Pain!

It is a part of the collective experience of life. Allowing it to pass and witnessing that we are not IT....then we are always free from Pain!! Our pain can be our longing, our destruction and our worst enemy but when we can finally see it as the dynamic nature of existence and a wonderful teacher of compassion and connection, Pain is a blessed opportunity to see oneself.

Over the past few days I have been experiencing that wonderful pain of wanting to control the people whom are responsible for the next steps of Brave New World. Wanting all the calls to come on time, the gigs to line up in order, when I want them, and the instant spreading throughout the world. So, when the calls come in late and the gigs fall through and the world is waiting, I find myself in a space of PAIN!!! Constantly surrendering and allowing and trusting and having amazingly compassionate people by my side, makes the ride through the game of life much more fluid. I am in Gratitude!!!

Oh Boy, Booking Agents

Last night, 4th of Feb, I had a wonderful opportunity to have a blast back to the western mind when I engaged in a meeting with the booking agent for the Blue Frog. There is this air about booking agents in when they vibe you with, "I got you by the balls!!" And, honestly, I used to bow down to them and show them false respect....until now. Basically, now, I know that this music deserves to be out into as many different minds and ears as possible, so, the booking is about a greater blessing of music not about me getting on stage. So, whatever games this guy wished to play, we killed him with pure love and intention of uplifting human beings!! So thus, shifting the paradigm to bringing love, not bringing Dan!! Anyone whom wants to play the game, well, we have other people to deal with them!! GOD, Universe, Infinity, or, the people are not yet blessed enough to change their ways!! The Time is Now!!

Brave New World Working On It's Own

Well, it was about 3 weeks ago that I came to Mumbai simply to record acoustic versions of the tracks of the upcoming album, Brave New World - The Time is Now!! Well since that recording, that was done on the 10th of January, the music has been attracting situations and people to it that are far beyond my doing!! I have just told the universe that I am ready and to do it's work. My intention is to take this music to the world, for the world is in need of more music that can bring people into the light of consiousness. So, staying out of the way, I just show up everyday and allow this great universal flow to do what it must in order to achieve that mission. Well, things are happening and they are happening fast. In the last two weeks, we have met with producers of one of India's greatest empowerment and conscious life festivals, we have met with over a dozen musicians whom are interested in being part of the project and, greatest of all, Full Moon Rising will be performing at one of India's premier live music venues while also discussing touring, management and marketing for this upcoming album. All this and more and, really, it has all come in effortlessly, as we are constantly rooted in the realization that we are not the doers in this whole scenario. I know that I am ready to play this album on the rooftop of the world, but only the universe will create the circumstances, and that it is. All of these meetings were either by chance, or simply taking the opportunity as it came to us. And, best of all, the venue and booking came by the grace of one of the greatest Guru's....The LOVE MACHINE....my motorcycle. I simply asked a random guy on the street whom owned the same type of bike if he knew where a mechanic was that could fix her up. Well, it just so happened that this simple man did all the marketing and promotion for one of Mumbai's premier live music venues. In that whole-hearted loving way that is customary of this culture, he gave me his card just in-case I could not find the shop on my own. His card had a Blue Frog on it!!! My question was answered with this..."Blue Frog is an Live Music Venue for International Artists!!" heheheehheh. I love this flow of life!!!!

And, to top that all off, just yesterday I received a call at 3PM from a great friend Neharika, asking whether or not I would wish to play at her college fest at 630 that day. We had spoke the day before about wanting me to play at her college, but, could I have ever expected it to happen so soon!!!! So, the next thing that I know is that we are arriving to the campus and, literally, as we stepped outside of the rickshaw, I heard the man on the center stage announcing my name to the audience and insisting that the come over and see me play. What was even more amazing is that he announced it three times from the moment I got out of the car until the moment that he was out of audible sound!! So, I arrived in my destination and they had set up a little stage in the middle of the campus square, which was an enormous 10 story building in which every floor looked down into this square!!! Amazing. After a little bit of sounding out and getting ready, I look out and there are more then 300 college students waiting eagerly to completely run me off campus or accept the music and vibration whole heartedly into their being. With ease, the latter became the case. There was an instant disconnect with the whole audience with the speaking out of Brave new World. The amazing thing about the youth in India is they are not afraid to Love Something that speaks to their soul and is well intended, even if their friends do not like it!!! I actually mentioned something about that difference in the West, in which, somebody can really love something and look at their friend next to them and if their friend does not fancy the offering they will change their whole view on it!!! The heart is the guide out here and when music hits them in the heart, they have no choice by to listen sincerely, and they did!! What blessed conditioning.

