Tuesday, February 26, 2008

"When Things Fall Apart" -Pema Chodron

In daily life our instinct is to put "ground" under our feet... to find concrete security and sometimes hold on with a death-grip for dear life. We cling to our schedules, our TV shows, and to our understandings of our loved ones and ourselves. But the truth is that there is no "ground"... there never was or will be any "ground", and this is a gift. By leaning into our fear and our discomfort... by savoring its bitter taste.. we can move closer to the truth and find out that the only real source of pain is our own resistance to the way the world is.

In "When Things Fall Apart", Pema Chodron eloquently communicates, through a series of brief chapters or "talks", the principles that help me (on my good days) to remember to release my grip when things get dark and embrace the lessons in front of me.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

BBC Planet Earth



Fall in love again...
...with your mother!

Plenty has already been said about this series but it's honestly ..that good.
Planet Earth is absolutely stunning... stunning in the high level of artistry that went into its making... and stunning because you never knew to what level, how freakish and awe-inspiring the planet you live on truly is.

TuneBoard WARNING! -do not watch the American version with Sigourney Weaver... it falls flaccid in the face of the BBC version narrated by David Attenborough.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Alan Ferber Nonet


Alan Ferber and his nonet synthesize vibration and beauty into elastic aural sculpture that regularly fills the hipper corners of NYC's burrows. If you can, seize the opportunity to hear the music and musicians who define New York as an artistic fountain head.
CheckOut:

~The Compass
Alan Ferber Nonet - The Compass
Amazon
~Scenes From An Exit Row
Alan Ferber Nonet - Scenes from an Exit Row
Amazon
~Playground
Amazon

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Maria Schneider Orchestra - SkyBlue


If mother earth could sing...
I think she would sound like Maria Schneider.

space, beauty, strength

there is a maternal sound in her music that is getting stronger with each album...

sound as organism... organism as sound...

...the experience of living can be heard inside of Maria's music...

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind


...the nature and truth of our connections...

If you haven't checked this film out...
If this movie is old news to you...

...Watch It..

it's a well-made reminder of the fragile collection of experiences and patterns we all actually are...

ILAD - National Flags


The second record from ILAD is perhaps their first...
On National Flags, ILAD's philosophies and influences begin to align into music that can only be defined as music. Less snack-sized hooks and more like ordered sound that has always been there... you just hadn't heard it yet... Compositional subtleties weave a cloth that offers more... the closer you look into the multi-colored thread and diverse textures. ...sound that arises out of meaning.... not visa-versa.

www.iladmusic.com

Alex Grey


...from the spirit
...through the mind
...of the universe

Alex Grey's art can show you that the separation between the universe and ourselves is an illusion.... although this sentence implies the opposite... Spoken language is a poor tool for illustrating the nature of the world.. but Alex Grey is the perfect tool.
A visit to CoSM (27th street bewteen 10th and 11th ave, NYC) ...is worth far beyond the $5 price of admission. It's truly an understated treasure of the city... and of anywhere...on earth,..

If you can't get to the city check out Sacred Mirrors.