently working on another album titled  Voices,  which explores new territory for you.  What can we expect from the  Voices   project  ?

Michael :  This is something I’m very excited about John.  Voices  will be just that – nothing but human voices.  I have been working with my voice more and more – and I’ll be using multi-layering of my voice and perhaps some guess vocalists on this album and we hope it will be a wonderful addition to the  Healing Sound Series.  

John :  In the past you have said nature inspires you the most.  What aspects of nature, and how does silence, and individual notes from beginning to end, play an integral role in what you want people to hear and experience in your music  ?

Michael :  My holy trinity is Nature, creativity and spirituality.  For me nature is God’s art.  When we immerse ourselves in nature we are putting ourselves in alignment with the creative infinity of the universe.  Nature has a way of not only healing us, but inspiring us.  To me the music of nature is the most profound.  There is an organic quality and rhythm to the sound of nature.  For me it’s the music of life itself.  I never tire of listening to the many sounds present in the natural world.  I say I get many of my best stuff from the feathered one’s (the birds) !

John :  The instruments you play are keyboards, synthesizer, indigenous flutes, percussion, claves, and other aerophones, but you consider yourself a flutist at heart.  Why is the flute your passion, and what are some of the varying tonal attributes in the indigenous flutes and percussion instruments used in your music  ?

Michael :  Yes, John, although I grew up playing keyboards and percussion – and fell in love with the synthesizer in my late teens and 20’s – I’ve come to realize I’m a flute player at heart.  There is something about using my breath to create music that connects me with the spirit-that-moves-in-all-things in a profound way.  I disappear into the music playing the flute like nothing else.  I close my eyes and it’s the closest thing I have ever experienced to flying.  I feel my spirit soar when I play – and it is a thrill and joy like no other for me. 

John :  You have presently authored  3  personal growth books, and have stated a love for poetry having performed on stage with world renowned poets.  Could you tell us about the books you wrote, and some of your experiences as a recognized author and expressions as a poet  ?  

Michael :  I have written 3 books.  The first Horns and Halos: Towards the Blessing of Darkness is more of an academic work.  This was published in 1992 and explores the terrain of love/hate relationships.  I was working with child abuse victims at the time – and I was trying to understand how loving relationships could turn so violent.  It was a way for me to make peace with much of the tragedy I was witnessed to for so many years in my early clinical work. 

My second book, Ever Flowing On: On being and becoming oneself is a book for a general readership and was my first attempt to write less academically and more from the heart.  It includes the story of my first vision quest and my love of music and nature.  It is a personal growth book for the serious seeker.  It has also been called a wisdom book for the soul’s journey.  It is broken into 4 parts, The Source, The Abyss, The Quest and The Dance.  It was inspired by a dream where my grandmother came to me and asked me if I died tomorrow, what of value do I have to leave my daughter.  My goal was to write down what I felt was important in living a life.  It is a book that is near and dear to my heart – a labor of love ultimately for my daughter.

My last book is Moments, which is my first full length collection of poetry.  Next to music, poetry is my favorite form of expression.   It has always been a companion for me during dark times.  It was a great joy for me to play with Robert Bly and David Whyte, both of whom have inspired me creatively in many ways.  I can’t remember who said it, but the quote I love most about poetry is that in every poem the universe gives up a secret.  I really like that idea – and I personally experience it that way.  For me, life itself ultimately is a poem – and to live fully and well is to become an artist of life. 

My holy trinity is Nature, creativity and spirituality.  For me nature is God’s art.

Michael Brant DeMaria

John :  Your achievements and experiences are just too numerous to list in this single interview Michael, so I wanted to give you an opportunity to tell our readers anything about yourself we haven’t covered in our interview.

Michael :  John, you have been so kind and generous with your words.  It’s an honor to be part of newagemusic.nu.  I guess the only other area I’d like to share about is that in addition to  Siyotanka  I have written another play, Café Mezzo that was produced and received wonderful reviews including best play of the year for the theatre it was produced in (The Loblolly Theatre). 

I have also written a full length screenplay that I hope to see produced one day.  My greatest love is weaving music, words and images into meaningful and hopefully healing stories for the soul’s journey.  Stories and music have tremendous power to move us and transform us – so it is my hope in my creative work to add a bit of sanity and beauty to a world that is in desperate need of it.  I hope I can also inspire others to share their own creative expressions.  For me, the artist does for a culture, what a therapist does for an individual.  So ultimately all my work arises from the same inspiration and motivation – to heal and become more and more whole – individually and collectively.

John :  We wish the best for you as a Grammy nominee Michael. It’s been an honor to learn more about you while preparing, then conducting our interview together.  On behalf of our readers, thanks again and let’s keep in touch.

Michael :  Thank you so much John.  I have thoroughly enjoyed this interview and the depth and genuineness of your questions.  Yes, by all means let’s stay in touch  – it’s again a joy to be a part of newagemusic.nu !

Wishing you, your family and all your readers a blessed holiday season !

You may visit Michael’s website ontos.org by clicking here.  Our recent album review of  Ocean  and related articles can be found here.

*  There is a footnote to this Interview.  Michael informed me, and I did confirm, that ZMR has placed Michael’s  Ocean  album at the Top # 1 Recording for November 2009.  In addition, Improvijazzation has selected  Ocean  as their Best Ambient Album of the Year for 2008.

This is great news, and we are proud that NewAgeMusic.nu is able to present some of today’s top talents in the music industry to our readers.

Congratulations again Michael !

Now that the Christmas season has officially arrived, many are wondering what makes the perfect gift, how to revive their spirit of giving, and where to find holiday music that succeeds in setting the tone while recognizing the one true reason we celebrate Christmas.

Since many countries have traditions that include exchanging gifts, let me suggest  2  Christmas albums that recognize the true spiritual reason for the season, and also spark the excitement of preparing, decorating, and shopping for appropriate gifts.

Holiday High  by Mars Lasar and Cadence Spalding, is a natural beauty by the traditional songs recognized on this seasonal album.  The angelic vocals by Cadence blends into a beautiful rendition throughout, while Mars displays his innovative talents of mixing and layering, adding his special creative touch that easily sets this album apart from all others.

Holiday High is a traditional Christmas album displaying the serene musical qualities of a highly talented couple, who have earned a well respected position in the music world by their individual albums.

Christmas From Mars  is an equally beautiful traditional album with all of the extra enhancements that likewise makes another truly special gift, easily becoming the  2  most enjoyable holiday albums I can suggest for all listeners.

If you are searching for a great gift for someone, or wish to revive your own personal spirit of Christmas enjoyment this year and every year, both albums are a wonderful family edition designed for traditionalist and New Age music fans alike.

Visit marslasar.com here and sample both albums right here.

NewAgeMusic.Nu will present an Interview with Michael Brant DeMaria PH.D.  to our readers in the near future.  John P. Olsen is preparing the in-depth questions to examine his expansive career as clinical psychologist, musician, public speaker, poet, and author.

In the Grammy Nomination Awards ceremony held on Thursday, December 2, 2009,  Michael was among those honored by his nomination to the list of candidates for a prestigious Grammy Award, being the most widely recognized award in the music industry.

Siyotanka  is the release that placed his name in contention for the Best Native American Music Album.  Upon hearing this outstanding news about Michael just hours ago, B T Fasmer and I wish him the very best, when the final winner is decided and the award is presented to one of the five equally deserving nominees.

Prior to this news release about Michael’s Grammy Nomination, his  Siyotanka  album, which tells a story in song, decisively won a coveted Native American Music Award,  ( NAMA )  in the Native Heart category, winning a ( NAMMY ) of the many well respected contenders.

In his psychotherapy practice, Michael created ONTOS to help people live more meaningful and effective lives.  His music therapy expertise was acquired by personal and professional research in the fundamental principals of ambient sound techniques, acquired throughout his  25  year professional career.

His  Healing Sound Series  began with  The River,  and second in series  Ocean,  are prescribed with a relaxing ambient concept to assist anyone coping with life issues, or as stress relief to hurricane survivors, for which the  Ocean  album is dedicated.

Your can learn more about Dr. Michael Brant DeMaria before the Interview is posted, by visiting ontos.org here and his music store ontosmusic.com here.  The current review of his  Ocean  album titled Oceanic living, can be read by scrolling down our pages or by clicking here.

Congratulations on your Grammy Nomination Michael  ! 

NewAgeMusic.Nu  consistently receives a large number of CDs sent directly from artists, promoters, and producers, delivering a wide range of music to choose from, so we may present the best of what we can find for our readers wide variety of musical tastes.

9  Muses is a recent artist title to send a modern mix for those who like New Age Alternative, with melodic female vocals and a lively rhythmic beat.  While listening to the CD, my foot began to tap, and it occurred to me that a lively Pop influence could be added on the album description too, since mainstream audiences will like the modern day direction this album projects.

Feel to Heal  is the title from  9  Muses and first in their Elements Series, that predicts more releases to follow from the artist, with this first  10  lyrical love songs belonging in the theme of  9  Greek mythological muses, whose purpose if to liberate the listeners artistic creations related to song, literature, and the arts.

Cool Water  is a decorative ornamental song, with percussion and keyboard backing trendy vocals that are displayed as light and pleasant,  along with a faster tempo snare drum and groove based instrumentation, giving a nice arrangement from this first muse.

The Moon Told Me  is much like the first song by the alluring vocals, rhythmic pace, and lighter melody, but the Rock style guitar runs make a noticeable distinction between this first group of songs.

The middle tempo is maintained with  In My Arms,  carrying much of the modern day vocals and keyboard instrumentation patterned with a similar mindset.  There are also some chic percussion enhancements like heard in  The Man That Never Was,  which vocalises lyrical connotations of a lost love and everything that embodies.

Master Mind  starts out with a memorable beginning while posturing in slower, more anticipated vocals  like heard in  Not Love  &  Just to Dance With You.  Bruised Tears  is also among this song formation that changes the collective mood while also sustaining the engaging sensual theme.  The intriguing lyrics behind compelling female vocals are joined with moderate percussion rhythms and synthesizer backgrounds to exhibit more casual surroundings.

The  9  Muses album title song  Feel to Heal  rebounds boldly by a brisk tempo and set in stone  (  Dun  da  Dun  da  Dunt  ) energy driven Groove rhythm,  having a tantalizing pronunciation in keyboard delivery that generates attention right from the start.  Percussion maintains this articulated faster tempo, while the elaborate xylophone runs intermingled with the vocals effectively add an interesting angle, becoming a nice touch to a vogue song having more of a Pop resemblance. 

While this album may not be a classic New Age presentation, there certainly is an audience that will appreciate this Contemporary Vocal blend, and you can rest assured that NewAgeMusic.Nu can easily find music to fit a wide variety of musical tastes.

9  Muses does not have a website at present, so CD Baby.com is the place to sample the  Heal to Feel  album.  Visit CD Baby.com here.

NewAgeMusic.nu has host many outstanding Artist Interviews recently, and we are indeed thankful to be in a position of stewardship while presenting these fine musicians to our readers.

We want to thank all artist for taking time out of their busy schedules and accepting our interview invitation, to permit everyone a look into their professional and personal lives.  This note of appreciation applies to all musicians we interview at NewAgeMusic.nu, past, present, and future.

The musicians we come in contact with daily, along with our readership extends to many countries, so we also wish to thank our readers.  It is our honor to be your international host during your visits to NewAgeMusic.nu.

We hope everyone can share a sense of pride like we do, by having a friendly atmosphere to learn more about one another, and the unique New Age Music genre.

Even if your country does not celebrate this primarily American & Canadian holiday, we wish to extend this reflection of gratitude to all by the family gatherings that take place on this Thanksgiving holiday.

Your Friends In Music,  BT Fasmer  &  John P. Olsen.

Our entire list of Artist Interviews to date can be located by clicking the Interview Tab at the top of our main page.

NewAgeMusic.nu host a recent Artist Interview with John Adorney to reveal insight about a world class performing music therapist, whose beautiful relaxing compositions could easily be termed Comfort Music.

John Adorney began with the  Beckoning  album, becoming an instant hit with New Age fans, likewise acquiring many listeners who simply adore the Contemporary Instrumental genre in the process. 

The Other Shore, Waiting For The Moon, & Trees of Gold  are his preceding albums that dispense the beloved classics we easily recognize from his relaxed musical signature.

The Fountain  is the newest release to showcase his reliable artistry in blending Electronic, Contemporary Instrumental and World music  while quenching the thirst for a wide variety of music lovers who depend on flowing song melodies for survival.

John Adorney wrote and produced the  11  songs for this album,  along with instrumentation of piano, keyboard, acoustic guitar, cello, and percussion.  Inclusive enrichment by female vocalist Daya Rawat, and African vocalist Marcel Adjibi, who wrote the lyrics, pleasantly enhance the project on a number of songs with their fluid harmonious voices.

The Fountain album takes an exploratory examination into music having an elemental influence from India and in the process, recreates the beloved John Adorney signature sound.  This mosaic showing the ancient footprint of India is an aesthetic treasure openly embraced by Western listeners, along with his broad multicultural audience.

The steady stream of rich colorful songs everyone has come to expect starts with  Safe Haven,  securing his uplifting brand of Contemporary, Electronic, and Instrumental fanfare with an ideal beginning.  The piano melody shines radiantly by administering a comforting theme in classic style while prescribing symphonic intermezzos along with lighter percussion and their clave counterparts.

Title song  The Fountain  is filled with the exotic touches of India, in an authentic sprinkle of spices that nicely compliments the mainstream Eastern entries.  Daya softly chants an Indian passage in the song as ethnic instrumentals accompany her, along with more traditional piano and acoustic guitar rhythms.

Comme Le Vent  is immersed with opulent vocals by both Marcel and Daya,  extending their reflections by a melody that seems to glow when placed alongside peaceful piano support to display all musicians as radiant.

Feather on the Wind  is a light picturesque blend of piano and symphonic instrumentals encircled by warm cello splashes of color.  Abundant percussion rhythms in  Echoes of Thunder  enhance an illuminating mid tempo groove melody, while  Even In Your Darkest Hour  hallmarks Daya singing a soft eloquent song of peace, comfort, and hope. 

The lyrics are cradled by lighter percussion and an array of symphonic refrains to endorse her all is well message.  An Ocean in the Drop  has percussion play a steady role during counter beat piano melodies classic tours up and down the keys. 

