New Age Music World

Archive for July, 2010

New Age Music is a wonderful medium for any musician to express the more creative aspects of their music apart from what we regularly expect to hear from someone any given day.  This change can be just a slight adjustment from their select style or in many cases, one giant leap while traversing the starry twilights into new zones and uncharted territories.

Julian Ray is a New Age musician from Canada making a more exploratory departure by his current release produced while in the comforts of his home studio suite.  His newest revision in Ambient music with a story to tell is based in theme on the Argonauts of Greek mythology fused into an innovative territorial journey of the cosmos transposed by his just released creation in New Age, Ambient and Experimental music.

Julian is an independent solo musician from Toronto Canada with a lengthy presence in the music industry and member with the Society of Composers, Authors, and Music Publishers of Canada ( SOCAN ) and is active in theatre, psychology and philosophy, so perhaps this transition arrives quite naturally.

In addition, he and his wife Katrin Ray are design artists recognized by prestigious awards in Europe and North America during numerous design exhibitions around the world so during their team production strategy Katrin designs the cover arts and other contributing roles which help advance the artist title of Julian Ray Music.

Julian Ray has planned the itinerary for his cosmic explorations on Argonauts of Kosmos as one of true excitement.  While on this expedition into the outer zonal boundaries of electronic music, novel melodic landmarks are created and mysterious territories are revealed to become an experimental project in spatial music ready for your discovery.

Argonauts Of Kosmos is his Cosmic, Ambient, New Age, Experimental release in 2010 and 10 song modification from his more New Age Ambient classified In Flow of Light release earlier this year.  This is also a more categorical illustration away from the Jazz, Easy Listening, Instrumental sounds heard on Wonderful Life & Seashell Stories but for those familiar with his discography know this is just a matter relevant to the creative itinerary he has in store for his listeners at the time.

In the case of Argonauts of Kosmos it appears considerable effort was made to create interest and kindle the imagination since the musical landscape is a consistent medium to upper tempo atmosphere with prevailing keyboard melodies transmitting the radiant episodes.

Star Bridge & Milky Way are good examples of the excitement and liveliness since they are so far distant from the lonesome plateaus and solitary note landscapes often heard in some ambient space projects.

Venus : Deep Forest & Stardust have keyboard melodies taken a step further along with the wide range in percussion and clave enhancements of woodblock which increase the interest to the already dreamy atmosphere.  This can also be said about the more ambient song Deep Space Mission.

Orion’s Belt & Argonauts of Kosmos ( Title Song ) are the most experimental given the voice box encounters and lightly drifting notes that divuldge new territories in electronic explorations where the outer boundaries are readily defined for the listener so they may make their own individual excursion by using a little creative imagination of their own.

More importantly this over an hour long album is aglow in bright ambience and the deeply mysterious moments enhance the bold adventuresome qualities of the music without ever leaving one wanting more or stranded all alone in the twilight zone.

Visit the julianraymusic.com homepage then sample / purchase on his albums page or CDBaby.com page.  Read more on his biography page and then our page dedicated to Julian Ray.

Cover design copyright Julian Ray Music courtesy of Katrin Ray.  

Music and Movies are two of the most popular internet search terms used today. These two forms of entertainment by themselves are enough to spark our interest alone yet when audio and visual productions are merged into a movie soundtrack, film score or popular music video, the results achieve an even more exciting sights and sounds experience.

David Mauk from Las Vegas Nevada is a composing performer with plenty of experience in the entertainment business while advancing in popularity from his 12 Months debut released in 2009. His first album created much excitement for many and equally so for David since 12 Months received nomination at ZMR for Best Electronic Album and also earned David a Best New Artist nomination for the year.

Ground Swell is his 2010 release, unique not only by the great mood effect of his classic yet easygoing electronic compositions but some songs were inspired by American realist painter Edward Hopper and Ground Swell is a CD / DVD collector’s edition that beautifully captures the early American century with Cinematic drama and makes a nice collection by any standard. The 5 bonus video clips are nicely correlated with his unique brand of classic electronic music and are a beautiful addition to the audio CD since the extra sensory effect of video makes it easy for anyone to visualize his ambient music becoming a modern times movie score.

The National Geographic Society has already realized the dynamic effect of his compositions by integrating as their official music with many exhibits including King Tutankhamun, Golden Age of the Pharaohs, Real Pirates and Cleopatra museum exhibits, in fine music that enhances the experience for every visitor.

David Mauk has given everyone 2 excellent reasons to appreciate his music in 2010. The Ground Swell CD alone is a free flowing natural display of bright ambience offered with a harmonious and casual impression, plus the DVD greatly points out the Cinematic enchantment that makes his music special.

Ground Swell is in effect an Ambient, Electronic, New Age album with a total of 14 songs. The 5 song descriptions I will provide from the CD are ones also listed on the bonus DVD, in this all inclusive CD / DVD collection and you will find the 9 additional songs are sequential to the atmosphere and ideals this album in entirety represents.

