Book Review: Persona Non Grata

Social media brought my attention to this gem of a book a few months ago well before its projected release date. I picked it up a few weeks after it came out through electronic means, but it inspired me to sit down and write this review. Author Stephen J. Stirling weaves a masterful tale of political intrigue that inspires the reader to think deeply about the power faith can have on the current state of the world. His strong narrative voice uses a fictional Russian nation called Crimea to warn the world and Americans of the need for vigilance in these times, but more importantly, gives us a believable example of the miracles we can accomplish when we trust in God.  

Protagonist Paladin Smith is a charming and likeable character, every bit as chivalrous as his name implies. He is called upon by a shady politician to retrieve his niece from the influence of a vile US Ambassador named Ian Keller. (Are there any politicians who are not shady?)

Keller intends to take advantage of the political turmoil of Crimea for his own gain. Stirling highlights his main villain as dastardly from the start, and for me this was the book’s only small weakness. There is no mystery as to who is scheming for the downfall of the tiny former Soviet Union nation. However, this does not slow the book down at all as the author keeps the reader guessing as to the nature of Keller’s plans.  In particular, the suspense builds as the reader wonders how exactly a meager California seminary teacher of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints can possibly stand a chance against someone so politically powerful. 

At first, Paladin is reluctant to take the assignment. The girl in question is Victoria Grant, a former seminary student of Paladin’s with a troubled history. After protecting her from a would-be rapist, circumstances led to Paladin having to cut ties and give up his calling as a teacher for a time. Paladin expects ill feelings from his former student as a result. Not only that, but Paladin would have to leave his wife and home for an unknown land to do the bidding of people he does not trust. However, the encouragement of his wife, the blessing of his father, and the power of the Holy Spirit convince him to take the quest.

Persona Non Grata follows a slow and steady pace, building layers of intensity and adding palpable conflict as the plot thickens. Smith’s simple mission to retrieve a girl struggling with her faith becomes complicated as he is shoehorned by events and the will of God into going toe to toe with ambassadors, tyrannical Monarchs, powerful military leaders and even an archbishop. As the book winds towards its climax, I found myself on a spiritual thrill ride I had not experienced since LaHaye and Jenkins “Left Behind” series. It is a quick and powerful read I highly recommend.

Persona Non Grata can be found on amazon and many other locations. Please see Stephen’s website for details. www.stephenjstirling.com

Pentatonix and the Music They Can Teach us to “Love Again”

We grow closer and closer to the all-important date, October 21 2015. We are supposed to have evolved to the point where our cars fly and run on garbage, “Jaws” has six more sequels, and hand held video games are a baby’s toy. I will be demanding my hover board on that day. We don’t dress much like the people in Back to The Future II, thank goodness, but at least one independent musical group is not afraid to push the edges of style. For all the ways science fiction attempts to predict our future, rarely does it predict the future of music. The independent acappella quintet sensation Pentatonix manages to do just that.

Pentatonix recently debuted their original song “Love Again” on Youtube  three weeks ago, and it already has over 5.5 million views. The costume style of the video goes beyond science fiction—a strange mix of the retro style of Max Hedrum and the futuristic stylings of the citizens of the Capital in the Hunger Games. The vocal group manages to show us a unique style and take us on a journey toward the future of music in a single stroke of artistic genius.

 The champions of season three of the acclaimed NBC show “The Sing Off” have made a name for themselves with incredible covers garnering millions of views and subscriptions. No style of music is beyond their reach. Be it a Sesame Street Classic remix of “Rubber Ducky” and “C is for Cookie”, A haunting rendition of “Say Something” by A Great Big World, or their magical acappella take on Carol of the Bells, Pentatonix has covered it all. They consistently prove they can create any sound and feeling with their voices alone, and never is that more clear than in their song “Love Again.”

They begin the song together, but the song quickly explodes into a blaring electronic track. Except there are no electronics. There are no music producers with fancy sound mixing equipment. There are only voices. Five voices harmonized so well and so in tune with each other’s energy you’ll forget that you’re listening to five different voices rather than just one. Kevin “K.O.” Olusola does more than keep the tempo, coming up with more electronic musical vibes than famed Police Academy actor Michael Winslow could ever hope to imitate. Kirstie Maldonado weaves in a feminine undertone which uplifts the main theme of the song and drives home the confident feeling of the beat. Scott Hoying turns over the lead position to the incredible high male voice range of Mitch Grassi, but the songwriter provides harmony and much needed strength to the chorus. Mitch himself gives the song a genderless quality seldom achieved by today’s music. Last but not least, Avi Kaplan drops a lyrical bass vibe in the song that will motivate men and enchant the ladies.

