The

Spiritual
significance of

Music book 3

Edited by
Justin St. Vincent
 The
Spiritual
significance of

Music book 3
“Each of the contributors for this fascinating new book have their
own song to sing and their own story to tell... share this book with
your family and friends.”
- David Amram, author of Upbeat: Nine Lives Of A Musical Cat

“This book contains a refreshing depth of spirit and reminds us in

our search for a meaningful life that we must learn to listen to the
music within.”
- Kevin Asbjörnson, contemporary pianist and keynote speaker

“This paean to THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF MUSIC is written in

such a way that you might easily think that you are reading a series
of articles from Rolling Stone Magazine.”
- Book Pleasures

“This great book shows that many musicians have a deep connection
to spirituality. Justin St. Vincent succeeded in inviting visionary
musicians to speak freely about their relationship to spirituality
and music.”
- Wolfgang Bossinger, author of The Healing Power Of Singing

“This fast-paced yet long-lasting book will resonate in the reader’s mind
like a freshly-voiced chord played on a well-tuned instrument.”
- Will Clipman, artist, percussionist, and poet

“This is a wonderful collection of heartfelt descriptions of the spiritual

and personal meaning of music by foremost composers, musicians,
and writers on music and spirituality.”
- Peter Davison, composer, musician, and producer
“This is a must have collection for anyone interested in the countless
and assorted evaluations of musicians and their opinions of spirituality
in music and sonic universality.”
- Michael IX Williams, vocalist in EYEHATEGOD

“THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF MUSIC is one of the most exciting

concepts put together.”
- Danny Felice, guitarist, mandolin player, and vocalist in Breed 77

“It is great to read some wise words that all music-lovers will love.
I am reminded when reading the book about the spiritual force of
music in the world today.”
- Joseph Israel, reggae musician and vocalist

“What is striking in THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF MUSIC is that

the compilation of a great variety of individual testimonials... comes
together as a beautifully orchestrated concerto for 100 soloists.”
- Gilles Laheurte, soprano saxophonist

“It has dramatically deepened my understanding of... why exactly

music has such power to reach us on an inmost level.”
- Popology.net

“If you want to see evidence of what might be described as the breadth
of divine spiritual embrace, read THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE
OF MUSIC.”
- Dr. Terry York, co-author of The Voice Of Our Congregation: Seeking
And Celebrating God’s Song For Us
 The
Spiritual
significance of

Music book 3

Edited by
Justin St. Vincent
 The Spiritual Significance of Music: Book 3
First Edition

Copyright © 2011 by Justin St. Vincent

All Rights Reserved

Book published by Xtreme Music

Cover designed by Blue Sky Creative

No part of this publication may be reproduced,

stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by
any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise, without the written permission of Xtreme Music.

Short extracts may be quoted for online reviews and print media.
Requests for additional permission can be sent to Xtreme Music.

XTREME MUSIC
PO Box 25934
St. Heliers
Auckland 1740
New Zealand

editor@xtrememusic.org
www.xtrememusic.org

ISBN 978-0-473-18009-6
 CONTENTS
PRELUDE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

INTERVIEWS
Asva (G. Stuart Dahlquist). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Nathen Aswell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Australis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Margie Balter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Bruce BecVar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Kurt Bestor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Richard Bone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
June Boyce-Tillman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Brujeria (Juan Brujo). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Laura Bushnell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Amy Camie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Roy Campbell Jr.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Jacotte Chollet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Suzanne Ciani. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Marcel Cobussen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Basil Cole. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
David Cope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Ian Corrigan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Amrita Cottrell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Steven Cravis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Otto D’Agnolo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Heather Dale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Dorinne Davis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Snake Davis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Daylight Dies (Barre Gambling) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
John De Boer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Devourment (Mike Majewski). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Yaya Diallo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Dolour (Shane Tutmarc). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (43
Marc Enfroy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Estaryia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Evocation (Thomas Josefsson). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Faith Factor (Ski) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Fantômas (Trevor Dunn) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Fireflight (Dawn Michele). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Forsaken (Albert Bell). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Frost Like Ashes (Azahel). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Gandalf. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Robert Gass. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Eliana Gilad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Ted Gioia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Simone Giuliani. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Mathias Grassow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Grave Forsaken (Vaughan Gregory) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Gregorian Masters Of Chant (Toni Young) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Jim Greiner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Haale (Haale Gafori). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Susan Elizabeth Hale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Karie Hillery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Larry Hurtado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Insurrection (Anton Honkonen). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Joshua (Joshua Perahia) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Aria Joy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Patrick Kavanaugh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Maya & Sage Knowles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
John Kulias. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
David Lanz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Stephen Linsteadt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Andrew Lyddon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Paul Madaule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Malevolent Creation (Brett Hoffmann). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Louis Martinié. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Kate McGarry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Monarch (Shiran Kaidin). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Mortal Sin (Mat Maurer). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Tim Neumark. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Rebecca Oswald. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Leo Perez. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Sambodhi Prem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Lew Paxton Price . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Caleb Quaye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Robert Rich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Chris Robinson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Marilyn Rose. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Harold Rosenbaum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Vidya Shah. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Shambhu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Shanti Shanti (Andrea Forman). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Ed & Deb Shapiro. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Larry Sitsky. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Ruth Skaggs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Robin Spielberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
State Of Man (John Stringer). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Robert Stearns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Martin Stokes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Striborg (Sin-Nanna). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Yale Strom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
David Such. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Jennifer Thomas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Billie Thompson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Tub Ring (Rob Kleiner). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Unearth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Unexpect (Syriak). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
United State Of Electronica (Noah Star Weaver). . . . . . . . . . 137
Unmaker (Eduardo Clark). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Matt Venuti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Richard Viladesau. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Vile (Colin Davis). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Tim Wheater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Sule Greg Wilson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Andrew Wilson-Dickson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Wonderful (Jason Holstrom). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Brian Young. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

ENCORE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

BRIEF BIOGRAPHIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

ABOUT THE EDITOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206

 PRELUDE
The Spiritual Significance of Music : Book 3 develops a deeper intimacy
with faith-filled insights into Music and Spirituality. The third volume
in this book series explores insights from many musicians and writers
who are all answering the same question:

“What do you believe is

the spiritual significance of music?”
The purpose of this project is to provide a forum for sharing
faith and values through the exploration of music and spirituality.
Every contributor has freely shared important insights from their
own life journey exploring, searching, and discovering The Spiritual
Significance of Music.
Each person has a unique worldview that adds significant value
to this project. This edition focuses on the collective consciousness of
authors and visionary musicians who provide insightful perspectives
from their cultural education, faith environment, and personal
experiences. This international collection of interviews features many
leading authorities on music and spirituality.

1
 Included within this project are a vibrant collage of people,
including academics, composers, conductors, conference speakers,
educators, ethnomusicologists, evangelists, historians, lecturers,
medical doctors, meditation teachers, mediums, ministry directors,
music journalists, music magazine editors, music producers, music
therapists, musicians, mystics, percussionists, philosophers, poets,
professors, psychics, psychologists, psychotherapists, scholars,
scientists, singer-songwriters, sociologists, sound engineers, sound
healers, spiritual doctors, spiritual leaders, spiritualists, teachers,
theologians, and transformational leaders.
These interviews contain profound principles that can help shape
a fulfilling and meaningful exploration of music and spirituality. I trust
that the book you now hold in your hands will become a positive
source of encouragement and inspiration for exploring music and
spirituality. Why do music and spirituality have a profound influence
on the human spirit?

2
 ASVA
G. Stuart Dahlquist
bassist, composer, and organist
Ever since I can remember music has been what defined me and the
world I’ve found myself living in. When I was very young, we listened
to music constantly on the hifi, opera and the classical symphony
being my parents primary loves. As we got older we boys (three of
us) discovered Rock music while playing with the tuner dial on that
old stereo... you could spin it back and forth and watch the needle
move across the dial and while it was mostly static, every now and
then you’d get music. We figured out where the Rock station was and
the household became very eclectic almost over night. I’m sure our
parents grumbled at first but they were really good about embracing
what we kids found ourselves into, whatever it happened to be.
Forty years have passed since our childhood discovery of Rock
music and I find myself now more deeply immersed in music and
it’s making than ever before, questioning my methods towards
delivering the kind of message, the introspection that I believe
‘heavy’ music can provide and challenging not only my ability as a
composer but also my ability as a close listener. I’m self taught and
a bit on the coarse side when it comes to playing; ‘ham-fisted’ might

3
 be an appropriate way to describe my technique on just about any
instrument, nuance starts when the volume knob is turned down
to nine. Working within the confines of extraordinary volume and
deriving an emotional, delicate anything out of it isn’t something that
seems compatible but over the years of playing and developing a
distinct sound it seems to be within the realm of possibility. There is
something terrifically human about sound, listening to sound and the
making of sound - musical or otherwise. Mechanical sounds, voices
and groans, yelling, whistles, horns, sounds of nature all combine
into a constantly evolving mosaic that ebbs and flows as regular as
the tides... it’s all there, all the time, even in the quietest moments
there is something. Silence is the one thing music can do that the
world around us is incapable of. This lack of sound seems to be why,
to my ears and manner of thinking, the end of a song or a piece of
music is frequently the most effective aspect of it. It’s my belief that
spirituality is silent and the path to a true spiritual place in ones mind
is through the silence as opposed to the music. The music I make
is loud, reflective, and sometimes beautiful, enough so that it might
afford the path to a spiritual state of mind but it’s the silence after all
the commotion that actually delivers.
I think even the most pedestrian music offers more than surface;
there’s a documentary called ‘Vernon, Florida’ in which one of the
main characters is shown gazing out over a swamp or lake and he
say’s “There’s a lot of water out there... and thats just the top of it!”
It’s a brilliant and funny line that aptly describes what for me is an
evolving sense of how much there is to music no matter the genre.
An example would be my daughter and her current preference, Teen
Pop. There is nothing I know of that offers more in the way of non-
challenging listening and for a very long time, years in fact, it drove
me crazy hearing it. But what I’ve found is that the music by itself
isn’t the point; the point is Ava’s joy in hearing her favorites, singing
and dancing alone or with friends and feeling like she’s a part of
something because she really gets ‘it’, all her friends ‘get’ it, and it’s
a truly wonderful part of watching these kids grow up. In no small
way I get ‘it’ too. As she grows up and her tastes change I’m pleased

4
to think that her parents will be able to keep up and understand
where she’s coming from, as my parents have.
There was a time some years ago when I played bass in a
Gospel band at a large church in California, the congregation hugely
responsive, in some way similarly to how I’ve seen crowds react at
Punk Rock shows, with complete and total abandon, jumping out
of pews and dancing, clapping, singing, sweating, praying. It was
absolute pandemonium and a hell of a lot of fun but in the end I
never quite got it, never got where the spiritual could have a shot
at actually entering anyone. The music was serious, I was playing
with some of the finest musicians I have ever known but at the time
I wasn’t able to relate. Now, with the sure guidance of watching
my daughter Ava dancing and singing I can see the light. Whether
it’s playing music, listening to music, or within the dance, these are
paths that can lead us to an enlightened place, a spiritual place born
of silence.

5
 NATHEN ASWELL
singer-songwriter
“All that I have to offer the world is my own experience. What does
spirituality mean to me? Looking online for definitions of the word,
the one that I found that most resonates with me and my experience
is “Having to do with deep, often religious, feelings and beliefs,
including a person’s sense of peace, purpose, connection to others
and beliefs about the meaning of life.”
- MD Anderson Cancer Center, www.mdanderson.org
Music, for me, has ALWAYS been intimately intertwined with
spirituality. My earliest musical experience took place in the choir
loft of the Roman Catholic church of my youth: standing next to my
dad, in the middle of a men’s choir, I vividly remember how good it
felt to be IN the sound of the men singing together, and to BELONG
to that church community.
Much has changed since that day in the choir loft, AND much
has remained the same. For most of my life, music has been my
vocation; it is now very much my calling. Nothing else makes me
feel as complete, as connected to others, or as peaceful as when
I’m making music, and I feel truly blessed to have had so many
moments of being “IN the sound”. In the days, weeks, months, and
years ahead, I hope to have many more of those moments, and to
be of even greater service to humanity with my music making.
6
 AUSTRALIS
composer and producer
Despite general perceptions on the matter, the truth is that music
is an attribute of the spirit. We tend to forget this because our
civilization has surrounded music with a gargantuan industry of
unnecessary mundanity. However, underneath all that, music is, has
been and will always be the voice of the spirit. The fact that every
human being is emotionally and intellectually susceptible to music
provides the evidence that music is both, a spiritual manifestation,
and also a spiritual influence.
Whatever our affiliations, our faiths, or philosophies may be,
music is one of the most direct windows into our own individual
spirituality. It represents our innermost emotions. It symbolizes
our deepest characteristics. It resonates with our intentions and
moves us in those directions. Furthermore, it originates from who
we really are and what we really mean, beyond external appearances
and public attitudes. I believe music is inseparable from the human
existence not because of the physical gratifications we receive from
it, but because of the intimate influence it exerts upon our hearts.
Not because of the ephemeral effects of entertainment, but because
of its lasting capability to define and identify us deep down where the
spirit dwells. Such is the spiritual significance of music.

7
 MARGIE BALTER
composer and pianist
Music is like love. The whole world is better because of it. The
vibration that emanates from music and love uplifts everything
and everybody, and moves us along on the path towards the
positive. Music is a belief that one can commune with the Divine.
It is a bridge between the real world and the sublime. Music is a
meditation and a prayer, as well as a daily practice and a fun job.
All cultures in the world know that music inspires and soothes, and
it is part of every religion.
It is important to me that music, as the universal language,
connects people and has the power to tear down barriers of race,
gender, and religion. Music is a model for peace and communication
where imagination, teamwork, and dedication shine. There is
much to be gained from the study and discipline of music. As a
pianist, composer, and teacher, I feel lucky and grateful. Creating
and performing music is magical and life altering. Through music,
I experience the sensuality of the universe, and the melody and
rhythm of life is so rich and full. I love sharing music.

8
 BRUCE BECVAR
composer, guitarist, and
multi-instrumentalist
I believe the spiritual significance of music is in its ability to awaken
us to our True nature and Oneness with all. Sacred texts and
philosophical writings around the globe have spoken of the “Music
of the Spheres” as being the music of the highest nature and the
barometer by which all music ultimately aspires.
Music on this planet is as varied and diverse as the beings on
it. Music can be either an emotional “purging” or it can be a positive
force for personal and planetary evolution. Because music affects us
in such powerful ways I feel a responsibility to create compositions
that will enhance and uplift listeners in some way.
Music can transcend the mind, body, and emotions as a catalyst
in healing through vibration. It can relax the mind, calm the nerves,
soothe the soul, and affect us in wondrous ways!
On a few occasions during my life I have had profound lucid
dreams or “states” where I experienced music that far exceeded any
I have heard in the waking state. I was so moved by the celestial
sounds and vibrations that they have continually served as a standard
for what the Spiritual essence of music appears to be all about, which
is to uplift and awaken us to our Higher purpose!

9
 KURT BESTOR
composer and pianist
As a composer who has written and performed music for more than
three decades, I have struggled with understanding music beyond
the notes, rhythms, harmonies, and orchestration of my craft. I
could speak volumes about counterpoint, theory, and the history of
music, but am always hard pressed to explain why music evokes such
strong feelings upon listening to it. However, I have some theories
about it which I could share.
Music has and continues to be, at its most visceral level, the
inner expression of our deepest emotions; love, pain, anger, and
happiness. It’s no accident that, upon hearing of a loved one’s death,
people groan from deep down a most painful “melody”, and when
one is caught up in the rapture of extreme happiness, it’s natural
to want to dance a joyful “rhythm”. I believe that these “musical”
expressions are as natural as sleeping and eating for humans. The
body, when ambulating does so in a naturally rhythmic way and the
dances done by peoples all over the world are the body’s way of
expressing joy and devotion. These “natural” musical expressions
are why I believe that there’s really no way to explain through
science or musical theory the “spiritual” connection to music. Yes,

10
neuroscientists have been able to pinpoint which section of the brain
is excited by music and which chemical is secreted, but have yet to
truly describe exactly why. I’m sure that day will come eventually.
Of course, the subject to be discussed is the “spiritual
significance” of music. Because, as I mentioned before, music is
a natural expression of our most intimate and powerful emotions,
during times of spiritual connection there is no better way to truly
express devotion or rapture. Because religious devotees feel so
strongly about their subject matter, words alone seem inadequate
to describe their deep feelings about God and His creations. Music
digs deeper and for this reason is it virtually the universal way of
worshipping.
Perhaps another reason that music is significant as it pertains
to spirituality is that it lends an air of artistic mystery to the already
mysterious topic of religion and spirituality. What better way to
portray the mysteries of deity and its connection to us than with the
most undefined art – that of music. It can’t be seen, felt, or smelled
– a bit like deity itself. I purposely avoided labeling music as a “gift
from God” because frankly I don’t really comprehend the dogmas
of religion. For me, it’s just the most natural way for me to wax
rhapsodic about the love of family, the beauties of nature, and the
myriad of human emotions I feel each day.

11
 RICHARD BONE
composer, musician, and producer
Just as the brain of the fish is incapable of knowing the fisherman,
so too the human brain cannot fully grasp or know the non-physical
realms. To comfort ourselves we give it names and faces, God, and
Buddha. Yet these are man-made concepts struggling to identify
the unidentifiable. However, there is one aspect of non-physicality
known to all of us: thought. And, in recent years, Quantum science
has learned that thought can literally affect matter.
Those of us who create music generally agree that the music
arrives, as thoughts, from some place outside of ourselves. Keith
Richards once responded, when asked how he writes songs, “I just
raise the antenna”. I think it is in that “raising of the antenna” that
music has its spiritual foundation. And, when it strikes the right
chord in the listener, the effect can be profound. Music seems to
be the most personal of all the performing arts. It not only has the
ability to touch the heart but also to generate incredible vistas in the
mind’s eye. An amazing journey has taken place. An idea, received
in the composer’s mind, has past through their hands. It has been
transmuted through various electronic mediums and then when it
finds just the right vessel it can manifest itself as a truly profound
emotion. And all of it began in Spirit, in God, in the Universe.

12
 JUNE BOYCE-TILLMAN
Author of
Constructing Musical Healing:
The Wounds That Heal
THE SPIRITUALITY OF THE MUSICAL EXPERIENCE
The spirituality of the musical experience is a negotiated experience
between the music and the musicker. It involves being transported
into another space and time dimension which is different from
the one in which ordinary life is lived, resembling the other world
described by shamanic practitioners and called by Victor Turner
a liminal space. This space which is linked with the way ritual
space functions has potential for deep transformation. It can be
reached by composing or improvising, performing or listening. It
may involve some formal belief system, but also a formal belief
system may prevent it happening, particularly if the music itself
comes from a tradition that the musicker finds unacceptable.
Any aspect of the music may support or hinder the experience.
For example, the Materials used may be unacceptable or too
unfamiliar to the musicker like one from a very different culture.
The Expressive Character may be unacceptable like an association
of the music with some unpleasant experience. The Construction

13
 of the music may be incomprehensible or the Value systems, like
the hierarchies of western classical music, may be unacceptable.
However, if the musicker is able to negotiate a relationship with
music that is different from them, they will experience an intensity
of experience described by the theologian Martin Buber, based
on post-modern theorists such as Levinas and Derrida, when we
encounter the Other. In music we encounter many others:

• Expression – anOther self

• Values – anOther culture
• Construction – the world of abstract ideas
• Materials – the environment

14
 BRUJERIA
Juan Brujo
vocalist
I consider Brujeria’s music as a type of Mexican Folk music mixed
with Metal. Many of the songs are true stories of extreme living that
few really know about yet many want to hear about them. Our songs
are corridos about Mexican Metalheads doing what they love to do!
Ya sabes, sex, drugs, and Rock N’ Roll!
I call Brujeria songs “corrido-Metal” because there is a story
behind each one and the spirits of the stories come alive when the
songs are played, especially when played loud! When the spirits are
dancing, one can feel the soul return to make hearts new! Live, I feel
our music could even raise the dead! Now that is the true spiritual
side of music!

15
 LAURA BUSHNELL
Author of
Life Magic: The Renowned Psychic Healer
Shares Her 7 Keys To Finding Your Power
And Living Your Purpose
In my reality everything is spiritual. What goes better with anything
than music? Music opens up the body and allows the spirit to soar.
It lifts us out of the day to day and allows us to bring light into our
minds, our hearts, and our bodies. We are perfectly aligned when we
hear music that stirs us. We become one with ourselves, our world,
and leave fear behind.
Music allows us to bring ourselves back to the now. It is the
heart calling to itself. Music comes from the heart starting with the
beat of the drum, and lifts us into our souls as we listen to a violin.
Each note resonates with our chakras which actually look like CDs. I
feel music is a soul’s highest calling. Bless the music.

