Prayer is a present-moment activity. It requires the direction of our energies in fullness toward God, right here and right now. But in this present moment, faith-filled prayer takes us on a bit of a time-travel. It takes us forward, into a future not-yet-seen. While we are there – actively attentive to a possibility – we […]

Where has aliveness happened? Somewhere in our past, distantly / deliberately, new life happened. In all sorts of places, through all sorts of people, new things have sprung forth. These new things were meaningful then. But the past doesn’t speak to the present without a bit of work… “The nouns of art (the paintings, scores, recordings, information) are […]

There is a great hope. It is like a huge underground lake of fresh water, a storehouse and spring of courage, life and energy. It is a great treasure source of comprehension and fulfilment. Hidden throughout all the ages, the breath from our lips can utter of it little more than ” M . Y […]

What conditions must come together for the dream team to spark, for the wind to change, so that it’s your time to shine, so that the stars come into alignment? We all work towards things that we hope will grow, mature, strengthen. These are some partial thoughts about what things need to conincide for that […]

I spent yester-eve with (bro) Hamish and our mix-engineer Matt Caradus making final moves on the soon-to-be released ‘Black Boy Peaches’ album. It’s nice to be able to execute a “release plan” (lol) while actually being on deadline, unlike the last time (in the dark-ages of 2010) when we missed the Company Feel Good release-date […]

Yesterday, as part of one of my university classes, a Thai monk led an introductory session on Buddhist meditation. He essentially focused on mindfulness and relaxation techniques. One part of this session included an exercise I already use (sometimes), which is helpful when seeking to focus: breathing practice. While breathing on the whole is clearly easy, breathing with intent is surprisingly […]

I never understood the purpose of diminished chords. [A diminished chord that appears naturally within a major scale is that which starts in the 7th position of the scale. The chord is completed with two minor-3rd intervals on top (an interval which is 3-half steps up the scale). In C Major, this would be a chord with the notes B – […]

I love the joy of hearing new things unfold. I love exploring and discovering new depths in unexpected places. I love how in the diligence and focus of practise there is a clarity of mind awaiting, an uncovering of new ideas. I love music when you can hear a passion, a unique life-expression, a heart-beat, coming […]

To really give yourself as a musician and as a person, you need to have something to lay down. (When I say ‘lay down’ I mean in the sacrificial sense, not the ‘laying down a groove’ sense). Technique, skills, repertoire, ego – these have to be laid down for the sake of your band, for […]