The members of Pentatonix are veterans of the new surge in Independent music sweeping the industry. They recently signed on with Patreon, a wonderful website where artists of all types can get the support they deserve directly from their fans. In this regard the young quintet has a bright future ahead, as they are adored by their fans and are prime examples of the freedom all artists should have to create without restriction or without what a label tells them will be popular. The original song “Love Again” is a glimpse into the future of music. It is a demonstration of what unbridled creativity can make, along with stellar cinematographers like FifGen films. We may be far away yet from our flying cars and hover boards, but thanks to artists like those in Pentatonix the future of music is now.  

Check out Pentatonix at their official website for details on tours and album information

http://ptxofficial.com/

Check out the new video on youtube here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F80FsZDTgn0#t=11

And support them on Patreon

http://www.patreon.com/pentatonix

Blog Tour - Sharing Our Writing Process

I've never been invited to a blog tour before, but this sounds like an excellent way for bloggers to collaborate. I'd like to extend a great deal of thanks to Callie Colbert for inviting me to participate. After you learn something about my writing process please go visit her blog and websites, listed below. She has some really cool advice from her genre and perspective on writing about Inspirational Business Practices. At the end of the article there will be three more authors to recommend who also will be participating in this tour shortly. Stay tuned for an update to this entry with their info!
 Website:
www.callieccolbert.com


Twitter:
twitter.com/callieccolbert 


Facebook:
www.facebook.com/pages/Callie-C-Colbert/592002060876415


Blog:
http://marsocialauthorbusinessenhancementinspirational.wordpress.com/


KSBT Radio:
www.ksbtradio.com

And now for my answers to this neat little tour:

What am I working on?

My third novel, String Theory has a manuscript completion date by the end of August, and an Amazon release goal by the end of September. I’m also an active blogger and freelance writer in the areas of independent music and veterans issues. 

2)     How does my work differ from others of its genre?

My science fiction always searches for the epic journey, and though I love gadgets and technology, you will always find a fantasy root to my science fiction. My espionage is fun and clever, and an amazing thrill ride, but mostly this latest novel will inspire the artist in all of us and teach us to move forward without holding on to the past too much.

3)     Why do I write what I write?

I write to reduce fear. Fictional stories, and the heroes we all look up to, have the power to guide reality when we realize that triumph over evil, understanding over bigotry, and freedom over tyranny are not mere fantasies. They are true and obtainable, by holding onto hope and acting through faith.

4)     How does your writing process work?

I turn real life into fantasy. And then I build a world around this fantasy. I make my characters my friends, and if they don’t feel like I have known them all my life by the time I finish a story then I have not succeeded in the story I wanted to tell.

I don’t write by outline, but rather piecemeal one idea at a time. I keep a notebook with me wherever I go (when practical) and jot down ideas whenever they strike me. In this way I find my stories begin to come together. Then I find as many beta readers as I can and put my writing to the test – readers who don’t hold back and don’t sugar coat their impressions. I build on some (but I must stress not all) of their advice, and build the best book I can.

5)     Add a little example of your work.

Please enjoy this musical battle with W.A. Mozart in my upcoming “String Theory”

Crystal grinned at the Mozarts in the awkward silence where the only sound was Mozart rummaging about in his room. Leopold scrutinized her. Mozart’s sister had a hopeful twinkle in her eye mixed with the doubt draining color from her cheeks, and the mother seemed to not care one way or the other. She was simply delighted to have company at all.

Mozart returned with his Violin out of breath and his wig slightly askew.

“I vill start us off and you join me in the second bar, yes? We will have a charming duel.”

She nodded and readied her bow. Mozart started perfectly, the upbeat cheerful stride of the opening sang to her so beautifully she almost forgot to answer with her accompaniment, but once she began she was in the moment. It was just her and the master himself. He would frolic through the flowers before her, and she gave chase. He danced and twirled like an Olympic floor dancer in her mind to the music. Birds flew before her. Doves and Ravens. Light and dark. Lovers gazed into each other’s eyes in a boat together on a placid lake, the man holding an umbrella. Sunsets and falling stars swirled in her mind as the music built in intensity between them. Happiness with deep undertones of longing for true romance filled the air.