Silk and Stone  will become a favorite by the unique mosaic of multicultural sound excursions that transport you on a passport tour to many continents around the globe.  Your flight takes off with American hand clapping and bass drum rhythms before crossing the border into Latin countries percussion clave patterns.  Smoothly landing with an intriguing European groove feel and enchanting accordion entries pleasantly remind of our restful stop for coffee at the outdoor cafe.

If I were given the chance to create a trademark defining term for a new music genre that everyone could easily recognize for a new description reference, I would confidently term the compositions of John Adorney as Comfort Music.

The itinerary then moves into Middle Eastern style keyboard navigation before boarding acoustic guitar verses reminiscent of India.  Circling the globe by Southern route, Brazilian tempo celebrates the festivities before a final touchdown into John Adorney’s home country of America, arriving well relaxed by one of his more adventurous musical arrangements, in the luxurious comfort we have come to expect. 

Visit  johnadorney.com  here to sample The Fountain and Amazon.com to purchase here.  You can read our recent NewAgeMusic.nu Interview by clicking here.

Picture copyright BigStockPhoto.com – WizData

Katrina is a name that brings up vivid memories and sense of helplessness for all who witnessed the massive devastation of the largest natural disaster in American history. 

Michael Brant DeMaria, PH.D.  is a clinical psychologist, composing musician, poet, author, and dedicator of his Healing Sound Series to all hurricane survivors past, present, and future.  In his psychotherapy practice, Michael created ONTOS (  Greek for Being  ) to help people live more meaningful and effective lives, and his ambient music is designed as therapy to help assist survivors by easing their return to coastal living again.

While writing this review I learned  Michael was among those who lost their family home during the  2004 – 2005  hurricane seasons, so his therapy support does arrive from a first person perspective.

My main passion and professional work is helping and supporting individuals on their journey towards wholeness – helping them become more conscious, compassionate, and creative human beings while being more integrated and effective in their personal and professional lives.   

Michael Brant DeMaria

The River  began the Healing Sound Series, with  Ocean  second in the series based on over  25  years of personal and professional research in the fundamental principals of sonic healing techniques, helping survivors relax and return to a more peaceful existence through ambient sound techniques.

His third release  Siyotanka  won the Native American Music Award in the Native Heart category, being placed on the Grammy ballot for Best Native American Music Album, while retaining the  # 1  position on ZMR charts in February 2009.  His music, art, and poetry acquired  U.S.  recognition while gaining international acceptance in Australia, Europe, and Russia, touching the lives of many persons.

The Ocean album helps reclaim the natural bond we share with our greater oceanic waters, rejuvenating our vital relationship by interweaving calming ambient therapy, in a bright reflection that restores a more positive link with our mysterious, life sustaining hydrosphere.

                                                                                             John P. Olsen

Ocean  responds by calming ambiance and some unique blending of World & Contemporary instrumentals  of Native American flute, African Djembe, Middle Eastern Doumbek, Indian Sruti box and Aerophones.  More traditional keyboards, piano, and percussion also form the connection into  11  songs reflecting titles in the theme of our primarily blue planet.

Open Water  begins with a compelling quiet stillness, approaching more subtle moments before synthesizer starts the slow emergence into woodwinds equally calming approach, nicely illustrating the vast waters that comprise over seventy percent of the Earth.

Light ambient notes appear in  Moonlit Sea  to instill a moment of solitude before woodwind flute begins a comforting reflection by softer drawn out notes, generating a gentle shimmering effect like small surface ripples moving outward on top of peaceful waters.

Transformation  enters a flute prelude with graceful motions that show like soft sound waves quietly lapping against the shoreline and ambient notes soon appear like airy clouds that drift alongside bass percussion signaling an ancient rhythm. 

The distant chants put forth a revitalizing atmosphere while deeper tones give an impression of deep universal depths, before bringing the lighter theme back to the surface.

The commingling of deep and shallower notes are also heard in  Remember,  conveying soft chants and woodwinds while interacting with a deeper mesmerizing background, defining the chosen ambient theme for the album as a pleasent and relaxing one.

In Search Of Home  divulges into intrigue I felt was natural, enchanting, and just right for a final reflection about the Oceans since we enjoy, yet depend on them so much, and our hydrosphere pretty much remains a universal unsolved mystery that completely surrounds us.

Visit Dr. Michael Brant DeMaria’s website at ontos.org.  Music can be sampled and purchased at ontosmusic.com here, or his CD Baby.com page here.

Picture copyright Bigstockphoto.com – argus456

John P. Olsen, contributing author for newagemusic.nu serves as host for an Interview with composing musician John Adorney, discussing many topics including his artist biography, secret to success formula for producing outstanding music year after year, and newest release  The Fountain.

JP Olsen : Thank you for taking time out of your schedule for us.  We welcome you aboard, John.  It is an honor to meet you not only by your star status in the music industry, but BT Fasmer and I also happen to be among the many fans of your music !

John Adorney : Thanks – it’s great to have this opportunity to speak with you !

JP Olsen : Let me start by saying, you began by playing cello at age 9, were self taught on guitar, piano, and also began composing at an early age.  Could you tell our readers about your earliest introductions to music and how you first began composing music at this young age ?

John Adorney : Both my parents were artists, so initially, drawing was my first love. We had a few musical instruments around the house, and from a very young age, I always loved picking them up and playing with them, picking out tunes.  There was always music around the house, and sometimes I would go to church with my mother and grandmother.  When the hymns were sung, they were both always singing harmony – never the melody.  I think this had a big effect on me – I’ve always loved harmonies as much as anything in music.

When I was 11, the Beatles hit America, and I was totally smitten with pop music and taught myself guitar – which, to me, was quite easy compared to studying the cello.   Once music clicked for me, I lost interest in doing art – drawing seemed so dry to me compared to music.

My parents always supported whatever I was interested in, so they bought me an electric guitar, and later a 12-string acoustic guitar. We also had two reel-to-reel tape recorders in the house, so it occurred to me that I could record myself playing several instruments.  I’d record a part on cello, then play the tape out loud, playing a second harmony part along, and recording both on the second tape deck.  I’d do this back and forth until the sound quality of the initial recording was so bad, I really couldn’t take it any further.  I’d make up my own pieces – I think the layering idea originated from playing in orchestra, where each part is separate, but when put together, creates something large, and often, quite sublime. I actually still have some of those old recordings.

I’ve always loved harmonies as much as anything in music.

John Adorney

JP Olsen : Some of your scholastic studies are centered around music.  Could you describe your fields of study, vocational, and educational achievements ?

John Adorney : I studied cello into my college years, and I was a cello major at the University of Connecticut. I was also I interested in psychology, so when I finished my degree at Antioch University several years later, it was with a double major in music and psychology.

Then, while teaching music at a school for handicapped children, I discovered that there was a music therapy program at Cal State University, Long Beach. I completed my music therapy training there and became a board-certified music therapist. The semester after I graduated, I was asked to teach music therapy at the University.

JP Olsen : Working with handicapped children must be a very rewarding experience and I can only imagine what that must be like, John.  What are some of the challenges and personal rewards felt from your experiences while teaching disabled children, and as a music therapist, how are you able to reach out to severely handicapped individuals ?

John Adorney : First, I’d like to say that we’re all handicapped – it’s a spectrum, really, that we stand on at one spot and from there, we judge someone else.  I’ve had doctors tell me that someone I was working with was severely retarded, but I knew that this was just because the person couldn’t speak.  Of course if someone can’t speak, they’re going to test poorly on an “intelligence” test.  It was easy to see by looking in the person’s eyes that they were perfectly intelligent.  Common sense is very uncommon, as a very wise man once said.

There are so many things that are great about using music as a therapeutic medium.  For one, everyone loves music, so it has a universal appeal built into it. I think that this is perhaps especially true for handicapped people.  I’ve always loved working with handicapped people, because they just seemed more open to music than most people – they’re not trying to be “cool.”  And if there’s any kind of intellectual limitation, then music can transcend that.

There are so many things that are great about using music as a therapeutic medium.

John Adorney

The actual application of music therapy varies, depending on what the goals are with each client.  For example, an autistic person needs to connect to people – he or she lives in a fairly isolated world.  My approach in this case would be to enter that person’s world with them – become a companion in their world.  This might mean imitating the sounds that they make, and singing along with these sounds, finding out which songs and music the person likes, etc.  Then, once I have been accepted as a friend in that person’s world, then he or she and I can venture slowly out from that world in a way that’s safe.

One client of mine has no speech, no movement, eats through a tube and breathes through a tube.  She lies on her back all day looking at the ceiling.  We have connected through my singing songs to her – I make them up about her, her environment, etc.  The music can stimulate her or relax her, depending on what’s called for.  She’s an amazing person, and it’s my honor to know her and be able to be with her.  It’s all in the eyes and the smiles.

JP Olsen : I think the work you do with handicapped individuals is admirable John, and completely agree with your statement that there is enrichment and something to learn from all individuals, regardless of whether they are handicapped or not.

In 1998 you joined the EverSound label and your first album  Beckoning has received notoriety by becoming their most successful album to date.  What awards and recognition have you received so far on all of your albums, and is  Beckoning your most successful album to date ?

John Adorney : Well, it’s hard to say, whether there’s any difference between  Beckoning and my other CDs other than the fact that  Beckoning has been out the longest. This is probably why it has sold more than my other CDs. I saw on one radio airplay chart recently that my new CD, The Fountain, was #1, and  Beckoning – which was released in 1998 – was #2.

All my CDs have all been received really well.  The Other Shore won the Best New Age Recording of 2002. Really, though, I don’t think that awards have anything to do with the value of music. Music really stands on its own. To me the greatest reward is when I get an email from a fan that says the music has had a profound effect on their life. I get some amazing emails, and I’ve already gotten several in response to the song “Even in Your Darkest Hour,” from The Fountain.  Writing that song was unique, as it played in my head from beginning to end, exactly as you hear it on the CD.  That happens maybe once in a lifetime for most musicians, I think.  We forget sometimes how magical this thing called music really is.

JP Olsen : There are many projects with EverSound label artists you have performed with and likewise guest performers on your albums.  What are some of the projects have you done with EverSound label artists ?

There are two EverSound artists, Lino and Curtis Macdonald, who, after hearing my CDs, wanted me to produce theirs. It was a pleasure working with both of them and hopefully, I was able to add something.  They are both extremely talented composers and musicians.

I also produced Diane Arkenstone’s “Best Of” CD, which was released on EverSound.  I helped gather the tracks and I arranged the two new tracks on the CD.  Diane’s a wonderful human being.

JP Olsen : Your discography consists of Beckoning, The Other Shore, Waiting for the Moon and Trees of Gold.  Just released The Fountain does have the Adorney signature sound, yet a unique exploration of it’s own too, so can you offer some input about the ethnic paths taken on  The Fountain,  along with prior releases ?

John Adorney : I’ve always been a fan of world music and different ethnic grooves and so I’ve always wanted to incorporate them into my music. I’m also a big fan of Indian music – A.R. Rahman, and other so-called “Bollywood” composers. I think Indian music is the most sophisticated music on earth, and has such a rich and ancient history.  The instrumentation is fantastic, the grooves are hypnotic, and also, the Indian music is not based on chord changes, as is western music – it’s based on a drone.

I’ve always resisted using Indian sounds in my music because I respect the tradition of their music so much. But I feel there’s been a kind of new recognition of Indian musical elements fused into popular and dance music, which gave me the freedom to finally incorporate some of the Indian sounds. So I think  The Fountain incorporates some of these elements more than my previous CDs.

JP Olsen : Do you have a secret to success formula for providing everyone with music having an enduring positive influence over the years, and what inspires you to create and then transfer your thoughts into your compositions ?

John Adorney : I don’t know if I can say I have a secret – where music comes from is the real secret.  Sometimes as musicians we get too much credit and recognition for simply being a channel for the music that comes into this world.

I always write from a feeling – never about some external thing.  I love the un-defined quality in music, which is why I write mostly instrumental music.  Even the lyrics in the songs I’ve done are usually open to interpretation, and I never like to say what my own interpretation is, because I don’t want to limit what someone else might experience.  To me, what the musician is expressing is not what’s important – it’s what the listener feels when they hear the music.

I’ve always been a fan of world music and different ethnic grooves and so I’ve always wanted to incorporate them into my music.

John Adorney

I’ve also benefitted in my life by being a student of a great teacher named Prem Rawat.  He has really cleared away a lot of the garbage in me that would have prevented this music from coming through.  If people are interested, they can go to http://www.wopg.org/.  That stands for Words Of Peace Global.

JP Olsen : In relation to the technical aspects of your projects, can you tell a little about how your music is produced ?

John Adorney : When I first started with Beckoning, and with my second CD, The Other Shore, I was lucky to get Paul Dieter to do the mixing – he was on a break from doing work with Jackson Browne and Crosby, Stills and Nash.  He had gotten a Grammy nomination for mixing Jackson’s This TimeCD. I don’t even remember exactly how he heard about me, or the other EverSound artists.  But I loved working with Paul, and I’d always pick his brain as he worked – I was trying to learn as much as I could about the process.  Also, some of my music was mixed by a fantastic engineer, Leslie Chew, who also has taught me a lot about the mixing process.  Eventually, I’d felt I’d learned enough to mix my own music, which I started to do with Waiting for the Moon.

My home studio is very small, but with a keyboard and a powerful computer, you can really create some great sounds.  I do a lot of tracking in the Midi realm, and then sometimes replay many of the instruments live, to give the music a more “live” feel.  I’ve always loved blending electronic and acoustic sounds.

Believe me, as a composer I feel very fortunate to be able to play the keyboards, cello and guitar – these really cover a lot of ground, and it helps keep the budget down!  Besides – I can play the music exactly as I want it to sound.

I’ve worked in Cubase and ProTools, but now I work in Logic Studio, and do some audio editing in ProTools. Logic is very musical, but I still find ProToolsto be the simplest program in terms of editing audio. Sometimes if I need to record something live, like Daya’s voice, I’ll bring my equipment to a professional studio in Westlakeand will record the live elements there. Really, all that’s needed is a quiet place and a good microphone.

To me the greatest reward is when I get an email from a fan that says the music has had a profound effect on their life.

John Adorney

JP Olsen : Daya is featured on many of your albums, lending her vocal talents that can only be described as exquisite.  Her vocals compliment your music so well and is just a natural combination, so how did Daya’s singing career with you begin ?

