other IR FOTOS - a gallery of photos of Ironwood Rain in the studio and other places

Promotional photos:


Colorado Sound Studios:


Our producer, Steve Avedis:


MohrFire Studios:

Ironic Inspiration

As I was finishing up a new tune last week I began pondering this subject of inspiration. Sometimes the songs flow out of me like I am a mere conduit
receiving music from the heavens. Other times, ideas refuse to visit me and should they appear, refuse to develop. Why should this be? Inspiration comes to me in so many forms of beauty and art too numerous to mention. Natural, rhythms, symmetry, vibrant colors and harmony are around us everyday. The goal, then is too learn to tap into these sources and remove my ego from interfering with the natural flow. Pushing harder to finish a song idea has never been effective for me. The hard pushing usually only scares my ideas into a corner where proper development can never occur.

So I found myself re-learning this lesson (again!). This song I was working on had been sitting in my mind fully complete for over a year. I could hear the music and changes. I could even hear a vocalist singing beautiful melodies but it was like they were in a different language. As clear as the melody was, I could not seem the understand the words. For months I forced snippets of words over this melody to no avail. They simply were not the correct words (although, sometimes they rhymed with them).

So you can imagine my surprise when the words finally revealed themselves to me and I found that they were speaking about the very subject of INSPIRATION. Surely this is what the song was trying to tell me the entire time I was failing to understand the vague lyrics in my head. It was almost like being hit over the head by my own song. Of course I will endure any pain for my art and inspiration (like I have any choice). So come on you BIG, BAD INSPIRING INPIRATION: Hit me! PLease!

Mythology, Joseph Campbell and Following My Bliss

I recently came across a ten-year old essay I had written for a Mythology Class at Regis University. It is a reaction paper/essay to a great book by Joseph Campbell called The Power of Myth. I felt it was worth sharing, and may start you on a journey to discover (or rediscover) your own bliss.

So before you start reading you'll want to grab a cup of tea (or a glass of good single malt scotch) and get comfy, because I tend to be as verbose in my writing as I am in my speaking.

“Literature of the spirit” is one of the multitude of descriptions Joseph Campbell gives for mythology, and the one that I find the most apropos. In the book The Power of Myth(1) and the corresponding PBS series, Mr. Campbell peals back the layers of ideology about humanity to reveal the eternal contained within everyone. Although the ideas he put forth absolutely captivated my imagination, there were several points that specifically spoke to my heart and solidified ideas that had beforehand swirled about my consciousness without clarity. In explaining mythological stories, Mr. Campbell's illustrations acted as a type of myth to help me gain awareness of my connection with God. The proposition posed about the purpose of myths in our lives, duality, the idea of sacrifice, and following one's bliss stayed with me after my readings and begged to be pondered.

Campbell's description of myths as guide-signs or guideposts for both the inner journey of a person and his/her life’s journey were insightful. The characters in myths help us to navigate through the mundane tangible forefront of reality or physical plane by illustrating the consequences of correct and incorrect actions. They can also guide us on our inner spiritual journey by helping to unveil a deeper meaning behind the cultural dressings in which each story is wrapped. If time and the four dimensions are viewed as manmade inventions, they exist only in man's idea of the physical plane. It goes to follow that if the eternal is everlasting, then the physical and eternal would have to co-exist. Therefore, Heaven/God/the Universal Spirit does not exist in another time or place, but rather here and now within and without each of us. The idea echoes the Buddhist belief in Nirvana - the attainment of deep peace and enlightenment (arriving at or with Heaven/God/the Universal Spirit) while your physical body still lives.

These ideas, and myths in general, are based on the assumption that there is more to life and reality that the corporeal; that there are at least two planes co-existing - the physical and the eternal. Mythology can help us to understand both. Mr. Campbell portrayed the idea of the juxtaposition of the terrestrial over the eternal by putting his left hand behind his right. His right hand was representative of the present, tangible moment - - our secular life. His left hand represented the intangible, eternal reality. Then he spread apart the fingers on his right hand, so that his left hand could be glimpsed through them. “That,” explained Mr. Campbell, “is the purpose of mythology.”(2)

The concurrent existence of the duality of the physical and eternal is echoed in other dualities in mythology. There is the duality of male and female, good and evil, hope and despair, life and death, to name but a few. As with two sides of any argument, Mr. Campbell asserts that the truth is somewhere in the middle. To understand eternal truth, one should seek the path between the dualities. Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, called this the Middle Way. The middle path is between the dualities, where you are neither one nor the other, but also both. This is a difficult concept to grasp from a pragmatic point of view. It seems to me that the point being made is that we should avoid extremes or polarities; be neither a glutton nor an ascetic.