The musical piece nicknamed the Turkish had her dancing around Mozart in a twirl. She hefted her leg high above her head like a ballerina as she played, and she heard Nannerl clap with glee as Mozart beamed at her and swayed to his own tune. 

  And then Mozart finished, made ready to bow to her, but she continued on her own into the final movement. The stillness, the swirling sorrow, the fade out to quiet—all leading to the feeling a lonely heart has when it beats in silence waiting for a lover to return. Then a burst like a firecracker, a spinning sparkler or the drop of a five second cliffhanger ride an amusement park —swirling, twirling, spinning into oblivion. She emphasized it all with a musical exclamation point and whipped her bow down to her side like a duelist with a sword. Breathing hard, she smiled at the Mozarts.

Nannerl and Anna Marie erupted into cheerful applause.

“Bravo! Oh, Bravo. You two were amazing. You must play something else.”

Leopold stared at Crystal, and gave a few soft claps, then looked at his son. Mozart was also staring, but his mouth hung open and he hunched forward gawking like a poor soul who had just fallen in love.

Uh oh.

“That was . . . magnificient,” Mozart sighed. He straightened and took a step towards her. Crystal fidgeted. “But how . . . how did you know that last part? You got it perfectly, but it was still in my head. I hadn’t finished the last movement yet.”

Smooth move, Crystal.

Crystal shrugged helplessly. “I. . . I don’t know. It just seemed right. I mean you think it’s right if you had it in your head. Maybe it’s only natural?”

Crystal felt like she was only digging herself into a deeper hole.

“I think I’m in love,” Mozart said, grabbing his chest. 

So now that you know something about me, please also visit the blog of DM Andrews. He. like me, is an avid fan of independent music. His excerpt alone is amazing and he really is an expert at creating fantasy worlds. You can find his blog here:

http://www.writers-and-publishers.com/?p=402

    

Review of Peter Hollen’s “The Parting Glass”

           

Theoretical physicists are fond of debating whether or not time travel is possible, but I already know it is. So does Peter Hollens. Music has the power to transport us to a different time in place, even if we have never been there before. Hollens helps us journey a few hundred years back to the Scottish highlands, or perhaps a crowded pub on the outskirts of Dublin, back before there was even a railway between Blackrock and Kingston. He does so with his song choice.

Peter is one of the most particular artists when it comes to covering a song, but if you are going to put together a folk album like he is, this one is a no brainer. The Parting Glass is a traditional Scottish and Irish folk song that predates Robert Burns and “Auld Lang Syne.” It was first distributed a broadside, or music and lyrics printed on one side of a single, cheap, sheet of music. Early renditions of the song predate even the height of broadside popularity, with the lyrics found in letters as old as 1605. Imagine a time before radio. The only way to hear music was to listen to it live or make it yourself. The Parting Glass is a commoner’s song, not born of nobility of court composer.  Its author is up for debate, but its roots exemplify what I think Peter Hollen’s is all about as a representative of Independent music.

There was no commercial force behind the Parting Glass. It never received a gold, platinum or triple platinum rating, and it never needed a club remix. It never even had a big name behind it. The song quite literally has a life of its own, and Hollens gives it new life again in his own style. The song has been covered by folk legends like Celtic Woman and Wailin’ Jennys. Recently it was also featured at the dramatic conclusion of Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag.

Peter returns to the song to its roots with a single acapella voice. The silence surrounding the song’s introduction captures the bittersweet mood of the song perfectly. Peter adds voices (different versions of his own) as the song progresses to its crescendo, and even includes some traditional Scottish Style accompaniment. This accompaniment departs as the song winds down, and the listener is left to contemplate what the song means to them. Perhaps there are friends that need to be reached out to. Perhaps there are loved ones who have gone on from this world. Perhaps it’s time to say goodbye to one of life’s chapters and begin a new one. Whatever the song means to you personally, Peter Hollen’s rendition will give weight to it. Check out his video now on youtube or loudr to travel back in time with “The Parting Glass,” and find yourself immersed in an example of what music is all about.

Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hMdoGet2A8&list=PLFF3F248AC60CF19E

Loudr - http://ldr.fm/zF2mP

Shatter Me (Lindsey Stirling Single) Review

Some songwriters write songs nobody will have to think too deeply about. The lyrics discuss party lifestyles, repeat crude phrases bent on lust, give us fantasy accounts of dramatic breakups or ensnare us with a cutsie picture of how a perfect romance should go. Once in a while, a song makes it big with something stronger and deeper—poetry.

