It seems that not so long ago I was flying over Philadelphia and now I find myself flying over Amsterdam, a city that I really know little about. Well, the dictionary on my MacBook has kindly informed me that it has a booming diamond industry. And from the air it looks cool. Though I reckon it'd look cooler if they somehow combined the already cool look with the diamonds. Then it'd be all sparkly.
After traveling for 28 hours my train of thought becomes somewhat interesting. I should stop.
I don't quite know how to write about my experiences of the last week, or how to compress all that I gleaned and learned over these past days into a blog that doesn't drag on and on.
I have spent the past week at the campus of Townshend International School (where I completed my high school education) attending the Changing Times conference. In what I believe is now it's seventh year this conference aims to bring together over 200 young professionals from various fields to share their experiences and attend seminars, workshops & discussions led by some truly outstanding individuals. Run on the principles of the Bahá'í Faith the forum approaches a variety of topics with an aim to apply spiritual concepts to practical solutions in a world greatly lacking a unified sense of moral and spiritual integrity.
Among the speakers present were Rainn Wilson (of 'The Office' fame), Mr. Ian Semple (Member of the Universal House of Justice from 1963-2005), and Mr. David Henderson (Emmy Award winning former CBS Network News correspondent). The diversity of the speakers' backgrounds, nationalities and specialities was just overwhelming and topics ranged from external affairs and the web 2.0, to marriage and service to humanity.
I had the honour of offering my services as a musician on various occasions (I played an evening set and opened for Andy Grammer) and attending all but one of the many sessions offered throughout the week. Needless to say that I am returning with a huge amount of energy and a renewed sense of identity. I would go so far as to say that this has been the best conference of its type that I have ever had the honour of attending and being a part of.
For more information on the Changing Times conference, and to see what happened and is still happening in its wake, visit www.changing-times.org.
Alas the downside of spending so much energy is that upon my return I was exhausted and hit by a nasty cold. But do I mind? No - it's all worth it for such an amazing week. Once I'm back up to speed I will be back on track with my YouTube channel and ready to tell you all about my new projects!
Changing Times
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Flying
I'm writing this as I fly above Philadelphia and I never realised what an historically significant city it is. As far as I know it was the site of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the adoption of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. Oh, and it's name is from the Greek philadelphia meaning 'brotherly love'. Cool eh?
Anyhow, the next few weeks are looking quite exciting. You may have noticed that my tour calendar has been uncharacteristically empty, and you're right. I've been concentrating for the past semester on my school work and, since my school work is music, it's been having a great effect on my performance. Which is why I'm looking forward to getting out and about a great deal more after the New Year period.
In my immediate future I will be performing at the Changing Times conference in the Czech Republic and I will be honoured with meeting and if fate allows, playing with, the great Andy Grammer. Andy is an amazing artist and has been a huge source of inspiration for me. Czech out - I mean, check out - his website and have a listen to his beautiful songs!
http://www.myspace.com/andygrammer
I'm currently coordinating a mini-tour for the spring break period and will be starting either in Montreal or Toronto and ending up in the one that I didn't start with! The logistics of getting around are a little beyond me at this point in time but I'm a firm believer that once you put your mind to something you can make it happen, no matter the odds.
I'm also working on grabbing a spot performing at NEBY Fest this February. NEBY Fest stands for North Eastern Bahá'í Youth Festival and is a huge youth festival run by the Bahá'ís of the North Eastern states, aimed at youth and their empowerment. I have heard a great deal about this conference and it would be a huge honour for me to perform there. Keep an eye on this development.
Lastly I am being featured on a compilation album put together by the Bahá'ís of the UK with a currently unreleased track making it's debut there. The album has been put together for fundraising purposes and as soon as I have more details I will let you know!
Thank you all for your continued support. Increased numbers of views, YouTube subscribers and letters of support and encouragement are a constant source of energy. You are all the reason I am doing what I do - I dedicate myself to you all!
Anyhow, the next few weeks are looking quite exciting. You may have noticed that my tour calendar has been uncharacteristically empty, and you're right. I've been concentrating for the past semester on my school work and, since my school work is music, it's been having a great effect on my performance. Which is why I'm looking forward to getting out and about a great deal more after the New Year period.
In my immediate future I will be performing at the Changing Times conference in the Czech Republic and I will be honoured with meeting and if fate allows, playing with, the great Andy Grammer. Andy is an amazing artist and has been a huge source of inspiration for me. Czech out - I mean, check out - his website and have a listen to his beautiful songs!
http://www.myspace.com/andygrammer
I'm currently coordinating a mini-tour for the spring break period and will be starting either in Montreal or Toronto and ending up in the one that I didn't start with! The logistics of getting around are a little beyond me at this point in time but I'm a firm believer that once you put your mind to something you can make it happen, no matter the odds.