Dawn in Pennsylvania has a singular piano melody backed by a deeper synthesizer profile that gives depth to the overall bright and casual mood and is effective at producing a story line of realism by a light atmospheric point of view with cymbal taps and percussion enrichment.

Summertime is like an ode of joyous celebration the summer season always represents, marching right along in attitude by a majestic piano movement.

Lower piano octaves maintain the rhythm while upper ranges move up and down the scales in half steps while bell tones ring in the seasonal event.

Chop Suey relies on tenor drum and percussion rhythms as a prelude to keyboard producing the light staccato note melody with a casual feel.

During refrains the dynamics are rearranged to a deeper tenor and nicely embolden the song while adding tonal drama.

Queensburo Bridge carries nice rhythmical metrics by strings subtle back and forth sway while light synth notes and key changes introduce sparkling overtones into the melodious theme.

New York Movie is a dreamy song that transports you to a different place and time with strings becoming the prevalent character in the lighter melody. Percussion plays a more indirect role by sharp woodblock notes and when xylophone enters, the soft percussion detailing projects nice sparkling tones in a secondary rhythm.

David Mauk made 12 Months an impressive introduction into New Age music. Ground Swell is another fine classic that makes musical entertainment an even better experience, offering his appealing to the senses experience like the premiere attractions many people are searching for at this very moment.

Visit the davidmauk.com homepage and then sample / purchase on his music page. Learn more about David at his MySpace page and then our pages dedicated to David Mauk.

Cover art copyright Kelly Stamblesky – Smith. Picture copyright BigStockPhoto.com – Ondrej Garaj.

Bruce Kaphan from California has taken pedal string guitar to a whole new level in New Age music for years, making this instrumental transition not only a surprising one but a dazzling one too, giving even music purists a reason to love pedal steel guitar with his earlier release Slider and now Hybrid.

Bruce Kaphan is easily recognized in the music industry since he began an early career as a studio technician, engineer and producer for many highly recognized artists in other genres and had either played a role with the recording production of their album or performed with artists such as REM, Jewel, The Black Crowes, Thomas Dolby, John Lee Hooker and a vast selection of popular musicians.

The list of popular artists Bruce has encountered as a musician and during his tenure as a recording artist is quite lengthy and will surprise you as it did me when you visit his website.  During the early days while living in San Francisco he was also a member of Indie / Alternative band American Music Club plus his music has been featured on many film scores and television broadcasts.

Hybrid is his current album that I recently wrote a review about here at New Age Music World.  The 12 original compositions show pedal steel guitar as an appealing choice while clearing a new path of creative improvisations in light ambience and emerges as a natural contender in the vast field of music.

Bruce Kaphan and his music is described below in my review quote, along with the song video of Oregon Fire from the Slider album.  This is a nice selection of Bruce performing on pedal steel guitar behind a backdrop of beautiful photography by Nick O’Kelly.  Visit brucekaphan.com website to sample / purchase his music or visit his CDBaby.com page.  Read his biography page and view his collective discography page.  Read my review of Hybrid on our page dedicated to Bruce Kaphan.  Studio photo copyright Bruce Kaphan courtesy of James Saxon.

Bruce Kaphan makes a bold statement on Slider and current Hybrid album which features pedal steel guitar as the primary instrument.  You will find his music is a unique blending of unrivaled beauty freshly harvested from another cross section in the vast field of music.  It quickly becomes apparent this new emerging beauty will remain a lasting entity in the world of music.

Steve Orchard is our interview guest today at NewAgeMusicWorld.Com & NewAgeMusic.nu. We welcome our visitors and Steve’s fans to read the recent interview John Olsen has prepared with this outstanding musician from the UK.We would also like to take this opportunity and invite everyone to read more on our pages dedicated to Steve Orchard.

John Olsen : Thank You for sharing a moment of your time with us today Steve. B.T. Fasmer and I appreciate this opportunity and I am certain your fans are excited to have this chance to find out more about you too. Steve, would you provide a description of your music studies beginning with your earliest introduction to the present?

Steve Orchard : Yes, Well I probably go back to piano lessons at 7 years old and then combining guitar lessons at 8. My one fault would be that I have always been an impatient, inquisitive player of various musical instruments always wanting to discover how things worked quickly and then improvise. As my Father would say, “Jack of all trades and master of none”.

I played a pretty mean trumpet in the school band and enjoyed singing in the church choir. My family was very musical. I had an aunt who was a piano teacher. When she regularly visited us, from Birmingham, she would want to hear my progress. She once nearly keeled over when I produced the sheet music for What a Day for a Daydream by The Lovin’ Spoonful ! Outrageous !!!