So, that offering has led to a few more open doors and opportunities, so, on to the next!!!! gratitude and blessings!!

The Pull of Materialism - Observing The External Beauty in Mumbai

Ever since I have been back in the great cultural and entertainment hub of India, I have found myself playfully dancing back in the dance of the material world. Lately, I have been drawn to the style of a man's shoes more then the smile on his face, the cut of a man's jeans more then the light in his heart and have been laughing my way through witnessing and realizing this truth all the way until I actually made my first purchase of 3 pair of jeans...of which I constantly wear now!!! I have been enjoying the fruits of skin tight clothes on the women as I admire their feminine figure triggering a spiraling wave of sexual energy that rises to my heart and leaves me in bliss for the entire day. There is so much beauty in the dance of life if we can walk in and out of the binds of materialism. I know, that, in my now decided residency in Mumbai, I will strap on the duds of the latest trend and strut my way down main street catching the curious eye and the jaded heart. In that dance I know that I will stay rooted in the bliss of non-materialism, but, damn, why it is here and while it is in my face, I am going to damn well enjoy it!!!

On another note, Mumbai is full of music performances, art galleries, dance parties and top of the tier restaurants!!! When you do come, plan to spend more then you would anywhere else in India. It is the city of dreams, india style. You also must realize that in this city of dreams, there are around 42 million people and the 2nd largest slum/village in the east. Can you even grasp the dynamism of life in this city. I think that is why I love it so much. From day to day, you are met with enough people and circumstances to fulfill every piece of your souls longing!!! It seems now Mumbai will be my home. I am proud to stay here for as long as it takes!!

Quick Note On Slumdog Millionaire

I am sure you have all been aware of the hype and sensationalism of the brilliantly depicted film over the past few months. I just have to share with you that I was astounded when I first saw the film. Not, because of the story line, the fact that the girl is one of the most beautiful offerings I have ever seen, or the creative flow of the music and art of the film....no....I was astounded by the fact that it is the most realistic cinematographic view of India that I have seen so far in the theaters. Most movies try to doll this country up making it look like some ancient paradise of temples and sages. Well, yes, it is that, but all the the dirt, trash and destruction that you see in this film is the real India that I am living in right now and that I see on a day to day basis. Now, the crime, killing and human sacrifice, that, really is nowhere to be seen, but, I can tell you that the visual display given in this movie is as dead on as I have seen in a film to this day. Just thought I would share. Really, all that chaos is what makes this country so brilliant...IN MY EYES. But I guess we only see things as we want to see the them. That is the beauty of being human. We can see all this in thousands of different ways. I see it all as ART!!

A Spontaneous Awakening and Justification of my new song "I Don't Know" takes place in the "so-called" Slums of Mumbai!!

Ever since we have been back in Mumbai and there has been an inkling to go and visit the slum regions of the city and interact with the smiling faces and raw enthusiasm that I feel is the saving net from the rapid plunge into materialism!! I have come to the realization that the slums are the power source in India's fast growing cities. They provide the sense of community and village life that the cities actually seem to be built up around. I have heard in recent news that they actually want to destroy all the slums and move the people into low cost housing, but, really, all the slums are is a village in the middle of a concrete jungle. It is the concrete jungle that has constantly thrown it's trash and waste into these areas that have made it the disaster that it looks to be. But, as my new song "I Don't Know" states, 'how do we, link our place, to re-invent a space that we call a disgrace.... When I see only joy on the children's face....and, can't we see that with our selfish need to see the world the way in which we believe we could be planting seeds of material needs......I don't know!!!!

