New friends, old friends can share in the sounds that fill you up and make you alive. That’s what I experienced when the hippie band from Athens, Georgia, Widespread Panic, rolled through town to bestow their gifts and spirits upon us Philadelphians.

What an unexpected pleasure I had when a friend invited me last minute to the Widespread Panic show at the Festival Pier, better yet, with a group of his friends that are dedicated to their Panic! The Festival Pier on the right night (when it is cool, clear and breezy) is magical! The moon overhead and a few stars in the sky while the Ben Franklin Bridge creates a passageway to your imagination and you may even catch some fireworks. http://www.ticketmaster.com/venue/16764

The setting, the type of music and people who attend and play at a WP show allows its listeners to embrace their creativity and freedom through good vibes, dance and union. There is a definite community and following that creates the foundation for the shows. A strong, loyal fan base that knows exactly what they will get if they venture to a show and they crave it! 

It was the first show for me and it felt like the music tapped into my spirit and struck oil. I am so lucky the way music moves me in such a deep way that is so engaging. I enjoy music to its fullest! Allowing the dance and rhythm to take me places within and outside myself that I can forget to visit going about my busy day.

It helps when Widespread Panic creates an environment that builds the energy like masterminds working the crowd to and fro, up and down. Taking them to that high point and then chilling them out until they let you really have it! Contained, happy madness erupts and a good time is had by all! http://www.widespreadpanic.com/news.php

And so the music continued to play in my mind and my spirit danced through a yoga class the next morning and onto another concert Sunday.

Already feeling lifted and blessed I opened myself to the singer songwriters that crafted a bevy of offerings for all that attended WXPN’s Music Festival. It was my first XPoNential Music Festival and I had wanted to become a member of the station for ages. Finally, I made it happen that Sunday anxiously giving them my money as a small token of all the happiness they provide me day after day, alone or with friends. In fact, the djs & musicians become your friends and companions without knowing them at all!

If you cannot find this wealth of richness and beauty as you listen to music I suggest you play around with the dial, let your intuition guide you to the station you feel best tuned into and then close your eyes and take it all in. Whether you sit still or dance around -the spirit feels the vibrations wash over it and a gift has been given in that simple moment.

GOOD KARMA POINTS  ..If you listen to the station then why don’t you make a pledge too? http://xpn.org/

It is extraordinary that a voice can continue to have such a strong presence through unchanging words and that through music this message can continue to chronicle so much change in peoples’ lifetimes. Stevie has been singing the same songs since the 70′s. My parents love Fleetwood Mac & Stevie Nicks so their music was played in my childhood and made it my music through repetition.

Ever hear a voice that echoes through your body and gives you chills? Ethereal and enigmatic qualities fill her voice as she sings. It takes me to a place beyond the common to a kind of haunted, mystical one. Much to my surprise her voice still sounds exactly like it did in those recordings. If the voice is akin to an instrument; she has kept hers fine-tuned.

Last Friday I checked out her show. Although she kept the show moving and her songs are hits with as much guts as any other songs out today; her stage presentation seemed like it got stuck in the days of yore. I guess how do you change your look if your music hasn’t changed in thirty years?

It seems to me that such a talented singer and songwriter would have continued to craft songs and play new music from her heart as a continued way to express her soul. I am sure she does; but if your first songs are spot on I guess your fans don’t want you to move on from them. Even though her songs are timeless as an artist it must get old singing the same songs each year, even if you only tour for a few months a year. I wonder why she is mostly known for her early music?

I couldn’t help but notice the banter and self-talk she infused her show with was slightly negative and self- depreciating. I was confused as to why and how such a talented woman can have the opportunity to become bored and lonely. I hope I never figure it out. You have got to keep it moving and fresh to stay alive and hungry!

Stevie Nicks has got a voice that resonates into my soul and even though I don’t listen to her music often it seems the words she uses create symbols and metaphors that evoke feelings which apply uniquely to each different set of life experiences I happen to find myself in as I listen along to her songs. This is a true testament to being a classic.

So, my question becomes: how do you keep up with the shifting seasons of life, moving through the winds of change, maintaining a sturdy, balanced, positive outlook while keeping the past, present and future in equal parts harmony. Practice my dear, practice.

Landslide, 1975 by Stevie Nicks

I took my love and I took it down

I climbed a mountain and I turned around

And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills

The Landslide brought it down

Oh mirror in the sky, what is love?

Can the child within my heart rise above?

Can I sail through the changing ocean tides

Can I handle the seasons of my life?

Mmm mmm I don’t know

Mmm mmm

Well I’ve been ‘fraid of changing ‘cause I

Built my life around you

But time makes you bolder

Children get older, I’m getting older too

Soo (Interlude)

I’ve been ‘fraid of changing ‘cause I

I built my life around you

But time makes you bolder, children get older

I’m getting older too

I’m getting older too

Soo take this love, take it down

Ohh if you climb a mountain and you turn around

If you see my reflection in the snow covered hills

Well the landslide will bring it down, down

And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills,

Well maybe, the landslide will bring it down

Well well the landslide with bring it down

www.nicksfix.com/

In the holiday spirit a friend and I went to check out Maire Brennan of Clannad. Her song, I Will Find You, was featured in the movie, The Last of the Mohicans. Two brothers backed her: one on harp and the other on acoustic guitar. Maire plays harp and drum too. It’s not often I get the opportunity to sit 15 ft from two harp players and a woman who sounds like an angel.

By off chance, because I like to expose myself to all different types of music and culture, we chose to see this woman. I knew I would listen to more Celtic music this night than ever before in my lifetime. That was just fine because have you ever been to dinner at Serrano’s and then a show at the Tin Angel? http://www.tinangel.com/ You and your friend/s should check it out. The food is authentic, warm & satisfying. The menu is American bistro w/daily specials. Extra points were earned for jalapeno, garlic and cheese soup! I would have licked the bowl!