16
 AMY CAMIE
harpist and recording artist
As uniquely created individual manifestations of the Divine, our
personal experiences are vast and varied making it impossible to
generalize an overall answer to “the spiritual significance of music”.
My personal beliefs and connection to music expand and deepen
every time I sit behind my harp to play, to share, and to express
the love that flows from deep within. My hands, resting on the
soundboard, eyes closed, I breathe in and feel my heart pounding.
Love is present and ignites every cell of my body. I breathe in, gently
raise my hands to the strings, exhale and begin to play. Music: my
expression of love. Not a creation from my mind. Not a composition
from theory class. Not a piece of perfection. Simply an expression of
the beauty, joy, peace, and love I feel in the moment.
I used to believe that the music I heard in my head was flowing
through me from the outside, The Field, Collective Consciousness,
Universal Source of Love, whatever name you want to call that unified
field of energy to which we are all connected. As I continue the
journey inward toward my SELF, I now feel that this music originates
from deep within me; from the seed of my origin, deep within my
heart, connected to my Highest Self, which is connected to ALL,

17
 as my personal expression of the Divine to the Divine. There are
no words to articulate the depth of this connection; that is why we
have music. It is an experience that can only be shared through the
expression itself.
As I reflect on my previous lyrics, music, and CD titles, I witness
loving messages from my Highest Self, expressing through my
music, as stepping stones for me to follow inward back to my SELF:
“Who Am I”, “Letting Go”, “All Things Are One”, “I Will Always Be
With You”, “New Love: Awaken To Yourself”, “A Space Within”, “Love
and Gratitude”, and “The Magic Mirror”. What beautiful gifts from my
Highest SELF to help guide me back inside. As a musician, I believe
the music that flows from and through us offers insights into who
and why we are, if we are willing to explore those depths within.
So for today, I believe that the spiritual significance of music
is: a personal expression of my eternal SELF offering gratitude and
celebration for living, loving, and experiencing this life to the Divine
Source of Love.

18
 ROY CAMPBELL JR.
trumpeter, flugelhornist, and flutist
Everything in the universe is governed by a positive or a negative, a
plus or a minus, therefore music falls into either of those categories.
There is some music that is highly spiritual, or religious, positive,
elevating, inspiring, and healing. Some music invites negative forces
and energy, and this can be destructive for certain individuals.
Music has the power to serve as a transcendental and emotional
experience, and music can also serve as entertainment and has
functional purposes. Since music is such a universal force for humanity
and appeals to all people regardless of race and culture, I truly believe
that justifies the universal, power, and spirituality of music.

19
 JACOTTE CHOLLET
creator and developer of
Multidimensional Music
Music is the only artistic field mentioning that its origin is in the
invisible world of gods and muses, but not all music can be granted
a spiritual value. The spiritual significance of music lies in its power
to transform and transmute matter through a vibrational healing
operation performed by spirit. What is spirit, what is matter, and
what is music? They are different levels of energy organization.
When energy is coherent, it behaves as one. Nothing can distort
or fragment this level of super-harmonic organization that is of
a neg-entropic quality. Entropy being the tendency of matter to
disorganize neg-entropy or negative entropy is the opposite, that is
to say the tendency to move towards a higher, more coherent level
of organization closer to that of white light.
In order to bear the attributes of spiritual qualification, music
has to be created in close connection with spirit, that is to say in
an inner state of love and bliss. When I let go of personal concern;
when I let the flow of energy invade me and transport me beyond
the limitations of the known; when I feel that the atoms of my body
are melting into a state of matter that is no longer dense but fluid;

20
when I feel the intrinsic unity of everything; when I feel that I no
longer know if I am playing the music or if I am a musical instrument
played by the all loving; all knowing higher dimensional universe;
then I know for sure that spirit is speaking through me, and that the
music flowing through me is truly spiritual, multidimensional, and
deeply transformative.

21
 SUZANNE CIANI
composer and pianist
Music exists in a spiritual world, a universe parallel to the nuts
and bolts practicalities of “reality”. It is intangible, emotional and
transporting, allowing us to escape our earthly pinnings for a
moment and explore the limitless landscapes of heart and soul.
Music is divine in its origins, often “channeled” into being,
although good music benefits from skillful production as well. Once
used to facilitate the memorization of sacred scriptures, usually it has
no didactic purpose at all and frees us just to “be”, with no practical
end other than offering the possibility of suspension in beauty and
emotion. We experience the direct infusion of the music’s energy.
When I was young, my mother brought home a stack of LPs from
a fire sale, the romantic music of Grieg, Rachmaninoff, and Chopin.
I was never the same again after being infused with emotions I
could hardly contain.
Likewise, a pop song of the day would make time stop, and
with each repeated hearing, I would be lifted to feelings I had never
felt before. Music is enveloping, vibrating our inner ears and whole
body. I find it such a rich experience, like eating whipped cream,
that I need to limit my indulgence in it.

22
 MARCEL COBUSSEN
Author of
Thresholds: Rethinking Spirituality
Through Music
In my book “Thresholds: Rethinking Spirituality Through Music”,
I introduce an a-topological, non-discursive spirituality that is
no longer connected to transcendentalism and otherworldliness.
Through a close “reading” of the music of John Coltrane, Robert
Schumann, the mythical Sirens, Arvo Pärt, and The Eagles, to
mention a few, spirituality is presented as a (non)concept that
escapes categorization, classification, and linguistic descriptions.
Spirituality as a manifestation of radical “otherness”; spirituality as
a void, an abyss instead of a transcendental signified. Connecting
spirituality and music implies a wandering, an erring, and a roving in
a space between. Spirituality is a Deleuzian intermezzo.
This also entails that spirituality cannot be regarded as a
musical quality; spirituality is not a simple adjective providing extra
information about or used to categorize certain types of music. No
music is intrinsically spiritual. Spirituality happens. It happens in a
relation between a musical event and a listener. This relationship
in which spirituality happens might be characterized as susceptible

23
 instead of controlling, open instead of excluding, free instead of
rigid. Spirituality is a deterritorializing effect of a certain attitude
and experiencing music can be helpful in achieving this attitude.
As a consequence of this line of thought, no music can be
excluded from the possibility of being a (f)actor in the space where
spirituality occurs. This enriches the ways of approaching and talking
about music.

24
 BASIL COLE
Author of
Music And Mor als: A Theological
Appr aisal Of The Mor al And
Psychological Effects Of Music
Music has a plethora of spiritual significance because like all the fine
arts which move people aesthetically, it contains a flood of reason
shaping tone, rhythm, melody, harmony, silences or rests, and
pitches of different instruments, into a profound moving unity. This
in turn allows the intellect to understand, delight, and experience the
glory or splendor within the moving parts, whether of a symphony
of Beethoven or a work of jazz by Louis Armstrong or Dave Brubeck.
After all, music is a series of accidental beings that exist momentarily
and come to an end unlike a painting which remains.
Now, human virtue is also the effect of the flood of reason,
and to the believer faith as well, on the intellect (prudence), the will
(justice), and the feelings (fortitude and temperance). Music then
can dispose someone to desire the excellence of virtue. Likewise,
since beauty shines forth in great music, it hints at the infinite
beauty of God and aids in the desire to meet Him, if not seek union
with Him in prayer and love.

25
 DAVID COPE
Author of
New Directions In Music
I have always believed that every person is unique, and thus each
person receives from music something unique. To me the joy of
music is that it does not in itself mean anything. The meaning,
the joy, the sorrow, and so on, resides in the listener, not in the
music. It would seem to me that “spiritual significance” falls into
this same category.
We get from music and assign it significance based on our own
unique individual spirits. As an example, I see nothing on a page of
music containing lots of black lines and dots that suggests anything
more than lots of black lines and dots. Performers add their own
individual spirit that will then be interpreted in an astronomical
number of ways by listeners. If I want to communicate something
spiritual to someone, I use language. If I want to incite something
in someone, I choose music.
Some of the most spiritual music I know was composed by
composers whose diaries suggest they composed these works
while involved in all sorts of debauchery. Spirituality is in the ear
of the beholder. To me there is no spiritual significance in music,
just in people.

26
 IAN CORRIGAN
Author of
Sacred Fire, Holy Well: A Druid’s Grimoire
Of Lore, Worship, And Magic
Music holds a special place in the mysteries of ancient Pagan Europe.
The ancients understood that existence is vibration: that all things
hum in a chorus of spiritual song. Together all those notes make
the Song of Existence. Music is the human experience of the sound
and vibration, attuned with our sense of proportion and beauty, and
turned into songs and melodies. Music is a human artifice, a human
expression of the Universal Chord, and it is by human artifice that
we reach out to the Spirit(s), and in turn their inspiration often
helps us bring new music into the world.
In the Old Ways, poets, musicians, and singers were often
priestesses and enchanters. Traditional music and dance were
required in the performance of spiritual ritual, and the power of
harmony, rhythm, and vibration helped to raise the awareness of
the gathered people. I think this is the primary use for music in a
practical spirituality: to focus the mind, induce a spiritual openness,
and generally bring the power of art and beauty to the work.

27
 AMRITA COTTRELL
Author of
The Encyclopedia Of Sound:
A Researchers’ Guide To Sound And Music
In The Healing Arts
When I was a young girl, I had a music teacher who came to our
school once a week with her record player under her arm. She
would play recordings of classical music while we closed our eyes
and “experienced” the music. Afterwards we were encouraged to
draw a picture or write a story about the music. It was at that young
age of eight that I learned how to really experience music as colors
and feelings and movement rather than just passively listen to it.
To this day those once a week music classes remain some of
the best memories from my childhood. I now know that what I
experienced was so much more than the “music”. It was a deeply
spiritual experience, a time where I connected my essence with
God essence. My deepest experiences today are those that include
devotional music and music that is used in service to others.
Hildegard von Bingen’s words say it all for me: “Sometimes when we
hear a song we breathe deeply and sigh. This reminds us that the
soul arises from heavenly harmony. In thinking about this, we are
aware that the soul itself has something in itself of this music.”

28
 STEVEN CRAVIS
composer and pianist
The spiritual significance of music is that sound has intangible
aspects that create tangible effects in the listeners’ bodies: effects
of resonance, transportation, and emotion. When an individual
responds well to a particular song, melody, or recording, they often
embrace it so immediately that it becomes instantly memorable, as if
resonating and integrating with their own DNA, on the cellular level.
One can feel transported by music to another time and place,
where they were when they first heard the music. The same music
can make one person elated while causing another person to burst
into tears. All of these effects, and more, that the listener can
feel within their body in response to music, indicate that music is
ultimately healing to the mind, spirit, body, and soul.

29
 OTTO D’AGNOLO
Author of
The Music Business Is Burning Down –
Thank God!
The spiritual significance of music is as personal an experience
as the spiritual significance of a ceremonial garment. A thing
that makes one person bow in genuine awe can be completely
ignored by another person unable to perceive its power and
beauty. For me personally there is only one time and place where
I feel I am at church; one time I feel God talking to me; one
time I feel blessed, powerful, happy, sad, awe struck, humbled,
rejuvenated, worn out, and reborn all at once. That place is my
audio control room with the lights down low and the music up
loud, not painfully deafening, just powerfully moving.
Monthly visits are required for me to maintain my sanity. I
prefer weekly visits and I am not against prolonged daily sessions.
This is my time alone and it centers me. It washes away all the
stuff of the music business, and continually reminds me that I
am music. It reminds me that I am a creator and that if I stop,
I’ll die inside. The music I receive and understand emotionally is
God’s gift to me through others, and the music I make is a gift
from God through me to others.

30
 HEATHER DALE
musician, producer, and songwriter
Fundamentally I think we are all spiritual beings, which in the 21st century
can be a reasonably radical thing to say and easily misunderstood. In
my own mind, I don’t elevate any particular philosophy or discipline
higher than any other: billions of us are searching for ways to enjoy
and celebrate whatever aspects of life we experience.
Language cannot cross boundaries; it has to be overcome.
Physical contact is so laden with cultural significance that even a
simple touch can’t be relied upon as a fool-proof bridge between
individuals. But music, whether you consciously appreciate its form
or not, can be experienced by every living thing – it crosses the
boundaries of culture, species, and age. It somehow touches the
spirit within.
I can hum an ancient Mediterranean lullaby; my grandmother
can get angry about Rap music. I can lure cows across a field with
a tin whistle; my dog howls along when we play earthy Quebecois
fiddle tunes. My own original Celtic melodies have been sent out
into the world, and fans write to tell me that they’ve incorporated
them into weddings, funerals, palliative care, birthing, work, and
education: all the milestones and rituals that define our finite lives.
If music isn’t a fundamental expression of our common spirit, then
what else makes it so universal?
31
 DORINNE DAVIS
Author of
Sound Bodies Through Sound Ther apy
My specialty is with sound-based therapies, the Voice-Ear-Brain
Connection®, the cellular response to sound, and how all of this
blends together within The Tree of Sound Enhancement Therapy®.
For me to review spirituality and sound from my context, I look to
cleanse the person from negative outside influences so that their
person can receive, use, support, and maintain the give and take of
sound vibration that the body utilizes every second of the day. We
open ourselves to the possibilities that the world holds for us when
we do not block these vibrations.
Sound is the essence of our body. Our body rhythms and
patterns shape us. Our voice reflects our inner soul and response
to the world around us. The Voice-Ear-Brain Connection defines
our ability to balance everyday life. With this balance, our “Being”
evolves and exists. We can grow to new levels with the creativity
that is possible when we are in balance. This can be enhanced
with my sound-based therapies. This “Being” then allows for the
interconnectedness of life, the earth, and the spiritual self.

32
 Sound and spirituality allow each person to achieve harmony in
oneself and with the world, working together. Sound-based therapy
helps return the person to natural balance so that they can find
success and inner peace. Sound supports and enhances the unique
person within while allowing them to explore and share in the energy
around them.

33
 SNAKE DAVIS
saxophone, flute, and shakuhachi player
For me, music and spirituality are deeply and forever bound
together. At its best, when going well, playing and creating music
is an intensely spiritual experience. The music simply runs through
me: my body and my instrument are merely vessels through
which the music travels. Of course, practicing time and many
performances often feel far from spiritual. Learning or teaching
technique, theory, and aural skills can all be hard demanding work.
However, when the player reaches a stage where they can shut
their eyes and let their music flow, with a clear mind, the process
can become intensely spiritual.
For the player, and equally for the listener, music can take us
off the crazy treadmill on which we rush from one thought or place
to another, constantly looking to the future, and root us to the
spot. It can anchor us in the “now”, the present moment, and it is
then that music can do powerful spiritual work. Whether listening or
playing, these times can be joyous, moving, passionate, revealing,
and thought provoking. These are the wonderful, precious, spiritual
occasions which I treasure and which I encourage and help others
to achieve.

34
 DAYLIGHT DIES
Barre Gambling
guitarist
Music is a transcendent language; in its purest form, it is the voice
of what is held within. I’m not a religious person, and the term
“spirituality” tends to imply religion, but it can also describe deeply
personal anchors in a person’s life, like music.
Music affects the subconscious and can cause profound
changes in a person, much like a spiritual awakening. I’ve taught
guitar lessons for a few years now, and every now and then I meet
a person who takes to learning music like I did, like finding the
key to the inner universe, and it appears to be a revelation to the
learner, like finding another dimension of themselves.
Music is a place to find strength. Much as some people believe
their world is guided by the supernatural, be it angels, ancestors, or
ghosts, I seek the presence of a favourite piece of music, conjured
by pressing the play button.

35
 JOHN DE BOER
Author of
The Storytellers Flute
MYSTIC FLUTE
Ultimately I am a musician because of my experience and belief
in the profound effect that music can have on us as individuals
and as a society. I allow myself to play from my heart and know
that if people listen from their hearts they will almost surely find
something of value in my music. Connecting this way is a special
opportunity we can all share. To leave behind the comfortable and
acceptable and take that leap into the musical unknown can be
very intimidating at first - but the rewards are so great that I find it
impossible, having now taken this path not to continue.
I experience my Self and my connection to the Universe unfolding
with each new musical exploration. In addition, improvisation plays
a large role in my music. The word improvise contains the word
improve and to improve something, new thoughts are usually a
necessity. I have discovered many new pieces solely based on the
combination of instruments or a new rhythmic concept. A particular
orchestration will often seem to write the music on its own.

36
 Most cultures around the world use music in some spiritual
context of course, Kokopelli of Native American tribes; Christian
church hymns; Nada Yoga from India, a method to reach spiritual
enlightenment through sound; the flute of Hindu god Krishna, the
avatar of Vishnu, a great god of the universe and shepherd boy
beloved by all the shepherd women. Krishna’s flute made them
dance with abandon. The music of Krishna’s flute is Eros freed from
the bounds of society, its rules, laws, restrictions, and morality. It
is the love of the human soul for the universe and the divine in a
mystical relationship unsullied by institutions and authorities, and
unsullied even by language. I feel as spiritual as I ever feel when I
am playing the Mystic Flute. We all have a song inside us that tells
us who we are.

Excerpt taken from John De Boer’s book “The Storytellers Flute” (2003)
available from SkyDancer Designs © 2003 John De Boer. All Rights Reserved.
Used with permission.

37
 DEVOURMENT
Mike Majewski
vocalist
I don’t know that I would qualify my band as having spiritual
significance. Spirituality is a relative term and has different
meanings for different people. The purpose of Devourment is strictly
for entertainment value, a release from the everyday stresses of
life. Our musical take, with our band in particular, is that of pure
relentlessness. To me, there is a place for such a band and I would
be so bold as to say that no one does it with as much conviction as
we do, because we truly believe in our band 110% and it shows.
I think anyone will tell you that sometimes they want to play a
CD from a band that just spews aggression, one that isn’t challenging
to listen to, just a mood enhancing antidote. Devourment is perfect
for this. Am I passionate about my band? Yes. Am I a fan? Yes! So
I guess in that regard you can say the band is a spiritual entity in
my life, as I put my heart and soul into every aspect of it, from
maintaining contact with fans, to making absolutely sure that any
music we put out is up to our standards and does not stray from a
single fan’s expectations of what we do.

38
 We are not trying to change the world. We are not trying to
push the boundaries of musicianship. We are not trying to put a
little melody in your soul. We are trying to be the most extreme
form of music that we are capable of creating, and it has certainly
struck a chord with a lot of people.

39
 YAYA DIALLO
Author of
The Healing Drum:
African Wisdom Teachings
I have two serious questions about the spiritual significance of
music. “What is music?” and “What is spirituality?”

Music: I heard that music is a universal language. I don’t accept

that statement. To me music is a reflection of one culture, one
tradition, and even one continent. One more point, the choice of
music is subjective, it is not objective. There is no reason to love or
hate one kind of music.

Spirituality: I have no clue about this word. Some people define

it as the supernatural: the world of divinity. Many people think that
spirituality is a higher level of a positive state of mind. I don’t believe
that the supernatural is exclusively in the world of the supreme
being. The higher levels of states of mind could be negative, even
evil, and destructive. In general, people associate spirituality to
religion, belief, or a way of life.

40
My Opinion: There is no hierarchy in music. Mozart is not better
than Vivaldi, Coltrane, Jay-Z, Metallica, Garth Brooks, Bob Marley, or
any African drummer. It depends on who is the listener. The Tibetan
gong, Indian sitar and tambora, and the harp are not more spiritual
instruments than the electric guitar. To a Heavy Metal lover, the
electric guitar is the best instrument in the world. Who has the right
to dictate to the whole world what is spiritual and what is not?

Basic Principle: In order for a medicine to heal, it is necessary for

the patient to take it. Who is crazy enough to play New Age music
at a Punk party, or Willie Nelson for a Rastafarian party. In my
culture, we are encouraged to recognize, and to avoid those sounds
and pitches that disturb us physically and psychologically. We
should also avoid listening to music that recalls bad memories. The
musician who performs music for peace of mind doesn’t necessarily
fall back on a repertory of established rhythm. Determining the
right music in each case is a highly individual matter as there is no
predetermined formula.

Beneficial Effect of Music: Music can be used to heal individuals.

Also, music is a remedy for collective misery. Imagine one hour
without Rap or Hip-Hop in the hood, and no Rock N’ Roll in the
U.S.A. Only one hour without those two kinds of music, can you
imagine that?

Negative Effect of Music: Music can be used to promote hatred

of other people. Also, music can create self-hatred, and self-esteem
which could be harmful towards others.

Questions: How come they sing Gregorian chants in churches, and

why do they play the organ in churches? The game of hockey is
one of the most violent sports in the world. They play the organ
to provoke fights in the arena. Is that a spiritual instrument? Is
Gospel Christian music? I think that Gregorian chants, organ music,
and Gospel music are not Christian music. So, what is the spiritual

41
 significance of those kinds of music? It depends on who you are,
and what kind of music you are ready to listen to.
Spiritual music for me, is music that doesn’t contain any
complaints. It should be above human misery and human problems.
When I listen to what is spiritual music for me I don’t feel time, space,
or myself. Life is not heavy for me and I don’t mind where I am.
It cleans my brain of all my problems and rejuvenates my energy.
The harmony and sound affect me. I don’t even pay attention to the
meaning of the song. When you listen to some music, your feeling
is unique to yourself.

42
 DOLOUR
Shane Tutmarc
vocalist, pianist, and guitarist
I believe that spirituality is the significance of music. When music is
devoid of the spiritual element it lacks the very essence that makes
music powerful or transcendent. My spiritual life has always been
strongly tied to my musical life, at times I am confused, which is
which. Music is the clearest, most tangible way for me to understand
my spirituality, and the world around me.
Whether the lyrics are complaining about a bum deal, praising
the beauty of a woman you just met, or writing about an awe-
inspiring sunny day; these are all things that were once written
about in the Psalms and Songs of Solomon in the Bible or Hafiz’s
love poems, all down through history.
Leadbelly, or Elvis, Mozart, or The Beach Boys. It’s their
spirituality that makes them human, and it’s also what we connect
with when we hear a beautiful melody or lyric. Music connects to
the part of us that longs to be perfect, beautiful, and loved. Brian
Wilson once said, “Music is the voice of God”, and he’s been quoted
many times for that, because people sense that he was speaking
the truth.