I'm also working on grabbing a spot performing at NEBY Fest this February. NEBY Fest stands for North Eastern Bahá'í Youth Festival and is a huge youth festival run by the Bahá'ís of the North Eastern states, aimed at youth and their empowerment. I have heard a great deal about this conference and it would be a huge honour for me to perform there. Keep an eye on this development.
Lastly I am being featured on a compilation album put together by the Bahá'ís of the UK with a currently unreleased track making it's debut there. The album has been put together for fundraising purposes and as soon as I have more details I will let you know!
Thank you all for your continued support. Increased numbers of views, YouTube subscribers and letters of support and encouragement are a constant source of energy. You are all the reason I am doing what I do - I dedicate myself to you all!
Risk, Soup Kitchens and Home
Well, three weeks and two days from today I'll be heading home, and I'm so ready for it. The longest period of time that I've spent away from home, consecutively, was ten months and that, for some reason, was fine for me. But these past 6 months have been so trying on me and I can't really explain why. Thankfully - oh, the irony of that word in this sentence! - I was invited to spend the Thanksgiving weekend with some friends up in New Hampshire and play a house-show for them and a group of friends. Having not played for people in a while it was quite nerve-wracking and made me realise that I really need to get into shape before the winter period and my shows then.
Playing music wasn't the only thing that I got up to in NH. I spent, along with my friends, 3 days playing RISK. 3 games, 3 days, and you'd be thinking that it'd be roughly a game per day. That's true, only the last game, which ended with an Australian empire defeating an African/European empire, took a whopping 26 hours to finish, and the last turn took over an hour and a half. Needless to say that I did hardly any work that weekend, and I totally needed to forget Berklee for a few days.
Aside from that it was wonderful to spend my first Thanksgiving with such a great group of people, thank you all!
And now back to random observations about Boston and perhaps the entire US. Or maybe just the film industry. Intrigued? Well, I used to think - ever since I saw the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film - that all cities, in all films, were immensely steamy. Think about it; all the drain covers and sewer pipes seem to spew steam 24 hours a day. And then, walking down Boylston Steet on my way to the cinema, I came across a gaping hole in the street covered by a temporary wooden shack, spewing so much steam that I could've sworn that there was a sauna down there. Seriously, what is it that goes on down there? Is there some giant soup kitchen that will, for eternity, cook up mountains of steam for aspiring filmographers? Whatever it is, it's kept me fascinated for years. Oh, and for anyone looking for a good steamy city - try Prague, it's probably the soup kitchen training centre of the world.
Playing music wasn't the only thing that I got up to in NH. I spent, along with my friends, 3 days playing RISK. 3 games, 3 days, and you'd be thinking that it'd be roughly a game per day. That's true, only the last game, which ended with an Australian empire defeating an African/European empire, took a whopping 26 hours to finish, and the last turn took over an hour and a half. Needless to say that I did hardly any work that weekend, and I totally needed to forget Berklee for a few days.
Aside from that it was wonderful to spend my first Thanksgiving with such a great group of people, thank you all!
And now back to random observations about Boston and perhaps the entire US. Or maybe just the film industry. Intrigued? Well, I used to think - ever since I saw the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film - that all cities, in all films, were immensely steamy. Think about it; all the drain covers and sewer pipes seem to spew steam 24 hours a day. And then, walking down Boylston Steet on my way to the cinema, I came across a gaping hole in the street covered by a temporary wooden shack, spewing so much steam that I could've sworn that there was a sauna down there. Seriously, what is it that goes on down there? Is there some giant soup kitchen that will, for eternity, cook up mountains of steam for aspiring filmographers? Whatever it is, it's kept me fascinated for years. Oh, and for anyone looking for a good steamy city - try Prague, it's probably the soup kitchen training centre of the world.
Deeper
It has indeed been a little while since I wrote last and it's been a very turbulent time since we last met. I promised that I was going to go deeper, to tap into what lays beneath the surface.
When I wrote that I didn't mean that everything I've written so far has been purely cosmetic - in no way at all - but I began to feel that I wasn't digging nearly as deep as I could have done. I am receiving inspiration on a nearly daily basis and meeting the challenge of changing that into something tangible, and this inspiration is coming from the places I'd least expect. More importantly I am becoming more inspired by emotion. Ultimately that's what I'm aiming for.
It's easy to say what you want to do.
Doing it is a whole other ball game.
All I can say write now is that I'm tapping into some pretty interesting things, writing songs I'd never thought I'd ever write and feeling so much more focused. Here is a little snippet of something I've been cooking up, just to let you all know that I'm still alive.
My performance schedule has been a little quiet too. This is mainly due to the sheer volume of work that I've had to do - and also due to my writing schedule. But I've been in communication with friends and organising a thanksgiving show in New Hampshire, a state that I've started a fond friendship with.
I hope that life is treating you all well - and that we can once again meet and share music.
