Songs For Chaotic Times

 It’s interesting how things can develop in the space of a few weeks. Recently I’ve turned some of my musical work on its head by feeding my alternative views of the world into my creative efforts. I have long laboured in vain to try and open a few eyes in the musical arena, specifically because I feel that the medium is an excellent platform for suggesting alternative ideas to a receptive audience – who may not have considered such notions under normal circumstances. It is a little bit of a cheat, almost subliminal in a way, but at least it is slipping positives into the public consciousness rather than how it is often currently utilised.
 
 The resistance to this idea, among the many musicians I know has, been staggering. Even if they are simply a low level, gigging band or artist, they see the move as “job suicide”. I can understand this sentiment though. We live in hard times and jobs aren’t easy to come by. This is especially true of musicians. Musical venues are closing left, right and centre, pubs have largely moved away from live bands/instruments (toward singers with backing tapes and the spawn of all evil that is “Karaoke”!) and the Festival scene has really tightened its belt. Added to this, people are turning less and less to musical “multi-taskers” (like me). They are buying cheap cameras and software to create their own multi-media promotional packages and doing much more session recording from the comfort of their own homes.
 
 This doesn’t change the fact that there is always an appetite for live music though. Even in the dark days of mass UK recession during the 1980s, the music scene was thriving. Musicians are always looking for the holy grail of the profession, an untapped source of inspiration that can set them apart from the well-trodden paths of the mundane. I believe that the vast subjects addressed in alternative community are a huge untapped resource, a new artistic muse as it were, that could tempt the egos of some of my fellow musicians to participate. Another sneaky move, I know, but the outcome would ultimately be a positive one.

 Despite this, I have met a wall of opposition and closed minds. They are happy to work with me on any other aspect of performance and creativity, but not this. One or two are happy to discuss the subject though, even participate anonymously, provided I don’t cite their names… strange, but I respect their wishes. I had recently been working on an original song, which I envisioned as a light hearted, well-meaning look at scepticism toward obvious evidence of hidden global agendas and lies perpetuated amongst the mass population. For this, I brought on board one or two musical friends as unnamed session musicians (I can’t play the drums for a start, so I’ve needed at least that much!) and was surprised how “into” the concept they were – at least in an advisory capacity!
 
 This has opened a window (for me) into their perceived notions of the subject. This is what one of them said: “I understand these are serious subjects, but it has the danger of being too preachy… like those Christian rock bands you see! It needs heart, a story, emotion. That’s what people want from music. They need to relate.” I understand this perfectly. Yet, music often walks a fine line between sentiments from the depths of the soul and trite emotional slogans. The balance is very delicate. Assigning soul to serious life changing matters and the pursuit of evidence is a tough nut to crack. As he (my musical friend) said, “You may as well read from the phone book, or the ingredients on the back of a packet of food, and set it to music.”
 
 I thought this was a bit mean spirited at first. I’m an open minded bloke though, so I asked them to sit down with me and “brainstorm” the whole concept. I soon came to realise that my first “truth” related musical piece was exactly like they had described, so (despite a month of work committed to the project) we scrapped a huge amount and went back to the drawing board. What they threw at me was this: forget how you might want to spread the word, wake people up, etc. How has it affected me? The story should be enough to give people pause for thought. I naturally knew this, but had perhaps lost sight of it in favour of the intent and message.
 
 Out of this has come something I’m incredibly buzzed about. Several weeks on, and I have written ten songs that form an overarching narrative – in other words: enough material for an album. Two songs (“Hypnobox” and “The Dream”) are at the production stage - with one, a reworking of my original piece (called “It’s Alright”), getting close to being finished. The collective named for this project is (ironically) “The ‘Guide” and the album is tentatively entitled “Songs for Chaotic Times.” What will come of this is anybody’s guess. I hope I’m not jinxing it all by sharing some details with you (at this early stage), but I have a positive feeling about it. Once I’m comfortable with the production, I will start making tracks available here and elsewhere for you to listen to. So watch this space.
 
 Amidst this busy time, I’ve also decided to take the plunge and do my first public talk, drawing upon much of the research I have compiled here on the blog. I am currently assembling a two hour presentation discussing “The Olympic Paradigm” and some aspects of the larger global agenda that relate to it. I hope to set a date for this soon (probably November-ish) and it will probably be in the Birmingham area (UK). As soon as I have nailed down the details, I’ll let you know more.
 
As always, I just want to say thanks to all of you who continue to read/visit my humble little corner of the web, and for all the support I have received along the way. I truly appreciate it.

Until next time… stay well, keep smiling and the best to you all.
Carl (The Truth Seeker’s Guide)