43
 MARC ENFROY
composer and pianist
As I started thinking about the spiritual significance of music, my
mind drifted toward the impact music has on all of us, regardless
of creed. The following words are my attempt to capture that
sentiment:
Whether you believe in the power of prayer or the power of
your own actions, whether you believe in a supreme creator or the
evolution of the species, whether you believe in a holy book or just
your conscience alone, whether you believe in organized religion or
no religion at all, whether you believe in angels or only what you
can see, whether you believe in the afterlife or just this life, there
is a special place within each of us that only MUSIC can reach, and
when it takes hold that experience is SPIRITUAL.

44
 ESTARYIA
Sacred Dance Artist and vocalist
Music is a vibrational gateway that transcends all space and time
and can bring us into direct access with our higher spiritual nature.
Quantum physics confirms that all things are in motion — all things
are vibrating. Sound Vibration is a carrier wave of information.
Notice the differences you feel with various types of music or sound
vibration? What about the sound vibration of someone’s voice, it
carries thoughts and feelings — it is a carrier wave of information.
Music carries profound amounts of information as it vibrates and
delivers this information into the cells of the body. It delivers
information and is able to awaken cellular memory — dormant
codes of information within our very own genetic structure.
Utilizing the ancient science of sound; musical tones, rhythms,
and melodies can connect us with the natural rhythms and cycles
of the planet, the universe, and with our soul energetic essence. It
becomes the vibrational gateway to access our multi-dimensional
nature and for the soul to be embodied in human form.
The Earth is vibrating, the cosmos is vibrating and we are
vibrating. There is a natural harmonic that occurs within nature and
within the larger cycles of the universe. So as we as a culture begin

45
 to listen and vibrate with these natural harmonics of the universe
— music of the spheres — and as we listen to music that stimulates
coherent brainwave activity and reconnects us with the Earth, we
are able to bring more of our spiritual essence into form. Music is
then a blissful and harmonious tool for us to embody the higher
dimensional energies of spiritual consciousness.

46
 EVOCATION
Thomas Josefsson
vocalist
Bob Marley once said: “The good thing about music is when it hits,
you feel no pain”. For me music has always been my best friend. I
give every style a fair chance, even if it’s on the radio, down town, at
work, or in the movies. But if it doesn’t strike me directly, then I let
it go. For almost all of us, music is a way of communication. Maybe
even the best way to really explain how you feel about something
or someone.
Normally all of us in Evocation are really good at emotions, so
the first thing that hits me when I hear a new song, that is what I
start to write about. You need to open your mind. Let it in or let it
flow, and take your time. When you understand a new song or even
a new style it is like being born-again.
I like all kinds of music and they all affect me in different ways.
Rock and Metal were just the start for me, and were the first styles
that really hit me. This music is my kind of language I guess. The
best thing about this is that other people understand what I’m
talking about. I believe the spiritual significance of music is a free
spirit and mind, a whole lot of love, and of course communication.

47
 FAITH FACTOR
Ski
vocalist
The spiritual significance of music is that God created all things,
so to me that means all music from Rock, Rap, and Metal. Some
fanatical religious groups think that Metal music is the heart beat of
the Devil, but did you also know that Lucifer was the most beautiful
angel in Heaven that God also created, and he was the director of
music in Heaven?
Music is not evil or good, it’s music, but the lyrical content can
twist your mind into thinking good or evil thoughts. Any kind of
music speaks to the soul, and if you have a good soul, it will edify
it, and if you have a bad soul, it will induce hate, aggression, and
violence. Every body has a faith factor, we all believe in something,
so whatever your faith factor is, it can be enhanced by music.
Music stirs an emotion inside us to react. If our mental state
of mind is intact and all in our lives is good, the spirit of music can
really shine, but if we are sad, lonely, and a ballad or a slow song is
playing, the spirit grieves and sheds tears, and a cleansing process
is in effect. Even if you are not a spiritual person, or born-again
Christian, the spiritual significance lives inside us all, sometimes it
just takes the music to bring it all out into the open.

48
 FANTÔMAS
Trevor Dunn
bassist
For me, there is no separating music from the concept of
spirituality. After all, we’re talking about the muse and the spirit.
Possibly one and the same, no? So what is spirituality? That’s the
real question for me. And I’ll start by setting the record straight
in saying that my religious, political and sexual beliefs, are no
one’s business. If I must, as an artist, represent them in my art,
I will do so esoterically and obscurely so that the true meaning is
only relevant to me. Music is not a soapbox for politics or religion,
personally speaking. In fact, being a published artist in no way
allows for the consumption of my spirit, that is, the thing that
keeps me going; the fire within.
And so that, I suppose, answers my question about the nature
of spirituality. It is a breath that lifts one up in the utter bleakness
of humanity. However you decide to quantify it, name it or pay
amends to it, it is a direct bloodline between oneself and the
world as which we perceive it. And everyone perceives uniquely.
Therefore, it is impossible for me to define the spiritual significance
of music on anything other than a completely subjective stance.

49
 For me, music being the thing that I have chosen as a vocation,
the thing that I spend more time trying to decode on a mystical
level, and as my preferred method of escapism, the significance
is omnipresent. Music, as a creative process, is what connects me
with my reason to exist, my will to continue, and my hope for a
peaceful end or transition. It is a bridge between the Earth and the
Incorporeal. So I could say that the significance is so great that
without music I would not exist.
To be inspired is to catch a glimpse of something that comes
from an unknown place and is barely obtainable if at all. My earthly
interpretations of the spirit are filtered and incomplete at best. I
have no idea why music, books and films fill me with an energy
that gives me hope. I can’t define or explain that energy. But I
know that to be expired is to be dismal, dour and wandering from
distraction to distraction. I don’t want to talk about God. I don’t
want to talk about “chosen” people. To reduce God to a name
and a plan is to ignore the hottest part of the flame that keeps
one’s blood at 98.6 degrees. What I want to do is to imagine what
instruments sound best together; what transitions in the song are
needed; what surprises I can obtain, as an Earthling, from specific
harmonies. Melody inspires me to sing, rhythm inspires me to
dance, and harmony inspires me to keep searching. So music is the
spirit and at the same time the spirit draws me toward music.

50
 FIREFLIGHT
Dawn Michele
vocalist
There is an undeniable quality in music that pushes straight past
your conscious mind and deep into your spirit. It awakens your
memories, your senses, and your emotions. I believe this is why
God so frequently uses music to speak to us and to bring healing.
There are many instances in the Bible where God works
through music. For example, back in the time of David, King Saul
was tormented by evil spirits, but when David would play music for
Saul, the demons would cease their torture. It is for this reason that
I have devoted my life to music, and time and again, I have seen
and felt God bring joy, release, hope, and spiritual healing.

51
 FORSAKEN
Albert Bell
bassist
Since time immemorial, mankind has sought to use music to
create the requisite channel to enter into some form of dialogue,
or colloquium with the non-material or non-physical plane. The
creation of music marked mankind’s spiritual awakening, in all the
prismatic forms and hues that the expression of human spirituality
may take and has taken ever since one could speak of some form of
human civilization. Moreover, despite the increasing mechanization
of today’s world, music is still used to communicate this near-
instinctual urge for the transcendence of everyday mundanity, and
that is the role that music plays in my life-world or “verstehen” so
to speak.
For me, Doom Metal, the musical genre I am most passionate
about, acts as a vehicle where I can express my inner-most thoughts
and feelings, often centering on themes associated with spirituality
and religion, such as the immortality of the soul, the path toward
spiritual enlightenment and so forth.
Since I am one of the band’s main song-text writers, I am
fortunate to have the space for such introspection. However, in

52
reality, it is not just a case of personal reflexivity. I am part of a band,
and hence, the creation of these introspective forays is essentially a
collaborative effort. As through my song-texts, I am also in dialogue
with my band mates, who obviously have to understand, and to a
certain extent share, the essence and meanings of the song-texts
to effectively create the musical backdrop and ambience which
tie in effectively with the aura the song-texts convey. In my view,
lyrics and music have to inter-lock together seamlessly to create
something credible and “real” which moves and uplifts listeners to
a different plane. Ultimately, the role of music is to communicate
something which you otherwise can’t find an outlet for, and which
moves and impacts listeners in some way, and which hopefully,
motivates our audience to enter the inner-most sanctum of our
thoughts and feelings.
Music in essence, is a way of expunging something deeply
personal and setting it loose within the wider communal world.
Once it’s out there it can take on new meanings or interpretations.
However, as an artist and musician your goal is realized, you are
driven by this impulse to create and communicate, to set whatever
resides in your psyche free.

53
 FROST LIKE ASHES
Azahel
vocalist
This idea of music having a spiritual significance is a very interesting
one. I think that I can speak for the rest of the members of Frost Like
Ashes on this subject because we have had many discussions about
this very thing. I feel as though almost everything has a spiritual
aspect to some degree. Music, however, seems to go much deeper
than most. Music is spoken of as being the method of thanksgiving
and praise to God. This is not only the natural out-flowing from
human beings, which I would say is something designed by God,
but it is actually commanded and required in certain instances.
I find it interesting that worship is not simply something that is
expected to occur on Earth, but also in Heaven. Since Heaven is
primarily a place of spiritual beings, it seems as though music and
song are the preferred method of communicating with spirits.
If there is something that is spiritual outside of the physical
realm, then it stands to reason that music has a spiritual connection
even in the physical realm. So we see a spiritual connection in music.
Another aspect of this, and I think an evidence of the importance of
music that seems to deal with the spirit specifically, is the several

54
times in Biblical scripture where among the destruction brought
onto a rebellious people, is the specific statement that the song
of that people will be silenced or brought low. It is the only thing
that seems to be mentioned in the lists of judgments that is not
tangible but goes deeper to the very heart of the people. It is as
if the music or song of the people is their very soul, without which
they cease to exist.
This is also eluded to by the many places where God is actually
expressed as the personification, spiritually speaking, of the song
from His followers. It seems that the music or song of the people
is actually their identity. In more modern times, we can see this is
the case with many people worldwide. They may be a lot of things,
but people tend to identify most with a particular form of music.
For the vast majority of people, music is everything. Music,
as well, is the actual instrument of war and destruction in several
places in Biblical scripture, and is something that accompanies the
very destruction of God. What could be more powerful than that!
This form of music must come directly from the spiritual realm to
have such power and influence. Music is even mentioned to have an
affect on actual spirit beings. And finally, God gave music the ever
important task of being His testimony to the people of Israel. Music
was the chosen medium to express the message of God to people.
That, again, denotes the special place music has in communication
with the spirit realm.
I personally believe that all people are created by God. I also
believe that all talents that people possess are given by God. Most
assuredly, the talent of creating and performing music. Therefore,
all music sends glory to God by its very creation and performance.
Granted, songs can be designed to bring disgrace or glory, to lift up
good or evil. Any musician can be used to bring glory to God by a
follower of God, and all music, even if intended to bring shame or
disgrace, actually brings some sense of glory by its very existence
for those who recognize it. Music is powerful and tied directly into
our souls; possibly the strongest link we have to the spirit realm,
and should always be valued, respected, and treasured.

55
 GANDALF
composer and multi-instrumentalist
My musical path and my spiritual life can not be separated from
each other. Music has the ability to tell us more about our spiritual
nature than words ever could. It is hard to imagine a world without
music, it is a real blessing, a most wonderful divine gift, helping
us to approach the deepest secrets of the universe beyond the
limitations of our rational understanding. In most cultures, music has
been and still is being used for spiritual rituals and for worshipping
and thanking the Godhead.
Since I started playing music in the days of my youth, I felt
connected to a mysterious deeper region within myself in a very
special way. Creating music is like practicing meditation, opening
the heart to your never-drying inner source, like passing the gates
into a hidden sanctuary.
Beethoven said about music: “That what should touch the
heart must come from above, otherwise it is only notes – a body
without a spirit!” True music can be a messenger of pure divine
love, transferring beams of the ever-shining light within all of us
into the world, from one heart to many others.

56
 ROBERT GASS
co-author of
Chanting: Discovering Spirit In Sound
Music is far more than merely having “spiritual significance”; music
is the embodiment of Spirit. Music is one of the most profound
and powerful transformers of consciousness. People who are
unmoved by the words from the pulpit of a religious service, may
find themselves moved to tears by the sacred sounds emanating
from the choir.
Music is a bridge between Heaven and Earth, a medium
through which the ineffable qualities of spirit become living reality.
Carried away on wings of song, we may come to actually experience
spiritual concepts like ecstasy, devotion, love, reverence, and
peace.

“Music is the greatest and easiest meditation to directly experience

the higher realms hidden deep within us.”
- Nityananda, Vaishnava saint.

57
 ELIANA GILAD
Author of
Miriam’s Secret: Midwiving Your
Inner Tr ansformation
THE SPIRIT OF SOUND
We are all instruments of the divine cosmos: each one of us with a
distinct voice to play in this grand symphony. What could be simpler
and more beautiful than your natural voice? You were born with it,
already full, complete, and expressive. Singing is our first expression
as we cry out, announcing to the world - “Here I am”! Voice reflects
our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual states. The human
voice is a natural instrument, a vocal melody connecting our inner
world to communicating with the outside world.
We are making choices every single moment of our lives.
Most of the time - they are automatic and habitual, like driving an
automatic car programmed on cruise control. So it is with our voice;
it reflects our inner choices and our habitual patterns. How long
does it take to acknowledge what is self-evident? No time. When
we focus and “tune in” to ourselves, we connect to the Source of
all creation. In ancient Hebrew, the words “tuning”, “intention”, and
“direction” all share the same root:

58
 Like the guitar whose strings will create sound, even if the
instrument is not tuned, so will our human instruments create
sound, even if not tuned or in focus. Yet the better we tune into
our own consciousness, and our authentic and natural voice, the
better we are able to live and connect harmoniously with others in
the world.

59
 TED GIOIA
Author of
Healing Songs and Work Songs
Music is devalued when it is only used for entertainment. In traditional
societies, the soundscape is far more powerful. Songs are change
agents. They transform the lives of individuals and communities.
The music of a culture establishes its relationship with the divine,
and even when songs enter the everyday spheres of work and play,
everything they touch is spiritualized to some degree.
Remember that the Latin word for singing “cantare” carries the
additional meaning of a magical spell. Our word “incantation” comes
from this same root. This is the way I prefer to look at music: it is a
form of enchantment, a type of incantation. Most people today have
forgotten this aspect of sound and song. You can’t blame them. We
all live in a degraded aural culture. Let’s call it the era of “American
Idol-atry”, where the only aspect of music that is celebrated by the
media is its ability to make a few people into celebrities. But music
retains its power, even if we neglect it. When we need it most,
music will still be there waiting for us.

60
 SIMONE GIULIANI
arr anger, composer, and producer
Music is the original sacred language of divinity and one of the
many doors to the multidimensional realm. It’s the invisible thread
that connects, transforms, and aligns us within and outwards with
the absolute. Music is Alchemy: it’s the art that transforms every
human into a divine being. It’s the most powerful, most accessible,
and purest form of communication. Its immense power affects all
the basic elements of life and nature: time, intensity, texture, and
harmony. Music transcends language, race, health, wealth, credo,
culture, lifestyle, and borders. Music transcends all religions and
laws, as it’s not organized by men: it’s the priceless and unique gift
that keeps us bounded as one species.
Through music we all resonate as beings, and by doing so,
we become immediately part of the universal plan. It’s pure, real,
and tangible magic in our daily lives. Don’t you find it immensely
beautiful that for millions of years this magic language has been at
the core of human evolution? From flutes made out of bones, and
drums made out of skin, to turntable needles, vinyls, and integrated
circuits, music is the primal and ultimate link. All we can do is take
a deep breathe, smile, and give thanks. Music is the Mother.

61
 MATHIAS GRASSOW
composer, multi-instrumentalist,
and vocalist
As a man with over thirty years life experience in spirituality I found
spirituality in some music directions very important, for example,
much more in ambient music than in rock music. I found real magic
and charge in several styles of music, even if the band members
have a “good” or “bad” image. This energy is timeless, not personal
and denominationless; equal if celebrated with full intention or not.
Spirituality and access to deeper worlds is a gift from the universe,
from the creation. Some have talent to transfer it via music, movies
or in lyrics, and many do not, it’s a question of personal development
and a ripen mind. If music has a deeper aim, like ambient textures
and drones, I personally find that here there MUST be spirituality.
Otherwise this music is a dead and boring mass of dark sounds. In
rock music, where songs have entertainment as the intention of
most bands, it’s good to listen to a “charged” record, but not always
necessary.
The difference between spirituality and non-spiritual music can
be felt while listening with a “third ear” in mind. Everyone knows
some magic songs or records that are unique and timeless. Many

62
bands have tried to repeat such an album after many years, but most
have failed! This spirit can’t be learned or studied. It’s a gift and it
comes and goes by it’s own will. The best teaching is “charisma” in
music, to develop your own mind by feeling and practicing rituals
and meditation.

63
 GRAVE FORSAKEN
Vaughan Gregory
guitarist and vocalist
For me music has a strong spiritual significance. I am constantly
surrounded by music; when I’m driving, at work, at home, or going
to sleep, music accompanies nearly everything I do. I listen closely
to the words, and I am inspired by the lives of the musicians who
compose the music. If somebody creates music that is meaningful
to me, I’m automatically interested in their worldview and beliefs.
This influence has been particularly profound with Christian music.
My favourite Christian band, Mortification, has strongly influenced
my Christian walk, and their message has molded me into the man I
am today. I have been blessed to have developed a close friendship
with Steve Rowe of Mortification. He has influenced me both on a
musical level and a personal level. Having been inspired by the likes
of Mortification and Tourniquet, I have then felt a strong call to be of
similar influence to others in my own city of Perth, Australia.
Seeing how powerfully I have been affected by the music of
others, I want to continue that through Grave Forsaken. Ultimately,
it’s about spreading the Gospel. With Heavy Metal music, it’s well
proven that we can introduce people to Christianity who wouldn’t
hear about it any other way. This is a huge blessing, and very
significant spiritually.
64
 GREGORIAN MASTERS
OF CHANT
Toni Young
u.s. representative
“Music in the soul can be heard by the universe.” – Lao Tsu. From
the Age of the Neanderthal there has been music to accompany the
significant events of life; the joy of a birth, union of love, sorrow
of loss, rites of passage into adulthood, celebrations of the hunt
and harvests, pumping adrenaline to go into battle or sport, or
to accompany physical labor. All human emotions and life’s events
have a representation in music, and all cultures, faiths, and ethnic
groups have a distinctive musical foundation that has evolved over
the ages.
Music has the unique ability to touch the core of the human
soul and express emotion in ways that resonate beyond mere words
and gestures, which is why all of the world’s religions use music
to accompany their spiritual rites; from Buddhist chants to Vedic
mantras, from Islamic muezzin crying out the Adhan to the Native
American Ghost Dance, from the Jewish chazzan leading prayers
in the synagogue to the choirs in Christian churches and Catholic
monks singing Gregorian chants; these are all forms of music that
serve as the soundtrack to spiritual experience.
65
 JIM GREINER
drum circle facilitator and
percussion educator
Spirit is present is all of creation. However, we often get so caught
up in the day-to-day living of life, as well as in the thoughts that
our ever-active minds create, that we lose awareness of Spirit.
Music is one of the ways we humans have found to open ourselves
up to awareness of Spirit, and of course, Spirit probably gifted us
with Music! Music helps us to move beyond the purely physical and
mental realms and enter into the transcendent state where our
minds and bodies entrain and let go of mental clutter and physical
distractions. Music, when played with an intention to connect with
Spirit, is a form of prayer.
My area of expertise is rhythm. Rhythmic music is repetition
through patterns of sounds, and when this is played with intention, it
can put us into a transcendent state of body and mind entrainment
that allows us to connect with Spirit. Whether I am performing, playing
on my own, facilitating a community drum circle, or conducting an
interactive drumming program for corporate team building, I am
using rhythm as a vehicle, an intention, to help people engage in the
deeply rooted, universal nature of humans to entrain together.