           

Lindsey Stirling’s new single, “Shatter Me” is an honest and candid work of lyrical and musical poetry in its purest form. From its first words, “I pirouette in the dark, I see the stars through a mirror,” to the final cry of “Shatter me” the song revolves around a single metaphor—that of a dancer trapped in a snow globe. Woven throughout this metaphor are an impressive number of emotions. They include loneliness, feelings of entrapment, longing, personal oppression, obligation, and desperation.

Lindsey has explored many of these feelings before. “Transcendence” and “Song of the Caged” Bird in particular are full of musical motifs inciting the hearts of people to be brave and accept themselves for who they are. Transcendence accomplishes its goal through a journey motif found in many of Lindsey’s works. Song of the Caged Bird was born of poetry (A Maya Angelou Poem), but has an underlying theme of hope.

Shatter me is groundbreaking for Lindsey in that it explores the darkest emotion—fear. The song gives no solution to fear, no hope, and no respite. It simply cries for help. Stirling courageously opens her heart and shows her audience some of its darkest places. And yet the song also leaves it open for the listener to realize that we all need help sometimes, that we cannot make it through this life alone, and that we need to reach out to each other to help everyone get through.

The violinist leaps onto a new stage with Shatter Me, and does so by enlisting the collaborative effort of Halestorm’s vocalist Lzzy Hale. Lzzy is masterfully able to capture all of the previously mentioned emotions with her voice, but also manages to sync perfectly with Lindsey’s violin. Some longtime fans may experience mixed emotions at first to this bold step in her career, but once the poetry of Shatter Me hits them at their core it promises to be a huge hit.

Buy Shatter Me now on itunes and preorder the entire album of the same name through the following links. 

 Itunes - http://smarturl.it/ShatterMe 

Target - http://smarturl.it/ShatterMeTAR 

Amazon - http://smarturl.it/ShatterMeAMZ 

Waking the Wildcat

The weights crash back down on the rack. I leap to my feet, yelling and clapping. My arms are jelly and my light grey workout shirt is now dark grey and soaked with my sweat. I’m a medium sized average Joe slammed together in a mash pit of a weight room with giants. We clap in unison. We yell in Unison. It’s the football offseason and we are Wildcats. If you have never yelled so loud you felt light headed and nearly passed out, I would say you have never quite yelled with enough enthusiasm for something. I loved being a Wildcat. Coach Jayden McCullugh, now head coach of the Plano Wildcat Football Team, was one of the assistant coaches in the late nineties. He silences the weight room and points to me.

            

“I need to point out something to all of you right now,” Coach says in a raspy voice. He enjoyed yelling a lot too for various reasons, and I’m sure it had an effect on his vocal chords from time to time. “Nobody in this room works harder than Travis Hightower right there. If you guys all did the same nobody could ever stand in your way.”

            

I’m bragging a teeny bit. It was one of the biggest compliments anyone had ever paid me, and the whole team agreed with applause. There was more, but I can’t remember the exact words. It was something about how I wasn’t the strongest or the fastest, but demonstrated the most heart. I wasn’t a very talented athlete at all, and Coach was putting it mildly. There was an occasion I had a chance in eighth grade to catch the game winning touchdown as a tight end, but the ball went right through my brick hands and careened neatly off my shiny white helmet.

            

If you thought this was a sports blog, I’m sorry to deceive you. I’m deviating from my normal topics to talk about something personal—finding the drive to push past our limits in everything we do. I dreamed of being the hero linebacker for sure. I would have loved to have played every down and made the newspapers, played college ball. I won more awards than I can count at science and engineering fairs and symposiums, but I never won a Grand Prize, and I never got to compete at the International level. But in those days it did not matter. I gave my all for the sake of how it made me feel. I was a Wildcat.

            

Somewhere along the way I lost that drive. My inner fire to achieve fizzled as I met more failure and disappointment. I was a proud Texas Aggie and member of the Corps of Cadets, but I never became one of its leaders like I once imagined. I once dreamed of screaming through the sky upside down at Mach 2, and instead I watched it happen like a video game on a two dimensional screen while flying in long lumbering left turns. The more life fell short of what I hoped for, the more my resolved crumbled like tragic stack of Bonfire logs. I do not use that simile lightly. The Bonfire collapse of 1999 was a central event in time I can point to where the resolve that once made me a Wildcat was completely extinct.