John Adorney : I was Daya’s music teacher from when she was 7 years old, until she was about fifteen.  She’s always had an incredible voice, and a beautiful heart that comes through in her singing, even from a young age.  We have a wonderful relationship, and she’s always happy to sing on my projects.  I feel really fortunate to not only know her, but to have her sing on my music.

JP Olsen : EverSound and major retail outlets sell your music at present, but I’ve read that CD albums and individual songs will become available on your website.  When is your website retail store expected to open ?

John Adorney : I’m still working out the kinks on the website store.  I want to make sure that it’s a really smooth experience for anyone who goes there to purchase.  I know how frustrating poorly-organized websites can be.  It should be up and running in the next few weeks.  It’ll be fun, because then I can have individual tracks available for download that were never on a solo CD.

JP Olsen : On behalf of our readers, BT Fasmer, and myself, Thank You again for taking time out for us and giving everyone the opportunity to learn more about you on a personal level and the outstanding music you produce that keeps everyone coming back for more.  We consistently play your songs on our Home of the Stars Radio and invite our readers to tune in and discover the music of John Adorney.

John Adorney : Thank you – it’s been wonderful having this opportunity to talk about the music with people who are truly interested.  Thanks again.

Visit  johnadorney.com  right here to sample his entire album collection.  Visit  Amazon.com  to sample and purchase here.  You can find the EverSound Label artists John mentioned at  eversound.com  right here.

Cello picture copyright Bigstockphoto – Stab / David Martyn

If you are one in the multitude of dreamers with an ambitious goal in mind, permit me to tell you about one musician’s personal story for reaching goals since she is very much a trusted source of inspiration for those who already know and listen to her music.

Vicki Logan first began without formal music lessons, having only a dream of becoming an accomplished musician someday. Her spirited philosophy of believing in yourself, boldly taking the risks, and then dreaming big since anything is possible, has proved to be more than just a mere statement about turning dreams into reality.

Vicki is now an outstanding musician taking her own advice for years by creating a heartfelt  4  album portfolio where each album title and theme chronicles the subsequent chapters of her achievements along the way.  Chasing Dreams began the first stage for her success and easily set a high watermark for future albums of  Finding My Way, The Ride, & The Journey To the Places In My Soul, along with a much anticipated album now in progress.

Chasing Dreams reached nomination for Album of the Year in regional music charts, then her subsequent albums were established in NAR / ZMR Top  100  charts and abundant online radio airplay on AOL, Sirius Radio, and XM Satellite, grew to reach around  1000  station worldwide.  Writing the original music along with playing piano, strings and flute, Vicki enlists several exceptional musicians with co-producer Randy Gildersleeve on acoustic guitar, banjo & mandolin, Andy LaCasse on bass & electric guitar, and Peter O’Gorman as percussionist.

Change is the only true constant in life.  Instead of fighting it, we should always look for the advantages to change, and then use them to our benefit.  In the end, dreams are only dreams unless you are willing to make them a reality.

Vicki Logan

Chasing Dreams is a  10  song classic storybook of concertos, with chapter one titled as  The Only Way To Say Goodbye. This first song reveals feelings of hope for those who have lost a loved one by a moving piano piece that marks the first song notation as a memorable one.  Respectful by turning each page with a soft finger to key touch, drama crescendos with every step until an emotional full chord melody is expressed, reaching a finale that I can only describe as heartfelt and poetic. The  Reprise version offers another impression and moving portrayal of this exquisite melody.

An Epoch Of Childhood represents growing to adulthood by a wonderful piano opus enhanced with guitar entries and percussion, reaffirming the positive vibes one feels from her entire album collection. Highway  8  From Minnesota To Michigan is a piano and woodwind ballad that navigates at a mid tempo pace with flute passages describing the event as one of amazement, becoming one of your narrator’s favorites.  Beautiful by the emotion rich drama, this song is composed to stay in your mind and I do find myself recalling it often.

Title song  Chasing Dreams is another beautiful piece to bookmark.  Soft wind chimes herald in a thoughtful piano and guitar duo that unite in refined stages until the deepest emotions emerge.

The classic artistry in chord phrasing is pleasing not only to the ear, but to the heart and mind, having a wonderful rhythm that conveys only positive sentiments.  The  Reprise version gives another chance to hear this pleasing song in the same key, yet in a slightly faster tempo defined by synthesizer background that sheds light on this new perspective and classically displays her artistic originality.

The Hopper Song is a lively number that showcases the skills of all musicians starting with an upbeat percussion that leaps into expressive piano chords, while mandolin and banjo strum their engaging scripts with confidence.  This song reminded me that writing songs to inspire people is what Vicki Logan’s music is all about, bringing a smile to my face as I picture the multitudes of optimistic dreamers out there also becoming a success, in their own personal storybook of dreams.

Vicki’s story of inspiration can be read at  vickilogan.com  by clicking here.  Visit her MySpace page to sample her music and find where to purchase albums here.  Our pages dedicated to Vicki Logan have reviews for all of her albums, along with our recent Artist Interview, so discover even more about Vicki right here.

Picture Copyright Bigstockphoto.com – trebeb

Since NewAgeMusic.nu readership extends around the world and Halloween is practically an international tradition celebrated by a wide variety of customs, we wanted to offer a holiday oriented YouTube video release from Salva Moreno of Psicodreamics.  This video just shows the album art, but has a lengthy sampling of audio excerpts from  Theatre des Vampire.

Living in Valencia Spain, Salva’s fantasy and mythological inspired music offers some intriguing desiger music throughout the entire year and his  Theatre des Vampires album has the thrill and chill musical effects to keep you in suspense during the Halloween holiday.  Naturally, we wish everyone a safe and happy Halloween.

Click here to find our Interview and Review Pages dedicated to Salva Moreno, then click here to visit his modern day fantasy and mythological website of psicodreamics.com

Picture copyright Bigstockphoto.com – Solarseven

We are happy to inform our newagemusic.nu visitors about an Artist Interview on the horizon with American musician John Adorney. John P. Olsen will serve as host by preparing the interview questions to this widely celebrated musician.

Mr. Adorney is a well respected superstar, having  5  award winning albums to his credit, an impressive gathering of loyal fans, and a just right feel to his discography that is enchanting and pleasing to everyone by the contemporary instrumentals, flowing melodies, along with elegant vocals.

Topics will include his just released album  The Fountain, his early biography up to present day, and secret to success formula for always supplying everyone with musical favorites year after year.

The easy to use music player on his website provides ( 1: 09  length samples ) for you to hear his classic albums and newest release.

For those who like a memorable video experience, the YouTube video below offers an ocean tide sunset with dolphin scenes as visual backdrop to the song  Neverending to make one very impressive music video.

Visit  johnadorney.com website to sample his music right here.  His just released  The Fountain CD can be purchased at Amazon.com right here.

The conservation minded  11.05  Revival release from Mars Lasar is the most recent project in the Eleventh Hour Series to make a significant statement in both the trademark designer music Mars continues to envision and next in series dedication to protection of our planet that arrives with just in time precision.

The Eleventh Hour Series relies on an Electronic Instrumental infrastructure to get the message out, and it now appears clear Mars was just ahead of his time with the series. His deep exploratory music touches the senses while beating a constant rhythm in music lover’s hearts, exactly when a new resurgence in conservation is suddenly thrust into the forefront of the next generation’s minds.

11.05  Revival on the Sound Manipulation label approaches every aspect of Eclectic, Electronic, Instrumental & New Age Groove, canvassing the inherent beauty and peaceful serenity of our magnificent planet in an epic and colorful illustration drawn from one man’s timely musical perspective.

Earthbound exhibits a strong opening by first reaching out to grab, and then capture your attention by a distinctive percussion rhythm that steadily glides into full keyboard environment, giving a pulsating melody in motion testimonial.  During refrains, choral vocals announce a clear message while swaying melody acts like a pendulum to once again move in countermotion behind the energizing concept.

Parallel Worlds permits you to breath again while navigating at a gentler pace during orchestration crescendo that nicely revolves around lighter percussion, woodwinds, and twinkling effects, giving brief moments of interlude during this unilateral event.

Some of the introspective songs heard on  11.05  Revival  could be perceived as a warning for our ecological in-actions and resulting consequence to humanity, since several songs have a deep perilous atmosphere that rightfully command your attention.

Globalization conjures up equally deep and lighter emotions by modifying sound images in this majestic song that uniquely articulates the projection of imagery during his compositions. The deeply integrated keyboard and vocals are centered by a twinkling sequence to mirror the bright reflection of a full moon and resulting tidal effect.

Ancient Astronaut  &  Final Countdown take giant leaps onto the planetary surface of ambience, having an audible feel of intensity in their own domain.

While one song is geared to a constant percussion countdown timed to the precision of a second hand with far reaching melody, another explores rich orchestration by engaging brass, winds and strings that seem to defy gravity by dynamic theatrics alongside intertwined lighter and deeper orchestra concertos.

Next Millennium has a design of the future piano melody with counter beat notes and intriguing voice box dialog that likewise competes for your attention. Moderate patterns then return with several songs set to a mid tempo pace and feel like heard in  Evolution.

Graceful Orbit has a cycling pattern by the static effect, strings, and choir vocals, while  Celestial Challenge has a voice box dialog along with flute in an engaging improv sequence and  Guide To The Ozone shows a nice blend of instrumentals drawn into softer melodies that float along accordingly.

By The Sea ushers in the pleasingly relaxing voice of Cadence Spalding, where Contemporary Jazz is introduced to softer classic vocals alongside piano and saxophone accompaniment, lending a soulful and poetic touch which nicely compliments  11.05  Revival and newest release in the  Eleventh Hour Series.

Mars Lasar has truly made a bold testimonial in this timely masterpiece, renewing the true spirit behind the  Eleventh Hour Series while also personifying his dedication to conservation music legacy. The positive aspects of our world worth saving are clearly shown in unison with the extreme challenges ahead, exactly when the music of today’s generation and inherent staff of conservation awareness is carefully relayed into the open arms of the next generation.

Visit  marslasar.com to sample or purchase right here or visit CDBaby here.

*  The Eleventh Hour Series  11.05  Revival has a  10  %  donation to  conservation.org  with your album purchase.

Picture Copyright Bigstockphoto.com – karmaamarande

Some of the artists we write about find their inspiration by discovering the scenic wonders here on Earth.  Natural compositions having both peaceful and majestic themes recalled from an individual and local perspective can be very inspirational indeed.

Ontario Canada is the geographical location of a New Age artist title bringing a beautiful listening experience to a worldwide audience.  Showing a fine music observation of the abundant natural beauty that surrounds everyone each day, here is a nice album where time was given and attention was paid while orchestrating their scenic recollections.

Bruce Mitchell is a composing musician blessed with a natural talent for bringing out the best of what mother Earth has to offer with the just released New Earth Goddess album on the Millennium Label.  His music compositions have a great distinction of being the feature TV soundtracks for Nature Watch & The Global Family in Japan’s multi language International Public Broadcast program ( NHK ) becoming a prime time success in Europe, among other countries.

Bruce first began with albums  Hidden Pathways, Dancing on the Edge, and The Gathering,  relying on rich orchestra movements to translate his natural music abilities.  Celtic Destiny & Celtic Sanctity  are also consistent with his prior work and shown with just a touch of Celtic influence and now leads to his current release.

New Earth Goddess  is a  10  song exploration into the hearts and minds of ten charitable goddesses who provide a ( song subtitle ) depicting the gift endowment held within each individual song.  Bruce once again engages his friend and world class flutist Ron Korb, who likewise solidifies the project playing concert flute, bass flute, and  2  exotic bamboo woodwinds Dizi & Bansuri, with both having ancient origins.

New Earth Goddess by composer Bruce Mitchell and co-musician Ron Korb represent skillful craftsmanship in composition and piano skills of one, plus equally strong woodwind skills of another.  Their performance gives a dramatic looking through the lens glimpse into the naturalistic side of music by powerful symphonic expression, choir entries, and harmony rich vocals.

Flowing song  Athena  grants ( inner wisdom )  by the brass horns that open eyes, ears, and minds to a mid tempo classic presentation of piano and flute melody backed by an orchestra landscape full of strings and winds that exhibit nature as pure scenic ambiance. 

The display of lighter airy moments at times nicely build into full thunderous entries, symbolic that smaller streams do trickle into larger rivers, which then flow with increasing momentum until reaching the greater oceans.

Persephone  vocalizes a moderate pace in ( transformation ) where changing North to South seasonal winds are recalled by moving harmonic vocals,  while gentle peaceful winds are heard by flute and piano duo, whispering in timely unison with the lighter vocals. Brigit  implies a more noble statement in ( stand for your beliefs ) with deeper percussion and melodic piano passages alongside bagpipes, oboe, and woodwinds, while  Aeracura  opens with a much quieter beginning to ( unfold & blossom ) considering the melody soon orchestrates in a dramatic ascension, opening right along in time with fragrant vocals.

Damara  suggests a gentler mindset for ( guiding children )  by lighter tone in flute melody set behind piano chords and soft xylophone runs, implying a gentler hand is always wisest when caring for the younger ones.

Maeve  ( cycles and rhythms ) in an Epic way when piano and flute take on a dramatic performance with one another, creating a natural ebb and flow between the two musicians, leading to the conclusion that Bruce and Ron have succeeded by becoming a constant and enduring source of inspiration while performing their music, much like the Earth itself.

Visit newearthgoddess.net here and sample this album at CDBaby.com here.  Visit the flute specialist ronkorb.com here.

Picture copyright Bigstockphoto.com – PosterPuppy

Since everyone must make life transitions whether they really want to or not, let me tell you a story about a musician from Fresno California who has a successful history of making transitions and can perhaps offer some insight on the subject of change.

Michael Stribling is an award winning New Age composer who readily embraces change having already made many positive adjustments in his lifetime.  His just released album titled The Promise smoothly arrives at the next stage of his long career in music with a look and feel that confirms and conveys an admirable composite of Electronic and Ambient music.

Michael’s transitions include earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Music, work as a radio announcer, performing in theatre musicals and playing percussion for Johnny Mathis just for starters.  His story gets even better since after then becoming a successful Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist offering help to those who needed a hand with their transitions, he returned to his earlier love and formed Leela ( Divine Play ) Music.