66
 HAALE
Ha ale Gafori
guitarist and vocalist
It is 3:40am on December 5th 2007 and I am listening to Boubacar
Traoré, contemplating this question on “The Spiritual Significance of
Music”. No one is awake here but me. We just finished our album. I am
excited, drained, and restless at the same time, while this computer
is gleaming its white light at me, and this great singer from Mali is
singing words I can’t understand. This part I love. Earlier tonight, I
listened to Susana Baca, a great Peruvian singer. My Spanish is a
little better than my Malian, but for the most part her lyrics elude me
as well. It doesn’t matter. Her voice carries me far and I love the ride.
This is a spiritual practice, surrendering to something inexplicable,
and letting it take you.
Listening to Jeff Buckley at Sin-e, or Thelonius Monk at the
Blackhawk is like tasting a wild strawberry, somewhere out in a
meadow, all by myself. I’m totally on my own, with only the music
and its ribbons of sound. Do I quiet down and pay enough attention to
hear them? Do I let go and let the music overtake me? It’s precious,
if even for a moment. Those glimpses of connection with beauty and
magic I felt when I first started listening to music were life-lines.
They made me aware of what was possible if I quiet my mind and
open my ears.
67
 SUSAN ELIZABETH HALE
Author of
Sacred Space, Sacred Sound:
The Acoustic Mysteries Of Holy Places
Music has been with us since the earliest of time. Bird bone flutes
are some of the oldest instruments, but older still is the human
voice which shaped the air in painted caves summoning, conjuring,
and invoking spirits on the breath stream, the animating principle
of all life.
Music is our common language for matters of the spirit. Music
travels through the air and is an unseen force that we feel moving
inside of us, awakening emotions, images, dreams, and memories.
Music making and music listening can awaken numinous experiences
that can lead to a direct transmission from the Divine.
For example, for one client, listening to Vaughan Williams’
“Fantasia On A Theme” by Thomas Talis led him into an ecstatic
state where he experienced the pyramids being built out of light.
He described a state of oneness that led to a profound change in
his outer life. This modern day example leads us back into the awe
our ancestors must have felt when they sang in painted caves.
Therefore, I believe music is a form of magic.

68
 KARIE HILLERY
singer-songwriter
As a creator of music that has been described as “healing, uplifting,
and empowering”, I have come to respect and believe in the powerful
medium that is music. Music “speaks” a language all its own. It’s a
language of and to the heart, a spiritual connection between heart,
mind, and “Spirit”.
The spiritual significance of music is the ability it has to reach
living things on a level beyond other forms of communication. Music
has been shown to soothe and heal the spirit, not only of humans,
but of animals. Personally, creating music is a spiritual experience,
a connecting with something inside as well as outside of myself.
I recognize that although I bring my personal gifts to my songs,
they are inspired and come through me as much as from me. Music
can move people, bringing up buried emotions, touching the soul.
When tears or smiles come up, when one’s skin gets goose bumps
or the hair on one’s arm stands up, it illustrates music’s ability to
connect at a soul level, to move and to heal. For me, music is pure
joy, the outward expression of Spirit within me. My path is to use
this gift to help heal myself, my listeners, and to inspire us all to live
a more peaceful life.

69
 LARRY HURTADO
Author of
At The Origins Of Christian Worship:
The Context And Char acter Of Earliest
Christian Devotion
I urge you and others genuinely concerned about worship, music, and
Biblical teaching to read carefully a recent study of contemporary
worship music and how it fails to reflect Christian teaching of God
as Holy Trinity. Lester Ruth’s “Lex Amandi, Lex Orandi: The Trinity
In The Most-Used Contemporary Christian Worship Songs” [pages
342 - 359] in “The Place Of Christ In Liturgical Prayer: Christology,
Trinity, And Liturgical Theology” (2008) edited by Bryan D. Spinks,
and available from Liturgical Press.
Lester Ruth’s perceptive study shows the problems: a lot of
“contemporary” worship-music focuses on sentiment, and measures
success by intensity of sentiment, but with scant regard for the
truth of the Gospel and the revelation of God. It isn’t holistic, failing
to take seriously the need to love God with our hearts, minds, souls,
and strength.
Early Christian worship had no instruments, no elaborate
melodies, certainly no musical groups, or sound-systems. If you

70
study what we believe to be the earliest songs [for example,
Philippians 2:6-11; Colossians 1:15-20; Revelation 4:11; and
Revelation 5:9-10], they focus on the work of Christ, and the glories
of God, always defining Jesus with reference to God the Father,
in words packed with profound theological meaning. Nothing light,
fluffy, and sentimental there!
Music can not be a substitute for God. God’s dear Son, Jesus
Christ, is our sole mediator with God, and we can get no closer to
God than the cross of Christ can bring us. The Holy Spirit is God’s
power that enables true worship. Music, and all other such efforts,
are at best only human responses to God’s prior and enabling
actions. Music can’t bring us to God, or God to us. Only Jesus brings
us to the Father, and only the Holy Spirit makes our worship true
and effective.

71
 INSURRECTION
Anton Honkonen
guitarist and vocalist
The spiritual side has always been of great importance to me and
the music I create. The art of conveying my own feelings, and
inspiring people to think in different directions, other than the
one being served to us on a silver platter by today’s society, is
something I find very interesting. Because if you ask me, that is not
a very healthy, nor free, way of living. It is easy to generalize and
blame all the faults in our own lives on the Western world, the
greater religions and all the great leaders of our societies. But
the responsibility to do something about our lives, to better
them, to make ourselves feel better, is our own. It’s our responsibility
as individuals!
It is our right as individuals and living creatures to live with
the values and ways we choose as our own. But how many of us
actually take the chance? As an artist, describing my feelings, as
well as discovering new ones, in my music and lyrics is incredibly
important to me. It’s a highly personal fundamental idea: an
aspiration to reach inner and spiritual satisfaction. I want to reach
and describe a feeling or a state of mind, which can be explained as

72
a sort of quiet, warm, fragile and strengthening clarity. Musically,
the goal is to communicate this feeling and maybe inspire someone
to familiarize themselves with alternative ways of thinking, as an
individual. If people were to get touched by my music it is to be
considered a bonus, because in the end, it all comes down to my
own purposes.
Whether people choose to take their own way, or the one
provided by society, interests me solely because of my belief that
people who await a higher form of being or power to reveal itself
and show them the way to inner and outer satisfaction are not
only lazy but stupid. We are all free individuals and life should not
be about worshipping someone or something, but rather satisfying
your own goals and urges.
Regarding my lyrics, you can say that I am trying to describe
a feeling of “the silence of the warm clarity” that I urge for. To
express this into words is sometimes a very difficult task, but it
also presents the opportunity for many interesting thoughts and
metaphors. Through my lyrics I also describe my view on the world
and the society of today. It can be said that I have a “centre” that I
try to describe and share, but that I try to find different ways to lead
to, and different doors to open up to, the centre; to communicate
my message about finding and reaching for the perfect way to “the
silence of the warm clarity”.

73
 JOSHUA
Joshua Per ahia
guitarist
I know there is a “spiritual significance of music”, because we were
not only commanded by the Almighty to make a joyful noise unto
Him with praise, while our awesome God describes the various
instruments to praise Him with, but with that praise comes the
“other side” of this lifting up of our love to the Heavenly Father.
I believe that Satan who himself was a musician, finds himself
in the middle of this communication with the Most High. While it is
a tremendous feeling of love, joy, and honor in praise music, and
lifting up the name of the Most High, there is also a jealousy from
Satan and his minions with their assigned powers in the music we
hear everyday. The albums from my band Joshua have been attacked
by the powers that be, and it has always come from men who have
been deeply angered with my lyrics. The music I wrote was always
given the most rewarding acceptance from the world, but my lyrics
have made me terrible enemies from the record labels.
The Lord told us to go out into the world and preach the Good
News to all, but my lyrics have been constantly the source of any
and all attacks from record labels and unbelievers. These are major

74
record labels whose A&R employees have threatened me with legal
action and termination due to the lyrical content. If this is not a
matter of “Spiritual Warfare”, and “Spiritual Significance”, then
nothing in this world has any significance at all.
I have no idea how my praise music became a fight to the finish
in the world, but it has. I refused to change the lyrics, and would
soon be terminated from my label if we did not find a compromise
that suited the people in charge. These labels are well known
throughout the world, and give significance to this spiritual attack.
Satan has his own followers, programmed and waiting to attack
men of faith, and realize how influential music is with praise to the
Almighty. It is seen as a weapon in many cases. It is a weapon that
can be used to plunder the kingdom of Hell. Spiritual music can
easily free people from the chains that bind their hearts and minds.
Music that is filled with the Holy Spirit, is an antidote to the sin
nature that exudes from music written by secular men and women.
You can hear the evil in pop culture, and the music that surrounds
it. It develops into a stronger force every few years. You can see
this significance when a song has the emotion to make one cry, or
just get angry when you hear it.
I believe the spiritual significance of music is a bending of
man’s knees to the Almighty in joy, love, and complete surrender.
Our hearts are filled with overwhelming joy and indescribable faith
that our Holy Father has chosen for us to live with Him in paradise,
for accepting His pardon. He died and resurrected to save us from
eternal separation from His Kingdom and Glory. He took our place
on the cross, and that is why we are filled with this passionate gift
called music. Yes, He gave us untold number of gifts and blessings,
but music is my special anointing the Almighty has blessed me
with. My heart is beating with thunder, and my soul is absorbed
with electric flames of emotional flood gates that are ready to burst
when I am inspired with a song that seems to come from nowhere,
and just becomes a real and tangible thing. The most spiritually
significant power that emerges from music, is the ability to touch
people where they are most vulnerable, and that is deep inside your

75
 being, or soul. Others may say your heart, but what is touched is
the personification of emotion you have that governs your life when
inspired by something, or someone. In this case, it is the spiritual
significance of music. This can bring any person closer to God, and
with that being said, music is a major player in the Spiritual world.

76
 ARIA JOY
Sound Healing Minister
MUSIC TO MY EARS
When I was child, I remember my Grandmother saying to me one
day that it was like “music to her ears” when she heard me speak
in a nice tone and say nice things to another. I understood this
to mean that it made her happy, and it became my greatest child
desire to make my Grandma happy. Grandma by her words at that
time had become my Muse. She had inspired me, caused desire
within me and encouraged me in her loving way to become just a
little more aware of my impact upon others.
The Mousikos of the Muses is said to be heard by many an artist,
but most often comes to the musician. Muses, being true to their
feminine nature are said to invoke inspiration, propel creation, and
evoke a response from the listener which can be felt. The musician
then relates these feelings through the art of ordering tones or
sounds in succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships
to produce a composition having unity and continuity, has rhythm,
melody, and harmony. Melodies and harmonies are created by how
each of us relates to each other, relates to Mother Nature, relates to
spirit, relates to the concept of continuity, and relates to the idea of
unity. We are the musician and the music. There is no separation.

77
 PATRICK KAVANAUGH
Author of
Spiritual Lives Of The Great Composers
The spiritual significance of music is a particularly difficult topic
for a music theorist like myself. You see, as a Christian, I certainly
believe in the spirituality of music. Yet the things that most people
call “spiritual” in music, I can usually discount.
For example, the natural results of certain vertical sonorities,
specific and predictable combinations of harmonies and rhythmic
complexities, can be explained by the principals of association;
certain musical sounds “remind” the listener of certain spiritual
associations from the listener’s life. In other words, a music theorist
is the spoiler of such a question.
What most people call spiritual in music we simply explain in
the most natural and boring of terms. Nevertheless, I know that
there is much within the musical world that can only be defined as
spiritual. When I hear a Beethoven sonata or a Brahms symphony,
it is clear that God divinely inspired the composer to create those
specific combinations of musical ideas. It is as if the Lord wanted us
to have a glimpse of the heavenly world to come. He gives us music
in this natural and temporal world, so that we might have a taste
for, and hunger after, the spiritual world that will never end.

78
 MAYA & SAGE KNOWLES
Spirit Singer Productions
DEEP WATERS OF MUSIC AND THE SOUL
Music is the bridge to the soul. Music is the key to opening the
heart. It enters the ears and then travels to the heart and mind
with messages of hope, comfort, inspiration, truth, and joy. Music
also travels the deep waters of the vibrational ocean of sounds and
tones to spin the chakras, loosen blocks in the emotional system,
and create a safety net for the heart to open, and allow deeper
layers of purification. This creates new possibility. We may be willing
to let outdated beliefs rest in peace. We may be willing to put our
life on the line and take a stand for why we are here.
Music as pure spiritual practice can be used to consciously
decharge stress and negativity. It can be a direct link to the Divine
and an extraordinary experience of bliss. Music can heal in an
instant because it travels across worlds, in and out of the realm
of deep silence that can switch appearances in a miracle moment.
Music is both sound and silence in a divine dance that makes it
ancient and new. Music is always spiritual, always reaching in to the
deep waters of the soul to pull us closer to who we really are.

79
 JOHN KULIAS
composer and flutist
I believe the spiritual significance of music is a connection to our
heart and soul. It is an expression of our being, who we truly are
and what is inside our heart. Music surrounds each moment of our
life. Think of what the very first sound you hear when you awaken
in the morning. Your breath, your heartbeat; each of us creates this
music. It is the music of our spirit. It is an expression of ourselves,
our spirit.
When I close my eyes and play the flute, the music that comes
from the flute is an expression of what lies in my heart. My spirit.
Sure, you can play a song and that song can be music. You can also
play a heart song which, for me, is very different. Playing from the
heart expresses what is inside my soul. It is who and what I am,
and is expressed as music. It is a way of bearing my soul through
music. I can hear this each time I pick up a flute.
The songs reflect what feelings are in my heart at the time.
Happiness, joy, love: they all come out of my spirit as music. Playing
music from my heart is a meditation and is healing in the way it affects
me. Music brings a calming balance to my life and grounds me.

80
 DAVID LANZ
pianist
Music, like spirit, is invisible. Yet it moves us to sing, dance, laugh,
cry, even march to war, to heal, and pray. Music has the power to
bring thousands of people together to celebrate. What else in life
has this power? Everything on this Earth eventually crumbles and
returns to the dust of which it was made. Only Spirit remains. Great
music endures centuries, outliving it’s creators and performers.
Music, being so related to spirit, is not only a wonderful tonic,
but an inspirational force and powerful ally that can lead one out of
spiritual darkness alleviating emotional, physiological, and physical
pain; restoring and refreshing the soul. Is it the voice of God? The
sound of nature? Music, like spirit, like God, is indeed invisible
and humankind will be wise to recognize it’s healing and spiritual
significance, and they need only to listen!

81
 STEPHEN LINSTEADT
Author of
The Heart Of Health: The Principles Of
Physical Health And Vitality
Music is the tangible semblance of the Divine Emanation that is
the creator and sustainer of matter, time, and space. Music calls
nostalgically to The Hymn of Creation to which Pythagoras turned
his ears and fixed his attention whereby hearing and understanding
the universal harmony more intense than anything affected by
ordinary sounds.
The spiritual significance of music lies in its imitation and
reminder of the Creative Word through instruments and voice.
Ultimately, it serves to beckon one to obtain the knowledge of how
to hear God for themselves.

82
 ANDREW LYDDON
Author of
Working With Singing Bowls:
A Sacred Journey
First of all, we need to go back a little in time and note how music
has over the centuries supported and enhanced spiritual practice
in both the East and West. We have only to hear Western church
music, or the sound of Tibetan monks chanting to realise that music
and sacred sound are powerful spiritual tools, and that these ancient
traditions have much to teach us.
If we consider, for example, the ancient Egyptian mysteries,
we will see that all the arts had a sacred place in determining
spiritual unfoldment and understanding. By proceeding from the
understanding that fundamentally all creation is vibration, ourselves
included, we will begin to rediscover the basis of a spiritually inspired
music, and in the arts generally.
Modern physics is happy to describe a Cosmos containing
multiple dimensions, which coincides with the view of spiritual
science. Furthermore, spiritual science would suggest the reality
of different types of existence in higher dimensions. Historically
these existences have been named “Angels” or “Devas” and it is
suggested that some of these beings have a special affinity with
and influence on music.
83
 We can demonstrate empirically the pattern forming nature of
physical sound. Let us note that which is “material” and “spiritual”
could be understood as differently moving or vibrating states of
energy or matter or consciousness. Let us picture in our creative
imagination the beautiful spiritual forms which can be generated
by voice and instrument as inspired by higher existences. Let us
conceive of the higher sounds which could thus be created and note
the beautiful upliftment and joy to be experienced by the listener
here on Mother Earth.
How could we facilitate this? Perhaps by letting go of the
demands of the little self, abandoning the selfishness of the “lower
ego” or personal desire, and aiming to help and uplift all beings. We
could also develop the practice of meditation which cultivates and
opens our inner awareness and receptivity. This is not to dull the
waking consciousness but to enhance it positively and un-aided by
any artificial stimulants.
Before we begin to compose or play, it would be very helpful
to call on the assistance of the spiritual worlds, done according to
the custom and practice of the individual concerned. The more we
all do this, the more we can connect with music and spirituality in a
conscious living way. As we undertake a sustained spiritual practice,
our realisation will expand so that ultimately there is no “higher” or
“lower”, no “you” or “I”, simply that all life is realised as One.

84
 PAUL MADAULE
Author of
When Listening Comes Alive: A Guide To
Effective Learning And Communication
As an “ear tuner”, I use music to improve and develop the listening
skills of people of all ages suffering from a wide range of issues
affecting their learning, language, communication, and sense of
self. After more than thirty-five years of practice, not a day goes
by without one of these “wow moments”! What music can do keeps
me astounded. For me, what’s most impressive about music is that,
whoever we are, music finds a way to reach us. When I say “we”,
I do not refer exclusively to the human species, but “we” as living
beings because music has an impact on animals as well as plants.
Music also reaches us in situations where very little does, from the
severely brain injured to the comatose; it is our life companion from
our pre-natal days to our last moments.
Closer to home, there was a time in my life when I desperately
wanted to access music, but I couldn’t. I wanted to play guitar but
motor and coordination issues made it impossible to dissociate the
movements of my right and left hand. I wanted to sing but, while
I was able to carry a tune, my voice was flat and bland, and I was

85
 painfully off beat. The learning disability which affected my reading,
writing, organization skills, and self-expression had also cut me
off music. If there is such a thing as musical intelligence, I was a
musical idiot. This is what I thought until I benefited from a listening
training program with Dr. Alfred Tomatis when music came to my
rescue. I couldn’t access music but music could access me. Now I
am able to say that, thanks to music, I resumed a harmonious and
meaningful life dedicated to helping others with similar listening
related difficulties – and using music to do so.
Some of my most astounding professional experiences have
to do with the toughest kids to reach out to and to engage – the
autistic children. Time and time again, I have seen them coming out
of their shell, at least for a few precious moments, to the sound and
rhythms of music. This in itself is not sufficient. There is still a lot
to be done, but the contact has been made, something has ignited.
Music has the capacity to inject life within us. It is oxygen for the
body, mind, and spirit. Music is the voice of life.

86
 MALEVOLENT
CREATION
Brett Hoffmann
vocalist
My take on spirituality in music’s that: it sometimes takes the place
of what you think is right or wrong. It is very easy for the lost to
substitute music for family or religion. If you have problems, you
have problems no God is going to make right. Music might help you
find a path or give you strength to look for your path, but ultimately
it is up to you. Personally I have been making music for over twenty
years, and I can not imagine doing anything different.
Spirituality is your choice to make, it is your life, your religion,
and only you choose what is your path. No one has the right to
do this for you. I have never said this before but I have dealt with
entities, and I have dealt with death in a messed up way. Since I
was a child, I embraced the big black figure hovering over me, and
never looked away. Oh it’s all too real.
Spirituality is all in the way you deal with life. Life is real, death
is real, and this is the way it is. Now it is up to you, and how you will
deal with spirituality. Music just happens to be my path.

87
 LOUIS MARTINIÉ
Co-Author of
Festival And Ritual Drumming:
Evoking The Sacred Through
Rhythms Of The Spirit
Give it up. You can’t play a riff with your hands or by wholeheartedly
listening with your ears and still remain “yourself”. Give it up. The
self that you claim as “yours” is much wider than “you” can imagine.
Give it up. Stand back and feel wonder at the edge of the abyss.
Possession is at the heart of our spirituality. It is an act of great
kindness. To give money; to give food to those in need is kind.
To give your body for a time to the loa (spirits) to use is an act of
benevolence almost beyond comprehension.
Music is the voice of the Muses. These great spirits of the
Western world can enter into and take on form through those
playing and actively listening to music. Possession is a thing of
degrees. Music opens a door, an entry way into this holy state that is
accessible to all. Give yourself to the loa La Sirine, a loa of music, or
to the western Muses and participate in the ecstasy of possession.
The reward matches the gift. La Sirine and the Muses take with one
hand and give with the other. The call is balanced by the response.
The loa, Africa’s Bright Angels, walk a road paved with sweet sound.
Give it up.
88
 KATE MCGARRY
singer-songwriter
Music, specifically singing, has been central to my life since I was
born, and has been my way of expressing and sharing the most
personal and universal feelings I have. I think of music as a Fed Ex
system for spirit; a way to bring into form the unseen but very
palpable energy that creates everything. It has the miraculous
power to bypass the intellect and find its way to the core of each
person. What strong medicine music is. In fact, in my family
becoming a musician was always considered to be at least equal
to if not better than becoming a doctor as we understood it to be
one of the healing arts.
I come from a very large Irish-Catholic family. When I was
around six years old, my baby sister became very ill with a high
fever that did not abate for many days. The doctors were unable to
help her, a priest even came to the house to give her blessings in
case she died. We were all so sad and longing for her to recover.
One afternoon, after about a week of this, my mother who was also
a nurse, took all nine of us children up to her bedroom and placed
my sister in the middle of the bed. We held hands in a circle around
her and sang the rosary and other prayers for her. I watched her for
a while, lying so still, barely breathing. Though I didn’t understand

89
 how, I knew that we were using our collective energy through the
songs and the words to reach out to her, to God, to the Whole, and
send a message asking for help. Even at six, I knew this was an
important moment and I felt my energy and love for her like a laser
beam focusing on her. As we ended our prayers an hour later, I
looked again at my sister lying in the afternoon light. I could see the
beads of sweat all over her face and knew that our song and prayers
had been heard. It registered very deeply, something listens to
me, this universe is responsive to me, it hears my feelings, and it
interacts with me. This is not a one way street. My spirit is powerful
and our spirits combined are really powerful.
This was one of my first experiences of intention, community,
and music coming together to uplift and change circumstances. I
have the good fortune to experience this on a regular basis now as
a singer. More and more frequently when I sing for people, energy
fills my body and I feel the doors open and love flows back and
forth between us with no conditions or attachments. We access
the place where we are not separate; a place beyond the individual
that also enjoys the individual. It’s a place that is beyond form but
loves form. It’s a beautiful feeling and I’m grateful and astounded
to have such a mysterious force as music alive in my life. I cannot
understand it. Ahhh what a relief, I love that. Is there anything
more spiritual?