            

It may have been depression. It may have been a number of things, but when the Air Force, marriage, and life in general did not feel right or complete I no longer charged ahead with a full voice. I was not the leader the Air Force needed, and I still may not quite be what the civilian job market is looking for. Now that I have a chance at a new path in life, I suddenly remember what it was like to have the determination and resolve to push past my limits no matter how challenging or incomplete my situation may seem. If you have been struggling, if you have been feeling defeated, yell loud and push yourself hard.

Today the Wildcat within me awakens, but it can awaken within all of us. When we push past our limits and give everything we have to each moment, we reveal to others around us that which makes us special and unique. We create an environment within ourselves in which no dream goes unfulfilled, and like Coach said, nobody has the power to stand in our way. 

Beyond the Veil – A Poet’s Interpretation

Have you ever read a poem, (Or Shakespeare, or something from classic literature, either because you had to for school or because you simply love the arts like me) and you thought to yourself, “Gee that was really pretty, but . . . wait, what?”

This was my first reaction to watching the amazingly stylized cinematic experience for Lindsey Stirlings video for her brand new song, “Beyond the Veil.” Recall my first reaction to her song having heard the music, but not seen her vision:

The violin ballad captivates me immediately. It is simplistic in nature, with a mournful introduction that builds into something of a battle. The nature of this battle is triumphant, but a sense of longing never leaves the song. The violin “cat calls” in this song twice, and at the bridge there is a harsh sawing of the strings much like the devil’s song in “The Devil went down to Georgia.” I look to the title for clues for meaning. A veil hides something from the world. Often it hides the innocence of a bride, but it can also hide the identity of a knight. In the case of this song, whatever lies beyond the veil has a deep longing to get out, to be free. The battle for freedom rages and victory does not seem to come without cost. The motif of the struggling journey is ever present in this piece and louder than ever, and it holds a heroic theme throughout. It’s a song that upholds some primal truth, and it promises to be one of Lindsey’s most popular works.

It took some thought, but the motifs in the video became more clear to me by watching the video and then listening to the song again on its own. It seems I was pretty close in my initial gut reaction to the song itself, but this video adds new insight.

The primal truth is self-acceptance, and comes at the end of the heroic journey. Also present is a new motif of old life versus new life, which can be found in both the chorus and  the way the song reveals a long build up to a triumphant crescendo. I found it easier to break down the various symbols, and let the journey in the video speak for itself.

Symbols

 

Ocean and Waves - The physical Veil, hiding the world Lindsey must journey through to find herself.

White dress – The prominent color of the video, representing hope, innocence, or purity. One Lindsey wears a gold exterior armored corset. (The Lindsey that dives in the water). The dry forest Lindsey wears a forest green shawl, and the Lindsey that remains on the beach or on the cliff is in the white dress alone. It looks damp and somewhat tattered.

New Life Imagery - There is a shot of new life as spores fly from the leaf and Lindsey releases white flower petals. New Life Lindsey dances in twirls or circular motions and wears green. This is the current Lindsey who wrote the song, and can be thought of as the narrator of the story through music.

Old life Imagery  - Ruins, old Gods, Old Forest both underwater and on land. Old life Lindsey dances in linear motions rather than circular, and plays in the storm. Old life Lindsey is ever present in the video because sometimes we all revert and all must continue to struggle. 

Transitional Lindsey – This Lindsey wears gold armor and undergoes the journey.

Storm – beach weather is in constant state of approaching storm, further hiding the calm beneath the waves

Treasure – Lindsey discovers treasure in the ruins of an ancient city in an underwater forest. She opens it, and the treasure floats upward like bubbles, rather than staying heavy like metal. I feel this represents the letting go of needless desires in the old life, but treasure could be interpreted as either new or old life imagery.

Mirror – Reminiscent of the Mirror in Harry Potter, the mirror reflects the true self. Touching the mirror in the video sets the true self free. The mirror sequence represents acceptance of the true self.

Child Lindsey – Represents both Lindsey’s spirituality and connection to God, and her true self. Lindsey spends the entire video searching for and following this true self on a journey. She was not able to simply accept who this child was at the beginning.

Musical Childlike Voice “Hey” – Lindsey’s child/true self calls to her in the song with this voice, masterfully placed into the music.

Awakening – The visual of waking up is not so much as from a dream but in waking up to a better reality. The video starts and ends with a wake up.