One side of the family were very properly trained with piano & violin playing and into classical and show tunes, whereas my other granddad was a pub pianist. He ‘vamped’ and ‘boogiewoogied’ his stuff and played harmonica at Christmas parties…. It was hilarious when I think back. It seemed to me that he was more joyous in his approach to music. It’s a belief I still hold today that made me a little rebellious in my approach to making my own music. At an early age I bent a wire coat hanger so I could play harmonica & guitar at the same time, just like Dylan & Donovan. It only resulted in me nearly losing an eye and breaking a tooth. I was the school ‘show-off’ doing plays & pantomimes and guess I fancied a career in something to do with the performing arts. Like most kids I was influenced by the pop of that generation.

I have made so many friends all around the world with the release of Raindancer. It has been a privilege to be able to share my music with so many enthusiastic people. This is what encourages us composers to continue to ‘up our game play’ to continually raise the standard, stretch, and find the best we can be.

In my teens I enjoyed the diversity of progressive rock, like Yes & The Moody Blues, also the gentle folksy guitar melodies of Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, plus the piano troubadours Billy Joel & Elton John & also, the early electronic sounds of Tomita & Mike Oldfield. I was into that ‘Hippy’ thing and meditated, burnt incense and read a lot of Buddhism…. Took myself a bit too seriously! I was a bit of a ‘geek’ and lived for my music writing little tunes with terrible pretentious lyrics from about 15, spotty, years old.

John : You are a member of the Medwyn Goodall circle of friends as a MG Music label artist. Can you tell us some of your experiences as a member and what it is like to be a MG Label artist?

Steve Orchard : I first heard Medwyn Goodall’s Druid in the July of 1991, in an art gallery in St. Ives Cornwall. It just blew me away and couldn’t put it in any category that I recognized. It was more than music… It was an awesome soundscape and I just knew that it fit me like a glove. I bought it instantly from the gallery on cassette, to play on my ‘state of the art’ Walkman!! When I returned from my holiday I bought it again from New World, on CD. And so began a long period of buying up anything to do with Medwyn Goodalls music.

My wife Julie & I started to correspond with Medwyn and he graciously autographed all our CD’s. He was very open and quite funny. I’ve kept everything he ever sent me, every doodle and every ditty, including all the Christmas cards ( worth a fortune on Ebay …. only joking ) In our early letters ( this was before emails ) I never told Medwyn that I was a musician, thinking that he may feel I was “chasing my own ambitions”…. unthinkable I know but musicians have been known to do it !!!

I think I broke the news very humbly, without wanting to sound ‘pushy’ and tarnish this rather lovely correspondence that we were enjoying. He invited me to send anything anytime …. WELL !!! Boy, did I send him some rubbish, poor guy. I hadn’t found my NEW AGE feet yet and although I enjoyed this new genre, I couldn’t quite capture it in my own compositions. He was my mentor, DEFINITELY. He guided me, no doubt, to where I am today. After a few stumbles, falls, and many experimental tracks, I sent song Lull in The Storm from something I was working on called The Consequences of Kisses album. He invited me to produce a new project for MG Music !!!

You can imagine that this was a dream come true. To be working for the man that I had held in such high esteem for so many years. I soon discovered the family at MG Music is a wonderful bunch and all the other artists swap ideas and tips generally between us. The amazing Paul Sills soon became a great friend & Charmaine, his wife & Meina, his daughter, travelled down to spend an enjoyable weekend with us. We had discussions late into the night and played each other’s new or experimental tracks whilst the rest of the world slept.

I realize how unpretentious and genuine all the MG artists are. Chris Green and I talk on the phone regularly ( very clever & funny guy ) then Simon Lovelock & Clifford White have spent ‘time out’ to critique and give ‘sound’ advice, both brilliant technicians of the art. In the past I have found musicians to be very protective and guarded with their work but not here. The wonderful thing is, we are all so different and diverse yet all the same family, producing a vast mix of choices within the same genre, all under the safe and knowledgeable direction of the man himself, Medwyn Goodall. Be warned budding New Age composers, he will not accept second best on his label.

John : In your own words Steve, how would you best describe your music and what are the main components that uniquely sets your music apart from not only MG label artists, but so many other New Age musicians?

Steve Orchard : My music almost always originates from a guitar base and is then transcribed onto keyboards. I find the guitar a comfortable friend that I can embrace quietly without any sense of rushing to ‘lay down’ on paper or in the studio. Sometimes I live with a melody for months before it develops into a workable phrase or shape.

I have a terrible bad habit of not documenting tracks I have recorded. I have folders, in my studio, bursting with hastily scribbled chords and lyrics…. Someday I may return to them for inspiration, that’s if I can decipher them, but I hate going back. I prefer to always look forward with my writing. In the making of Raindancer I did a lot of research into the South American rainforest and I story boarded ideas & concepts onto the walls of my studio. Another strict rule I have is I never ever go into the studio unless I am in a happy, contented mood. I like to think that when you listen to a Steve Orchard album that, my positive optimism shines through. Sundancer was almost entirely written in my garden during the summer of 2009. It’s sunnier than a ripe melon !!! As Medwyn says, it has lots of energy & warmth. I think his buzz word for the album was ENERGY !!