Finally after flowing through the day one afternoon, looking for a planetarium that was closed for the afternoon, we decided to walk toward the sea shore in the glimpse of the winter sun setting on the glowing waters. On our journey we found out that my great friend Mai made the front page of a local paper doing free-hugging in a busy area in South Mumbai. Then, the slum life pulled us in. Next thing we knew, we were being happily dragged into a run-down but extravagantly colorful village located right on the seaside of one of the Mumbai's most prestigious areas. Smiling faced youngsters, full of that purity of light-hearted energy stared and smiles at us speaking broken English and insisting we come in for a visit. Well, our tour of the slum life and the recognizing of the value of the song had realized itself and came to us, full steam ahead. We were first escorted to a pastor in the village whom spoke the best English. This man, believe it or not, could not even walk months ago but has found the internal strength of the Christ to lift him up to his feet and plaster an everlasting smile on his face. As we were walking through the crowded, claustrophobic alleys surrounded by Youth and receiving the blissful smiles of all we past, we could not help but think of how spacious this constricted area felt in essence. You have to imagine thousands of people living in a space the size of a block or so, stacking 4 to 5 in small rooms that were doubled as kitchens. We embraced the entirety of the situation and felt more honored and blessed to be welcomed into these tiny rooms and served tea and cookies then we would have been being welcomed into the king's castle. These are the type of people that would give you their last grain of rice as a symbol of their abundance of giving and selflessness. An ear to ear smile came over me that I could not help but share with all those whom came in the radius of 100's of meters. We had arrived in the soul of the city, sharing space with people free from the thwarted wanting and desire based living of the struggling middle class. The people had nothing to hide, they had nothing to be afraid of, and, truly, nothing to be upset about. They were surrounded by a loving and heart centered community of people that would be there until the day that they died. They had "community, love, joy, nature and harmony.." -another set of lyrics from the song!! And, they also had a strong connection with GOD and spiritual practice. We were blessed to receive blessing from two different pastors in our short time in the area. We could feel the high connection and vibration of liberation in their very speech. They believed in the almighty taking care of their every moment. They believed in the power of prayer and they wished to share that belief with all the world, as they felt so strong. We were practically knocked off of our feet by the power and intensity of the prayer and intention that they had showered upon us!!!!

When I think about this remarkable experience, I find myself rooted in the belief of simplicity bringing the power and love into the world. There are people all over this city that are wrapped inside of the material system of work and buy, work and buy!! When you spend a mere moment with the people spending more time with each other, taking care of the day to day, but honoring the great flow of life, living by the sea, trusting and staying true to each other's needs and smiling endlessly, is their really a reason for all the cunning????? I Don't Know!!

Preparation

Have you ever felt like something great was coming your way, but the pain that precedes it comes on so strong that you feel like throwing in the towel of life at that very instance??? Oh what a beautiful disaster. Anticipation, contemplation, expectation all led me into an abyss of emotional release that I feel is preparing me for the next phase in the journey of life. Literally, from the moment the bell struck 12 OCLOCK on New Year's Eve, something extremely powerful had come into my being plunging me into an introverted look inside the patterns of my unconscious and conscious mind. Feelings of rage and jealousy, thoughts of separation and pushing away those in my life came to the forefront. My stomach began to convulse with emotional blockage and tied up knots of energy. For almost a full 10 days, starting with 12 AM on the dot, New Years Day, I bleed and burned away years and years of relationship karma and fear. Those insensitive thoughts, the competitive thoughts, The Vocal lashing out, those non-trusting, wall-building, controlling thoughts all came to an head and landed upon the closest person to me, and, this person was also sharing in these patterns that destroy human relationships.

This time really brought together some extremely vital realizations that have continued since the journey during that time. Being Alone is Easy!!! Having a constant mirror in front of you, showing you the depths of yourself, your walls and your fears is when the real work comes in!! Did I overcome the challenge and merge into oneness with the other person? I really cannot say that I did, but, I burned through a whole lot of stored baggage that can destroy any chance of furthering my evolution on this planet. Intimate relationships are the one thing that can really press each and every part of your being and at many times leave you Lost in translation, contemplating the thoughts and every action of the person so close to you at the time. Sometimes I wonder if I am supposed to walk the path of the family man, many times, I know I could be a great father and partner to another, and other times, I go into the space and merge into all beings in that space. I give infinite amounts of props to the ones holding human relationships together at this time. Our conditioning from this generation has given us a deep sense of independence and self-consuming mind sets. Sharing your life with someone means merging into their very existence and moving as an organism, like the entirety of the earth and the universe. This great merger comes only when two people and burned through the years and years of taught separation and destructive thoughts that keep them "so-called" SINGLE!!! What does that even mean??? We are all ONE. Intimate relations shine the light on the truth of your existence and thinking patterns. How are you when the mirror in front of you is reflecting the part of you that you try so hard to forget and bury? When we take a look at that pattern, burn it up and merge into love, intimate relationships will blossom out of those disgusting self-consumed patterns into a true merger of one with all humanity. Personally, my preparations have began, mastering this is "hands down" lifes greatest challenge. But, I have arrived and am ready to look it straight in the eyes!!! Here we go!!