Spring Sessions Bring Summer Songs
Our spring recording sessions began on a recent sunny afternoon with smudging – the Native American ritual of burning medicine plants for purification and cleansing – and a prayer asking the Great Spirit to sing through us. We met in that sacred dimension where time and space are limitless, where energy is infinite, where sadness and suffering are transformed into joyful communion. Our recording sessions began.
Making music together with Allison and the Community Gardeners, I felt moved by the gifts of the Spirit given to me by my parents, teachers, and ancestors, and inspired by friends who have developed their musical gifts well beyond my own.
As we met in this place of music we sailed through several songs together, telling stories and laughing in between. Recording is intense, fun work. For me it is like a combination of therapy and spiritual retreat in the way that it brings attention and awareness to details within songs that may otherwise go unnoticed. Recording has taught me that engaging in and trusting the creative process is just as important as the end product.
Making an album is a journey best experienced when shared, and I have been fortunate to encounter many friends on my path with whom I have the privilege of working. This is a road that is co-created with the Great Mystery and with loving hearts. This will be our continuation long after we are gone.
Recording also takes time, like any creative medium. So unfortunately you will have to wait a while yet before hearing the fruits of our labors. But you can rest assured that we are enjoying each step and every note along the way.
I am excited to share many of these songs at live performances this spring and summer, whether in a children’s concert or at a Spirits Rising show. Let’s meet in that place of music.
Love,
Joe
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