John : During the early years in Bristol your music was played on BBC Radio and utilized in music scores for various media programming. In what ways has your music been featured?

Steve Orchard : It seems like a life time ago now but in the 70’s I was in a very popular duo of the time called Mossy, with musical partner Barry Webb ( he’ll be pleased I mentioned his name. ) We played a residency in the cellar bar, at the notorious Bristol Arts Centre. It was a mixture of folk covers and our own written ‘offerings’. We earned a lot of respect locally and had a loyal following amongst the local artists, musicians & regional TV personalities ( I seem to remember being invited and attending a lot of crazy parties ) We were also good ‘fodder’ for the colleges and festivals. At that time we did 3 half hour shows for BHBS radio which led to a spot on BBC’s Friday Folk Nights. BHBS were still playing the jingle we did for them up until a few years ago ( probably when the tape finally disintegrated ) We had a lot of fun but mutually called it a day in 1980 when we both had growing family’s. We remain great buddies.

Unbelievable now with all this technology, that I sent out my first demos on ‘spool’ tape. Perhaps most ended up in the bin but one hit home and I was invited up to Apple’s old offices in St. James Street London for an interview/audition. They gave me a good look over and I felt optimistic but, sadly nothing ever became of it. I still have the letter though, dated 6th September 1972 and at the bottom are the printed names of the two directors…. Yes, you guessed, J O Lennon & G Harrison. In the ’90’s I was asked to do the incidental music for ‘Star Runners’. It was a short promotional sci-fi film directed by Andrew Dymond who, I believe, went on to produce ‘Star Hyke’ which was sold to American TV. I wrote about an hour’s worth of instrumental music but only half of it finally reached the finished movie….. My son Daniel & I had a lot of fun going on an all night shoot for the film, eating Mars Bars and drinking Coca Cola all night to stay awake!! The studio day was also fun where we recorded my work, with the help of a prehistoric sequencer, onto video tape and mini disc ( very nostalgic ) Later, with the advent of Channel 5’s birth I was asked by an agent to go up to their TV studios in London to perform one of my own compositions for a forth coming daytime TV show, which I did….. The day flew by in a blur and all I can remember is the hideous cost of car parking on the Tottenham Court Road…. Scandalous !!!

I was invited up to Apple’s old offices in St. James Street London for an interview/audition. They gave me a good look over and I felt optimistic but, sadly nothing ever became of it. I still have the letter though, dated 6th September 1972 and at the bottom are the printed names of the two directors. Yes you guessed, John O. Lennon & George Harrison.

John : You were a band member earlier in life and in addition, widely recognized as a soloist in South West & London England during the 1990’s. Could you tell us about this time period of events you experienced and I just imagine there are some good stories you could tell everyone?

Steve Orchard : Blimey… How long have we got ? I worked a lot. Mainly covers for the pubs, clubs, hotels and summer seasons at holiday parks. I also did gigs for Army & Navy bases. If you are into performance then it is an incredible apprenticeship. You learn a lot about audiences. I spent 8 consecutive New Years Eve’s away from my wife & kids entertaining 1000’s of drunken party people. When the nights success relies on only YOU…. that’s quite a responsibility ( oh and the bingo & raffle ) I performed all over the South West with 3 nighters in London gigs sleeping in theatrical digs above a pub (not something I can recommend) It’s like an athlete. You build up muscles. You know when to be funny and when to keep your mouth shut!! ( Did I mention I did stand-up ? Don’t do it if you want to retain your sanity ha ha ha !!! )

I’ve known great musicians who were lousy entertainers and great entertainers who were rubbish musicians. In 2001 I realized that this was not what I wanted to do anymore. I wanted to return to my roots which was writing & recording. It was in my heart and the only way I could ‘look at myself in the mirror’ as a serious musician. Continually gigging, performing other people’s material makes you slightly morose and can leave your creative side sadly lacking. True, I do miss the adrenalin rush of an audience but what I do now feels right for me and hopefully my audience is out there still enjoying my performance.

John : Recently I wrote a review for Raindancer and have made plans to review Sundancer & Moondancer when released. Could you tell us more about your Dancer Trilogy and what each individual album illustrates?

Steve Orchard : Yes, they are companions to each other. I hope my listener/audience hear Raindancer and think, ” Wow! I liked that I’d like to taste some more of that.” Raindancer is very jungle/tribal with some twists and turns in its rhythm’s. I had this picture in my mind of cutting ones way through dense foliage to find a clearing populated by remote civilizations ( does that sound crazy ? ) The indigenous animals and fauna were all playing a part in my composing. Raindancer is where I discovered my New Age capabilities. With the generous direction of Medwyn, I am proud of this album. Sundancer, as I mentioned is all about energy. Islands in the sun and deep tropical seas yet cooling sounds in the midday heat. Rhythms play a big part of this album also and will make people want to move and children dance. My youngest son David is a gifted illustrator having produced many published children’s books has preliminarily designed both, Sundancer & Moondancer album covers. Obviously this is still to be confirmed but his work on all my other albums can be seen on my website.