I formed Leela Music to undertake a very simple mission :  to help others in their journey towards wholeness through the gift of music, by creating works that inspire and uplift the human spirit.                              Michael Stribling

This return to music is beyond more than promising since Michael’s first album  Songs of Hope and Healing  made it to #  1  on the Top 100 in NAR / ZMR charts, securing the Electronic Lifestyle Music Award in  2006  and  Out of the Darkness, Into the Light,  lit up the #  2  spot on the Top 100 in January having  2  nominations for the Lifestyle Music Award in  2007.  Another Day in Paradise  is indeed praiseworthy, while  Love, Light, and Water,  earned nomination for Best Relaxation / Meditation Album in 2008, making each day even brighter for this independent recording artist with an optimistic outlook toward the challenge of change.

Michael Stribling has clearly made many successful transitions in his musical lifetime, giving him a first hand perspective to help others cope with change.  The positive yes responses shown in his earlier music and in this brand new release only proves his natural composing abilities for bringing hope and inspiration to others.

The Promise  is Michael’s very latest to deliver  14  original songs like his newest composition in musical ambiance is an autobiography of his attitude, comprehension, and inner thoughts drawn from daily observations, then transcribed into beautiful music. 

Beginning with  Bright New Day  a crisp new perspective is announced by abundant keyboard activity that vividly lights the occasion while percussion distinctively beats beside a synthesizer full of energy,  creating much animation by the opening number to forecast what lies beyond in future melodies.  Daily Living  likewise moves right along in style and tempo by the upper register bell tones that counteract with middle range melody and is much like the positive vibes given in  Angular Reasoning  and the uplifting theme projected during  All In Good Time. 

Like many songs in his prior projects this album does take timely breaks into the deeper hues of contemplation and reflection. 

Forgotten Dreams  exemplifies this apparent yin and yang transition to a more down to earth reasoning with a single oboe tone melody bordered by a mesmerizing and hazy background, touching on a bit of sadness which is after all, a valid part of the total human experience.  Love’s Anticipation  also brings a realistic and happier yes response by the lighter melody along side piano passages, much like the easy going natural feel presented in  Distant Shores. 

Title song  The Promise  begins with a quiet moment of solitude in a melancholy horn tone wrapped in sadness,  but this moment gently advances forward in a creative moment of divine intervention nicely provided by the artist.

Changing the piece by one moving sweep in music composition, this percussion backed melody gently makes a beautiful transformation  from an already graceful song into a lovely song of splendor, very much like a caterpillar cocoon would change into a butterfly, keeping the promise of inner peace and harmony everyone discovers in the final stages during each of life’s transitions.

Visit leela-music.com here and then sample at CDBaby.com here.

There are thousands of ways the word love can be defined.  When talking about the word in an interpersonal context, everyone can easily recognize their true feelings and just know they love someone without a written description to define what they are feeling.

Paul Avgerinos is the composing musician behind the  album having a title and theme related to the divine word we call love.  This New Age artist who named his positively feel good album after one of our most primitive and basic needs we possess received NAR / ZMR awards for Best World Album in 2007 with Garden Of Delight, and Best Relaxation / Meditation Album in 2006 with Gnosis.  Many of his songs also enjoy abundant airplay, sharing his relaxing music at the top on many online radio charts.

Paul’s latest album titled Love does focus on both the nature and nurturing side to music, giving a caring gentle touch to ambience while providing a definition of what the word love means to him on a personal level, both in music and by his own compassionate words. 

This album is dedicated to my dear Mother and Father resting in peace.  They showed me by their selflessness and devotion, what true love really is.  It is my fervent desire that all beings will feel, receive and give unconditional blissful love in all it’s forms with increasing ease and comfort.

                                                                             Paul Avgerinos

Round Sky Music label is at the heart of Paul’s discography, where Ambient, Healing, and Relaxation music is expressed in an ever present restful state of mind and where anyone who searches for it can find Love.  With his latest like prior albums, Paul performs in his natural musical state of contentment playing cello, bass, violin,  12  string acoustic, electric swell & echo slide guitars, vocal choirs, synthesizers & sound design.  Paul does recognize inside the CD cover that the Love album would not be a reality without the dedication of his friend and co-musician Kevin Braheny Fortune.

Kevin’s role was to first lay the groundwork for many of the songs, while also providing key instrumentation throughout, giving the entire project equal balance between the two artists while they each gave their personal interpretation about the gift of love musically.  Kevin plays clarinet, electronic wind, alto flute, and soprano saxophone while sharing his own give and take for this relaxing project titled after the easy to understand, yet difficult to define word.  Dictionaries provide a simple explanation of the complex feelings involved when we love someone, so here is a quick check of the basic concept.

Love  ( Luv )  Noun.  Term of endearment for the intense emotional attachment towards another person, based on a principal sense of commitment, loyalty, and devotion, valued on their personal qualities, sharing oneness that is without exception.

Love is without exception a comfortable feel good album, fulfilling by an abundance of deep and colorful Ambient sound escapes that completely encircle you with relaxing tonal qualities.  This trademark music with a calming effect will never leave you all alone at a shallow plane in notes or isolated at some distant horizon in sound, so expect plenty of sentiment along the way.

I found the harmonic notes often appears as incremental abstract layers of color that lightly drift and surround you, only wavering at the next soft touch of brass, string, or woodwind instrumentation.  The lighter notes often appear to rise above at times to reach a plateau then gently settle into a middle range melody, providing equal balance with a distinctive atmosphere while also securing the album’s ambient concept.

While this Love album  may not strike at the very core of our existence as the title might suggest, it does succeed at offering an inner peace through gentle calming ambience that one can easily become attached to.  You will also find yourself inspired by Paul’s sincere commitment for sharing his musical expression on this album while giving and receiving love in an unconditional manner, just like the word love was meant to be.

Visit roundskymusic.com here and sample his album on CDBaby.com here.

Picture copyright Bigstockphoto – MargoJH

Most people begin their day with the hopes of making the most of each new opportunity improving their lives in some aspect.  One solo pianist has made it a priority to better his music abilities through hard work, education, and practice.  This dedication to betterment has empowered him to acquire musical abilities heard at a more professional level. 

Matthew Labarge from Blacksburg Virginia is the composing solo pianist who first started his job career as an engineer, then began to study piano composition full time with composer John Hilliard, shortly releasing his first two albums, First Fall Night & In Small Hours. 

Even though both projects are something to be proud of, he felt composing was his stronger point and actively began to rebuild and improve his technique of piano playing from the ground up, greatly restructuring his performance foundation before releasing his current album October.

Music has been so very important to me.  During my worst hours, it has been a singular candle in the darkness.  I truly can’t imagine life without the music that I love.

What music has done for me, I want badly to pass on.  My deepest hope is that this music inspires you and makes your life a little better, if even for some fleeting moment.

                                                                                                Matthew Labarge

Believing this latest solo piano project is his best to date, I do agree with him after listening to all  3  albums, and I do notice the improvement in his performance abilities, but wouldn’t completely disregard his prior albums.  I did like the songs Prelude & Dance from the  First Fall Night album.   

October is Matthew’s latest release and the first he had total control over, having wrote, played, engineered, and produced the entire project.  This latest highlights his re-dedication to self improvement on the piano, and it shows in both the composition and performance aspects in my opinion.

This album is polished and sincere, greatly dignified by the abundant classical touches that portray Contemporary Piano in a refined manner by his classic articulation, elevating both the expression and imagination to the overall project, without over emphasizing the classical music enhancements.

The song Wedding Waltz has special meaning to Matthew since it was written during the time period when he proposed marriage to his girlfriend, and is already a bit revealing to the rest of us now that we know that. 

This first piece begins in a mid tempo moment of quiet anticipation that gently responds with an invitingly deep tonal perspective, parlayed in a classical straight forward sense, yet in a provocative way too by the inclusion of major to minor key changes.  The rich piano melody is timed equally like a sentence where cords join in unison, adding the context of emotion as if waiting for her answer, which now leaves the rest of us wondering what was the outcome of his marriage proposal.  Her reply was YES !

The song Leaves Dancing marks the officiating period when our happy couple exchanged wedding vows, placed rings on one another’s fingers, and then became husband and wife.  This celebration piece appropriately leaps with excitement starting with an upper register play on notes that are well suited, befitting the theme of colorful leaves falling on an October day while also observing this couple’s commitment pledge to one another.  Then an interchange in octaves are given during the melody, marking this song and occasion by the leaps and bounds of notes from upper register octaves that step to lower register notes, then revisit again, qualifying both this moving song and this wedding occasion as a beautiful celebration of their holy union together.

Those of us at newagemusic.nu would like to congratulate Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Labarge on their recent wedding.  We wish you both the very best and much happiness in your life together.

Visit the Just Married Solo Pianist matthewlabarge.com here and sample music at his MySpace page here. 

Picture Copyright Bigstockphoto – Yarchyk                      

Time after time, New Age music is chosen to provide the chemistry to accomplish the director’s objective in bringing out the full emotion and depth of a character’s identity.

Our segment on movie music and scores takes a look at the popular Science Fiction thriller Blade Runner.  This movie directed by Ridley Scott & produced by Michael Deeley, remains a classic film with a long list of popular actors including Harrison Ford, Daryl Hannah, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos.

Over the years New Age music has been the appropriate choice for many great movies, and we expect this to continue well into the future.  Perhaps more of the talented artists we currently interview and write about will be the next artists to perform some great movie moments for the film industry.

With many soundtrack scores to his credit, Vangelis provides the entire music score for this Science Fiction thriller.  For those who have already seen Blade Runner, do you remember when Roy the ” replicant ” human asks the age old question of how long do I have to live, and how much time do I have left to his ” creator “ Dr. Tyrell  ?  We soon discover the answer to that question, only to find out Rachael is an exception for the how long do I have to live question.  Deckard then must decide in the following movie scene whether to ” retire ” Rachael, or to fall in love with her.  Rachael’s character happily endures in both the storyline and in the timeless New Age music score provided by Vangelis Papathanassiou. 

The YouTube song video below from the motion picture Blade Runner, features this exact pivotal moment during the movie storyline, along with the song Love Theme by Vangelis. 

This song is also on rotation at our Stars Radio if you want to tune in.

Imagine yourself as captain of a sailboat near the Hawaiian Islands exploring nature in the great outdoors, taking photographs, listening to music, and then sketching out the notes for your next piano solo album.

Christopher Boscole is the composing artist who enjoys those activities while sail boating near his home in Hawaii.  I am sure composing piano music rates among the highest on his list of activities since he currently has  6  albums available.  September Songs & Land Of Music are Contemporary Instrumental, while Shimmer, O Christmas Tree, & Presents Of Angels are Solo Piano.  I also found his Jazz influenced album Natural Instincts a pretty good performance while combining his talents with other like minded artist in the Instrumental Jazz category.

Christopher is a classically trained pianist having a Bachelor of Arts in music and professional music educator performing for over  20  years now.  He is also a Master of Music in Studio Music and Jazz, and holds a Master in Teaching degree, so it won’t come as any surprise that you will find these qualities apparent in both his composing skills and music abilities.

Presents Of Angels is his current release, doing well after receiving nomination in  2009  at the online Whisperings Radio.  This latest original composition for Solo Piano is in the New Age, Lyrical Folk Piano style of Contemporary Piano.

You won’t hear any dry music Seascapes, since his studious background apparently provides an effortless grace that rises like a tidal swell, then sails along comfortably with many points of interest during his adventures on the grand piano.  The solo performances are gently delivered with vigor and grace, capturing the full range of motion on the piano keyboard, as if he were capturing the full wind in his sails

The  14  songs represent a wide range in tempo and style in a classic setting, bestowing a restful state of repose and contemplation, while also granting exciting moments full of adventure. 

The song Sailing To You is a good choice since there were many classical thoughts and key changes that held my interest, which pretty much describes the complete solo compositions on this latest album.

Just as a person would stand and pull the rope rigging hand over hand on a sailboat, Christopher resides at his piano in a like manner, except this hand over hand crossing motion is a gentle touch of the piano keys, giving a sound impression of ocean waves softly lapping against the hull of a boat.

Christopher’s next original Solo Piano release for this fall titled Inner Voyages will undoubtedly reflect his sailing adventures too.  I can just picture Christopher composing music for this next album after first charting a direction, hoisting the sails, and then setting the boat rigging.  Knowing his piano compositions are set to a gentle ocean breeze, everyone can expect another smooth sailing performance. 

Visit  christopherboscole.com here and then sample at CD Baby.com here.

Picture copyright Bigstockphoto – mandj98

Recently we announced an Artist Interview with music celebrity Mars Lasar here at newagemusic.nu.  Let’s explore one of his albums with a Jazz influence that sets the stage for a memorable music experience.

This revered man of many talents has touched the lives of millions of people while showcasing his innovative abilities during his lengthy career as a professional musician, along with his music related artistic endeavors.

Mars Lasar has a diverse discography ranging from New Age, Electronic, Contemporary Instrumental, World, Jazz, Ambient, Chill Out, Classical, and a host of sub genres that have yet to be classified.

At The End Of The Day creates a wonderful example since Classic Jazz is introduced to New Age in a manner that I felt lends itself to a high society level of sophistication, yet also in an easy going approachable manner that gave me a relaxing right at home, wearing blue jeans comfortable feel too.

My previous statement should give you some insight about what is in store for you, and how effective this man is with creating lasting beauty from contrasting images, yet there is so much more to discover from this album, plus the full scope of his vast discography.

Mars Lasar layers his mixing production talents to full advantage on every song in this Contemporary Jazzy  10  track album that highlights his artistic abilities in a just right, toast of the town in house feel.  His fans will adore this release, being such a strong example of what they love, recognize, and have come to expect from Mars.  Here we find soulful saxophone driven melodies, considerately subdued from completely stealing the show while keyboard, flute, and guitar melodies prove themselves just as capable while taking a turn in the solo spotlight.  The song Uptown is a favorite among his fans who already own the album.  Perhaps they recognise this fine example since  fusion between old school Jazz and Contemporary Jazz are intertwined to reach a thoughtful commingling of the two styles.

Mars Lasar has an enduring ability to captivate an audience with his music by personal adaptability, mindful at using technical leverage, while also generating a creative spark of imagination.  I believe these skills, plus his strive for perfection is how Mars can offer a higher level of versatility simply not present with many artists within many genres.