90
 MONARCH
Shir an K aïdine
guitarist
If you stay with us you will see that we are non-spiritual. We are
total material addicts! Always speaking of amps, bass, drums, effects,
guitars, or whatever. My practice of music is more about atmosphere,
sounds, and vibrations, than a real spirituality. Sounds and vibrations
are like ghosts. Invisible, but really there beside you; it’s not
whispering, just surrounding and making your eardrums bleed. I do
not know if music really deals with spirituality, but maybe sounds and
vibrations can be seen as an immaterial part of ourselves. Music can
seem immaterial because it is not seen.
However, music is heard and felt, so in a way music stays material,
and all these sensations are the body’s reaction to very strong
stimulation. Maybe the strength of these stimulations, and the unusual
reaction of the body, can be a link between music and spirituality.
Spirituality is more about meditation and reflection. Try to meditate
while we are playing! You can go into a trance because of the sounds.
We are not playing loud and slow to elevate our souls, but because we
like to be surrounded and hugged by low frequencies. I know some
people make connections between loud and slow playing, and Tibetan

91
 monks choirs. This connection gives to our music a spiritual aspect,
but it seems to be a shortcut. Tibetan monks reach a real spiritual
mood because the way they sing involves their entire body. This
demands extremely high concentration and a grand knowledge of the
body. Once again, body first and then spirituality.

92
 MORTAL SIN
Mat Maurer
vocalist
The spiritual significance of music is in the ear of the beholder. Whilst
the writer of a lyric is portraying an ideal, the reader, or listener has
their own perceptions to the meaning of the song. Just as a picture or
a photograph can conjure up many different meanings to the viewer,
so can a song. Therefore, the spiritual meaning of a song can be many
things to many people.
Many of my songs with Mortal Sin are black and white in their
story. If you read between the lines you may discover something very
personal, or something that may hit a nerve. This is the beauty of
the English language, and also the beauty of people having different
perceptions. I would hope that anyone who reads a lyric to a song
would not delve too deeply, as I believe the story is more important
than the meaning.
The purpose of an entire song is enjoyment. Not all songwriters
are there to send a message out to their fans. For Mortal Sin the music
always comes first; the message in our music is a bonus only if it is
read correctly.

93
 TIM NEUMARK
composer and pianist
Music is a wonderful creation from God. What else can inspire such
a range of emotions? Power, joy, sadness, and laughter; these can
all be expressed in music. It is the international language that needs
no translation and its connection to people is difficult to explain
through scientific means.
Why can a piece that is one-hundred, two-hundred, or three-
hundred years old still invoke emotions in the listener? There must
be some connection between music and the human spirit.
People often find music emotionally healing or uplifting; this
is quite remarkable when one considers that music is “just sound”.
Clearly there is a deeper connection between music and the human
spirit than just the notes themselves.

94
 REBECCA OSWALD
composer and pianist
Human beings respond to music physically, emotionally, mentally,
and spiritually. We are drawn to music that amplifies our longings
and empowers our actions on any of these levels, in any moment
or phase of life. Human will and the soul’s longings are our part in
achieving spiritual connection. Divinity constantly reaches toward
us. Our desire to know divinity is how we reach back, and that very
longing ensures that we will experience the connection.
Beauty is one aspect of divinity. Beautiful music can awaken
the soul’s longing for divinity and inspire us to make that reach.
From a human standpoint, beauty is subjective, as each person’s
experience of connecting with divinity is personal and unique.
When the music we choose inspires higher meanings and values,
and when we appreciate beauty in music, our angelic companions
and unseen friends enjoy it with us.
The desire to seek out, identify with, and radiate universal love
can be nurtured and augmented through listening to or creating
music that reflects one’s highest conception of divinity at any point
in time. Creating music is my life’s work. If beautiful music has the
power to heal the world, one heart at a time, then may my music be
a potent elixir for peace, joy, love, truth, beauty, and goodness.

95
 LEO PEREZ
composer, multi-instrumentalist,
and pianist
I believe spirituality is a very complicated word. Nevertheless, it
describes, or at least, evokes the most defining face of humanity:
Self-Awareness. Science, religion, and of course, music are all traits
of our collective quest of finding more about themselves, as a direct
result of us become self-aware in the universe.
Whatever the reasons we humans have for creating art, music,
and even science, there is no helping it. We have been doing it for
thousands of years in the forms of myths, legends, and religions.
It is all encoded in our intelligence. Again, there’s no helping it.
Therefore, is no coincidence that we often hear how composers
can’t stop making music. We humans can’t help wonder what’s out
there, and why do we exist. Music is part of that “encoding” that
characterizes our never-ending quest of finding the ultimate answer
of the universe. Sometimes we want clear and concrete answers,
and sometimes we just want to experience what our nature is.
This second experience is what the spiritual significance of music
is: the unavoidable searching and exploration of our consciousness
and reality.

96
 So music is a search? Sure it is. I often get the question
as to how I come up with ideas for my compositions. I, being a
Catholic-raised turned agnostic, have to say that there is no easy
answer to that. However, in trying to answer it, there is a strong
relevance to our original question: “What do you believe is the
spiritual significance of music?” When I write music, or come up
with ideas, there is nothing special happening, other than me letting
the already-existing infinite combination of notes and pitches flow
through my fingers. I don’t feel any “creative process” per se; only
a natural and ever-existing spirit that materializes through my
chords, arrangements, and melodies.
Now, this prior paragraph sounds pretty esoteric doesn’t it? In
all honesty, it really couldn’t be simpler and ordinary. I don’t feel any
genius flowing through my brain, or any kind of elevating meditation
occurs. It’s just like eating, or walking. It’s a natural process that
is certainly bigger than me, just like our human instincts are. It’s
always there, and I simply tap into it when I “write” music. In other
words, we could say music is nothing else than the product of our
exploration of the universe through sounds and structure. Just
like a scientist observes with a telescope or microscope to explore
nature, I just happen to use the piano instead. We both come up
with answers and products, some are explanations from science,
others are sensations and presences from art or music.
As simple as this may be, I believe this is precisely what the
spiritual significance of music is. When composers write, and when
listeners experience music, we are all listening to a portion of our
souls, as most belief systems understand it: something bigger than
us that defines us in the universe. Music then, is one part of us that
connects us with the universe, and shows us the multiple faces of
it. I am not sure how far music will let us understand our universe,
maybe it does help a great deal, but at least it’s an experience of
connectivity and something bigger than ourselves.

97
 SAMBODHI PREM
composer and guitarist
I’d like to answer the question “In what way has music made you
a better human being?” The enlightened Mystic Osho my spiritual
master, has talked about how music originates from meditation. It
was a way for people who have gone deep into meditation, to bring
back to the world a glimpse of what they had experienced. Music
is closest to silence, it contains silence and it has the ability to
make silence into a meaningful experience for the listener, to turn
a dead silence into a living silence. The silence that is encoded
into music is not the silence of the graveyard, it is the silence
of watching a sunset, of a child’s first steps, of the wind waving
through the tall grasses.
Osho emphasizes to pay attention to the gaps between the
notes, it’s these silences that are poignant with meaning, that’s
where I experience a blissful, meditative stillness, as a listener and
as a player. I don’t know if I would call this “spiritually significant”, I’d
rather say it is beautiful and deliciously nourishing. And a nourished
human being is a better human being.
Music has taught me a lot about living with awareness, in very
practical ways. For instance, in order to play my fingerpicking guitar

98
style of music, I need to be careful with my nails, so that they don’t
break. I’m also a gardener and love cooking, chopping wood for
our wood stove, and generally being active around the house. It’s
very easy to break my nails. Indirectly music has taught me to do
everything I do with great awareness, because if I break a nail, I
can’t practice for several weeks.
Writing and recording music is a journey in discovering what
works and what doesn’t. As a composer you get very close to a piece
when you are creating it, your vision can be impaired. But after some
weeks, with the benefit of distance, you can be more objective.
When you listen with this objectivity your piece can sometimes be
great and sometimes not so great. That uncertainty is not always
a comfortable place to be. But I bow down to the goddess of music
because she places me in a situation that surrounds this uncertainty
with so much beauty and sensitivity.
Music is a deeply mysterious enigma for me, particularly the
writing of it, after being involved with music for more than thirty
years I have more questions than answers.

99
 LEW PAXTON PRICE
Author of
Astrology: The Music Of Life
Music is a side-effect of our vibration-sensing mechanism. It can be
used for good or ill. The mechanism itself is a means of providing us
with different types of “weather” in our journeys through life.
Life on Earth, from the beginning, required a means of
coordinating with the universe. Natural frequencies were a means of
coordination. As time passed, organisms developed internal clocks
that usually remained synchronized with the external world. These
clocks could be reset as necessary and continued to function, telling
the organisms when to sleep, when to awaken, when to procreate,
when to migrate, when to stay, and when to prepare to hibernate.
It was as if the universe were a giant computer, the solar system
an organism within it, and its inhabitants operating as a whole to
create a coherent web of life. This was necessary for the fittest
to survive. Those organisms who were not capable of working in
harmony did not survive.
Research with the Siberian Hamster has shown that when the
nerves between the pineal body and the hypothalamus are cut, the
animal loses its ability to properly time its actions. When unable

100
to time its actions, the hamster dies. Physiologically, the pineal
seems to be an eye that senses frequencies outside the range of
visible light, which implies that there are frequencies which govern
the hamster’s actions. The key to music is our pineal and pituitary
glands and the receptivity in our brains.
What we call music is a side-effect in the sense that we hear it
when it is found within certain octaves. In a broader sense, cycles
– even slow ones like that from sunset to sunset – are a form of
music. Colors are many octaves above our hearing range, but they
are a form of music.
Scientists have discovered that there are tones made in certain
celestial bodies that are lower in frequency than any other “sound”
in the universe. One may say that everything in the universe has
its own form of music. There is harmony between some parts and
cacophony between other parts. There is a tendency to adjust
cacophony to harmony, so even the planetary orbits adjust with
time to create harmony. Cyclic motion is a necessary part of the
universe, and cyclic motion is music even though our ears may not
detect it as such. Yet, if the music were to stop the universe would
cease to exist.

101
 CALEB QUAYE
guitarist and founder of
New World Music Ministries
Is there a spiritual significance to music?, and if so what is the
spiritual significance of music? As a lifelong musician I have to say
without a doubt that ‘yes’ there is a spiritual significance to music,
and the following five points will hopefully serve to clarify what that
significance is according to scripture from the Bible.

1. Music in Creation: in Job 38:5-9 God asks Job where he was

at the time of creation when “the morning stars sang together
and the sons of God shouted for joy”. The implication is that
at the time of creation there was music going on around the
throne of God. Hebrew thought interprets this passage as God
enjoying this music so much that at the climax of the music,
He who is love, was so blessed that he spoke the words of
creation “Let there be light…”. Science today has discovered
that the planets have notes that they emit from there rotation
in space. Rhythm and notes are part of the fabric of the created
universe all of which comes from a God who loves music and
sings [Zephaniah 3:17].

102
2. Music in The Wilderness: God has given us the gift of music
to celebrate freedom from slavery and bondage. This was
first revealed when Moses broke out into song after they had
successfully crossed the Red Sea [Exodus 15]. In Isaiah 54,
the Israelites are commanded by God to start singing in the
midst of their Babylonian captivity. Their worship and music
would keep them centered on the Redeemer who was to come
and the deliverance that He would bring.

3. Music in Prophecy: Samuel and the School of the Prophets

is a great example of music being used in the impartation and
activation of the prophetic gift. This was the case of Saul who
had just become king and had a radical encounter with Samuel’s
prophetic musicians. The result of this encounter was that “the
Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them”
[1 Samuel 10:5-10].

4. Music and Fellowship With God: Of the sixty-six books of

the Bible all but one are primarily a prophetic revelation of
God talking to man. The book of Psalms is the one exception
whereby we have a prophetic book that primarily deals with
man talking to God. It is highly significant that the one book
that speaks of man talking to God was written by a musician!

5. Music in Eternity: Music was there in the beginning and it is

also forever in eternity. After the Lamb of God steps forward
to unseal the scroll it is recorded that “they sang a new song
saying: You are worthy…” [Revelation 5:9-10]. Also John
records that he “heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of
many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard
the sound of harpists playing their harps. They sang as it were
a new song before the throne…” [Revelation 14:2-3]. John
apparently heard both the voice of God, instruments playing,
and voices singing in Heaven!

103
 Suffice it to say music has a deep spiritual significance because
it is connected to God from creation to eternity. Somebody once said
that music is prayer without words, I believe it is. Music has often
been spoken of in terms of a joyful noise, but I prefer to see it in the
ministry of the believer, as prophetic prayer that brings Heaven to
Earth, and transforms the Earthly into its intended Heavenly state
and significance.

104
 ROBERT RICH
composer and musician
We process music in the mirror-image regions of the brain that
process language. For a right-handed person, language centers sit
mostly in the left hemisphere, around the temporal lobe. Music
activates similar regions in the right hemisphere, and left-handers
simply invert the hemispheres. So, neurologically we can think of
music as a holistic language, one that allows us to communicate
non-linear, non-grammatical thoughts and feelings, directly and
without the intervention of analytics or signifiers. Thus, music is
perfectly suited to evoke spiritual yearning or communion, natural
human tendencies.
Music is just as well suited to conveying sexual hunger, basic
emotions, political propaganda, peer bonding, or materialistic
consumerism. The differences derive from the intention of the
artist, expectations implied by the listening environment, and the
awareness or preparedness of the listener. Music almost certainly
dates back to the dawn of language, when we evolved the parts of
our brain that allow symbolic thinking.
From this time forward, until the ascendance of Western
materialism, music has formed a central part of community ritual,

105
 shamanism, healing, and a main source of power in organized
religion. In these ritual contexts, the artist, the environment, and
the audience conspire to experience transcendence within the
music. The audience knows what the music should convey, and
seeks this spirituality.
In contrast, in our current paradigm, we perceive the artist as
an independent entity who serves primarily ego or commerce. Music
doesn’t necessarily convey transcendence in this culture, unless of
course the artist makes it clear that the intention of the work is
to serve a spiritual purpose. The artist can create environments
that help cue the audience to seek a heightened experience. The
audience needs to understand this intention and be prepared to
experience it within music, dance, painting, or film.
For example, if I didn’t know that Mark Rothko was a mystic,
and that his paintings attempted to convey pure conscious light,
I might interpret them as pointless abstraction. Once I seek to
experience the intention, the painting unfolds within me and
expresses something very intense. I have to prepare myself for
that experience.
Music can help guide the experience of transcendence even
better than a physical artwork, because it unfolds through time as
a process. An object can only symbolize the immaterial. Music can
directly evoke ecstatic experience, hypnotic trance, and dissolution
of ego.
I think our species evolved these tools to complete the range of
experiences that language and objects can only point to. We each
have psychological muscles to experience the transcendent, but
we must exercise these muscles in order to make full use of them.
Music can guide these excursions, but music alone is not sufficient.
The listener must desire to take that journey.

106
 CHRIS ROBINSON
Founder and President of the
Foundation for Music and Healing, Inc.
The magic of music enables us to sing with our fingers and voices, to
engage in the dance of life with new movements, to express ourselves
creatively, and to participate in the world in a fresh, new way.
Through the non-profit Foundation for Music and Healing, Inc.,
I conduct individual and group sessions for exceptional people of
all ages who have special needs, ranging from mild to severe. My
experiences with regular students, as well as with those who have
special needs, is that they are able to transcend their everyday lives
and to live in another dimension. They experience more confidence,
greater success, and abundant happiness as a result.

107
 MARILYN ROSE
singer-songwriter
I grew up listening to Country music. The radio was always on and I
soon discovered that not only did I love to listen, but I also loved to
sing along. And the more I listened, the more I realized that it was
a powerful tool for me to express myself.
I remember having the record player ready for the moment
my dad would be returning home for a long trip away from home.
As soon as he stepped in door I turned it on... the song on the
record was “Hello Stranger” by The Carter Family. I couldn’t quite
understand why the song made my mom cry, I was just expressing
how I felt, and it took me many years to figure out that music
was my direct connection to my heart and soul, and later on my
direct connection to my Creator. But before I figured that out, I
had decided that if I pursued my dream of being a famous singer I
could be then be “somebody”. And I pursued that dream for a while.
But my Creator had a different plan for me. And what a beautiful
life it has become; writing inspirational music and sharing it to help
others on their spiritual path.
The first real glimpse of the spiritual significance music had
in my life came with the very first song I wrote called “One More

108
Mile To Go”. That song threw the doors to my heart and soul wide
open, and thus my spiritual journey began. A journey from my
head to my heart and soul, and to having a renewed relationship
with my Creator.
I had grown up believing in God but didn’t always agree with all
the teachings and I definitely had strong ideas about the destruction
I had seen in the world in the name of God and religion. And so it
was that music helped me to begin a new journey which has included
seeking ways to help others heal and grow, to reconnect with
themselves and each other, as well promote religious tolerance and
appreciation of other religious cultures and diversity. This journey
has lead me to having a deeper understanding of the significance in
having a direct connection with my Creator through music, whether
I am writing to or taking dictation from the true writer of all the
songs I put to paper... God!
As a Metis woman I have also learned through music that my
spirituality is my great strength, as it is for all Aboriginal people
who stay connected to their Creator. And with this connection, I am
able to now say that instead of singing to be somebody, I sing to
share the songs that the Creator whispers into my ear so that they
too can hear what needs to be heard.
When I wrote “One More Mile To Go” in 1985, I decided there
and then that it would be the title of my first CD. I stuck with that
plan until I wrote a song called “Spirit Whispers”. It was then that I
really realized that it had been the Creator all along, whispering to
me all the songs I had written. I knew then that my first CD would
be titled “Spirit Whispers” and so it was. Music is the language of
angels and one of God’s ways to communicate with us and us with
each other.

109
 HAROLD ROSENBAUM
Artistic Director of the
Society For Universal Sacred Music
I believe that the ability to reach perfection and become one with
God is within each of us. There are many paths on this journey, and
it can take many incarnations to reach this state of bliss. Whether
it is toiling humbly in the fields, viewing all humans as brothers,
sitting cross-legged on your bed meditating, or making others
happy through music, we become more spiritual beings, more in
tune to the divine within us.
It is not so much that music has a spiritual significance, but
rather that music has a spiritual essence, that music is a spiritual
force which can be an important vehicle for spiritual growth. Music
is a universal language. When combined with words which uplift the
spirit, music becomes a spiritual force, a healer, a motivator, and a
chariot in which one soars to higher places.

110
 VIDYA SHAH
composer, musician, and writer
Spirituality and Indian music, what I practice, are connected to
each other like breath and existence. Indian music has many
spiritual bearings. The experience of spirituality in Indian music is
many hued, layered – it could mean a religious experience, it could
refer to mysticism, or just be one way of praying. Indian music has
been used over centuries to overcome religious orthodoxy, and as a
vehicle to spread syncretic movements all over the region.
For women, people belonging to the lower social stratum
(caste), peasants, weavers, these movements offered an instant
connection with God, through the medium of music. The tradition
of Temple music, the Bhakti (to worship) movement and Sufism
are perhaps the more obvious manifestations of the same. Also,
the very premise on which Carnatic or the South Indian tradition
evolved and continues to be practiced today is spiritual.
At a purely abstract level, sound is referred to as the “Nada
Brahma” or the divine sound, that is to say, in abstraction too there
is a connection with the divine. The ancient Vedic scriptures teach
that there are two types of sound: un-struck sound and struck
sound. Un-struck sound is a vibration of ether, the upper or purer

111
 air near the celestial realm. The enlightened yogis seek the un-
struck sound called “Anaahata Nada”, and only they can hear it.
The struck sound or “Aahata Nada”, is the vibration of air in the
lower atmosphere closer to the Earth. It is any sound that we hear
in nature or man-made sounds, musical, and non-musical. The very
location of music is in the metaphysical space, in an aura that has
the strength and potential to transport one into another sphere of
existence – one that is definitely spiritual!

112
 SHAMBHU
composer, guitarist, and producer
If there is a universal language of God, then that language is
music. My sole purpose in life is offering soulful, heartfelt music
that reflects the bliss, joy, and sublime satisfaction I feel in my own
connection with Nature and the Divine.
Music is my spirituality. It is my devotion. It is a true expression of
my heart. It is the culmination of three decades studying spirituality
and meditation under the guidance of spiritual teacher Sri Chinmoy.
When I am flowing Spirit through a song or musical passage, it
is because I feel and invoke the peace, power, and perfection of
Nature itself and a spiritual Light shines on my heart and soul.
Music can be many things to many people. Like the colorful
rainbow of people, cultures, religions, languages, geographies,
tastes, and desires that circle our planet, Music comes in all shapes,
sounds and forms, including silence.
I choose to wrap my musical expressions in Light, Peace, and
Love. We are millions and billions of souls on the planet. We resonate
from a cosmic Source. We are a divine harmonious interplay. If
we can flow divine music, we can make the world a better place
through the music of our lives.