Moondancer …. Is still under wraps. Suffice to say, this is the cool of the evening. The Moon is out in a cloudless night and a billion stars lead us to imagine what life could lay beyond them. This album is entirely recorded on my new studio and at this date still has to be completed but I have some ‘can’t quite keep still’ ideas in my head. I would just say, “Watch This Space!”

John : There is a lot of great instrumentation on the Raindancer album. In addition to acoustic guitar what are the instruments you play, and you told me about an upgrade to your project studio, so could you tell us the story behind this recent upgrade?

Steve Orchard : Raindancer is a completely ‘live’ album. By that I mean that it is layered onto a hard disc in the same way as working with analogue ‘tape’. That’s not to say it suffers from sound quality but I felt I needed to embrace a tiny bit more technology going forward. My main keyboard friends are my trusty Korg Triton & Roland Sonic Cell, with expansion boards, plus some other concoctions!!! On with a story…

By now Medwyn and his lovely wife Wendy had become my good friends. He invited me down to his home in Helston, in Cornwall, for a visit and to look at his studio with perhaps, an insight into the more sophisticated way he works. WOW !!! I only say that because a lot of your fellow members and readers of this site will be saying WOW !!! He was considering completely re-building his studio and giving me the opportunity to ‘adopt’ & ‘adapt’ his studio. This is ‘THE STUDIO’ which is responsible for selling over 4 million albums. It was January and the worst winter the UK had seen in 30 years. I was doubtful whether I would be able to make the journey as heavy snow had fallen over most of the South West. I travelled the day before our meeting and the journey was a little ‘hairy’ ( that’s a British expression for OMG !! …. another icey patch!!! ) I just had to go and meet this man face to face. He had a reputation for being ‘very private’ and not conceding to personal visits to their beautiful Cornish home.

I have to say, that information could not be more wrong. From the outset he was warm and friendly, and we spent the long day in his studio exchanging much humor and banter. I felt relaxed in his company immediately. To be sat elbow-to-elbow in the studio with him was an unforgettable experience. Such ease of understated talent was remarkable ( no, not me, him…. only joking ). Wendy arrived home from there very busy offices and warehouse in Helston and they were gracious enough to take me out for a memorable meal that evening. Suffice to say, I returned the following day with the ‘HEART’ of Medwyn’s studio and since then have amalgamated it into my own studio I think, really successfully ( you will need to wait for the completion of Moondancer to make that appraisal ) I personally can’t wait… It’s going to be special !!

John : On behalf of our visitors and your fans Thank You again Steve. Before we go is there anything you would like to bring up or tell your fans?

Steve Orchard : I have made so many friends all around the world with the release of Raindancer. It has been a privilege to be able to share my music at last, with so many enthusiastic people. This is what encourages us composers to continue to ‘up our game play’ to continually raise the standard, stretch, and find the best we can be. In the spirit of all MG Music Artists I will always try to answer all emails and help other budding musicians in their quest. Everything is possible. It has been a long journey but I still feel opportunities lay ahead of me. So many friends & family ( my closest love & confidant Julie, my wife of 31 years. She’ll be pleased I mentioned her name again! ) have supported me over the years even when I may have floundered. A good friend told me, ”The thing with you Orchard, is that you are PERSISTANT” Oh Yes!”… & keep smiling!

Visit the steveorchardmusic.co.uk homepage and sample his albums on his music page and learn more about Steve on his about page. Here is where you will find our pages dedicated to Steve Orchard.

Sundancer & Moondancer covers by David Orchard. Raindancer cover by Medwyn Goodall. Copyright Steve Orchard.

NewAgeMusicWorld.com is a top new age music blog serving artists and visitors who share the same love of music in the New Age Music genre.

I cover a variety of musicians, from debuting artists just beginning their music careers to more established artists, and top musicians easily recognized in today’s international new age music industry. With this insight, I hope everyone will have a chance to discover more about the artists who define the New Age Music genre.

It is my goal to provide visitors a fresh perspective in relation to the great artists I present, plus give everyone a chance to discover more of the best artists I will be introducing by interviews with popular artists and reviews of their new releases.

New Age Music World is a nonprofit music blog bringing you news content about today’s top new age artists. Here you will find interviews, music reviews, and music awards. I hope you find this music blog as a great source for information on today’s popular artists, so that you bookmark and become a regular visitor.

Take a tour by visiting my Homepage.

Your Friend In Music, John P. Olsen, editor/host for New Age Music World.

Davol is a popular new age musician from Colorado whose expertly blended contemporary electronic melodies are a dramatic wonder to behold.  Davol’s entire music collection and current Good Sign album ultimately proclaim a positive and upbeat influence you will find inspirational.