Cosmic Beauty – The Nirvana achieved when finally connecting with the true self. The Video starts and ends in the same and reveals the true self was always trying to reveal the cosmic beauty to Lindsey from the first awakening.

Violin – Somewhat self-explanatory but Lindsey’s device for connection to her true self. The one belonging to childlike Lindsey is older and worn looking, and could be viewed as both old life and new life imagery

Make sure you check out the new video at the link, and if you have not already like and subscribe

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyC_4jvPzLiSkJkLIkA7B8g

 

Beyond the veil is also now available on itunes and the entire album for preorder.

http://smarturl.it/ShatterMe

Lindsey Stirling: South by Southwest and Beyond Series - Part 6 - Farwells and Futures

Greetings fellow denziens of the internet. Today's blog wraps up the series on my time at South by Southwest. In this section I gloss over the rest of the weekend after that first special concert. For the price of one concert I got three Lindsey concerts and shows by a wealth of other bands. A very good deal. The original artical I am pushing to magazines is in black italics. Please take the time to comment, because you could help me modify it and make it shine for publication.

The show is over, but the crowd wants more. Enough Lindsey fans are present that a chant of “One more song!” commences. She has already unplugged her violin. Her keyboardist and I exchange shrugs at each other. He seems game for another song but the venue is on a schedule and it is probably almost closing time. The band is flattered but closes down shop. The venue breaks down into controlled chaos. Lindsey comes over to exchange a few brief words of small talk with me before she is bombarded with requests for photos. One man literally leaps up and down over me to get her attention. She is escorted out by members of her stage crew and progress is slow, because she honors as many requests for photos as she can. Meanwhile, I visit with Drew and Gavi for a while.

As much as I would have liked to talk further with her, I wanted her to get the heck out of dodge. The crowd was unpredictable and at different levels of intoxication, and some were even hostile towards her, throwing things up on stage during her performance. I didn't feel she was all that safe and hopefully they can truly get the venue reserved if they do something like this again.

I do not overstay my welcome and make my way back out onto the organized chaos of sixth street with a feeling of having just witnessed something truly special. There may be a time not far off when Lindsey is too big for the random appearance at a small venue, because it is obvious the girl is going places and continues to wow audiences. I have just seen the start of the next chapter in her career.
She performs twice more at South by Southwest and manages a few interviews. I happen upon a performance by chance the next day for Pandora while traversing Sixth on my way to the Willcall office. An RSVP list for the venue is strictly adhered to this time, and I am content to listen for a while from the street. Last, I attend the concert I originally bought a ticket for—a charity event for the VH1 Save the Music Foundation in which several amazing bands like “A Great Big World” and Ingrid Michelson participated. Although nice, neither of these compare to being at the edge of the stage and capturing the essence of the performance.

The Perez Hilton event was unique in a different way, and I gloss over it here. If I return to Lindsey Stirling in my Independent Music blogs, I may go into more detail. I felt a bit like a spy, but from my balcony I could see things the general audience could not. I found it intruiging how she was led around from camera to camera, person to person, doing the walk of a star before they finally let her prep for her set.

I watched Lindsey Stirling perform three times in less than twenty four hours. I can add this feat to my list of above and beyond fan accomplishments. It may seem like overkill, but each performance was a completely different experience. This is one of the benefits of being a fan of such a unique brand of music. There is always something new to see and hear, and the music is so layered it can take on a number of meanings. It must be exhausting to perform three times, rehearse, give several interviews, and who knows what else in such a short amount of time—but this is the extent of Lindsey’s dedication to her art and to her fans.

I am dedicated to the power of imagination to change the world. We cannot always be prepared for when inspiration will hit us in our lives, for I believe inspiration comes from God and arrives on his time. Our challenge as mortals is to harness the power of this motivational force for creativity when it strikes and pass it on to as many people as we can through our own talents. Lindsey conducts herself as a shining example of this ideal, and the encouraging motifs of her music urge people to fight through adversity, keep love in their heart, and realize their dreams. In this way, she has been granted the power to change the world. I share her belief that we all have this power within us and can cause the same sort of positive influence on the world in our own way. In short, when we come across someone who has the power to change the world we want to help them do it.

Thanks for reading everyone! Please go support this amazing talent. I plan on covering Pentatonix in my next blog on Independent Music, so stay tuned.