Mr. Campbell used marriage as an example of finding this middle path, especially as relates to male and female. He referred to marriage as "another mythological plane of existence" with the conception that one has found his/her proper female/male spiritual counterpart. When a person finds another who compliments his/her spirit, he/she falls in love. This does not mean a physical love or lust, but rather a complete spiritual love. The relationship becomes more important that either individual person. Even the rituals surrounding marriage emphasize two becoming one. This strongly coincides with my idea of marriage. Having happened to me, I believe in love at first sight. Not as an "ooh he's so cute", but rather as one's spirit recognizing the integral connection with the other’s. I am reminded of a creation myth of purported Celtic origin told to me as a child, wherein the first god or consciousness had to split itself into two as a means of self-realization. Since then, the two halves circle each other until they can again become one. People who have found this connection with a complimentary self are often referred to as soul mates. Soul mates sacrifice themselves to the relationship and it becomes more important than individual needs. This is not to say that a person loses his/herself in a relationship. Rather, if both people have made that spiritual connection, the willingness to compromise and sacrifice becomes second nature rather than a duty.

I hesitate to use the word sacrifice, because it is a term that often has negative connotations in our society. It is seen as an obligation not as a willing gesture. An example is the father who sacrifices everything for his family, not out of love but rather out of a sense of duty. This is illustrated in comments such as, "I sacrificed everything for you and you won't do this little thing (whatever it may be) for me." A true sacrifice is one performed out of love with no requirement of a return favor or comparable sacrifice. In this way it is proof of being in touch with the eternal within. To understand my meaning, it first has to be accepted that a portion of the eternal, or a soul, resides within everyone. This connects them to the eternal, or God. If one can embrace these ideas, it follows that we are all connected to each other through the eternal. Therefore, by sacrificing oneself, that person is benefiting the eternal in someone else. Since the sacrificing person is also a part of the eternal, he/she is benefiting the eternal within him/herself. Consequently, there is no such thing as sacrifice, even if the material self is destroyed, because the eternal continues. A person who follows his/her bliss has found a way to connect with the eternal.

What is bliss? Joseph Campbell states that bliss is an intuitive feeling, where your body and soul tell you to go, and once you have that feeling you should stay with it and not let anyone throw you off (p. 147). You should willingly sacrifice for your bliss. So, what is my bliss? I honestly had not previously considered it. I can list what gives me joy and contentment beyond material pleasures. The relationships with my husband and children would be at the top, with gardening a close second. My family relationships seem to be an obvious choice, but what about gardening? When I help things to grow, even when I kill tomato worms or clean the debris out of my garden, I am intimately involved with a living metaphor for the cycle of life. Further, when I garden, time ceases to exist. My mind is focused on nothing but the moment and what I am doing. I feel the presence of the eternal all around me and through me - Zen in the dirt. And when I hold my right (secular life) hand in front of my left (eternal reality) and spread apart the fingers, what I glimpse through them is earth and dirty finger nails . . . I will leave you to determine for yourself the significance.

Garden On!

[1] Campbell, Joseph, with Bill Moyers. The Power of Myth. NY: Doubleday, 1988

[2] Apostrophe S Products in Association with Alvin H. Perlmutter, Inc. (producer). (1988). The Power of Myth (Program 1). [Videotape]. New York, NY: Mystic Fire Productions Video

My first IR Blog...

Hey everyone,

I first of all wanted to say how exciting it was to play for the Rain Gang...you guys rock. I could not believe how many of you made it out in the bad weather.

So I figured this would be a good place to let you know some things about me personally...well first of all I am married to a wonderful woman who supports EVERYTHING I do without question no matter how crazy it may seem to her. Her name is Melanie and some of you met her at the show on Friday...I have 3 beautiful Daughters in order by age Lilliana 11, Kaitlin 15 and Genevive 17...with the newest addition on the way Gabriella unborn...

I love my life and I am thankful to God for all I am and all he has blessed into my life while on this earth, including the talents of being able to play music which allowed me to find my new brothers JJ, Scotte and Mikey...love playing music with you guys.

I look forward to a long and enjoyable journey with you guys and with all the IR Fans...

Please feel free to email me anytime with questions you may have for me or you can find my Facebook Page thru the IR FB page...

I look forward to getting to know all of you better in the very near future. I will see you all again soon at the Rock and Soul Show...

Voices to Hear Interview

A while back, we received several opportunities for podcasts and interviews, all of which were great fun, and a few actually turned into friendhips and long-term contacts. One of the more unusual was a quick call I received from John Holland at Voices to Hear. Interesting questions, I thought, and worth sharing here, I hope.

1. For many artists, they cite a defining moment for themselves when they knew they wanted to be a singer. For many it was the appearance of Elvis on the Ed Sullivan show, to another generation it was the Beatles’ appearance on Sullivan half a decade later. Is there such a defining moment for you?