The song Warm Nights is a mid tempo, Jazz festival of fun, where guitar and percussion first set an atmosphere like a playful night in a downtown club.  Just like being there, an illustrated solo saxophone player sharp and colorfully dressed, plays a warmly lit tune that contrasts well with the darker shades presented during the first few measures in tonal background images.

Our first observations of the atmospheric intensity of the music is noted by the upward raised saxophone and soulful eyes closed expression made during the opening woodwind solo.  Everyone can clearly see the seated piano player is all smiles while making their keyboard runs in distinct counter beat with saxophone while upper octave piano notes twinkle in unison, exactly as our solo performers glance at one another to give a quick nod and wink of approval.

Come And Join Us is a nicely done Jazz mix with an inviting tone that keeps the momentum going in a positive upbeat direction. 

When the bass cello player starts this in house session with a resonating pluck of the strings and then several spins of the cello, the rhythm is set by the warmer tones and expertly delivered bass runs that capture the crowd’s approval right from the beginning.

Joining in the session, piano and flute quickly step forward to contribute their fragrant ambiance by taking turns during moments of improvisation while the crowd waves their raised hands back and forth to the beat.  Everyone moves closer to the stage as our saxophone player once again steps into the spotlight with a dramatic solo while flute makes note filled runs, then several trills during each refrain as percussion places their cymbal taps and well timed snare beats with exacting precision.

We notice every instrument sparkles brightly under the lighting while all players make their runs through the scales in this album having an uptown beat, capturing the moment and memories for the entire evening in the final closing notes.  Then, as everyone slowly starts to leave and the band begins to pack, it is pretty clear the audience was captivated by the sights, sounds, and sensations, after just having heard this album produced by Mars Lasar that mirrors the very ultimate in the downtown Jazz experience. 

Visit marslasar.com by clicking here and sample at Amazon by clicking here.

Let me introduce the other players who performed on this studio produced album on the Sound Manipulations label.  Let’s give a big round of applause for Mars Lasar’s wife Cadence Spalding who provided some vocals and Nicholas Gunn who played flute.  The guitarists include Winslow Crockwell, Jeff Burak and Carlos Villalobos.  Greg Vail played the saxophone and flute.  This is a listing of the artists homepage :  Visit cadencespalding.com here, nicholasgunn.com here, carlosvillalobos.com here, and gregvail.com here.

Picture copyright Bigstockphoto – mhurwich

Starting from early childhood, this New Age artist from Southern California has always had the ambition to pursue music as a career.  Beginning piano at age  14  she first began composing music on her own after discovering music greats like the Beatles, Herb Alpert, and John Williams.  By having these three great artist influences with such a varied range in sound, you are probably starting to wonder just who this person is and what her music sounds like when integrating these three great music influences into one hybrid entity. 

Let me introduce Kori Linae Carothers to everyone.  Those familiar with Kori know her early compositions began without formal music lessons.  After doing quite well, she continued on with Classical music at the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music where her future as a concert pianist looked promising and the rest of her story is history as they say.

Taking time off to first raise a family, her desire to produce music returned while attending a Yanni concert, and after helpful encouragement from her husband, her first album The Road Less Traveled and second album The Journey became a reality.

Trillium is the third and latest release in this music trilogy.  The entire album holds a wide array of New Age, Contemporary piano, Acoustic Instrumental, and Ambient touches in a well thought out arrangement, giving a multiple angle approach that fits together remarkably well.

Trillium is a collection of music, inspired by the power of three.  The music on this album is a continuation of expressions of my thought, about experiences in my life inspired by friendships, hopes, and dreams.    

Kori Linae Carothers

Kori Linae Carothers performs much of the melody by playing classic piano, Native American flute, light vocals and synthesizer on this project, along with some beautiful orchestration throughout, giving the complete project a classical embrace.  There is also a number of gifted musicians playing guitar, cello, violin, dulcimer, and flugel horn, along with the percussion enhancements, creating a great amount of depth and beauty by the talented professionals playing beside her.

The album production was also placed in the skillful hands of Grammy Award winning Will Ackerman at his Imaginary Road Studios, giving the final product that extra touch for which he is famous.

Trillium is also one genus of around  50  species of flowering plant in the Lily family.  This flowering plant is another example of the great gifts that come in threes since this species has a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, all with a  3  leaf distinction.

Crystal Fields is just one of the eleven colorful song varieties among the full bouquet from the Trillium album.  Once you discover the many beautiful choices available, I really wouldn’t be surprised if you pick the whole bouquet as your personal favorites.

Crystal Fields is one particular song that starts out in a well defined melancholy tone, beginning the mid tempo piece with a deep flowing piano movement that boldly takes the initiative by planting the first seeds of hope, setting a full range of emotion from each carefully considered note.  The soft and delicate melody of lighter piano notes are a result from pressing the instrument’s three foot pedals based at ground level, dampening both the piano tone and your eyes at the same time.

The distant flugal horn melody soon grows and is then generously dispersed by applying extended brass notes having a light vibrato, enhancing the tonal warmth and harmony purely by implementing the three valves of this brass instrument known for warm tonal sounds.

The bass cello is the third instrument to tug at your heart strings by rising to the surface in a characteristic movement of feeling.  This final considerate thought for depth, richness, and ambiance connects the trio of orchestra instruments together in a classic moment of splendor and clarity, arriving at our fruitful conclusion of one picturesque song variety from the many in full bloom.

From the  11  colorful songs on the Trillium album, I picked only the white one.  Pick the full bouquet of flowers at koritunes.com here, then sample at CD Baby.com here.

We are pleased to announce an Artist Interview with music celebrity Mars Lasar here at newagemusic.nu.  Mars is revered in the music business, having an incredible career with a long history of creating outstanding music that has generated wide appeal to all audiences near and far.  This present day interview conducted by John P. Olsen promises to be an in-depth look into the diverse musical talent everyone has come to know as Mars Lasar.

His success as a versatile musican will be on display, along with some memorable moments during his broad career, current projects, and what Mars has planned for the future.  Topics also include the many innovative aspects of his life, giving everyone a chance to explore the creative genius behind this man of many talents and abilities.

We have provided  2  excellent song videos of Mars and wife Cadence Spalding together as a musical team.  The first YouTube video provided below is from the Yosemite : Valley of the Giants album, featuring the song  Mirror Lake.  This album was released during the time period years after Mars released his widely publicized Olympus album, and before the release of his Jazz influenced album titled, At The End Of The Day.

The second YouTube video features a co-write video Mars produced of title song, Save The World, from Cadence Spalding’s first CD / DVD album.  This just released remix HD video is another fine example of Mars Production skills and breathtaking photography while showcasing the individual talents of his wife Cadence as a solo musician.

B.T. Fasmer has just posted a review of the compilation album from Mars Lasar titled, In Flight Relax, and can be found by scrolling down our page, or by clicking here. 

An album review of the Jazz influenced release titled, At The End Of The Day, will be posted before long.  Our recent Artist Interview with Cadence Spalding also gives everyone insight into the lives of this exceptional husband and wife team who have given so much to music audiences spanning the globe.

The Cadence Spalding Interview and review of Save The World CD / DVD release can be viewed by clicking here. 

Make yourself at home everyone, and read all the latest news from this winning couple who are giving those of us on the outside, an opportunity to peer inside their lives through our personal interviews.  Visit their website marslasar.com by clicking here.

One man’s personal dream of a world symphony has become a reality by the release of his second album through the AMAdea Records label based in Bulgaria.

There are around  6.7  Billion people living on our planet according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau estimate and one person from the multitudes has now begun counting a large number of people to his quickly multiplying fan base.

This New Age artist has also caught my attention and can count me in as a member, adding to his total tally of electronic symphony fans.  Those who like to indulge in the atmosphere of premium electronic projects that challenge the vast boundaries of synthesized music with Classical influences, can also be added to the register if you sample some of his carefully arranged numbers.

Bryan El is the composing musician having this master plan of sharing his creative New Age Electronic projects with the masses in a calculating manner.

Speaking in a universal language by translating his thoughts and feelings in total harmony, Bryan El has a great start with his number two official release titled Out Of This World.

Belgium s the geographical location where Bryan was educated and currently lives, beginning his number one music ambitions after having studied Graphical Arts at Belgium’s Holy Technical Institute.  We are fortunate his love of music surpasses his professional career and interests in web design and it sounds like he is well n his way to gather everyone’s attention with his great compositions.  Bryan has also composed several videos that are available on YouTube.  The wonderful theme settings with his soundtrack scores are truly special and worth taking a look for yourself.  The planetary voyage video, along with his song score Solaris is posted below to give you an idea of what is in store for you.

The Out Of This World album is aptly titled, giving the listener an indication of the contents of Bryan’s dreamy music.  The synthesizer mixing is very impressive and Bryan leads the way with a Classical New Age touch, where Electronic, Contemporary, Ambient, and Chill Out, count every beat in unison while examining the incalculable depths of what synthesized music is all about, and what can be formulated from the use of electronic components and just one individual person.

Solaris is the song score for his stunning trip around the universe video that travels past the planets at light speed and then encircle the young star cluster formation Eagle Nebula.

Solaris starts the planetary trek at a nice clip and premium up beat tempo, along with a strong atmospheric ambiance that conforms perfectly with the classic space odyssey of a lifetime.  While upper keyboard runs first travel beside the lower bass melody in a classic theme, the return melody advances along with a well directed synthesized orchestra, blending nicely with percussion enclave enhancements.

Utopia  reaches upward for the ultimate in Classic Electronic music by a divine celestial presentation.  Choir vocals sing in total harmony while the infinite extensions of a synthesizer bend and stretch atmospheric notes far beyond their intended limitations, reaching those lofty sensation textures true connoisseurs of synthesized music know so well, can easily identify when heard, and that recognize and merit as a true form of art.

Above and Beyond is also a song title in the  13  tracks on this album, but I reserve this song title to phrase my closing statement of what I expect the future holds for this great New Age artist.  From what I have seen and heard, Above and Beyond is what we can expect, and you can pretty much count on it.

In the short amount of time it took you to read my review of the Bryan El album Out Of This World, around 768 people were born and 324 have died, making the newly adjusted increase of total world population in just these few short minutes to around 443.

Visit the Bryan’s website and sample his music at bryanel.com here and then read his profile page at amadearecords.com here.

Picture copyright Bigstockphoto – Corey Ford

John P. Olsen, contributing author for newagemusic.nu has Interviewed New Age composing New Age artist Paul Sills from the United Kingdom.  The Interview discussion is about Paul’s early music career, and his 2 albums, Astral Doorways & Walking Across Heaven. 

John :   I have enjoyed getting to know you after first introducing yourself to me awhile back and found your music history quite interesting. Could you tell our readers about the earliest beginnings in your music career ?

Paul :  Thanks John! My family, on both sides, are musical so I was brought up surrounded by people who performed in bands and wrote their own music. My Dad always had a guitar lying around and later purchased a piano and a keyboard. I used to tinker around at an early age, not knowing what chords were but knowing if they sounded nice or not. I took acoustic guitar lessons in the first year of high school but they didn’t last long. I think I preferred to find my own way rather than under instruction. If my teacher knew that I now had two albums released he would fall off his chair!

In my teens I wrote music with a friend of mine, Michael Poole, and we recorded some tracks. I was designated vocalist! In my early 20’s I moved to Singapore to live with my Dad. He had a whole set-up with a 4-track tape recorder. Over those years in Singapore I wrote and recorded, probably, close to a thousand ‘vocal’ ‘rock’ songs. Listening to them now they are very noisy and I would hate for anyone to hear them! Even though I was recording loud and furious, I always felt there was something in there that was atmospheric. Later, I bought myself a Yamaha PSR keyboard which was great for home recording. I joined an ‘expat’ band called Haze where I played guitar. We were noisy but it was fun. I still preferred the solitude of writing and recording.

It was around this time that I heard Medwyn Goodall’s Clan album. Things took a drastic turn for me as I discovered I had finally found the kind of music I wanted to write. I had previously listened to some of the New Age CDs by Nightingale Records but it was Clan that really took me into the genre. Its still a fantastic album and provides much inspiration to me.

John :   Since your first start in music did involve playing in a Rock band, what first led to your decision to leave the group and become a New Age music artist ?

Paul :  We weren’t a serious band, it was more something to do on a Saturday afternoon. We were all friends in a foreign land and just got lucky that we had a bassist, drummer and someone who could almost play a guitar

Writing and recording alone is where my passion lies. I can lose hours ‘in the zone’. New Age provides a fantastic outlet to express your creativity in so many different styles. It opens all kinds of doors, you aren’t restricted by the genre and there is always something new to explore.

John :   What was the specific turning point that finalized your decision to compose your first album Astral Doorways ?

Paul :  I originally sent Medwyn Goodall (MG Music) a demo in 2004. I did get a reply that was both encouraging and helpful. It wasn’t until my second demo in 2006 (with special thanks to Catherine Young and Peter King, from the MG website forum, who encouraged me to do so) that I was offered the opportunity to record an album for the label. The idea for Astral Doorways didn’t come until I had already written an albums worth of material. This material was shelved and I started again, basing the new material on the tracks Cloud Dancing and Astral Doorways. I found I enjoyed the ethereal landscapes with simple but effective melodies. Once I had this idea in my head I went for it with a passion.

John :   After your working relationship and friendship with Medwyn Goodall first began, how did you become recognized as a member of the MG Music family ?

Paul :  Its an honour to be in personal contact with Medwyn. To be a fan of someone’s music initially and then to have both a professional and personal relationship is amazing. He is a really nice guy who is both extremely honest about your music and encouraging. He never flatly says ‘no’ to something unless he knows it has no chance of working. He will nurture and guide you all the way.

I was initially a member of the MG Music forum and got to know like minded people, both musicians and listeners. I already felt part of that family before I even told anyone I wrote music. To then release albums with the label was a real joy. Everyone was encouraging.

New Age provides a fantastic outlet to express your creativity in so many different styles.

John :   Naturally, I have heard Clan : Celtic Journey by Medwyn Goodall, and I agree it’s a great album too. So having drawn inspiration from his albums, and also having played in a Rock band, it makes me wonder how the individual Paul Sills style of composing and performing music developed. Was it always present, or did you have to discover your own distinct brand of music ?

Paul :  Influences come from every kind of music for me. I like all kinds, not just New Age. I’m a massive U2 fan, so those earlier albums like The Unforgettable Fire, played a big part. Their partnership with Brian Eno brought them into something else and that transition was when I really latched onto them. Those Eno soundscapes were the initial influence on my music and where I wanted to go with it.