Lindsey’s music and style of performance is easy to access on youtube at www.youtube.com/lindseystomp
Tour information can be found at her website at www.lindseystirling.com
You can also preorder her next album and get exclusive content here: http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/lindseystirling

Lindsey Stirling: South by Southwest and Beyond Series - Part 5 - Shatter Me and the Longing to be Free

Hey Everyone. Sorry for the delay. My work with the Veterans Community Foundation often drains me of all energy. This is the best part of the article, the introduction of experiencing a new song for the first time. I was honored to be among the first to hear it, and I heard it first live, rather than on an album. Before I get to that moment, something else touching happened. Read on. Original article in black italics.  

She pauses again after Shadows for a touching act of respect and remembrance. Early on the morning of March 14^th, a drunk driver plowed through the barrier on Sixth Street, killing two and maiming at least fifteen others. Lindsey asks for a moment of silence to honor the people affected and their families. It takes a moment for the crowd to quiet down, but most comply. She prays silently to herself and many of us join her. This act in itself would have been enough, but Lindsey plays the next song in honor of the victims. Based on her next two concerts, it would appear she had planned on playing Transcendence, a song about overcoming adversity. Instead, she plays her cover of “My Immortal” by Evanescence. Lindsey’s rendition of the haunting, sorrow-filled song takes the original in new directions, for she can go places with the violin that the human voice cannot. It was the perfect song to play to help heal a city after such tragedy, and I do not feel it was a coincidence it was already in her repertoire. God was using her to heal.

It is important to note I did not expect her to play a new song. She even second guessed herself somewhat, having played it so few times with her band members. She need not have worried. 

After the last notes fade and the cheers die down, she approaches the microphone again. She begins by talking about how she has a new album coming out in May. My ears perk up. She talks about how excited she is about this new album. I cross my fingers. She announces she will now play a new song from her new album, “Shatter Me.”

I’m bouncing with such excitement I almost miss the name of the new song – “Beyond the Veil.” The new song captivates me immediately. It is simplistic in nature, with a mournful introduction that builds into something of a battle. The nature of this battle is triumphant, but a sense of longing never leaves the song. The violin “cat calls” in this song twice, and at the bridge there is a harsh sawing of the strings much like the devil’s song in “The Devil went down to Georgia.” I look to the title for clues for meaning. A veil hides something from the world. Often it hides the innocence of a bride, but it can also hide the identity of a knight. In the case of this song, whatever lies beyond the veil has a deep longing to get out, to be free. The battle for freedom rages and victory does not seem to come without cost. The motif of the struggling journey is ever present in this piece and louder than ever, and it holds a heroic theme throughout. It’s a song that upholds some primal truth, and it promises to be one of Lindsey’s most popular works. Yet “Shatter Me” as an album promises even more musical greatness.  Adina Friedman of Atom Factory and Lindsey’s manager describes the album to me in a few words.

“Epic,” she says. “Its on another level.”

The above quote was not pulled from an interview, but rather a brief message exchange and used with permission. I am honored to be involved enough to learn a little about what goes into producing an album, planning a tour, and in general making a star. I do not doubt as I struggle to complete my journey as a literary artist that it will take a team of hard working, amazing people who believe in me just like Lindsey has. So thank you to all of you already along for the ride.

With the crowd reeling from this first live play of the new song, Lindsey returns once more to the mic.

“Alright,” she pants. “This next song is a dance song so I want to see everyone dancing. I’ll be dancing with you.”

She begins Zi-Zi’s Journey. I try to dance, but I’ve never been able to pull it off well sandwiched between people like a sardine. Zi-Zi is a great song to jump to, but in actuality it holds a deeper meaning for Lindsey. It is about her personal journey as she faced down and conquered the growing pains of life. A perky, five note theme repeats itself to create a ten note fanfare. It seems to represent the child Zi-Zi and then later in the song represents Lindsey’s inner childlike wonder. The song marches forward into a classic Lindsey “journey” motif until the beat drops hard after a whimsical bridge. Lindsey speaks to the crowd in this quiet moment—a calm before the storm.

“When the beat drops, I need everybody to jump with me!”

The degree and amount of people who follow this crowd command depends on local culture and inhibition. Last year, Houston went wild while nearby Dallas barely moved. In this instance, it is mostly the gathered Lindsey fans with inside information about the concert who begin jumping. Here in Austin, when Lindsey jumps, more of the crowd joins in the commotion, and the concert reaches a crescendo of energy. Lindsey concerts are fun, and in all likelihood hundreds of new fans were discovering this fact for the first time. It was thrilling for me to watch the reactions of people discovering her for the first time.