The Tin Angel is a small and quaint place to see music. Maire said she felt she was in someone’s living room. The audience and the performers were more connected and aware of the human side of another being than a usual concert. I could feel each performer’s energy and their relationship to music and the other performers.

I especially liked both observing their dynamics, visually and spiritually, as people and as musicians. I would watch them play and sing and then I would close my eyes and feel the sweet music and energy they created through the sounds of their instruments and voices. I gave this experience my full attention and breathed in and out of it to internalize it and allow their energy to become partly mine. It made me more aware of the idea that performers take in our energy as audience members too.

The sound of her soft yet deep, gentle but strong, lilting and passionate voice was timeless and priceless. The beautiful and constant harmony of the harps and guitar making ancient music feel both old and new in the same moment. I remember wondering how do you adequately explain or quantify the magnitude of such experiences. I think you hold them in your memory bank and those angelic forces speak to you when you most need them to help pick you back up. Focusing to the positive and being grateful for all experiences every chance we get a moment.

Can’t wait to share my journey through sound w/you! Peace Out!

                                                          ************************************

Well, it was a fabulous trip to Austin to visit old friends & be one w/so many different vibrations sounds. You know music is vibration. Vibration is energy. That is a very important fact to remember when choosing what music you might like to spend your time listening to in life. Good, positive music brings you the same kind of energy & follow that thought across the spectrum of music. I LOVE MUSIC & I LOVE ALL TYPES OF MUSIC! But, since I have studied energy I choose more carefully what music i surround myself with because, in fact, it does make a difference in your attitude which filters through to your life; not to forget the people or spirits you attract because of the music you listen to & the way you present yourself.

Anyway, in Austin, Texas people are mostly friendly, open; hospitable. I hadn’t been back to Austin much since graduating from college there. What a GREAT place! It is just big enough, just sophisticated enough, has the right blend of weather, rolling hills, cheap food, lotsa party spots & good folks! I have to remember to get back there more often!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Austin City Limits Music Festival brought to us by C3 was a seemingly effortless well run 3 day show that hosted about 120 bands & 75,000 concert goers a day. Impressive by anyone’s standards. The amount of music w/5 stages was actually overwheming! I saw so many bands: The Killers, Arcade Fire, Bjork, Blue October, Crowded House, The IndigoGirls, LCD Soundsytem, Cold War Kids, Gotan Project, Zap Mama, Blonde Redhead, Ben Kweller, Peter Bjorn & John, Louis XIV, Queen of the Stone Ages. There were so many other bands I wanted to see!

It was like being a kid in a candy shop w/only so much money. Money there was time.. How to schedule yourself to get more bands in.. The long walk across the massive Zilker Park Grounds to catch a few minutes of someone you really wanted to check out. Arriving not quite as early as I had wanted to & leaving as the last people left the park trying to fully absorb the experience.

It is said you can experience Zen when you are present in the moment & in equal balance within & around you. I got that feeling there many times as I let everythng else go but that connection to my environment. As I took in & expanded out my moments of bliss in Austin, with my friends, listening to great music, feeling connected to the people & all the energy that went into creating & being a part of those moments in time, I know I am truly blessed!

http://www.austincitylimits.com/

Breathing Under Water is a piece of music Anoushka Shankar and Karsh Kale. Also, playing the flute was Gaurav Raina of the MIDIval Punditz , whose work is blessed.

Most people have heard of Anoushka Shankar because her father is the infamous Ravi Shankar. Although, she is so talented & gifted in her own right! She was trained in traditional or classical Indian music; but, as she has grown into her own she has begun to fuse different types of music to create her original sound or flavor(s).

She plays the sitar & this is one captivating instrument with a sound that grows on you each time you return to it! On this work she produced w/Karsh Kale who was amazing on the tablas it feels kinetic & tranquil , fresh & ancient. The influences are varied & the songs flow like water! Some of them even have the water feeling or sound within them . Imagine that !!I didn’t expect to go to this concert & as all good suprises come to fruition it just happens.. I found myself sitting in the World Music Cafe about to witness a musical event that I had longed for for quite some time!

As the music began the energy began to stir & lift & strengthen! I wanted to be free & open enough that I absorb & bond with this authentic cultural & spiritual music! It sounds a bit weird; but, just imagine yourself at any good rock concert & then add some belly dancing hands .

It is a good exercise to try & free yourself up ;so , that you are not self conscious enough to think of what people will think of your strange movements or look to you as if you are crazy! Before that, you have to open up your body to the point that the music can flow through you & around you like water! The water who’s tide ebbs & flows, charges in & santers out & that is unmistakably strong , yet peaceful. I did this & now feel super energized & enlightened by my abiliry to be in that moment & only in that moment & join in that energy & offering.

Music can be looked at as an offering to G-d, a praise, a prayer to help lift one up or look after them. In that vein there is a devotion to the vibration that connects you to this higher force. It is sonic although constant. Sometimes it takes a special event to take time or energy to chill & open to be able to hear. But, the higher power is always with us, around us & in that love there is music as an exchange to & from many people.

Music is the universal language that knows no boundaries or restrictions. It is crossing the globe & going from religious settings to underground clubs. The music is merging so fast & furiously there seems no end or limit!This is similar to our own journey each time we tune in the radio or turn on a cd or whatever. Our music can open our bodies & heal our bodies & clear our minds.. Next time you have a free block of time open your ears to a new sound & take time to observe what you find happening within your senses & your temple (your body). It just may turn you on…