Clan : Celtic Journey showed me melody and rhythm (although I have yet to write any drum related albums) working together to produce drama and passion. The followup, The Scroll, has the most beautiful piece of music ever written - A Maiden’s Kiss. Now, that is probably the biggest influence on me, so far as emotion in music is concerned.

Being influenced by so many different kinds of music has to have some unique effect on what you write yourself. However, when I sit down to write and record, all those influences consciously go out of the window. My head is empty of anyone else’s music and its just me and a blank canvas. Many artists will probably cringe when I say this, but the writing and recording process are done at the same time. I will come up with a simple chord sequence first but after that its all done in the moment. Sometimes it takes hours of building with the final melody rearing its head very late. Sometimes I get lucky and the track will present itself very early. I wrote six albums worth of instrumental material from 2004-06 so I’ve had a good amount of demos to draw from.

John :   How would you describe the music of Paul Sills to another person ?

Paul :  That’s a tough question. It would probably be easier for someone who listens to it to answer that. I would probably say its very atmospheric, mystical and dreamy, with simple melodies that you can latch onto and actually hum. I aim to write emotional music but at the same time something that can take you away somewhere else.

John :   If you don’t mind discussing the creative side to your music, when you produced the celestial music of Astral Doorways & Walking Across Heaven, do your creative abilities just occur naturally, or do you have to really work at making everything come together while composing ?

Paul :  Well, I write spontaneously most of the time and things happen naturally. This is sometimes a blessing because you are travelling the journey as a listener, not knowing where its going until you get there! It’s also dangerous because the destination may not be the nirvana you hoped for.

Writing in this manner allows me to be more creative. If I was to follow a strict brief I would probably end up writing a ‘New Age Painting By Numbers’ album. I doubt it would sound as fluid. Some people work best this way, I know, but I work better when I almost let the music show me the way! We do tend to fight a lot but the music always wins! haha!

Saying that, I’m getting more structured these days and plan a little more. For the next album I have planned it like a story, each song being a chapter. I know what approach I need for each track. Each page of my ‘book of chords’ has one word written at the top in bold capitals. This one word is my brief for that track.

John :  One question your fans and I want to know is will we see another Paul Sills album soon, or in the future perhaps ?

Paul :  I’m a quarter of the way through the next one and the tracks, so far, have been well received by MG. Its not been an easy year up until now. I wrote and recorded a whole album and had to shelve it. That was where the spontaneous approach didn’t work out. Although tough, it was the right decision. I came out of it with a fighting spirit and knew what I had to do. I settled on a stronger theme and am really enjoying it again.

John :  I admire both of your albums equally and honestly would not have been able to tell which one was your first, if I hadn’t known. Do you feel the same about both albums, or do you have a clear favorite, and could you give us insight into some of your songs during their production ?

Paul :  Thanks John !  Its difficult to choose a favourite as I like each for different reasons. From a production point of view I would say Walking Across Heaven. There is more atmosphere on that album and its more structured with regard to its theme. I learnt a lot recording Astral Doorways and applied those lessons to Walking Across Heaven.  Astral Doorways has its own uniqueness that I love. Walking Across Heaven has a little more drama, whereas Astral Doorways is very pure and innocent. I do, however, think they go hand in hand and I see them as a pair.

The one track on Astral Doorways that really set me on my path is Angelic Radiance.  Once I had recorded that I knew what my sound was and where I was going to take it. That track was originally written back in 1996 in Singapore. The chord sequence and melody just seemed to hit the spot. I used the same chord sequence and melody in the track Angelic Grace where the piano takes more of a leading role.

Another favourite track of mine is the opening to Walking Across Heaven, Towards Enlightenment. I think I wrote and recorded that in a couple of days. Its one of those tracks that just fall in your lap and when its finished you think ‘how did that happen?’ Compare that to Footsteps in the Clouds,  that took two months to complete, and you are never sure how long a track is going to take and sometimes you never quite know when its truly finished!

John :   Is there anything you would like to add or tell our readers that I didn’t bring up in our Interview today ?

Paul :  I would just like to invite all New Age listeners to check out the MG Music forum at mgmusic.ning.com. If you like to chat to people who like this kind of music then make your way there and enjoy. The people are very friendly and the topics of conversation vary. You can also get the opportunity to talk to Medwyn Goodall and can ask him anything about his music. All the other artists are also very approachable.

John :  Here at newagemusic.nu, we have been playing songs from both of your albums on our Stars Radio, and they are doing well in ratings, which comes as no surprise to us. I became a fan of your music from the very beginning.  B.T. Fasmer  and I both Thank You for your time Paul and wish you and everyone at MG Music the best.

Paul :  Thank you for your kind words John.  All the best to you both… and cheers  :)

You may read the  Astral Doorways & Walking Across Heaven  album reviews when you click here.  Sample Paul’s signature sound  here.

The Summer season has just improved by the release from a music team living in the second largest country in the world.  This country shares the longest common border with the United States from East to West then North to South, in a federation comprised of 10 provinces and 3 territories.

Canada is the geographical location of 2 New Age artists who make up the artist title of Anewday.  Their discography includes Autumn Musings, the newest release Summer Reflections plus 2 more are promised to complete the 4 seasons.  I have listened to both albums and must say their music is very exciting and everyone should look forward to every release from Anewday since these 2 musicians are more than just a pretty good team.

Anewday was formed several years ago by Rob Miller and Ron Huestis who now reside in the Southeastern Coastal providence in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  Rob composes and plays the piano, while Ron provides the orchestrations, each performing their part in a meeting of minds between these great friends who both have roots in Classical music.

Anewday has done very well with their Summer Reflections.  The abundant piano and orchestration gives a variety of moods that transition wonderfully throughout the entire album, giving New Age fans some great music to enjoy this Summer, and the complete 4 seasons in our future.

This Canadian team’s first album Autumn Musings was nominated for 4 NAR lifestyle awards, ending up in the final round as Best New Artist in 2007, which is not a surprise after listening to their first album with a slightly more Contemporary Piano tone.

Summer Reflections is their current release now making an impact on the public by a beautiful blend of Classical Piano Orchestration in a Contemporary, Celtic, and a great Cinematic influence.  There are some interesting angles to this album, having a variety of Orchestra and Piano Instrumental pieces along with some in a light Celtic flavor, in a distinct balance that is pleasing to everyone and many songs that could easily become a beautiful score in the perfect movie soundtrack.

While the Providence of Nova Scotia is a long distance from the Northwest Passage, many songs made me think of the present changes and political issues occurring in the upper most reaches of Canada, where melting ice packs due to global warming is creating a new expansion for the shipping industry in what was once impassable frozen wilderness.

The song Future Beginnings starts with a single piano note phrase in a Contemporary Celtic tone, when several measures later, orchestra begins to build then breaks into powerful crescendos with strings and woodwinds.  Over and over again, then wave after wave of emotion come crashing down in a moderate tempo theme, creating thoughts of ice breaking vessels carving a new trade route in the Northwest Passage, where tidal waves of piano and orchestra movements first break together in strong dramatic sweeps, and then gently give way and flow beside one another in a new harmonious way.

Whispering Streams is a powerful and dignified song, exemplifying the indigenous Inuit people who habitat the Northwest territories in the Arctic Region.  Beginning with a wonderous piano scale melody, the Inuit lifestyle, traditions, and culture can be shown by the dignified piano note movements that trickle in upper octaves with calm and solitude.

When full orchestra enters, an element of beauty and danger is notably presented by the evolving tone, sharply contrasting with the natural beauty of the region by strings that echo the piano melody.  When the symphonic orchestra begins a dramatic back and forth rhythm in a contrasting melody, a wondrous new element of cinematic intensity emerges while upper octave piano boldly enters, telling of the evironmental hazards that are also present in this narration.  The piano movements in the upper most ranges confirm the skills acquired over centuries needed for survival in this beautiful yet dangerous environment in the future Arctic sea route.

Visit anewday.ca by clicking here.  Sample at CD Baby, iTunes or Indie Rhythm.

Picture copyright Bigstockphoto – Larspowa

Composing musician Paul Sills of the United Kingdom, has a great New Age album dealing with the relevance of our perception as it relates to sound.

Astral Doorways was Paul’s creative first endeavor that explores the spiritual and surreal side of music, where illusion plays a definitive role to permit passage beyond this proverbial threshold, arriving at a deeper realm in how we experience music.

His second album Walking Across Heaven likewise explores our inner imagery in a meaningful way, creating a beautiful sanctuary of sound that arrives at a beautiful music experience.  Both albums reflect a celestial or spiritual presence about them, easily fulfilling any dictionary definition of perception as it relates to music.

Astral Doorways on the MG Music label is a truly powerful album, symbolic of the outer boundaries in synthesized music and simply a must have release for those who love a memorable trek into the territory of unfamiliar sounds.  There is no doubt that his fans own both albums, since I couldn’t imagine anyone possessing just one album without the second nearby within easy reach.

Perception can be defined as, the conscious neurological process for interpreting sensory stimuli that is derived from intuition or present memory to help resolve or comprehend the present concept in a meaningful way.

The 12 tracks on Astral Doorways is the metaphorical portal where crossing the threshold of consciousness is achieved through his unique brand of orchestration.  This melodic transformation is portrayed by an atmospheric blend of piano, flute, guitar, and choral vocals, where piano key strokes play a primary role in the melody decision making, and choral vocals point out the given steps for safe passage while discovering what lies beyond the twilight zone in celestial music.

Like an optical illusion, the music of Paul Sills creates an ever changing phenomenon of sound where what you hear, may be contrary to what your present understanding is of what lies beyond the other side, by skillful layering of synthesized music.

The song Pathway is a monumental first step, starting out with a rhythmic guitar pattern that charts the schematics and steady pace for your journey.  The gentle piano melody then starts a graceful stride, reaching a point of calm that resemble secure steps taken along the winding path.

Aglow is a pivotal song where key changes from ivory to ebony are the principal rule, changing mood and thought one keystroke at a time.  Gently flowing and deep, peaceful transformation begins to take place during moments of lower octave piano melody, while string orchestra offers an insightful glimpse into the unknown territory ahead.

Angelic Grace is a moving celestial song that gently rises above in tonal qualities.  The piano melody is gently released from an earthly grasp, gently floating weightless towards the heavens above.  Synthesized orchestration then gives rise to rhythmic flow as strings formulate their own equation in sound, converting what you have just heard into a meaningful understanding upon your arrival into this sanctuary of sound.

An Interview with Paul Sills is just around the corner.  Perhaps he will explain how his personal trademark sound with a powerful yet gentle approach leaves such a monumental impression on everyone. 

Until then, click here for my review of Walking Across Heaven, then make a visit to his MG Music page and sample Paul’s signature sound for yourself.

Picture copyright Bigstockphoto.com – truelight

Aloha !  The island state of Hawaii has the unique distinction as a preferred vacation and honeymoon destination in the Continental United States, likewise having visitors from all countries seeking fun in the sun, relaxation, and a memorable vacation experience.

Something to consider is how much more pleasurable this extraordinary vacation stay could be with some great island music to enhance and complete the experience.

New Age artist Kika Kane, residing in Maui is a lifelong resident of this state of islands, atolls, and islets, composing music in the land of what most would consider paradise.

While Kika does enjoy an active lifestyle, much of his time is spent playing the easy to recognize, but harder to perfect style of Slack-Key guitar with the island sunsets as his perpetual source of inspiration.

Slack-Key is a unique finer style that originated in Hawaii during the 19th century and was developed for dancing and entertainment, only recently becoming more popular when the Hawaiian dance craze began during the 1960’s.

Kika Kane has become pretty popular with his 2 projects that are an adaptation of Slack-Key guitar. Ocean Girl is his first project, while his second release, The Sunset Sessions was nominated for Best Slack-Key album of the year at the Hawaii Music Awards.  National Public Radio’s Echoes programming has had several of his songs airing on a weekly basis for some time now.  Local television and radio have also tuned into Kika’s music too, playing many of his songs as background scores in TV commercials and airing in many resorts and hotels on the islands.

The Sunset Sessions is a nicely done blend of Tropical, Ambient, and New Age, with a pleasant mix of mid tempo guitar instrumentals that reward you with pleasant thoughts of island life or in some cases, pleasant memories of your last vacation, if you have ever had an opportunity to visit the islands.

The Slack-Key guitar technique can be loosely defined as a finger style where the musician loosens or slackens the guitar strings by tuning one or more strings, most often upward on the scales until the strings form a single cord, most often in G major.

First on the song itinerary is Here Comes The Rain.  This song’s welcoming melody makes one feel like the approach of an incoming rain event should always be taken in stride.  The carefree feeling of island living is shown in this song by a fluid back and forth movement of strumming guitar, that will likely have you swaying to the rhythm.  Even if it does rain, brief changes of tempo turn the rain event into positive thoughts, taking into consideration the colorful rainbow and magnificent sunset display that will follow a brief period of rain.

The song   A Place In The Sun translates into every fun  attraction available to you during your audible visit to the islands by an energetic opening, blending guitar rhythms in a positive upbeat mood, taking well timed breaks during each refrain to allow everyone to soak in the sun.  The Sunset Sessions reflects the positive feel, relaxing mood, and welcoming atmosphere, for which this island state is highly prized.

Hawaii naturally offers every form of music, ranging from symphonies, orchestras, and every popular genre of music under the sun,    but there is just something special about the authentic home style approach to New Age music Kika has to offer, so be sure to make your next vacation or honeymoon to the islands of Hawaii a memorable one.   Aloha !

Visit kikakane.com - sample the album on CDBaby

Picture copyright Jennifer Keller (above) - and  Bigstockphoto.com – Laurzo (below)

Vicki Logan has a history of composing and producing outstanding New Age music from the very beginning of her music career.

Her second album titled Finding My Way on her Carvic label achieved a top 100 album rating, airing on over 700 online radio stations worldwide. The song Enchanted Winds did arrive at a top # 1 song in AOL Radio for an astounding 21 weeks, reaching the final destination in ratings.

By incorporating elements of New Age, Classical, Pop, Jazz, Contemporary Instrumental, plus a divine gift of creativity, Finding My Way, along with her entire discography does set a high standard for her future projects.

Charting a course as a new musician has never been easy for any artist and by no fault of her own, Vicki has had her share of unforeseen detours and roadblocks along the way, but her professional drive and spirited ambition has led the way to increasing popularity and recognition along her adventurous journey.