Good Sign is his April 2010 release which decisively aligns itself to symbolize another exceptional album and become an encouraging assertion to those in the music world already familiar with his first name artist title they are indeed listening to someone recognized for producing top quality music.

Davol is a success in many aspects of his life, and after obtaining a Ph.D. in 1989 his earlier career as a medical researcher and microbiologist were judiciously shelved in 1996 when he began a commercial venture producing multimedia music.

During the same year his debut Mystic Waters became another personal success and made it to # 15 on the Billboard New Age Chart, plus the worldwide usage of his songs involving television, radio, video and numerous multimedia production scores has clearly magnified this proficient artisan on an international level.

The 4 additional albums A Day Like No Other, Open Book, Paradox & Nature Of The Beast are all relatives to his current yet each one is a natural variation that evolves into their own class, interrelated by a characteristic source of fascinating drama to proclaim the positive and upbeat influence you will find inspirational.

Truth 2010 is an electronic Dance/Club influences remix featured during the popular online video now available on the Good Sign album. A heavier percussion tempo prepares the groove rhythms before exploration into deeper shades of electronic intensity and is well combined in timing when compared to his conceptual Truth Video that makes a valid point while capturing the superficial and unbalanced influences portrayed in television media.

Visit DavolMusic.com to sample or purchase, and at Davol’s music page or CDBaby.com page.  You can learn the true facts about Davol on his website biography page. Read our interview and more on my pages for Davol.  Shown below is my recent quote from my album review titled Finding the Good Sign in Davol  and his Truth Song Video.

Davol has exceeded his artistic intentions with Good Sign and the reactions granted to his progressive album do replicate the characteristic source of fascination found in his entire discography. Good Sign is symmetrical to Davol’s principal expression of innovative quality music accented with inspiring drama. 

While water is one natural element necessary to sustain life, music is one non essential we can certainly live without but then again, fluid and tranquil music can be a calming neutralizer to a more harmonious life, especially when one is caught in a hurricane of stormy life challenges.

Eric Chapelle is a composing pianist from Austin Texas whose original music scores conceivably calm the waters in several ways.  Born in France, Eric is also an avid photographer who has lived in several countries around the world and his piano music retains the essential element for relaxing music by the calm buoyancy in sound that finds neutral ground with the pounding waves heard in some music today.

 Across The Water is his Contemporary Instrumental 2010 release that impart 16 songs in ambient expression and creative imagination.  Eric has performed his original compositions in concerts across the U.S. for over a decade, plus movie soundtracks in television, film, and commercials have been the scores that yielded wider recognition in addition to the 2 albums to his credit.  Our Time was his 1998 album admired by many and had justifiably earned Eric a place alongside more esteemed pianists after his opening debut.

Eric Chapelle’s contributions in The Heart Aid Project has inspired me to tell you more about the story behind his dedicated efforts in a tribute CD in memorandum of the fateful World Trade Center events on 9 / 11.  In addition to Eric who conceived and produced the project, he and review publicist Kathy Parsons had corresponded with 16 additional well respected pianists and everyone compiled the tribute CD without royalties.

Simply put, their time and virtuous work on this 9 / 11 remembrance album is to be commended, in addition their efforts have also reaffirmed my current knowledge that the 17 contributors response is very much representative of the caliber of people who comprise the New Age genre today.

Across The Water is another fine illustration of the resourcefulness put into every composition.  Julia Cory is a cellist from Texas joining Eric on songs Every Wish & Soft Landing then guitarist John Inmon & cellist Dawn Biega offer their contributing instrumentals on Across The Water ( Title Track )  Their level of performance and musical drama they offer expressively impart gentle movement into the picture and is well suited to the principal ideals this album represents.

This album retains yet one more harmonious notation since some of the 16 songs on Across The Water were recorded at the 150 acre Norton Island Retreat residency program created by the Easter Frontier Educational Foundation in Maine.  Eric has characterized the island as an inspiring destination of solitude where writers and musicians like him can compose in peaceful moments of relaxing clarity.

Norton Island is one song where the natural environment of the retreat is evenly transferred then shown like a scenic picture of captured images.  The comparatively timed piano solos, casual in ambient recollections like heard in Tide Pool wonderfully convey an impression of calm by the fluid detailing in chord phrasing and lighter melodies that offer subtle reflections using even handed moderation, much attune to Wild Iris in the mellow point of view it brings.

Remembrance is another beautiful song that carries a wonderful Cinematic overtone with every measure, and although the song on the surface is light the well placed notes engrave a deep feel of melancholy, in nicely placed emotional content I found quite moving.  Contrasting soprano chorals evenly trace the piano melody while outlining lower octaves then model into more dramatic posturing and boldly crescendo as if gentle waves were moving across the shoreline.

While Across The Water from Eric Chapelle is not essential to daily living, his inspired by nature album is a solid collection of calming ambience that provides a wealth of relaxing harmony for the listener, smoothing out the rough edges of today while remaining anchored in a state of readiness for the next enduring wave of life challenges that are sure to arise.