When I wrote that I didn't mean that everything I've written so far has been purely cosmetic - in no way at all - but I began to feel that I wasn't digging nearly as deep as I could have done. I am receiving inspiration on a nearly daily basis and meeting the challenge of changing that into something tangible, and this inspiration is coming from the places I'd least expect. More importantly I am becoming more inspired by emotion. Ultimately that's what I'm aiming for.
It's easy to say what you want to do.
Doing it is a whole other ball game.
All I can say write now is that I'm tapping into some pretty interesting things, writing songs I'd never thought I'd ever write and feeling so much more focused. Here is a little snippet of something I've been cooking up, just to let you all know that I'm still alive.
My performance schedule has been a little quiet too. This is mainly due to the sheer volume of work that I've had to do - and also due to my writing schedule. But I've been in communication with friends and organising a thanksgiving show in New Hampshire, a state that I've started a fond friendship with.
I hope that life is treating you all well - and that we can once again meet and share music.
Declaration, Inspiration and Milk(house)
The past week or so has seen a whole ton of things happen, all of which are really exciting and I've been kicking myself because I waited this long to share it all with you.
The first major thing this week - oh the irony of using 'major' - was that I managed to have a chat to the head of the songwriting department here at Berklee and declare myself as a songwriting major. He seemed rather taken aback when my answer to "What can I do for you?" was "I want to be a songwriting major!". I think he was used to talking people through the process before they decided to throw themselves to the wolves; but I've had so long to think this over and no amount of pros and cons can change my mind.
Next up on the list was last weekend. This week was my mid-term exam week and I should have spent the weekend preparing 'til the cows came home - but I didn't, and so the cows never got to come home. Instead I spent Saturday in the Milkhouse Studios with Dave Hale, recording some demo tracks and some tracks for submission to a compilation back home. Essentially I only 'needed' one track down, the rest were opportunities for Dave and I to play the songs that we worked on the most and have something to listen back to. Many, many thanks to Shane O'Connor for his studio work. I'm working on putting some of the track together into a small demo, so keep and eye out for that in the near future.
I had the honour of seeing one of Berklee's finest perform the other day. His name is Jonathan Carr, a native of Scotland, and he is an incredible songwriter and performer. He has recorded a demo track with John Mayer that you can listen to on his myspace page. After watching him perform I felt somewhat confused. It's a regular occurrence here at Berklee, watching someone do what you do and doing an amazing job of it. It's like looking at yourself from a distance and asking yourself "Are you sure you can do this?". That's my brain talking. My heart, well, my heart knows exactly what's going on. It keeps me on track. And so do my friends. That evening I knew I needed to talk to someone, get my thoughts out and just feel like I am on the same level.
I approached Ali Rapetti, a fantastic singer/songwriter here at Berklee, and another lucky individual who was able to share time with John Mayer. I ended up sharing songs, gaining a lot of inspiration and feeling a lot more comfortable with myself.
I'm working on going deeper and truly expressing what I see in the world. I feel so untapped.
The first major thing this week - oh the irony of using 'major' - was that I managed to have a chat to the head of the songwriting department here at Berklee and declare myself as a songwriting major. He seemed rather taken aback when my answer to "What can I do for you?" was "I want to be a songwriting major!". I think he was used to talking people through the process before they decided to throw themselves to the wolves; but I've had so long to think this over and no amount of pros and cons can change my mind.
Next up on the list was last weekend. This week was my mid-term exam week and I should have spent the weekend preparing 'til the cows came home - but I didn't, and so the cows never got to come home. Instead I spent Saturday in the Milkhouse Studios with Dave Hale, recording some demo tracks and some tracks for submission to a compilation back home. Essentially I only 'needed' one track down, the rest were opportunities for Dave and I to play the songs that we worked on the most and have something to listen back to. Many, many thanks to Shane O'Connor for his studio work. I'm working on putting some of the track together into a small demo, so keep and eye out for that in the near future.
I had the honour of seeing one of Berklee's finest perform the other day. His name is Jonathan Carr, a native of Scotland, and he is an incredible songwriter and performer. He has recorded a demo track with John Mayer that you can listen to on his myspace page. After watching him perform I felt somewhat confused. It's a regular occurrence here at Berklee, watching someone do what you do and doing an amazing job of it. It's like looking at yourself from a distance and asking yourself "Are you sure you can do this?". That's my brain talking. My heart, well, my heart knows exactly what's going on. It keeps me on track. And so do my friends. That evening I knew I needed to talk to someone, get my thoughts out and just feel like I am on the same level.
I approached Ali Rapetti, a fantastic singer/songwriter here at Berklee, and another lucky individual who was able to share time with John Mayer. I ended up sharing songs, gaining a lot of inspiration and feeling a lot more comfortable with myself.
I'm working on going deeper and truly expressing what I see in the world. I feel so untapped.