Before the compass was invented, a navigator used visual landmarks, celestial bodies, and maps to chart a course.  Today’s Global Positioning System receivers obtain 3 dimensional calculations from a known spatial positioning of at least 4 satellites to make finding your final destination much easier.

Finding My Way is the title Vicki chose for this album since it describes a representation or timeline of where Vicki felt she was in relation to her music career. With that said, her timeless New Age classics have found their way to many people’s hearts and minds with the winning combination of solo performances of piano, flute, saxophone, and guitar along side synthesized representations.

The song Pegasus reveals the exhilarating flight of a mythological horse free, unbridled, and floating weightless during the ride of a lifetime of chasing dreams, gently leaving a trail of puffy white clouds in it’s wake. The bass percussion sprints ahead in tempo while piano melody vigorously runs through the scales in an inspirational message about undaunted courage.  When Xylophone makes an impromptu entrance into the scene, it becomes pretty clear by the lively solo response that this winged horse desires freedom most, having made all the right moves to evade capture by any mere mortal.

My Mother’s Memories is a symbolic song tribute one can easily compare to a mother’s loving embrace. This hymn of love is shown through a classic piano movement complete with angelic choir vocals that emphasize the content of her character and humanity, clearly stated by the pronounced reverent atmosphere.

The emotional tale of a mother’s lifetime of memories is passionately recalled from one family generation to the next by a heart felt piano narration, where her praiseworthy commitment of giving becomes apparent while recalling the eventful past.  Then, almost as if waiting in respectful attention for the proper moment to arrive, something truly amazing happens.

In a heart felt solo performance, an all encompassing trumpet respectfully announces Mother’s grand entrance onto the world stage in a proud anthem, as if honoring all deserving Mothers with a standing ovation of praise. While all rise to the occasion during this profound moment of tribute and recognition, the choir validates through their own voice the unconditional love and support all caring Mothers around the world have given during their lifetime.

Discovering the positive and inspiring music of Vicki Logan and then writing about this New Age artist who is so passionate about their music has been personally rewarding. Having the opportunity to meet this friendly and outgoing musician by our recent Interview has been an honor.

You can read my reviews of her 2 latest albums and our recent Interview together by clicking here.  Then make finding your way to her website and music outlets your next destination: vickilogan.com

You can sample this album on CDBaby.

Picture copyright Bigstockphoto – Xmasbaby

An Artist Interview with composing musician Paul Sills will soon be presented here at newagemusic.nu.

John P. Olsen will conduct this Interview with Paul, who presently lives in the United Kingdom.  The topics are his individualistic approach to synthesized music, and his 2 New Age projects, Astral Doorways & Walking Across Heaven.

This Interview will provide everyone an opportunity to learn more about Paul’s outstanding music. To give you an idea of the artistry behind his work, an album review of Walking Across Heaven titled Heaven Sent can be viewed when you click here, or sample Paul’s discography for yourself by clicking here.

John P. Olsen, contributing author for newagemusic.nu has conducted an Interview with composing musician Cadence Spalding, and will discuss her Save The World album and news about a project currently in progress. 

John :  I truly enjoyed meeting you for the first time awhile back. It’s very apparent to me that you are a friendly and sincere person. I am asking this half jokingly, but how did you arrive a such a wonderful disposition Cadence ?

Cadence :  Thank you John for complimenting my disposition – there are so many jokes for right here! – regarding female disposition in general – meaning my family will tell you just how “human” I can really be – but I’ll refrain and say “thank you – that’s such a nice compliment” – and maybe you are just picking up on how blessed and happy in general I’m feeling these days to even be talking about my music – inseparable from myself – and feeling satisfied that those sounds I’ve heard inside my mind for as long as I can remember are finding their way into my voice and through my playing hands and imprinting onto digital recordings and floating through the airwaves and touching hearts – and if even one, that means the world to me – to be able to express my deepest joy and gratitude – and to share that dialogue with others here on earth. And maybe too you are picking up on the fact that I use music as a tool to soothe myself and to pray and to meditate, so it helps me to relax and to be inspired and to connect with God (although I’m non-denominational), and I can only wish that it can help do the same for the listeners – to help them to pray or to connect spiritually to a God of their choice.

Ok, I’m also just beyond excited about a project I’ve been working on since my early 20’s as a music teacher in public schools called “Miss Jenny”. I perform music in costumes and as a “one-girl-show” on guitar, vocals and piano – singing rock/blues/country versions of kiddy classics. I’m now doing weekly Miss Jenny shows at festivals near my hometown in the Napa Valley, and just got asked to co-host a local, live! TV show here as Miss Jenny called “The N.A.P.A. Show” with host Arty Party. A new adventure, great people, musical, creative, community oriented and lots of fun!!

John :  Your husband is the revered New Age artist Mars Lasar, and I understand you have performed on some of his albums prior to your own release. Has it been the great reward you had expected by composing and performing an album of your own, or is it more work than you had expected ?

Cadence :  I’ve so enjoyed singing on Mars’ albums – they are so diverse. He is a wonderful man, a beautiful father, and gifted artist and a true genius in the studio. Can I say that about my own husband? Well, I just did – lol!! I was a fan of his music long before I met him, and obviously we hit it off on many levels, as now we have a beautiful son and we are married. The crazy thing is that we work together professionally as well, and it all seems to work so well. We are blessed and I think we both know it. Truth is that even though this CD has my name on it, my husband and I really recorded this album together, side by side. It has a lot of co-writes, and he is the sound engineer, and plays a lot of the instruments. And YES, great question John, it was a lot more work than expected – but most worthy things seem to be.

Our Christmas album was our first official project together called Star Is Born, so we definitely had a taste of the size of this project ahead of time – but we were held up anyways with a new baby and lots of library music work – so working together on this was perfect timing – as we already were in building and recording mode. The layered vocals take a lot of patience and perseverance to accomplish – but again, revealing this fresh sound that we discovered together is so exciting, and sky is the limit. We have a lot more of these projects to do, and that’s a blessing too.

John :  Your first project is Save The World, and is a great album I might add. What was the turning point that made you decide to produce your first solo album? 

Cadence :  I’ve been playing, writing, performing and teaching music most of my life – so it was a natural progression to record a solo album. My very first album singer/songwriter album was recorded ages ago actually, and just sold in small outlets – “demo” though, as the quality was slightly below broadcast, but a few of the songs did well publishing wise and I toured with my band in the LA area. I’ve worked hard on improving my vocals the last 5 or so years – singing in professional choirs and studying voice specifically, and finally technology was accessible for my passion for songwriting and especially harmony. I was also ready to record this album at the same time I was ready to perform a sound like this live. The sound when performed live involves back up prerecorded vocals that I sing on top of in full voice, and I think it sounds even better than the album because I also play rhythm guitar on top of it, and it has a stronger acoustic/rock vibe – live that is. It is a TRIP to do this music LIVE! I LOVE it!!

I think of songwriting as something so much more than basic composition – it has really kind of therapy for me over the years. When times were tough, I’d stay up late and write shoe boxes full of songs – often scribbled into journals and on pieces of paper in the middle of the night. Teenage and early adult angst – 1A – and I thank God for the writing getting me through lots of hard times in my young adulthood. And again, I have to thank my family for this, as I come from 4 generations of musicians and music teachers – so piano lessons at age 3 wasn’t uncommon.

I was fortunate as a young girl to have mentors to inspire me to be open creatively and to work hard, and they made it fun and interesting for me by praising me for practicing and encouraging the writing throughout my childhood and teenage years. I only wish more parents would encourage their kids to be creative musically. It is a healthy and calming outlet. Just reading notes on a page is so difficult for most children! I wish parents would be more open in general to alternative modes of music education – like for example….uh oh…rock n roll! Aren’t we there yet people? Is this still seen as something “less” than classical music?? How sad. I wish the gift of music for all children in the world. I wish parents would be more open to kids learning rock!!!

John :  Cadence, your singing abilities are quite extraordinary. Could you tell us about your music background and what instruments do you play ?

Cadence :  OH my goodness, what a sweet question this is to me, as really most of my life had music as a big part of it, but not as a vocalist. Personally I started piano at age 3 as a result of 4 generations of music teachers behind me – but the ideal age for kids physically, is about 7. Guitar lessons started in high school, and later on that was the perfect instrument for me to teach my students with because of it’s mobility and the fact that kids naturally LOVE rock n roll! In elementary school I was playing in school bands on violin and flute. It was not only just a great hobby – but something that gave me self confidence and joy – and the schools I attended all had terrific programs. Today, it’s unfortunately not available to all children, music education that is, and that truly breaks my heart.

I have always loved to sing, but didn’t study voice formally until well into my adulthood. I had to work very hard to open up my upper register. Once it opened, I never shut up!! I began singing in church choirs as a second soprano well into my adulthood. It was a blast! The feeling of singing music that I love, old and new styles, is euphoric. I can’t get enough. It’s almost like an addiction to be honest…and thank God a healthy one!

John :  What were your thoughts behind some of the song lyrics on the album. Could you explain your thoughts behind the lyrics in Trust In Love ?

Cadence :  Trust In Love  is a prayer. It’s meaning to me is as simple as it sounds – and a universal sentiment that is unique to every individual. We all have parts of our lives where trusting in love is the answer. It’s in integral force in nature in a way – love. Love makes everything grow, pulls us, inspires us – but is often the difficult choice to make in reality. I was thinking about world peace when I wrote this song, hoping that just in general, mankind would trust in love more. The lyrics are straight forward and it is written in classic Celtic prayer form with traditional early American church hymns and chorales as the inspiration. I was struck by the melody which is almost circular – each verse like a complete thought or sentence – and to you musicians out there – returning to the one cord before you would expect – giving it that “old” feel naturally. Grandma’s Song is more of a traditional Pop! ballad written in 3/4 time or a “waltz” time signature, and was written for my Grandma when she passed away. I wrote that entire song, music and lyrics, on the night that she actually died. It was a supernatural experience. I am positive that she helped me write it from the “other side”– it was a beautiful journey. I still get choked up by that song, and I perform it at lots of family type of events like birthdays and unfortunately, funerals. It is a song with deep sentimental value to me.

It is a TRIP to do this music LIVE! I LOVE it!!

John :  What about the song lyrics in Share Your Life ?

Cadence :  Share Your Life  was a song off my very first album – ages ago and a different name even…for a documentary for handicapped children for a beautiful organization called Share Inc. in Los Angeles. I was so honored to be a part of that prestigious charity group, a “Share Lady”. We raised nearly a million dollars a year for handicapped children in the Los Angeles area – doing an annual event/live show where we sang and danced on some of the greatest stages with some of the greatest talents in Hollywood. I was asked to write a theme song for their promotional video that was originally hosted by the late, great James Coburn. The song came to me quickly, after being deeply moved by volunteering at a hospital for severely handicapped children. I was overwhelmed, beyond tears – at the strength and courage of the staff at these hospitals and by the families involved. The words came naturally and straight from the heart – and my cherished “sisters”, the lovely ladies of “Share Inc.” were so inspiring and supportive of my songwriting. Children, along with animals, are part of that family of “voiceless creatures” of the earth that we as healthy adults, are responsible for. We share this burden as humans – it is given to us at birth – to care for these voiceless creatures. The littlest amount of volunteering can do a mountain of good, and it makes us feel alive and content in return. “Time to make it right…share your life…” Seems so simple –but I think many of us want to help more but don’t know where to begin. Thanks John for asking me about that song. I get moved every time I think about all the inspiring philanthropy I have been privileged to witness. I’m talking about such hard work and dedication from ordinary people that is beyond belief.

John :  At your website cadencespalding.com, I saw that you are presently working on another album. Is that right and what can we expect ?

Cadence :  My new album is nearly finished and listeners can expect a release late this year or early 2010 – and I’m thinking of calling it “sessions” as it features an eclectic mix of pop, rock, new age, classical and even a dash of country. A feast of flavors – and a few surprises as well, with even an occasional acoustic version of the Cadence Spalding songs from Save The World  that I’ve been getting requests to sing “naked”. Not me LOL, but the songs!! And so I did, happily, after producing them with often hundreds of layers of vocals per song and extensive instrumentation and sound design, it was a true pleasure to record them in their original form – acoustically. My test for my music, in the beginning, has always been just that. I try to go by the philosophy that if a song is good raw, acapella even, it can then be built into anything and virtually in any musical style. So this new album I’m now creating will be a whole new adventure – evolving and building on the past and continuing to explore the sound we discovered, while revealing a more “raw” side, kind of a glimpse of my “underbelly” as an singer/songwriter – and as a woman too.

John :  You had told me that you volunteer your time with children. Could you tell us about what kind of work you are involved with ?

Cadence :  In the past I have done many years of charity work involving music – often by volunteering my services as a music teacher, choir director, dancer, director – you name it. A music teacher by trade, and as jobs for Art Education in public schools becoming more and more sparse and low paying, I would get involved in all kinds of productions for charity in the beginning, just because I wanted to work and to learn. This lead to more work than I bargained for, but I don’t regret a single day of it. I have composed songs for a group called songsoflove.org, an organization in NYC that writes and records songs for terminally ill children. I also wrote original musicals for kids for various churches, and even owned a performing arts school for kids at one point in San Francisco that did a lot of volunteering for the community. It’s just so much fun – all of it. What could possibly be more of a gift than sharing music with kids? Amazing. I think I get more out of it that anyone, and when I perform or write music for a charitable cause – the added pleasure of being thanked for my time makes it a treasured part of my life that brings me pure joy. It’s the ultimate high!! Please check the inside of my CD cover for Save The World  for a list of charity organizations I’m involved with and how to donate time or money.

John :  Cadence, it has been great to visit with you again.  I look forward to our next visit and doing a review of your next project.  Thanks for taking the time to do an Interview with me.

You may also read my recent review of her Save The World album.

Her website is cadencespalding.com and her music can be purchased through amazon.com, bestbuy.com, target.com and barnesandnoble.com

Many artist from all genres can sometimes resemble a particular tone or feel that sounds like another artist, which can be evident from the very beginning while listening to their music.  This is not the case with composing  artist David Wahler.  The New Age Antiquus album, officially released June 1 2009, has some personal trademark qualities not heard in projects from musicians established before him.