Zi-Zi’s Journey was one song I did not like originally. It is the only song on Lindsey’s first album earning the distinction of needing to grow on me. I didn’t like the sharp electronic string beat or its electronic flavor, but I developed a new respect for the song when I heard it live. Since then, it has become the driving force of inspiration for my next book, “String Theory.”

She pauses one last time to thank the crowd for coming out, and then concludes with her most popular song, “Crystallize”. Crystallize was the first time any artist mixed dubstep with the violin with such resounding success, and the video for the song went viral within a day. Inspired somewhat by the work of Japanese scientists on the effects emotions can have on water molecules, the song emphasizes the realization of dreams through positive attitude and faith. Crystallize follows a different pattern than most of her other work. The journey motif is subdued in favor of a calm and swirling theme that is both uplifting and heroic. The majority of Lindsey’s music follows a traditional verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus-chorus structure, but Crystalize deviates.

The verse is more powerful than the chorus, in particular when complimented by a dubstep power beat. As a result the chorus springboards from the verse but does not thrive independently. The chorus is a flurry of positive energy, alive with imagery of rapid construction or creation. This wanton assembly could be crystal at the molecular level, or the dreams and aspirations of humanity. There is no one specific bridge, but several sweeping transitions that complement the song, which ends with its powerful verse rather than its chorus.

Although Shadows barely edges out Crystallize as my favorite, it is currently her most popular song for a reason. Everyone has dreams they wish they could realize, and the song delivers in its message that they all can come true with just a little bit of faith and perseverance. Come back next time for the final installment in the series!

Lindsey Stirling: South by Southwest and Beyond Series - Part 4 - The Journey Motif

Hey loyal bloggie land reader! Original article in black Italics

“Alright!” She says as the microphone works at last. “I think we’re ready to have a show!”

Putting a song into words is difficult, but I love trying. Art is language and language is art, and one of the most fun things about music and art is watching it translated into another art form. Be it Lindsey turning her vision for her song Stars Align into an amazing video of dance and poetic imagery, or Kuha'O Case rewriting Crystalize in a genius rendition for piano, art is a way for us to glimpse the way we are all connected. 

She is met with a unified cheer, and after a short welcome she begins with her original song, “Antigravity”. It’s a good choice to start with because it’s a high energy song laced with a flowing melody. The song gives a sense of flight in its chorus, and though it is whimsical in places it also carries a strong motif of a journey or march toward a goal. This motif of a journey with triumph at the end is found over and over in Lindsey’s music.

Interesting Note: My kids and I once attempted the dance to Electric Daisy at the end of the Assassins Creed video we made. Maybe that's why I'm partial to it and spend more time describing the dance for this one than any of the other songs. 

The journey motif is also present in her next song, “Electric Daisy Violin”. Electric Daisy is another crowd pleaser, and is particularly fun to watch for its expressive dance choreography. At the conclusion of Antigravity she barely gives the audience a chance to breathe as she crouches into a ball to begin the song. Her dance tells the tale of a flower blooming under adverse conditions, and the song becomes a jubilant celebration of these events. It is difficult to listen to Electric Daisy, no matter your mood, and feel anything less than cheerful.

At Left: Stirling is about expressive dance as well as her music 

Here she stops to pump up the crowd a little. She’s breathing heavily and already sweating, and mentions feeling out of shape from not touring. However, just watching her can make a marathon runner feel out of shape, particularly under central Texas humidity.

Shadows is hard to make as good without a Shadow to dance with, but sometimes when the light hit her just right, one would appear. 

She introduces “Shadows” as one of her personal favorites. It is also one of mine. The song holds a special place in my heart for being the first of Lindsey’s originals to reach my ears. It’s house beat and somewhat mournful melody feels like it belongs in a science fiction epic. Lindsey had a vision of a video where she was dancing with her own shadow, and she wrote the song specifically to match this vision. Perhaps Shadows is a story about turning the darkness within all of us into something cheerful, rather than something to fear. Perhaps it is just a girl dancing with her shadow from start to finish. Whatever Shadows means to each individual heart, Lindsey plays it with a passion this night, and does it justice even without her Shadow to dance with

Let me know in the comments if you like how I delve into music with words, or if this music gave you different ideas as to the motifs and meanings. That could make for some excellent discussion and maybe even a guest blog - Thanks guys!