113
 SHANTI SHANTI
Andrea Forman
vocalist and violinist
The spiritual significance of music appears when there is a clear
connection between the timelessness of the divine and the
metronomic display of our Earthly reality. Music allows us to play
with time, in a sense. We can choose a certain sensory display to
unfold for an allotted time thus giving humans an experience of
their own creation.
Music is really just another opportunity to express our creative
nature and the things of creation reflect the divinity in the person
creating and calls to the divinity within all of us. Some music does
this in such a powerful way that you know, without a doubt, that
the expression contains something indefinably special. This is
perhaps why most religious and spiritual practices use music in
their services. It inspires us and helps us connect with the field of
consciousness, with spirit, and with God.
Sarah Stockton states in her book “Restless In Christ: Answering
The Call To Spiritual Commitment”; “By choosing to create, we choose
to matter, to imprint ourselves on the world, to join the human
conversation”. When we engage in music it feels like a conversation
of souls with the spiritual foundation that created us.

114
 ED & DEB SHAPIRO
Authors of
Unconditional Love: How To Live With
An Open Heart In A Changing World
Ed Shapiro
Music and sound is the rhythm of the Universe. Life is sound, it is
music. Our heart beats, our breath has rhythm. Sound is the heart
beat of life itself. If we listen carefully everything is speaking to us,
we just need to hear and to pay attention.
I trained as a Swami in India and was initiated by a master of
sound. Nada Yoga is the Yoga of sound. There is the outer sound or
music and there is inner sound. As we journey spiritually we may
be introduced to mantras, chanting, Gregorian music, and other
spiritual uplifting music that helps our path to Spiritual Conscious
Enlightenment. We may say we like or dislike what we hear, but until
we develop an inner appreciation that is open to all sounds, then we
cannot really hear the inner music.
In the Yoga tradition, we move inward and listen to the Nada or
inner sound. We can hear the Celestial music that is within us all. The
beauty that is overwhelming and takes us deeper into the splendor
that is hidden at the core of our being. The sound of life is a gift and
this music of our inner life is a great blessing.
115
 Deb Shapiro
It is quite extraordinary when we contemplate the brilliance of
the bodymind. We discover that the mind and body are constantly
communicating, talking with each other and giving us messages, if
we stop to listen. Each part of the body has its own vibration that
is toning and merging with all other vibrations, forming a sound or
vibration unique only to you. Able to detect minute vibrations in the
air, the ear translates those vibrations into electrical impulses that
are sent to the brain. You hear words, music, sounds of pleasure,
sounds of pain, sounds that are joyful, sounds that make you cry
out or contract.
Through the ears you do not just hear sounds but you also
listen, which is to take in, interpret, and understand. Difficulties in
the ears are directly connected to your ability to cope with what
you are hearing. You cannot close your ears to unpleasant sounds
as you can your eyes to unpleasant sights; your only recourse is to
become hard of hearing or deaf.
The ears also maintain your sense of balance as through them you
are able to remain focused and in a state of equilibrium. In this way
the bodymind speaks to us in a complex and yet simple language that,
when understood, enables us to understand ourselves more deeply
psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually, as well as physically.

116
 LARRY SITSKY
Editor of
Music Of The Twentieth-Century
Avant-Garde: A Biocritical Sourcebook
Music has the power to put into sound what is often impossible to
describe in words, and the yearning towards a spiritual experience
is one of those things. Some say that this is also the longing to
approach closer to God; others, that music allows us to discover the
divine spark buried deep within us.
To me, music also allows us to embark on the mystical journey,
which is the actual quest to find this indefinable realm, even if some
of us never quite get there. If we would but allow it, music’s spiritual
power could make us better human beings and tear us away from the
planet-wide cycle of violence that seems to have gripped our world.
Many composers are thoroughly spiritual beings; unfortunately,
the discipline of musicology, ostensibly the study of music, shies
away from writing about this topic, as it is deemed unscientific; and
so, the very engine that drives and drove many composers through
history remains largely unexplored. Writers on music preferring to
skirt around the issue and concentrate on the nuts and bolts of
music, a purely routine thing, rather than the bigger questions.

117
 RUTH SKAGGS
Author of
Music: Keynote Of The Human Spirit
Ancient philosophers Plato and Pythagoras stated that the world is
constructed of musical intervals and proportions. Scholars of today
corroborate this belief. The same intervals found in the harmonic
series produced when playing acoustic instruments are found in
multiple and disparate elements of creation, including the adult
human body. Musical laws are analogous to the laws of nature.
When listening to or playing music we are responding to the ongoing
process of creation. What is just as significant is that some music
can lead to profound spiritual experiences.
Music can assist the listener in traversing the bridge from
an ordinary state of consciousness to mind-altering states that
lead to transcendence of self in a seamless connection with the
Divine. Listening to such music allows a dropping away of ego
awareness, sometimes slowly, layer by layer, sometimes quickly
and spontaneously. When the vibrations of music connect with the
vibrations of the universe, we have access to more of the totality
of consciousness and the noetic quality it brings us; the sense of
knowing on many levels. We are left with a deep sense of wholeness,
humility, and purpose, and we are never the same again.

118
 ROBIN SPIELBERG
composer and pianist
I am the piano and the piano is me. The piano is an extension of
my belly and the pedals are my feet; the keyboard is the body that
I touch, sometimes with love, sometimes with anger, sometimes in
despair, but always with my desperate need to make a connection
to something larger than myself. The piano gives meaning to my
life. Some days I am lost in the music and on those days I play for
hours on end to find myself.
The beginnings of a song are often born in a daydream, but it
is up to me to reach in and grab the story that needs to be told.
It’s not always easy; sometimes I have to travel far, but the trip is
always worth it. When my fingers find their way, they journey along
the keyboard, causing the piano to sing my dreams and stories
back to me.
When I started playing piano in public in New York City piano
rooms and hotel lobbies, I observed that passersby would come
around to watch my hands playing the keys. Later on in concert, I
noticed seats with a view of the keyboard side sold first. But I know
that my fingers have little to do with the union taking place or the
music being heard. I suppose that’s my own secret, and it is one I

119
 keep. It’s between my heart, my soul, and the piano I play. Because
I find the piano to be more of a place, rather than an inanimate
object, my sitting on the bench and playing the piano fills me with
the hope, understanding, fulfillment, love, and answers that others
might find in churches, synagogues, mosques, or chapels. While
others meditate, chant, breathe and practice yoga, I play music.
There is no other time when I am more at peace. My time on the
bench is when I commune with all that is greater than myself. It’s
the only place I feel completely understood, free, and whole. And
so I suppose you could say that the act of playing the piano is my
own special spiritual practice.
Of course no one can sustain high levels of spiritual
connectedness all the time, and many of my hours at the piano are
perfunctory and practical. However, the act of composing music is
always a spiritual matter; it involves delving deep into my soul, my
center, and expressing its essence in that moment. There have been
times when I have felt for certain that the music I have composed
had come from someplace else, that I was simply repeating or
reflecting a divine idea from outside of myself. “A Song For Jennie”
began this way.
I was alone in my apartment stirring a big batch of soup. I was
recovering from a case of walking pneumonia and feeling vulnerable,
weak, small. It was dark afternoon and I began to daydream as I
was stirring the soup. Thoughts of my grandmother came to mind.
I was thinking that I should call her, that she was all alone in her
Brooklyn apartment. Having been widowed fifty years before, she
had never remarried and was always alone. Here I was feeling sorry
for myself for being by myself for just a little while; I was in between
roommates. The apartment was too quiet.
My thoughts turned to my grandmother as a young woman,
crossing the Atlantic and making her way to America. She had told
tales of her crossing many times, and each time I learned something
new about her voyage. During my daydream there was a musical
soundtrack, and it consisted of twenty-one oddly placed notes in a
strange rhythm, all in the middle section of the piano. Even after

120
my daydream was complete, these twenty-one notes continued on,
and by this time I wasn’t sure if I was really hearing them in my
kitchen or if they were in my head. Over and over they played, until
at last I put the wooden soup spoon down, turned off the stovetop
flame, and walked to the upright piano in my apartment. I may have
even said, “Alright already!” out loud, because it seemed to me that
someone was trying to send me a musical message, pounding it out
loud and clear, waiting for me to notice.
At the piano, I repeated what I had heard in my daydream: the
series of twenty-one notes played in the right hand. They didn’t
make a lot of musical sense, but as I repeated the phrase over and
over, it became clear what needed to be done. “A Song For Jennie”,
subtitled “We’re Almost There”, pretty much wrote itself in the
course of twenty minutes. As I was composing, it was difficult to
take complete responsibility for the musical nature of the
piece. I imagine that it was my grandfather Rubin, (who was
a musician himself, for the Metropolitan Opera House and the
NBC Symphony Orchestra) nudging me to write the soundtrack
to Jennie’s journey.
Over the course of a decade, this song became my most popular
piece. It opens with the original quirky twenty-one note phrase; it
seemed important to keep that. There are other instances that have
made me question my own sanity: hearing the radio playing when
it wasn’t on, being woken from a sound sleep with a sudden urge
to sit on the piano bench and play at 2:00am, hearing symphonies
playing in my head when only a solo piano line is there. I think of
these incidents as spiritual wake-up calls. People sometimes ask me
what I would do if I couldn’t play the piano anymore. To be honest,
I don’t think that would be a big deal. Physically playing the piano is
only one way of connecting with the instrument. At least half of my
practice time is mental practice; I can play the piano in the garden,
on an airplane, while sorting the laundry. Prayer doesn’t have to be
in any one place.

Excerpt entitled “Why A Piano?” taken from Robin Spielberg’s upcoming memoir
due out 2011 and available from Spobs Music, Inc. © 2010 Robin Spielberg/
Spobs Music. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.
121
 STATE OF MAN
John Stringer
vocalist and acoustic guitarist
I believe the spiritual significance of music is similar to the spiritual
significance of language. Music is a tool that causes spiritual effects
that are dependent on the listener and the performer. The listener’s
receptiveness can influence how the music is experienced. The
performer’s intentions can influence how the music is communicated.
Even the conscious and subconscious intentions behind the music
can determine what is created.
From what I have read and experienced, the brain absorbs
vibrations of sound, and the effect those vibrations have on the
brain can create chemical responses, emotional reactions, and
trigger associations. Music affects us because we allow it into our
conscious and subconscious. The resulting thoughts triggered
determine our feelings and sometimes lead to actions that bring
certain results in our life.
I believe the musical experience is always spiritual because
of the connection between our conscious and subconscious with
our spirit. Whether a musical experience is spiritually positive or
negative is like assessing whether the music itself is beautiful or
not. Music appreciation is always a matter of individual perception.

122
 Music can also serve as a method of meditation, and a vehicle
to bring people closer to a spiritual experience. This has to do with
the way the brain works in terms of how sound waves and harmonics
affect our brain and our being. Science has observed how certain
sounds trigger specific brain waves, and how to use these sounds
to trigger desired brain waves. I listen daily to recordings based on
this very science that have been engineered to specifically trigger
alpha, beta, delta, and theta waves in the brain [More information
can be found via www.centerpointe.com].
The recordings produce various states of meditation and
encourage “whole brain thinking” among many other things. I
have added these recordings to my daily meditation practice. I can
also “feel” the affects and have seen the results that the science
supports, including heightened awareness, intellectual clarity, and
stress relief. These results and experiences are what I call spiritual.
Likewise, the sounds in music can have the same effect.
Creating music with State Of Man has always been about how
the music makes us feel, and our hope is that this does the same
for our listeners. As a music composer, creator, and songwriter, my
intention behind creating music is to participate in co-creation. For
me, music is a form of spiritual expression to empower, encourage,
enlighten, and entertain; a means to create spiritual enjoyment for
everyone.

123
 ROBERT STEARNS
Co-Author of
Return To Authentic Christianity:
An In-Depth Look At 12 Vital Issues
Facing Today’s Church
Throughout the centuries of man’s relationship with God, we see
music being used as a way to connect the human with the divine,
the finite with the eternal; a way, to lift us out of ourselves and
point us to the uncreated God. There is something about music
that bypasses our intellect, going beyond even our emotions, and
touches the very core of our being. It is this medium, these sounds
arranged in melodies and harmonies, both simple and ornate,
ancient and cutting-edge, that unlock the door of our innermost
being in a way nothing else can.
From the psalms of David, which he sang with abandon before
the Lord in open fields, to electronic riffs that echo off stadium walls;
music can be a place we meet with God and He meets with us.
The Psalmist said it well when he wrote, “Deep calls to deep at the
sound…” [Psalm 42:7a, New American Standard Bible]. I believe it is
most often a sound that God uses to connect the deep places in us to
the deep places in Him. Music resonates with our spirit man, allowing
us to express our longing for God in the only way we can – worship.

124
 MARTIN STOKES
Editor of
Ethnicity, Identity And Music:
The Musical Construction Of Place
I first learned music in a church music school. Music was always
about liturgy, and daily devotions in a cavernous and usually entirely
empty church, deep in the heart of the countryside in the west of
England. It was an excellent way to learn music. The broader system
of which this school was a part continues to produce a significant
proportion of England’s professional performers, music teachers,
and musicologists.
Twice daily practice for services instilled in me basic musical
disciplines and an unselfconscious attitude towards performance. It
also instilled in me basic spiritual disciplines. These are harder to
define, but for me they have generally been bound up with getting
things right, listening to and singing with others, collectively
producing something beautiful in sound, and experiencing its
reverberations in space. It has never occurred to me that music
might lack spiritual significance, which makes it very difficult for me
to say exactly what I think that significance is.
Academic musicology of a certain kind inhabits a self-consciously
secular universe in which repressed religious habits of thought

125
 return in complicated ways: the concert hall as church, Beethoven,
Bach, Wagner, or Schoenberg as priest, passive listener as devotee,
romantic aesthetics as creed. In the years that followed I was
thoroughly schooled in this way of thought. Eventually I rejected
it, learning Turkish and then Arabic, traveling in the Middle East,
finally becoming an ethnomusicologist with a particular interest in
this part of the world.
We all end up, I believe, a complicated mixture of what we have
rejected in our upbringing, and what we have striven to become,
or return to. Generally speaking, though, I am sure that my sense
of how music works in society and culture owes more to my earlier
religious musical training than my later secular musical training.
So my reply to the question on the spiritual significance of
music has an academic ring to it. But it is, nonetheless, a deeply
felt response. French sociologist, Émile Durkheim stated in “The
Elementary Forms Of Religious Life” (2008, Oxford University Press,
USA) that religion was where and how society recognized itself.
We need religion, he argued, to remind ourselves how the social
functions, and bind ourselves to it emotionally. I believe something
of the same might be said about music.
In music, we come to understand something important about
how we operate as social beings, how we balance collectivity and
designated fragments of that collectivity in our society, how we
connect a sense of the past with hope for the future, how we
reconcile revelation and reason, and, ultimately, how we reconcile
the inevitability of a solitary death with our deepest instincts as
social beings who create and share. Such issues work their way
through different societies in different ways; through music they
shape something we might recognize in many as “spiritual”.

126
 STRIBORG
Sin-Nanna
all instruments and vocals
Black Metal music is only a small part of the whole stream of ideals
in a constant state of mind of obscure emotions. It’s spiritual
purpose is to unlock the portals of your mind, to create mental and
spiritual landscapes but this is not always evident in the nowadays
music scene. A symbiosis is required, that is mixing all the ideas
in perfection then creating a kind of magic. Only then will this be
convincing enough to overwhelm the listener and take them on a
transcendental journey though the darkest realms of their own mind.
Entering nocturnal forest landscapes, being at one with your
nightmares, oppressions, and pure contempt for yourself and
mankind as a whole. Although no words can truly represent the
experience you feel when listening to true Black Metal music.
Even though this genre of music is so negative, there is always
a refreshing enlightenment to be found also, that is a revelation
within ones self.
The music may change as a journey though a forest changes.
Mood of the listener also changes in accordance to this. Surrounded
by nature in solitude can be the ultimate connection with Gaia, the

127
 spirit of Mother Earth, but I am no peace loving hippy that’s for
sure but an Animist by philosophy and spirituality. This however
does not have anything to do with mere music, how could it? If
you create something audible that is truly convincing, and has an
atmosphere that cannot be ignored, then somehow this can mimic
the aforementioned resulting in a perfect harmony with the same
spiritual obsession.
I consider real Black Metal and nature at times to be at one on a
spiritual level devoid of mankind, this is where religion fails as how can
a congregation of people feel the same spiritual purpose? As effectively
this can only be found in solitude! As for the spiritual experience itself,
well obviously this will differ from listener to listener.
For me, when the portals are open it is one of psychedelic
nightmares, a plane of the supernatural, and absolute unity with
nature and her elements. To be one with all your obscure emotions of
hate, depression, and anxieties, but again no words really can justify
this shape-shifting state of consciousness and unconsciousness,
like that of a dream always changing and difficult to recollect.
I hope this shares some enlightenment into the spiritual aspect
of not only Black Metal music but also more importantly Striborg.
Obviously other styles of music that I also listen to can have a huge
spiritual connection when 99% of Black Metal bands are so mediocre!
Striborg is the music of the forests, the bitter tongue of Gaia!
Keep an open mind as magic still exists in this world long
forgotten from pagan times, destroyed from modern day materialism
and religion. Stay at one with nature and treat your fellow man
with the same amount of disrespect as they stab at you!.. Try to
eliminate all social situations wherever possible, all cynicism and
misanthropy. It is better not to see the world through my cold
gleaming eyes.

128
 YALE STROM
Author of
The Book Of Klezmer:
The History, The Music, The Folklore
The spiritual significance of music is that music is the Esperanto
of the world. When I play music on my violin it is me thinking and
feeling out loud. It is my subconscious uncovered. Music is a part of
what makes each and all of us human.
When you wake up in the morning, especially after you have
been dreaming, being in an altered state of spiritual consciousness,
your heart is beating and your lungs are moving up and down.
These rhythms are a primordial part of what makes us human and
when we take these rhythmic patterns and add our voice to this
mix, especially in time of prayer, we hear music that comes from
the depths of our soul.
The source of power greater than man; call her God, Allah,
Adonai, Buddha, or Mother Nature. When they speak to us it is
through music, and when we see them most clearly, it is when we
are in a trance induced through music whether, singing, chanting,
dancing, swaying, or just humming. I believe all sounds in nature
are some kind of music and come from a spiritual place.

129
 DAVID SUCH
Author of
Avant-Garde Jazz Musicians:
Performing ‘Out There’
In Western thought, the notion of music and spirituality extends back to
the ancient Greek philosophers who recognized music as an important
catalyst for integrating and inspiring the mind, body, and spirit. Such
strong links between music and the spiritual arise due in part to perceived
intangible, yet powerful characteristics that both share. Hence, music
often becomes the ideal partner, a reinforcing agent, to the world’s
religions by impacting the senses and wielding power to transform the
listener from a mundane awareness to the spiritual.
This process manifests differently throughout the world’s
cultures, and often carries diverse symbolic meanings for both
listeners and performers. For instance, in the Christian Church,
singing Gregorian chants equates with prayer. Among the Sufi living
in Asian and Middle Eastern countries, music contributes to socially
based, devotional, and ecstatic trance-like states. Some East Asian
Buddhist monks perform music as “sound” offerings to Buddha.
Some avant-garde jazz musicians living in New York City describe
a style of free-form, collectively improvised music that dissolves
the ego, whereby musicians evolve a kind of communal or spiritual
awareness that shapes performance.
130
 JENNIFER THOMAS
composer, pianist, and violinist
Music says what the heart wants to, but cannot speak. You can watch
a movie with dialogue only and you won’t be as affected as with
music behind it. Music touches our soul, it penetrates deep under
our exteriors and speaks a language that our spirits recognize.
I recently experienced the loss of my Grandfather, whom I was
very close to. One night, only a few days after his passing, while
sitting in a dark room rocking my baby to sleep, my mind was filled
with memories of my Grandfather and my heart was full of sadness
at his passing. Soon my eyes filled with tears and the only thing I
could do was to start singing.
I sang songs that my grandfather used to sing - hymns actually.
The effect that the words of the song had on me was calming, and
to hear the familiarity of the tune that I’d heard so many times
before brought such comfort to my heart. That sort of healing power
does not come from anything else but music. That is the spiritual
significance of music, that it heals and comforts, as if God’s hand
was right there on your shoulder telling you that everything would
be all right.

131
 BILLIE THOMPSON
President of the
Sound Listening Corpor ation
The spiritual significance of music is as profound and individual
as each person who listens. Music connects us with a universal
language to ourselves and each other, moving us to listen to our
connections and the deep roots we have in the cosmos, with Spirit,
God, and Goddess.
The spiritual significance of music is its ability to provoke all
feelings that humans experience, and to link human experience
beyond language, nationality, gender, culture, and genetics to that
which is at our core, our nature, our at once being part of all and
being an individual. Music has the power to integrate the brain by
playing it, singing it, dancing to it, and otherwise responding to it.