Not really a single moment, but every time Emerson Lake and Palmer would release a new album, I was always in awe of Greg Lake's rich voice and the passion and intellect of his lyrics. He was my inspiration both as a singer and as a bassist. Pirates is still a song I aspire to be able to do justice and I love performing From the Beginning and Lucky Man. Closer to Believing was our wedding song 27 years ago!

2. When you’re not creating music what are you listening to? Who are some of your favorites?

I love Train, Live, and Collective Soul. I also grew up on old-school prog, so spend much time with classic art rock acts like Yes and Jethro Tull and contemporary progressive artists Porcupine Tree, Shadow Gallery and Spock's Beard. My tastes for vocal music are pretty eclectic, though, so I may be the only person in Colorado with Roger Whittaker, Dio and Juluka in the same car CD case.

3. What would you say is your greatest moment so far as an artist, either on record or live?

Live, Mikey and I got to perform onstage at a benefit concert with Patrick Moraz (Yes, Moody Blues) several of Denver's top musicians of the time and a 100 voice gospel choir in a huge historic theater downtown. Absolute music Nirvana!
In the studio, working with producer Steve Avedis at Colorado Sound last summer was made even sweeter by the music for "Burn the Ships" coming off exactly the way I'd envisioned. That's a rare gift for an artist, I think, and very satisfying.

4. Do you believe music can change the world or is just something to listen to? How much can music influence current events?

The transcendent and transformative power of music can't be denied on any level, I believe. Johnny B. Goode is the rockin' voice of humanity out in interstellar space on the disc attached to the Voyager I probe. Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues tied together hemispheres of society that never would have touched otherwise. All Along the Watchtower, Buffalo Soldier, Smells Like Teen Spirit, My Generation, California Dreamin', Ohio, Every Breath You Take, Drops of Jupiter...songs like these not only defined their genres and outlined their times, but captured the souls of their players and audiences.
And influence current events? "Fortunate Son" and the Vietnam War, "Land of Illusion" and The Reagan Years, or Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" and the early Civil Rights Movement were all moved sharply by the music. I could give examples all day (the teacher in me escaping, a bit) Music is the language of the times in joy, sorrow, protest and patriotism. It's the voice of the soul of events that inspire and provoke it.

5. How has technology affected the music industry? How has technology affected your career as a musician?

If the record companies had realized early on the potential of the internet for marketing and promoting music and capitalized on their resources and market share then, the industry would look VERY different today, with the majority of music production still in centralized control and independent businesses supporting its functions. For good or ill, though, they didn't move quickly enough and small indie businesses quickly dropped, gutted and ground the beast that was the music business and has been serving up the burgers ever since. Between the accessibility and speed the net provides and the availability of quality home digital recording, it's now possible to produce high quality recording at home for comparatively nothing. Unfortunately, this also means that (and this is my own figure picked out of the air) if 10% of the music that used to be made was great, 10 awful and 80 middling - and 10,000 new albums came out every year - there were already 9000 middling to awful albums bouncing off the top of the cumulative pile. Now, with gawd-only-knows how many new CD's coming out every month from everywhere, there's an enormous creaking tower of un-noteworthy tunes crushing everything in its path while the quality music struggles to find the high ground. Luckily, there are a few great outlets, podcasts and services helping weed through the harvest, including Pandora, Voices to Hear, Club Indie, and others. Finding and promoting excellence between these sources and artists is key to keeping quality original music thriving.
Personally, having been out of the business from 1996-2006 as I focused on teaching, the return has meant a very sharp learning curve, as everything is now done differently, from booking and promotions to recording and songwriting. While it's a little intimidating to have total access to information and markets also providing a never-ending view of the vast numbers of other artists trying to reach listeners, I've enjoyed very much having high-tech tools such as loop libraries and music computers for developing song ideas, desktop publishing, HD video capability and music-related social networks.

6. Now for my Barbara Walters question: If you were a pair of shoes what type of shoes would you be?

This is Colorado...gotta be hiking boots, baby!

NEW AND IMPROVED IR!

Be sure and check out the NEW AND IMPROVED Ironwood Rain - coming to a venue near YOU!

Welcome CRAIG!!!

I want to give a formal welcome to IR's new drummer, Craig Tomanini.
Craigs' a great musician, and a great guy. His solid, powerful presence will be seen, heard, and felt soon in upcoming IR performances.
For now we are enjoying inoculating... initiating... inculcating... our new IR brother on the plethora of originals and cover songs... do we actually have a plethora? Isn't that a musical instrument? (I think that's what Jimmy Page was playing on "Whole Lotta Love"...!)
Be sure to come check us out in the new year... you won't be disappointed!!!