Visit the hamsamusic.com website and then purchase on his music page or at CDBaby.com to sample / purchase.  Read more about Eric at his biography page.  The Heart Aid Project CD is currently offered through the Spring Hill Music website.

Photo copyright Hamsa Music courtesy of Eric Chapelle.

Davol is my interview guest at NewAgeMusicWorld.Com. Knowing the positive nature of his music, I hope to create a little excitement of our own today. Davol is a widely popular musician easily recognized by his Electronic Contemporary Instrumental melodies that readily elevate the mood sensation and their highly melodic rhythms in turn offer an inspiring upbeat atmosphere.

Davol’s music eloquently brings a positive and energetic influence to the forefront of New Age music, and today we hope to encourage every visitor to learn more about him.

Review publicist and interview host John P. Olsen has published an earlier review of his current album Good Sign, and I invite you to read this review and more articles about this fine electronic music artist on my pages dedicated to Davol.

Interview with Davol;

John : Thank You for sharing your time with us Davol. Your April 2010 release Good Sign is an excellent album and another fine release of the 6 albums total you have produced since your decision to pursue music as a new career in 1989.

Good Sign is successfully making waves with your large fan base and ZMR charts presently have listed at # 2 for May. This is great news naturally, but I personally believe much more recognition may be in store for Good Sign. What are your thoughts on the direction this album is heading and do you set out to win awards and earn top recognition?

Davol : Although I always try to keep my music at a high standard, I was pleasantly stunned to see how this album has taken off! This is the first time I’ve worked with the renowned promoter Ed Bonk, and it’s been quite rewarding. Every aspect of a creative project is educational, including the promotional side. As for awards, we’ll see what is possible … maybe you could help me out with a Grammy nomination ? ! 🙂

John : Hey, B.T. and I will see what we can do …. Lol!! What you said about Ed Bonk is true. We consider Ed a good friend and hear the exact sediments from his clients all the time. Everyone speaks pretty highly of Ed Bonk ( Lazz Promotions ).

Your scholastic training in jazz, classical piano and harpsichord were early prerequisites in your move toward the more modern music influences you produce today. Would you provide our visitors an outline of your studies and music history?

Davol : When I was quite young I started with the trumpet. But the monophonic nature of it frustrated me, so I became interested in piano at the age of 12. I studied classical piano a bit, and harpsichord a little in college. I’m actually now studying jazz piano with a local jazz master. It’s challenging and fun. I’m probably his most remedial student, still learning the basics! In a sense, I kind of feel like my compositional work exists very separately (in my brain and heart) from my previous musical training. Obviously there is some kind of relationship and influence, but I really feel like the electronic music I write is more influenced by my love of pop music.

John : You have a PH.D and had begun an already successful career as a medical researcher and microbiologist until 1996 when you then chose to begin a commercial venture producing multimedia music. What were the timeline of events that led to your decision to pursue music as a new career and was this career move an easy choice for you to make at the time Davol?

Davol : Oh gosh no, it wasn’t easy. I had worked so hard to become a medical researcher and get my doctorate, but I was also very burned out. I was doing music professionally WHILE I was finishing my PhD in microbiology and continued doing both simultaneously over the years. The problem was that to be a really good scientist, one must be very focused. In other words, you work in the laboratory in the daytime, and you’re expected to read journals and write papers in the evening. I wanted only to write music in the evening! So there was sort of a mutual incompatibility with the two careers. When I left science, I felt that I had learned a great deal and had published significant work. That was satisfying. I actually did return to science in the last 5 years, sort of in a roundabout way; I was a public health educator for a Hepatitis C non-profit organization. I was giving educational talks about HepC, mostly to ex-convicts who were on parole. It was a very unusual and educational experience.

John : I read at your website that many of your albums are designed with a theme in mind based on events during the time period. What themes are behind Mystic Waters & A Day Like No Other?

Davol : Mystic Waters was released in 1989, a time when “fantasy” albums were all the rage. So, it was conjured up with that genre in mind. There was a sense of peace and tranquility, a sense of fluid movement, like water.

A Day Like No Other marked a pretty big change in my life, sort of a reinvention, as I hadn’t released an album for 7 years (since Open Book). I wasn’t sure that I would do any more albums, frankly. I was burned out and was now producing on my own label. Also, ADLNO was the first album I ever wrote and produced without any co-producer. In other words, I had to finally trust myself, in a very singular sense, and believe in what I was doing! Also, ADLNO was the first album I wrote in a completely software-based studio environment, so the toolset and sound palette was utterly different from the past. It moved me more into a guitar-based sound that I find very appealing for the pop-style in which I write. So, the ADLNO album represented everything “fresh” and “new” to me, hence the name.

John : Nice reinvention Davol since A Day Like No Other happens to be one of my favorite albums! There were some particular circumstances happening during the production of Good Sign. What was going on at the time and how did you maintain the Davol can do attitude?