132
 TUB RING
Rob Kleiner
composer and producer
Art, not just music, transcends life. Art has the power to live forever
and affect everything it touches forever. It’s something potentially
infinite that is born from something mortal. Art affects my moods,
my thoughts, my ideas, and my decisions much more than people,
politics, or religion ever could. Art exists within it’s own reality.
That’s power!

133
 UNEARTH
Derek Kerswill
drummer
For me, I’ve always gravitated towards positive and spiritual
music. Not so much Christian based music, which I’m definitely
not opposed to, but music with a positive and thought-provoking
message. Growing up, music literally saved my life and I feel that
these days, I’m trying to align myself with bands and artists that
project something positive to give back what I got when I needed
it most.
There’s plenty of negativity in this world, so why not do
something positive, or at least challenge somebody’s thought
process in a uplifting manner. Playing music is the most meditative
state I achieve and there’s nothing better than being on stage, and
in “the zone”. To me, that’s the most spiritual feeling in the world,
and I’m thankful I have an outlet to creatively express myself.

134
 UNEXPECT
Syriak
guitarist and vocalist
Far from being just a source of entertainment, I think music definitely
has a spiritual meaning. It fascinates me how it can reach through
all the layers of our soul and touches our deepest unadulterated
core. Our true self, the one untainted by rationalization and physical
reality’s grasp on our existence. Put a bunch of humans together in
a same room who like the same music, and suddenly all religious,
racial, and cultural difference concerns can vanish so easily. It has
the greatest rallying power, and it makes us realize we’re all living
organisms on the same level of existence.
Music has the power to make you feel part of a grand whole,
or feel like the one and only lucky individual experiencing the most
intense head-trip alone. The way music can move the soul and let us
travel our personal mindscapes is somewhat bordering the divine.
Most of the best ecstatic moments I have in life are accompanied
with music. It helps to attain another state of consciousness and
thus is the perfect catalyst to freedom. Even if freedom is a matter
of perception, I think that the true one is of spiritual nature. As long
as music lives in your mind you can’t really be shackled.

135
 Music lets us express feelings we have without using the simple
and incomplete science of words. Internal movements and currents
impossible to describe suddenly exist in another form. Music can be
a liberation, exorcising ourselves of everything that may pass though
our system, positive or negative. Now if only the decision makers of
this world would listen to more music, I’m sure we would live in a
healthier world where peace wouldn’t be an unreasonable utopia.

136
 UNITED STATE OF
ELECTRONICA
Noah Star Weaver
keyboards and vocoder-vocalist
It is often through music that the divine voice is most clearly heard.
One May evening in 2006, I wandered into a cathedral where a
performance of J.S. Bach’s “Mass in B Minor” was taking place.
As the music filled the sanctuary, I became increasingly aware of
some sort of spirit present within the music. I didn’t know what I
was experiencing, but eventually the presence became so real and
undeniable that I was compelled to ask: “Christ, is that you? If so,
show me it is you”.
The response was completely unexpected and overwhelming.
The music washed over me like a tidal wave, and I heard Christ
say: “Yes, it is me, and I have been with you all along. Even though
you didn’t know it was me, I have been carrying you this whole
time”. Suddenly, my entire life made sense to me, as though all
the disparate puzzle pieces had just fallen into place. Songs I had
written without knowing what they were about came rushing back
to me, their meaning now clear. It was Christ I had been seeking
my whole life, without even realizing it until that moment.

137
 UNMAKER
Eduardo Clark
vocalist
Art is the only way that man can express his feelings and thoughts.
The evolutive, dynamic, and infinite colors of music makes it the
most visceral form of art combined with words and poetry. The
listener doesn’t need to read or analyse it; the sounds and waves
invade him, completely, changing his feelings, thoughts, and state
of mind. The same occurs with the composer. So, the music is the
expression of the self, in ways that even the composer doesn’t see
in the moment.
Inspired melodies come from deep within us, from places that
we only know in dreams or nightmares. Who has ever heard a sound
in the “real world” while they were sleeping? Music comes and goes,
through all dimensions that we can and cannot see or imagine.
Music is pure art, and life is a way of art.

138
 MATT VENUTI
composer and multi-instrumentalist
For me the concept of “spiritual” invokes a sense of connection with
something larger than the idea of a separate self. As musicians, we
have the opportunity to arrive at this connecting point through our
performance and share this experience with our listeners.
From a multicultural perspective, language can be a barrier
to our commonality. Music however is a universal language with
advanced unifying qualities. A simple melody, rhythmic pattern,
or chord voicing expressed through any of the numerous musical
mediums can be understood and appreciated by people of all ages,
cultures, and backgrounds.
A musical passage can have the capacity to elevate moods and
inspire feelings of love and connection. It can summon awe as well
as fear. Music is used to enhance a subject, to bring in a dimension
that otherwise would not exist. This dimension is both ethereal and
ancient. It can touch the heart and open the mind. It can bring
laughter and tears. It is used in religious ceremony to elevate a
congregation where words alone can fall short. For many traditions
chanting is a centuries-old practice that offers a direct channel to
the ethereal realm. Music can be expressed in infinite ways to offer
inspiration, comfort, and introspection to accepting ears, hearts,
and minds.
139
 Music transforms an idea into a lyric or poem. It converts
movement into a dance, a gathering into a blissful celebration, or
a ritual to express profound grief. Music can intoxicate, invigorate,
and educate. It can deepen the awareness of our common humanity,
our connection to nature, and to the tragedy of experience. The
spiritual significance of music is almost too great to define, as the
nature of music itself is significantly spiritual.

140
 RICHARD VILADESAU
Author of
Theology And The Arts: Encountering
God Through Music, Art, And Rhetoric
Music is not automatically spiritual; it can appeal to our merely
animal instincts and feelings; it can be banal and soporific; it can
be frenzied and dehumanizing. But music can also help us to reach
the depth and the heights of human experience, where it touches
on the eternal and divine.
Music has spiritual significance when it aids us in attaining a
deeper level of humanity, a level that transcends our spontaneous
egotism and reaches out, at least implicitly, to an ultimate meaning.
At its most profound level, music allows us not only to experience
the joy of existence, even in its tragic and discordant moments, but
also to anticipate, to feel, the ground of all beauty and desire, and
the overcoming of all sorrow.
The spiritual function of music is to raise the rhythms,
consonances, and associations of our physical, animal nature to the
level of spiritual values: contemplation; communion; active concern
for others, and for the world. It can be associated with these values
by accompanying words. Sacred song and chant are a vehicle for

141
 an explicit message that appeals to the human heart and mind; a
message about values and meaning in life.
Music can also be spiritual outside the realm of the religious,
and by its own proper means. Music itself, as Plato said, reaches into
the depths of the heart. It can lead to contemplation, communion,
and love, by convincing us of the final joy of existence, despite the
contradictions of sorrow and pain, and by pointing to that joy’s source
and goal. Music can console us with order, harmony, and beauty that
point to an ultimate meaning; or it can confront us with discord that
prophetically stirs our souls toward the reversal of evil.

142
 VILE
Colin Davis
guitarist
Music is as old as language, and has been with mankind for a very
long time. Music serves as a way to pass along myth and folklore
as well as having a ritual function. There was a Greek predecessor
to our Christian Satan figure named Dionysus. He was the god of
sex, violence, and intoxication. The Dionysian rites were rituals
that were intended to help integrate man’s beasts from within his
psyche. They were a release valve for society.
Heavy Metal concerts with their aggressive tonality, dark lyrics,
and mosh pit are nothing more than a modern day Dionysian ritual.
So music does indeed have a spiritual function because it is one of
many ways people can transcend mundane life and experience a
link with the divine.
In the context of Metal music, it helps us to exorcise the dark
aspects of our humanity in a healthy way. Another thing I should
point out is that during the live performance, both the musician,
and the listener are shifting in and out of consciousness, and in this
momentary state they are free to experience the music and the ritual
in a purely god-like fashion. What I mean is that when there is an
experience without the interference of consciousness, we are truly
experiencing life in the moment, and that is the definition of bliss.
143
 TIM WHEATER
composer, flutist, and vocalist
Music conveys itself through the ethers, sculpting the airwaves. It is
like hand delivering a letter to the ears. Each of us has an individual
subjective response to what we hear, and all manner of different
art can lead the sole listener to profound states of consciousness.
Some musics purely by their intention can assist this journey to
bliss and grace.
The sound of a large gong can sound like what we might
perceive as the voice of God. There are climaxes in some of the
symphonies of Bruckner and Mahler that as they resonate, lead you
sonically up to the heavenly heights. I occasionally try to emulate
this feeling, for example in “Heart Land”. At other times my sound
is designed to act as a tender cradle for the listener to experience
their own version of peace and love.
In my view, music is a miracle of emotion that has given us
our humanity and sense of self. As a consequence, a deep personal
spiritual insight that goes beyond mere words nurtures us with
the beauty of sonic love as it echoes through our skin and bones,
touching the heart.

144
 SULE GREG WILSON
Author of
The Drummer’s Path: Moving The Spirit
With Ritual And Tr aditional Drumming
We are visitors to the Earth, spirits that reside in flesh vehicles.
These “fleshmobiles” are our means of transportation, as well
as “feedback” machines, gauges that tell us, based on our
circumstances and how we’re dealing with them, how well we’re
learning the lessons we came here to achieve. So, what we do in
life – or, what Life does to us – helps us figure out if what we are
doing is what we need to be doing.
Some believe that the line between matter and spirit is as the
change from rain to fog: a continuum from denser and grosser
to lighter and ethereal. If that be the case, then music is part of
that bridge between matter, energy, and spirit. As our spiritual
intentions make our bodies move to create sound, we empower and
focus energy, filling those variations in density with who we are and
what we are. Those “sound waves” impart those feelings to all they
encounter, changing them, feeling them, and healing them. That is
why music is a universal language.
Music communicates beyond the intellectual level, in the
energetic perceptive plane. And, we always get it. As I like to point

145
 out to folks, just think of the communication that can be done with
the single tone of a car’s horn, from the “beep!” of “Excuse me” to
the “HONK!” of “Look out!”. All that communication is made with
just a single tone, changed by the emotion and intention behind it.
Just think what we can do with conscious training and instruments
capable of subtlety. Those who create music are charged with the
responsibility that our energy enters others’ very nerves, and
beseeches their brains.
Of the five commonly recognized senses, the sense of hearing
is one of the most emotionally powerful. Why? Because the nerves
of the hammer, stirrup and anvil translate vibrations from the air,
through eardrum to those bones, and to the brain. This puts the
vibe of music intimately into the human nervous system. The sense
of touch is our body, one not often nurtured. Be sure to honor
and hone the tools we have been given, for in honoring them, we
recognize not only the gift, but the bestower.

146
 ANDREW
WILSON-DICKSON
Author of
The Story Of Christian Music:
From Gregorian Chant To Black Gospel
Music is a mystery. It can give the deepest pleasure, but it is
apparently unnecessary: survival is possible without it, and there
are some who claim it means little or nothing. There are many
riches for those lucky enough to enjoy life at a level above survival:
the experiences of love and of the five senses are so fundamental
that they give meaning to life.
The rich experiences of life, especially those beyond expression
or explanation in words, can bring an awareness of the spiritual, of
the existence of God, or at the very least of a world which exists
beyond the immediate reach of our senses. For those attuned to
it, music opens a door to this spiritual realm. The medieval view is
attractive: the notion that the God-created universe is in harmony
with itself, as the nature of God is harmonious.
Albert Einstein much more recently observed: “All science
requires faith in the inner harmony of the world”. Truthful human
music will reflect that same synchrony, the hearing of which can be
the most compelling experience.
147
 WONDERFUL
Jason Holstrom
bassist, keyboardist, and vocalist
Music and spirituality are one and the same. Music can not be touched,
seen, or physically handled. However, music can motivate, inspire,
transform, liberate, and save a person on so many levels. Much like
a spiritual experience, music’s effect can be indescribable yet life
changing. There is nothing so divine as this infinite organization
of sound; frequencies and amplitudes, notes and rhythm, noise
and time. What these elements can become is so beautiful and
overwhelming, the Heavens can seem to open and sing.
We are born with rhythm in our hearts and this rhythm keeps
us alive. I feel that artists with true inspiration and intention
can capture true spiritual energy within music. This can happen
in a recorded medium and through playing and performance.
Music can transport the player to a place of spiritual clarity and
communication. It can lead a sacred dance, unite a congregation,
support a meditation, and a prayer. When recorded, the inspired
organization of sounds, notes and God speaking through a vocalist
can be heard, alive forever.
Most of all, I remain ultimately perplexed by both music and
spirituality. I work my whole life to try to understand both, to find

148
truth in both, to find myself in both, music and spirituality, both
remain such a great mystery, both remain such a childish wonder,
such a thing that I keep chasing, and trying to understand more
every day and passing year. Sometimes blocked and frustrating,
sometimes ultimately inspiring and ever-flowing. As if there was
this great light at the end of the tunnel, I keep wanting to create
and explore the depths of music and hope to find ultimate peace
through spiritual understanding.
I hope for the day that I’m inspired with the perfect song just
as I pray for the day that I can be touched by God or brought closer
to the ultimate truth. So, the spiritual significance of music, what
a question. Some have said “Music is the voice of God” and I can’t
disagree. Music is one of our great paths to spirituality, I’d call it a
shortcut. What a wonderful shortcut to such a great place!

149
 BRIAN YOUNG
Founder and President
Par allel Voice Productions, LLC
Co-Producer, Songs Of The Spirit
I suppose the first challenge here is to define the word “spiritual”.
If we agree that it refers to the realm of life that transcends the
physical world and defies description by mere words, then music
is a natural vehicle for spiritual expression. We can’t explain why
music touches us and affects us in the ways that it does. So, even
the discussion about why music operates in a realm beyond words
is, to a great degree, beyond words.
We know that a melody alone can stir deep emotions, and that
adding melody and rhythm to words can enhance and empower
those words in ways that enable them to touch us more deeply
than they may do otherwise. When you further enhance that music
with arrangement, orchestration, dynamics, and sonic textures, the
effect can be even more dramatic. The visceral feel of deep bass,
for example, brings the music directly into our bodies in ways that
our ears alone do not perceive.
When discussing the relationship between music and spirituality,
there are different types of experiences to consider. There are

150
listening experiences and creative experiences, either of which can
be communal or solitary. Any or all of these experiences may or
may not be directly associated with a specific religious or spiritual
practice. The difference between “religious” and “spiritual” is a
discussion that I’ll leave to others. While some music is specifically
associated with religious or spiritual ceremony, and some is not,
I’ve found both to be equally moving and awe-inspiring.
I tend to view many religious and spiritual concepts as being
illustrative of a vast network of energy that connects everyone
and everything in the universe. A “Luminous Web”, to borrow a
term and book title from author and scholar, Barbara Brown Taylor.
Variations on this theme can be found in religious doctrine and
spiritual teachings, and in modern science - particularly in quantum
physics. Although the languages and missions of these disciplines
differ greatly, many of their implications are surprisingly similar.
Music works in both realms; religious and secular, sacred and
scientific. This makes perfect sense to me, because I feel that many
of the supposed barriers between these worlds are those which we
have constructed intellectually.
With regard to the creative experience, many songwriters will
tell you that they really don’t know where certain songs come from.
This is an interesting observation about another mysterious aspect
of music. I’ve written some songs that were deliberate, methodical
efforts to convey a preconceived story with a formulaic melody,
while others just seemed to appear out of nowhere while I was
fooling around at the piano, drifting off to sleep, driving down the
road or slicing a tomato. Sometimes, the term “channeling” seems
like an appropriate description of the process. There’s also the
experience of jamming with other musicians, where the non-verbal
communication and musical connections can feel almost telepathic.
Even the experience of mixing live music, as a sound engineer, can
feel transcendent when you’re totally in the groove - feeling your
way through the dynamics, changes, solos, and making just the
right moves on the faders at just the right moments. The magical
part is that it can happen with music that you’ve never heard before.

151
 These are examples of creative musical experiences that allow us
to reach, in varying degrees, into a realm beyond the palpable,
physical world.
With “Songs Of The Spirit”, the interfaith and intercultural
concert series that Jonathan Secor and I direct and co-produce,
we’re focused on a communal listening experience. The goal here is
to unite diverse audiences in a common experience through music
that is influenced by the shared spiritual ideals of diverse faiths
and cultures. Regardless of the listeners’ individual religious beliefs
or spiritual practices, or absence thereof, we want audiences to
have a shared experience of mystery and awe when listening to the
words of Rumi sung to a hypnotic, electric groove; feel the joy and
energy of an uptempo Gospel choir backed by a high energy rhythm
section; or be simultaneously moved to tears by the haunting, minor
key melody of a cantor’s voice or a solo violin. These are examples
of the unspoken human connections that music can enhance and
illuminate in ways that defy description.

152
153
 ENCORE
Throughout this project it has been illuminated how music and
spirituality resonate within the human spirit. At the heart of
humanity is a song of the soul. The spiritual significance of music
can transcend communities, cultures, and creeds. Music continues
to inspire spiritual expression as sound reflects and affects faith and
values. Our spirituality is an essential part of who we are, and it
forms the framework of our world. Community, culture, and creed all
offer insights into the connection between music and spirituality.
Music cultivates community, as sound creates communication
and unity. Sound creates a spiritual connection between music-
makers and music-lovers. A song can give a unified voice that
revolutionizes and revitalizes the spirit of a community. Music serves
a social function at celebrations, dances, events, farewells, festivals,
and parties. It is a communication tool that connects by creating a
conversation between musical expression and music appreciation.
Communication plus unity equals community.
Music assists in creating culture, characterized by a community
of people, representing their customs, ethnicity, history, philosophy,
and traditions. The language and speech of spirituality is as varied
as the sounds of the Earth. Music presents cultures with a refreshed
relevance in people’s lives, and provides a way for individuals to

154
relate to other cultures. Exploring the musical calligraphy of cultures
throughout the world is a wonderful way to explore the spiritual
significance of music.
When we examine ethnomusicology under a spiritual spotlight,
we can see how music sustains culture in the value that people
place on certain songs and styles of music. Ritual and tradition are
also tightly tuned to musical expressions in culture. In this sense,
music shapes culture. Music is one way we can record and reflect the
history of humanity. Cultures have received a spiritual inheritance
by adopting music throughout the generations, and developing their
expressions of musical styles. Music can define and identify the
sound identity of a culture.
Music points to the ways in which different faith communities
respond to their creeds. Understanding creeds is important
because religious beliefs will always affect the reality of peoples’
lives and thoughts concerning music. Faith is foundational to
any creed held dearly in the hearts and minds of people. Faith
frameworks have a spiritual territory observed in places of spiritual
significance. The co-existence of music and spirituality enables
humanity’s collective consciousness to become increasing more
socially and spiritually attuned.
My hope is that this book series exploring The Spiritual
Significance of Music has invited you to consider your own faith and
values in life and music. The greatest desire for this book, project,
and website is to reflect a global village where we all embrace life,
love, and music. This is made possible by individuals cherishing the
community around them and by being a blessing to others through
love, service, and thanksgiving. May our lives continue to be filled
with the greatest music of all: Love.