Beginning music as a young adult, then to formal music studies in college, David moved to the theater, directing several productions while performing with the Rockford Symphony Orchestra, and New American Theatre.  This album has attracted attention in the Netherlands in particular and is featured on New Age Soundscapes with Music Choice premium services.  David also has a sense of giving, devoting himself and his time teaching music to handicap and disadvantaged children, in a worthwhile cause he found personally rewarding, and that I would also like to recognize about him publicly.

The Antiquus album debut has been described as New Age Ambient, Neo Classical, and Electronic, but let’s also add Orchestra and Chill Out, since they can also be used as reference adjectives to describe his material.  David points out that this album explores our common heritage through classical compositions, and that each of the 10 songs makes reference to an ancient myth, sacred love, or eternal truth that everyone shares.

Provoking many emotions, the mood is thoughtful and ever changing by the insertion of a light and airy feel at times, that then shift towards deep and mysterious surroundings as the measure bar in the sheet music moves into the next measure of the page.

This album does explore our ancient past to unveil our present in an unfamiliar way by incorporating a layering and mixing of piano, strings, flute, violin, and percussion in a mysterious, yet classical way.  Choral vocals reinforce his approach in style, echoing a graceful and poetic feel, while also shining bright by a deep, thought provoking mannerism that seems to stand out from the very beginning.

With this goal in mind, David has managed to produce a debut album that appears to stand alone in personal style and form, creating a model as an artisan would create a grand sculpture adorned with touches of gold, and crafted entirely out of sound.

David points out that this album explores our common heritage through classical compositions, and that each of the 10 songs makes reference to an ancient myth, sacred love, or eternal truth that everyone shares.

The mood is indeed very dreamlike and relaxing by a mod tempo rhythm that offers a positive connection by retaining your interest and imagination throughout the entire album.  Shifting tempo and key changes are what I believe give this album an effective transition in thought and feeling, linking the valuable bond between our very distant past and our ever changing future.

Visit davidwahler.com to sample his music collection.

Picture Copyright Bigstockphoto.com

Arturo Mayorga does not literally dance while playing piano, but if he were to attempt this feat, I am certain it would be as graceful and dignified of what was apparent in his first album Cascades, in the New Age Classic piano category.

In addition to his talents as a composing musician, Arturo is nationally ranked in the competitive sport of Ballroom dancing, where Waltz, Tango, and Swing are scrutinized before watchful judges who watch for the accepted criteria of a dancing couple locked hand in hand.

Now with a concert piano as his partner, Cascades embraces the identical movements found in classical dance by having a choreography timed with proper speed, motion, and balance. 

While judging this debut album for myself, I became aware that the 10 songs of varying moods left me feeling they were a personal revelation of his emotional thoughts put to music.

Like so many musicians, a parent’s considerate gift of a musical instrument at an early age is what began his interest in music. Arturo states that it was at this early age that he realized the impact of what one person playing an instrument could have on another.  Continuing music through high school then college, his studies were in math and science, but composing music was also on his mind, starting the framework songs for the Cascades album during this time period.

Starting in the first song position is Sunrise.  This mid tempo piano and violin duet sets the standard for a graceful heartfelt ballet, where each timed movement is balanced by the piano melody considering violin takes a second seat by following the lead.  There is much emotional content felt, since a melancholy feel is present, lending to a touch of sadness, yet adding character and definition, leaving a beautiful image of what you have just heard in your mind.

While judging this debut album for myself, I became aware that the 10 songs of varying moods left me feeling they were a personal revelation of his emotional thoughts put to music.

The Last Night of Winter aligns well with the piano’s duo partner in allowing violin to take the lead in portion of the melody during this faster paced song, where full 360 degree rotational dance pivots, and those brief stationary pauses always see during pivot turns, can be pictured in your mind if you try.

The title song Cascades is a true champion in freestyle, where a faster tempo piano promenades with every rise and fall in piano key note steps, reaching the full height in posture, rhythm, and speed.  Violin then connects with the melody posturing in a more formal manner while piano strokes sweep along the keyboard at a dizzying pace.  The positive upbeat piano movements seem to sweep you off your feet at critical moments, leaving you breathless at the finish.

Arturo is very successful by engraving a full range of emotional content and movement into his classic orchestra style music.  Knowing his background in dance, one can easily imagine themselves sitting in the audience watching Arturo in motion while listening to his music and from where I am sitting, he appears to be a winner.

Visit the dancing pianist dressed in black at arturomayorga.com and his music store digstation.com 

Images courtesy of photoARTworks

John P. Olsen, contributing author for newagemusic.nu has conducted an interview with composer and producer Oscar Aguayo, having the artist title Australis.

John :  Oscar, could you tell our visitors a little about yourself and your musical background ?

Oscar :  I was born in Peru a few decades ago, the oldest son in a family where music-playing was part of everyday life. My earliest memories are crowded with images of my mother at home playing the guitar while singing, and the alien mixture of emotions I experienced from those songs.

You see, my mother’s songs weren’t children songs designed to expose children to a reduced, predigested set of emotions. Instead, she used to sing “adult” songs that dealt with all feelings, most of them completely unknown to me at three years of age.

I think about this frequently. Judging by how deep those memories are anchored in my mind and by the unique taste they still have to me to this day, I have to assume that although my conscious mind was confused by the unknown feelings conveyed by my mother’s singing, my subconscious must have been breathlessly making associations, creating patterns; interpreting the meaning of those melodies from what I perceived in my mother’s voice and facial expressions, experiencing brand new emotions not from life but from her music.

Whatever the explanation may be, since as far as I can remember I experience music as a language born from emotions with the purpose of transmitting those emotions to others.

John :  You currently have 2 New Age / Ambient albums available for purchase. Lifegiving from 2005 and your most recent, The Gates of Reality from 2008. What awards and recognition have you received from these 2 projects at present ?

Oscar :  Lifegiving earned me the “Morpheus Music 2004 Best Independent Artist” early in 2005. Several tracks from it have been selected to be included in several compilations from the US and Europe; and additionally, the entire disc was licensed for re-release and distribution in Asia by an international label.

The Gates of Reality is still too new to have earned any awards to this date, although it is already reaching the same level of popularity of its predecessor.
I have to admit, however, that no award or recognition can compare to the fulfillment experienced when you learn that your music has touched somebody. No public award can match that kind of personal satisfaction.

John :  How would you describe your music to someone not familiar with your very unique style of music ?

Oscar :  That’s a very good question because every person understands music in their own terms. Everybody tries to come up with names and words to define music, everybody tries to define its genres and to delimit styles within those genres despite the fact that music is unique to each person. So, how to describe my music when my description represents only my personal perceptions?

Even when in the most broad level my music falls within what we currently know as New Age / Ambient, I still want to avoid subcategorizing it. Instead, I would try describing it by its intentions: to challenge the mind and captivate the heart, to seduce the listener to explore their own emotional universe, to provoke their imagination and awaken their memory.

With that as a foundation, I would add a brief description of its acoustic elements: an amalgam of spacious evolving pads, seductive exotic rhythms, evocative atmospheres and aromatic melodies.  Then I would finish adding that my music is composed as a reaction to whatever emotional stimuli I am experiencing at that moment. In other words, each track originates as a response to a real feeling or set of feelings I am going through.

John :  Could you explain the circumstances or reasons for becoming a musician, and why you choose New Age music over all other genres ?

Oscar :  In all truth, I am a latecomer. You see, although I was exposed to music since birth and developed an intimate relationship with it since very early in my life; mine was a conservative family. The world of professional music was perceived – and with good reason – as a morally risky environment and therefore my parents never encouraged me on that direction.  It wasn’t a stern prohibition, of course, and I was still able to compose music and create a few bands during my teenage years, gaining stage experience and musical proficiency along the way. However, the idea of pursuing a professional career as a musician was never serious at home, and even years after I moved out to live by myself, I never saw myself as one. That was until my father passed away eleven years ago.

Without going into details, all my perspectives changed after that event. The meanings of every aspect of life shifted under my feet and I started to discover that many of the things I thought were important, actually weren’t; and that many areas I took from granted and regarded as trivial were actually the ones that give substance to life.  In the middle of this process, as things were falling into their new places it became clear to me that music was much more than just a fun hobby. I found there was so much to say through it, but so far I had never taken it seriously enough. That’s when I started considering composing and producing music professionally.

To answer the second part of the question, I don’t think music genre is as important as the messages and the emotions you as a composer want to convey. And since the range of human emotions is so wide, choosing New Age was more of an evolutionary process than an intentional one for me. I’ve composed in many different genres since the age of twelve and it is my personal opinion that New Age is the only musical genre that doesn’t impose creative parameters on the composer. In that sense, I think New Age is the less defined genre of all, providing the composer with an unmatched freedom of musical expression.

John :  Since genre is not as important to you, than the emotions you want to inspire for your listeners, What emotions can one expect to feel from your music ?

Oscar :  This is an interesting question. At the beginning I assumed my listeners would experience the same emotions I experienced when composing a particular piece. If I felt specially moved by something, I would translate those feelings into a musical piece and was sure that whoever listened to it would be moved in similar ways.  I’ve learned soon that is not the case, though. The truth is that every person has their own unique emotional structure, and although we all coincide on the generic emotional levels, our interpretation of more specific emotional stimulus is very personal. So, even when I can speak about the emotions I convey through my music, I am simply unable to speak about the emotions listeners will experience from it.  Of course, there’s nothing extraordinary in my emotions. They are the same we all experience: the many contrasts of love; our enduring hopes; the deep fears of our times; the numberless little joys of everyday life. The passion in our hearts; our endless curiosity; our desire to explore and to find things bigger than ourselves. The darker angles of our souls can’t be excluded: our shortcomings and selfishness; the secrets we keep only to ourselves. My music originates from all of these emotions.

On the listeners’ side, I will always defend their freedom to experience my – and all – music in their own unique ways, to extract from it the emotions their hearts need and enjoy.

John :  Can you describe what your albums are about, or can you share what thoughts and experiences from your homeland come to mind for each of your 2 albums : Lifegiving ? and The Gates of Reality ?

Oscar :  Lifegiving is a free compilation of the varied tracks I composed when I redefined my own musical intentions. It felt so incredibly good to musically express myself in complete honesty that I just let myself go. In fact, the album’s title came from the concept of a birth, an act of giving and receiving life. The result is an album where each track is its own little world.

In contrast, The Gates of Reality is a more intentional work. In 2005 I finished Lifegiving very aware of the role imagination plays in our daily lives, very interested in how our unique perceptions affect our personal understanding of the world around us. Love, hate, hope, desolation, peace, war, faith, disbelief; all of our emotions are the result of our perceptions, and our perceptions are the result of the interaction between intellect and imagination. It quickly became a set of concepts worth of exploration. It took me three years to finish.

as far as I can remember I experience music as a language born from emotions with the purpose of transmitting those emotions to others.

John :  Oscar, you have said in the past that music has the ability to break political and social barriers. I understand your comment somewhat, but what exactly did you mean by that ?

Oscar :  I mean that beneath our external labels we all need the same things. We may not speak the same language, we may live within countries in conflict with each other, we may have inherited the external characteristics of a particular race, we may belong to particular social groups and sympathize with particular political points of view. But no matter how different or incompatible we could seem to be towards each other, we all have a heart that feels and loves, that fears and hopes.

That’s where music plays a unique role. We may be unable to speak to each other, we may find ourselves unable to overcome our external labels – of race, of patriotism, of ideology – in order to communicate with each other in good faith; but we are all susceptible to music. We may come from centuries of injustice, or from ephemeral conditions of privilege; but we are all vulnerable to music because music ignores the superficial areas of the human condition and goes straight to the deep ones, the ones that are common to everybody.
In this sense I’ve had the honor of having personal communication with listeners from both sides of armed conflicts and with listeners from religious groups incompatible with each other; and share their thoughts and dreams and hopes, all as a consequence of music.

I think as a sentient species, we are still very primitive. Our technology may be very advanced and our knowledge very vast; but we still have to learn the basics. We are able to take a humans beings to the moon, but we are unable to feed the poor in our own cities. We have harnessed the power to destroy our own home planet, but we are still ignorant on how to live in peace among ourselves.

Yes, we are very primitive. And it will be a very long time until we learn the basics. Fortunately, we have music to help us blur the many imaginary lines that separate us from us.

John :  Recently a fan of yours posted a comment on my review of The Gates of Reality, and said : ” Let me comment that this ( Australis ) is one of the best musicians I’ve ever heard. ” Since this person will likely be reading this interview too, how would you respond to the person who posted this comment ?

Oscar :  I would start expressing how deeply honored those warm words make me feel. I would want that person to know how grateful I am that my music appeals to their soul and that they took the time to express that on your review.  Nothing motivates the independent musician better and deeper than knowing his/her music has moved somebody. It is a concept hard to explain unless one understands what “independent” means in the music industry.

If you compare the world of professional music to an ocean, an independent – in other words, “unsigned” – artist is someone who sets to cross the Atlantic on board of a minute canoe. While “signed” artists make the same trip on board of a cruise with a crew of people paid to drive the boat, the independent musician is usually alone and depends absolutely on his/her own devices. Most likely, he/she won’t make it; but he/she tries nonetheless. His progress, if any, will be discouragingly slow. The independent musician must absolutely love what he/she is doing, otherwise who would voluntarily decide to embark into such an unfavorable endeavour?

That is why comments like the one you mentioned are so meaningful to the independent musician. They make you realize you are not alone in the middle of a dark ocean on a reduced piece of wood keeping you afloat, but that you in the company of countless other human being sailing their own dark oceans by themselves. Suddenly everything takes deeper meanings and you know you are in the right path; all because of comments like those.

If I felt specially moved by something, I would translate those feelings into a musical piece and was sure that whoever listened to it would be moved in similar ways.

John :  Is there anything you would like to discuss or tell our readers, that I have not asked or brought up during our interview ?

Oscar :  Only that I appreciate very much this opportunity to share with you and all your many readers my personal impressions about so many subjects.
As I tried to say earlier, the listener is what makes all the difference for the composer. Believe me, I’ve composed private music for decades. It is only when the composer interacts – musically or verbally, like through your interview today – with the listener that everything starts to make sense.
On that subject, let me invite all of your readers to visit Australis official website for the newest material and latest news, at:

• australiscanticum.com
• Also, I’ve finally opened accounts on Facebook and on Twitter where behind scenes details are posted several times a day. Please feel free to drop by and say hello.

John, again, thank you very much for inviting me.