Davol : Yes, some challenging things … a couple of close loved ones struggling at the end of their lives and passing on, I had to move my mother into a retirement home, find a home for her dog, empty her house and sell it, etc, and a 14-story high-rise was built directly across the street from my home. That meant 1.5 years of incessant noise, my street closed off every day, etc. It was overwhelming. Oh, and I almost forgot, the interior of my house flooded, TWICE.

Due to the construction, I ended up working on the Good Sign album in the evenings. I would start work after dinner and finish at 2:00 am. It was a very unhealthy lifestyle for about a year, but hey, I got it done!! 🙂 I think the album truly was my catharsis, so the focus was JOY, OPTIMISM, and POSITIVITY!

John : After listening to several prior radio interviews at your website and it’s pretty easy to recognize you are a positive and upbeat person as you were saying and just like your music reflects. Is it your intent to instill a positive influence into all of your music and just how exactly do you transfer a positive personality trait into musical notes?

Davol : I guess I have always tried to keep a positive outlook in life. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the tedious minutiae of the day-to-day, but important to never lose sight of the fantastic gifts we all have.

Certainly I try to convey that optimism in my music, but hopefully without being cliché or trite. That can be a fine line, I know. It probably sounds like a really old fogey thing to say, but I’m so glad that I was young when I was! Fashion ads were largely about people with smiles on their faces when I was young. Nowadays, so much of the advertising looks like a bunch of mean, unhappy people wearing sunglasses and deadpan looks – so much pretense and attitude. I like the concept of “hope”, so I would never make a good Buddhist 🙂

I think there is also often a slight tinge of melancholy in the music I write. Sort of a mix of bright optimism blended with a small amount of “reality/regrets/disappointment/loss”. I prefer that 90:10 mix. I can certainly appreciate very dark music, it’s just simply not my forte to write in that genre, so I typically don’t.

John : Yes, I love the dramatic notations you infuse into your work. Has today’s technology made a big impact in regards to the way you have composed music in the past, and what electronic equipment do you use?

Davol : Yes, definitely. I work on a Mac, using the sequencing host Logic Studio. My sound set includes instruments from every major software synth manufacturer. I’m particularly fond of MusicLab’s RealGuitar product. It’s the BEST for acoustic guitar strums that layer so beautifully with my synth textures. It gives everything a wonderful energy and feel. Using a software-synth studio has advantages and disadvantages, but I’ve chosen to simplify my life by not using any hardware instruments anymore. I could never turn back now.

John : Good Sign features a song called Truth 2010. This is the first time you have made the Truth song available on CD and is the remix of your conceptual Truth Video that created a dramatic reaction among many people and considered political in nature. How and why did you produce the Truth Video, and what where the political and competition events occurring during production?

Davol : That was a creative vanity project that appealed to me at the time. And I had never done a video and wanted to learn how to create and edit video. Needless to say, THAT took a great deal of time, but was fun. That was back in 2007 and there was so much political discontent in the US, that I wanted to take a few steps backward and comment on the fact that so much of our “reality” is based on media stories that, for all we know, may have very little to do with the truth. If the past is any judge, everything should be suspect. But we pick and choose, deciding that story “x” is reasonable and we believe it, but story “y” is crazy and we reject it. We do this in history and have created a revisionist history that is written into textbooks. If we know that about history, why don’t we view current events reporting with the same skepticism? So, to return to your question, my focus wasn’t so much on the current politics of the time, but taking a glimpse at the last 100 years or so of US history, in particular.

John : Do you plan to release more CD albums and song videos in addition to the current ones featured on YouTube, and I ask this half joking Davol, but do you consider yourself a political activist in a sense after the Truth Video?

Davol : No more politics! Read my lips! 🙂 I really want to focus on what I do best, simply write music. And that is where my heart and head truly reside. So, no more detours or distractions from the music.

Videos take so much time, that I don’t care to be involved in that either, although others are certainly welcome to consider such a project using my music – I’m open to that. Albums are definitely my focus for the future. As for CDs, well, they will soon be obsolete 🙂

John : It has been a pleasure to meet you Davol. B.T. Fasmer and I will keep our visitors informed on the latest news about you so let’s keep in touch. Before we go today, is there anything you would like to tell your fans or bring up that we haven’t talked about?

Davol : I came so close to abandoning my music career before the A Day Like No Other album, that I just want to thank everyone over the years who has emailed me or left a comment on my Guestbook page. It is truly those supportive words, stories of moments in people’s lives where my music touched their hearts that have kept me creating. I thank you all, and hope to keep providing music that will intrigue and touch listeners in a meaningful way.

John and B.T. Fasmer, thank you so much for supporting independent artists and this opportunity to share with fans.

We encourage our visitors to learn more about Davol and the place to find him is his davolmusic.com website homepage. Read his biography page and go to his music page to purchase / sample. Read my review of Good Sign by Davol.