155
 BRIEF BIOGRAPHIES
ASVA are a doom-metal band from Seattle, Washington.
“Futurists Against The Ocean” (2005) is available from
Mimicry Records, “The Third  Plagues/A Trap For Judges
[EP]” (2005) is available from Enterruption Records,
“What You Don’t Know Is Frontier” (2007) is available
from Southern Records, and “Presences Of Absences”
is available from Important Records.
MySpace: www.myspace.com/asvaband
Interview (G. Stuart Dahlquist): December 27th 2010 Seattle, Washington,
United States
Photo: Paul Dahlquist

NATHEN ASWELL is a singer-songwriter of

Conscious Pop from Vancouver, Canada. His debut
CD “Little By Little” is available from Brouhaha
Records, CD Baby and iTunes, and his 2-DVD set
“Nathen Aswell In Concert: Little By Little” is
available from Brouhaha Records. Nathen’s musical
journey began in the Catholic church of his youth and now continues
in performances at numerous Conferences (Affiliated New Thought
Network, Circle Of Love, FAR-West, Pacific New Thought Music Rally
and The Posi Awards), Churches, Kirtans (devotional chant gatherings)
156
and House Concerts in both Canada and the United States. Nathen
believes that his calling is to inspire and heal through his music, and
he does so with his voice and his NS Stick (www.Stick.com/instruments/
ns), an 8-stringed electronic instrument that can be plucked like a
bass, strummed like a guitar, or tapped with both hands like a piano.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/nathen.aswell
MySpace: www.myspace.com/nathenaswell
Website: www.NathenAswell.com
Interview: September 27th 2009 Vancouver, Canada
Photo: Daniel Collins

AUSTRALIS is an ambient-electronica New Age

music project by Peruvian-born composer and
producer Oscar Aguayo based in Kaysville, Utah.
“Lifegiving” (2005) is available from Independent
Records, “The Gates Of Reality” (2008), and
“Sentient Genus” (2010) are both available from
Essential Noises. “Australis” in Latin literally means “from the South”,
symbolizing the source of Australis’ primary musical influences.
Website: www.australiscanticum.com
Interview: January 28th 2009 Kaysville, Utah, United States
Photo: Australis / AustralisCanticum.com

MARGIE BALTER is a composer, pianist, and piano

teacher from Los Angeles, California. Her album
“Music From My Heart: Solo Piano Pieces By Margie
Balter” (2007) is available from Baby Grand
Publishing. Balter’s CD won the 2008 and 2009 LA
Music Awards, for “Piano Album of the Year”, and a
track was featured in the film Date Night, starring Tina Fey and Steve
Carell. Margie Balter is known as “Piano Teacher to the Stars” for
coaching Holly Hunter for the film “The Piano” (1993), Tom Cruise for
“Interview With The Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles” (1994), Sandra
Bullock for “The Net” (1995), Scarlett Johansson for “The Man Who
Wasn’t There” (2001), Kevin Spacey for “Beyond The Sea” (2004), and
Greg Kinnear for “The Last Song” (2010). Balter has six credits in the

157
 film “Beauty Shop” (2005), starring Queen Latifah, in which she
coached Paige Hurd and Djimon Honsou, composed a prominently
featured piano piece, and played and arranged piano segments for the
film. Margie Balter has also served as Music Director for the New York
production of “Slain In The Spirit” with music by Taj Mahal.
MySpace: www.myspace.com/margiebalter
Website: www.margiebalter.com
Interview: March 16th 2010 Los Angeles, California, United States
Photo: Margie Balter / MargieBalter.com

BRUCE BECVAR is a composer, guitarist, and

multi-instrumentalist living in Lahaina, Hawaii.
“Rhythms Of Life” (1992) was available from Higher
Octave Records, “Arriba” (1993), Eight Lamas From
Drepung’s “Tibetan Sacred Temple Music” (1994),
Nada Shakti and Bruce BecVar’s “Samadhi” (1993),
“Jiva Mukti” (1994), “Forever Blue Sky” (1994), “Take It To Heart”
(1994), “The Nature Of Things” (1994), “Time Dreams” (1994), Bruce
BecVar and Deepak Chopra’s “The Magic Of Healing Music: Pitta”
(1995), “River Of Gold” (1998), Bruce BecVar and Brian BecVar’s “The
Magic Of Healing Music: Vata” (2003), Bruce BecVar, Brian BecVar,
and Deepak Chopra’s “The Magic Of Healing Music: Kapha” (2004),
and Bruce BecVar and Lani Star’s “Mystic Jazz” (2009) are all
independently released and available from Shining Star Music.
Website: www.shiningstar.com
Interview: April 24th 2009 Lahaina, Hawaii, United States
Photo: Bruce BecVar / Shining Star Music

KURT BESTOR is an arranger, composer, performer,

and pianist living in Salt Lake City, Utah. “Seasons”
(1994), “Evening Angels” (1994), “Noel” (1995),
“One Silent Night” (1997), “Christmas 1” (1999),
“Christmas 2” (1999), “Sedona: Spirit Of Wonder”
(1999), “Sketches” (1999), “The Dance” (1999),
“Innovators” (2000), and “A Kurt Bestor Christmas By Request” are
all available from Pinnacle Music. Kurt Bestor is a National Advisor for

158
ASCEND, a non-profit organization providing African and South
American countries with sustainable solutions in education, enterprise,
health, and simple technology.
Website: www.kurtbestor.com
Interview: April 22nd 2009 Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Photo: Kurt Bestor / KurtBestor.com

RICHARD BONE is a composer, musician, and

producer living in Smithfield, Rhode Island.
“Quirkwork” (1993), “X Considers Y” (1994),
“Ambiento” (1994), “Vox Orbita” (1995), and “The
Eternal Now” (1996) are all available from
Quirkworks Laboratory Discs, “Metaphysic Mambo”
(1996) is available from Reversing Records, “A Survey Of Remembered
Things” (1997), “Electropica” (1998), and “Coxa” (1999) are all
available from Quirkworks Laboratory Discs, “The Spectral Ships”
(1998), and “Ether Dome” (1999) are both available from Hypnos
Recordings, “Distillation” (1999) is available from Halcyon Records,
“Ascensionism” (2000), “Tales From The Incantina” (2001), “Alternate
Worlds Vol. 1 [MP3 Release]” (2001), and “Disorient” (2002) are all
available from Quirkworks Laboratory Discs, “Indium” (2002) is
available from Electroshock Records, “Alternate Realities” (2003),
and “The Reality Temples” (2004) are both available from Spiralight
Recordings, “Untold Tales” (2004) is available from Orlandomaniac
Music, “Saiyuji” (2005), and “Vesperia” (2006) are both available
from Quirkworks Laboratory Discs, “Serene Life Of Microbes” (2006)
is available from AD Music, “Experiments ‘80-’82” (2007), “Infinite
Plastic Creation” (2007), “Songs From The Analog Attic” (2007),
“Connection Failed” (2008), “Short Waves” (2008), “Sudden
Departure” (2008), “The Ghosts of Hanton Village” (2009),
“Beleaguered Blossoms” (2010), and “Strange Conformity” (2011)
are all available from Quirkworks Laboratory Discs. Richard Bone’s
record label Quirkworks Laboratory Discs has released over twenty-
five recordings featuring collaborations and compilations. His albums
have also been nominated for several NAR LifeStyle Music Awards
including Best Ambient Album, and Best Electronic Album.

159
 Website: www.richardbone.com
Dedication: Marleen Kingsley, my spiritual sister, for her grace across
the miles and tireless support of my music.
Interview: April 16th 2009 Smithfield, Rhode Island, United States
Photo: Richard Bone / RichardBone.com

PROF. JUNE BOYCE-TILLMAN is an author,

composer, lecturer, and Professor of Applied Music
at the University of Winchester, England. Her book
“Constructing Musical Healing: The Wounds That
Heal” (2000) is available from Jessica Kingsley
Publishers, “The Creative Spirit: Harmonious Living
With Hildegard Of Bingen” (2001) is available from Canterbury Press
and Morehouse Publishing, “A Rainbow To Heaven: Hymns, Songs,
And Chants By June Boyce-Tillman” (2006) is available from Stainer
& Bell Ltd, and “Unconventional Wisdom” (2007) is available from
Equinox Publishing. June Boyce-Tillman is also Founder of The
Hildegard Network, a Priest in the Anglican Church, contributor to
numerous international anthologies, and she regularly runs workshops
on music and spirituality.
Website: www.impulse-music.co.uk/boycet.htm
Interview: April 27th 2008 Winchester, England, United Kingdom
Photo: Mary-Lou White, Reprographic Centre, University of Winchester

BRUJERIA are a brutal death-metal band from

Mexico City, Mexico. “Matando Güeros” (1993), and
“Raza Odiada” (1995) are both available from
Roadrunner Records, “Marijuana [EP]” (1997) is
available from Kool Arrow Records, “Brujerizmo”
(2000) is available from Roadrunner Records.
Website: www.brujeria.com
Interview (Juan Brujo): September 27th 2006 Los Angeles, California,
United States
Photo: Juan Brujo / Brujeria.com

160
 LAURA BUSHNELL is an author, gifted mystic,
psychic healer, public speaker, and transformational
clairvoyant from Los Angeles, California. Her book
“Life Magic: The Renowned Psychic Healer Shares
Her 7 Keys To Finding Your Power And Living Your
Purpose” (2007) is available from Miramax Books.
Laura Bushnell combines ancient alchemy, magic, and rituals in her
Magick Lady™ Programs and workshops. Articles on her work have
been published in Glamour, People, LA Magazine, In Style, and many
other magazines.
Website: www.magicklady.com
Interview: April 7th 2009 Los Angeles, California, United States
Photo: Laura Bushnell / MagickLady.com

AMY CAMIE is a professional harpist, recording

artist, public speaker on “Vibrational Awareness”,
Founder and Executive Director of the Scientific
Arts Foundation in St. Louis, Missouri. Her solo harp
recordings “New Love: Awaken To Yourself” (2000),
“The Magic Mirror: Inspired Reflections” (2002,
2006), “I Will Always Be With You [Book & CD]” (2003), “Christmas
Love: Celebrating The Child Within” (2003), “A Space Within” (2004),
“Love And Gratitude” (2006), “Dreams: The Love Within” (2007), “3
Gateways: Body, Mind, Spirit” (2008), and “In The Light Of Love”
(2009)  are all produced through BlueStar Productions, Inc. Her
collaborative recordings “Simply Beautiful” (2004), “Gossamer Wings:
Free To Just… Be” (2008), “Beyond Words... Into The Soul” (2010),
and “Musical Inspirations From The Atlantean Legacy” (2010) are all
available online. The Scientific Arts Foundation supports the value of
creative expression through research, education, and community
outreach programs.
Websites: www.amycamie.com, www.scientificartsfoundation.org,
and www.helpsoldierssleep.org
Interview: January 29th 2009 St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Photo: Julie Enstall / EnstallPhotography.com

161
 ROY CAMPBELL JR. is a trumpeter, flugelhornist,
flutist, composer, and arranger from New York City.
His albums “New Kingdom” (1991), and “La Tierra
Del Fuego” (1993) are both available from Delmark
Records, “Communion” (1994), and “Pyramid” are
both available from Silkheart Records, “Ethnic Stew
And Brew” (2001) is available from Delmark Records, “It’s Krunch
Time” (2001) is available from Thirsty Ear Recordings, Marc Ribot’s
“Spiritual Unity” (2005) is available from Pi Recordings, and Other
Dimensions In Music’s “Live At The Sunset [2CD]” (2006) is available
from Marge Records, featuring Roy Campbell with Daniel Carter,
Hamid Drake, and William Parker.
Website: www.roycampbellmusic.com
Interview: January 23rd 2008 New York, New York, United States
Interview arranged by Aaron Fuchs, Emcee Artist Management
Photo: Margarita Gorzata / RoyCampbellMusic.com

JACOTTE CHOLLET is a creator and developer of

Multidimensional Music based in Paris, France.
Multidimensional Music induces multidimensional
self-healing through vibrational music and quantum
journeys in altered states of consciousness,
facilitating cellular communication, bio-energetic
field restructuring, brain hemispheric synchronization, and DNA
activation. Jacotte Chollet is also Founder of the Institute For
Development and Expansion of Consciousness, and has produced
over fifty documentary films presenting ancient civilizations
and cultures with cutting-edge researchers.
Website: www.multidimensionalmusic.com
Interview: July 4th 2008 Paris, France
Photo: Jacotte Chollet / MultidimensionalMusic.com

162
 SUZANNE CIANI is a classical and electronic
music composer and pianist based in Mill Valley,
California. “Seven Waves” (1982), “The Velocity Of
Love” (1985), “Neverland” (1988), “History Of My
Heart” (1989), “Pianissimo” (1990), “Hotel Luna”
(1991), “The Private Music Of” (1992), “Dream
Suite” (1994), “Pianissimo II” (1996), “A Very Green Christmas”
(1997), “Suzanne Ciani And The Wave Live! [DVD]” (1997), “Turning”
(1999), “Pianissimo III” (2001), “Meditations For Dreams, Relaxation,
And Sleep” (2002), “Pure Romance” (2003), “Silver Ship” (2005),
“Natura Poetica [DVD Re-Released]” (2008), and “Galapagos: A
Musical Odyssey [DVD]” (2008) are all available from Seventh Wave
Productions. Suzanne Ciani’s many recognitions include five Grammy
nominations for Best New Age Album, three Indie nominations and
one award for Best New Age Album, and Keyboard Magazine’s “New
Age Keyboardist of the Year”. She has scored television commercials
for AT&T, Coca-Cola, General Electric, composed the jingle themes
for Columbia Pictures and Columbia Pictures Television, and even
created the electronic sound effects for Meco’s disco version of the
Star Wars soundtrack. Suzanne Ciani has also published four books
of original piano music: “Suzanne Ciani: New Age Piano”, “Suzanne
Ciani: Dream Songs”, “Suzanne Ciani: Turning”, “The Best Of Suzanne
Ciani” all available from the Hal Leonard Corporation.
Website: www.suzanneciani.com
Interview: February 16th 2009 Mill Valley, California, United States
Photo: Suzanne Ciani / Seventh Wave Productions

DR. MARCEL COBUSSEN is an author and teaches

Music Philosophy and Auditory Culture at Leiden
University in Leiden, The Netherlands, and at the
Orpheus Institute in Ghent, Belgium. His co-
authored book “Dionysos Danst Weer: Essays Over
Hedendaagse Muziekbeleving [In Dutch]” (1996) is
available from Kok Agora, and “Thresholds: Rethinking Spirituality
Through Music” (2008) is available from Ashgate Publishing. Marcel

163
 Cobussen studied Jazz piano at the Conservatory of Rotterdam and
Art and Cultural Studies at Erasmus University, Rotterdam. He
became Editor-In-Chief of the online Journal of Sonic Studies, and
also edited a special issue of New Sound on improvisation (2009),
and is Contributing Editor of two special issues of the Dutch Journal
of Music Theory, one on Music and Ethics (AUP, 2002) and one on
Artistic Research (2007) both available from Amsterdam University
Press. Marcel Cobussen’s Ph.D. dissertation “Deconstruction In
Music” (2002) is available online.
Websites: www.cobussen.com and www.sonicstudies.org
Interview: June 30th 2008 Leiden, The Netherlands
Photo: Dr. Marcel Cobussen / Cobussen.com

FR. BASIL COLE, O.P is an author, teacher, and

theologian from Washington, D.C. His book “Music
And Morals: A Theological Appraisal Of The Moral
And Psychological Effects Of Music” (1993), and
“Christian Totality: Theology Of The Consecrated
Life (Revised Edition)” (1997) are both available
from Alba House, “Angels From The Vatican: The Invisible Made
Visible” (1998) is available from HNA Books, and “The Hidden Enemies
Of The Priesthood: The Contributions Of St. Thomas Aquinas” (2007)
is available from St Pauls Publishing. Fr. Basil Cole was a member of
Western Dominican Preaching, involved with many parish missions
and retreats, lecturing at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas in
Rome, has taught moral, spiritual, and dogmatic theology at the
Dominican House of Studies, and is now prior of the novitiate
community St. Gertrude’s Priory in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Website: www.dhs.edu
Interview: February 11th 2008 Washington, D.C., United States
Photo: Br. Matthew Carroll, O.P. / Dominican House of Studies

164
 DAVID COPE is an author, musician, and Professor
Emeritus at the University of California at Santa
Cruz, California. His book “Computers And Musical
Style” (1991), and “Experiments In Musical
Intelligence” (1996) are both available from A-R
Editions, “Techniques Of The Contemporary
Composer” (1997) is available from Schirmer Books, “New Directions
In Music (7th Edition)” (2000) is available from Waveland Press, “The
Algorithmic Composer” (2000) is available from A-R Editions, “Virtual
Music” (2001), and “Computer Models Of Musical Creativity” (2005)
are both available from MIT Press.
Website: http://arts.ucsc.edu/faculty/cope/
Interview: January 10th 2008 Santa Cruz, California, United States
Photo: David Cope / University of California at Santa Cruz, California

IAN CORRIGAN is an author, musician, ritualist,

teacher, and Archdruid Emeritus of A Druid
Fellowship based in Tucson, Arizona. His books “The
Book Of The Dragon: A New Grimoire” (1982),
“Druidheachd: Symbols And Rites Of Druidry”
(1993), “Sacred Fire, Holy Well: A Druid’s Grimoire
Of Lore, Worship, And Magic”, and “Grammary: Charms And
Incantations” were all independently published, and “The Portal
Book: Teachings And Works Of Celtic Witchcraft” (1996) is available
from the Association For Consciousness Exploration. He is an
influential writer on both the Neo-druidic and Wiccan branches of the
Pagan movement, and is deeply involved in creating rites and training
to enhance Druid spirituality. Ian Corrigan, together with his partner
and priestess Liafal, are the Pagan-folk duet called Awen.
Website: www.adf.org
Interview: June 16th 2008 Tucson, Arizona, United States
Interview arranged by Anthony Thompson, A Druid Fellowship, Inc.
Photo: Ava Francesca / A Druid Fellowship, Inc.

165
 AMRITA COTTRELL is an author, musician, sound
practitioner, healing companion, teacher, Co-
Director of The Crystal Sound Institute, and Founder
and Director of The Healing Music Organization
based in San Martin, California. Her research “The
Encyclopedia Of Sound: A Researchers’ Guide To
Sound And Music In The Healing Arts”, and “The Dictionary Of Sound:
A Practical Glossary Of Sound And Music In The Healing Arts And
Sciences”, and her book “The Healing Companion: An Integrated
Approach To Preparing For Surgery” (2011) are available from the
Healing Music Organization. Amrita’s well-known meditation CD
“Entering Devachan” (2001) created with Sage Knowles, is also
available from The Healing Music Organization. The Healing Music
Organization is “committed to furthering and supporting the work of
visionaries, researchers, scholars, artists, historians, healers, and
those seeking healing”.
Websites: www.crystalsoundinstitute.org, www.healingmusic.org,
and www.healingcompanion.org
Interview: April 21st 2008 Santa Cruz, California, United States
Photo: Amrita Cottrell / The Healing Music Organization

STEVEN CRAVIS is a composer and pianist from

San Francisco, California. “True Reflections (Solo
Piano)” (1992), “The Sound Of Light (Solo Piano)”
(1995), “Lavender Dreams” (2004), “Meditation Music”
(2005), and “Healing Piano” (2009) are all independently
released and available from Steven Cravis.
Website: www.stevencravis.com 
Interview: January 28th 2009 San Francisco, California, United States
Photo: Steven Cravis / StevenCravis.com

OTTO D’AGNOLO is an author, music producer,

sound engineer, vocalist, and writer from Phoenix,
Arizona. His book “The Music Business Is Burning
Down – Thank God! [CD Included]” (2005) is
available from Trafford Publishing. He has over

166
twenty years experience in the music industry as a musician,
recording engineer, record producer, and songwriter. Otto D’Agnolo
also owns and operates a professional audio recording facility called
Chaton Studios.
Website: www.ottod.com
Interview: February 24th 2008 Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Photo: Otto D’Agnolo / OttoD.com

HEATHER DALE is a musician, producer, and

songwriter from Toronto, Canada. She has released
eleven albums of her own original songs, including
“The Road To Santiago” (2005), “The Gabriel
Hounds” (2008), “The Green Knight” (2009), and
“Avalon” (2010). Her music is inspired by folklore,
history, and mythology, and is influenced by Celtic folk, jazz, and
world music. Heather Dale is a versatile singer and multi-
instrumentalist who plays piano, various flutes and Irish whistles,
bodhran drum, bowed psaltery, hammered dulcimer, harp, and
mountain dulcimer. Heather and her musical partner Ben Deschamps
have earned several Pegasus Awards including 2009 Best Performer,
2010 Best Writer/Composer, and an Aurora Award nomination in
2007 for “The Hidden Path: Live & Rarities” (2006). Heather Dale and
Ben Deschamps tour regularly throughout North America and Europe.
Website: www.HeatherDale.com
Interview: April 22nd 2009 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Photo: Heather Dale / HeatherDale.com

DORINNE DAVIS is the Founder and President of

The Davis Center in Mt. Arlington, New Jersey. She
is the author of four books, including “Sound Bodies
Through Sound Therapy®” (2004), and “Every Day
A Miracle: Success Stories With Sound Therapy®”
(2006), both available from TheDavisCenter.com.
Dorinne Davis has demonstrated the scientific principles behind the
Voice-Ear-Brain Connection in The Davis Addendum® to The Tomatis
Effect, and established The Tree of Sound Enhancement Therapy®

167
 from which her Diagnostic Evaluation for Therapy Protocol (DETP®)
provides the correct administration of any sound-based therapy. She
is credentialed in twenty different sound-based therapies and her
background as an audiologist, educator, and sound therapist provides
the foundation to The Davis Model of Sound Interventions®.
Website: www.thedaviscenter.com
Interview: February 8th 2008 Mt. Arlington, New Jersey, United States
Photo: Dorinne Davis / TheDavisCenter.com

SNAKE DAVIS is a saxophone, flute, and shakuhachi

player from Buckingham, England. “Snakebites”
(2001), “Hysteria” (2003), and “Adder Lessons”
(2005) were all independently released, and “Live”
(2008) is available from Skin Records. Snake Davis
has performed with Ray Charles, Tom Jones,
Beyoncé Knowles, M People, Paul McCartney, George Michael, Kylie
Minogue, Motörhead, Pet Shop Boys, Primal Scream, and Spice Girls,
and has also worked on several television adverts in the United
Kingdom and abroad.
Website: www.snakedavis.com
Interview: September 9th 2008 Buckingham, England, United Kingdom
Photo: Snake Davis / SnakeDavis.com

DAYLIGHT DIES are a melodic doom-metal band

from Raleigh, North Carolina. “Idle” (2000) is
available from Tribunal Records, “No Reply” (2002)
is available from Relapse Records, “Dismantling
Devotion” (2006), and “Lost To The Living” (2008)
are both available from Candlelight Records.
Website: www.daylightdies.com
Interview (Barre Gambling): February 28th 2007 Raleigh, North
Carolina, United States
Photo: Agni Kaster / DaylightDies.com

168
 JOHN DE BOER is an author, composer, flutist,
and musician from Sidney, Ohio. His book “The
Storytellers Flute” (2003) is available from
SkyDancer Designs, and album “Flute Songs For A
Blue Moon” (2003) is available from Oyate Music
Group Recordings, “In The Spirit” (2003), and
“Shadowland” (2003) are both independently released and available
from SkyDancer Designs. John De Boer has been a multi-talented
composer, entertainer, and professional musician for over twenty
years. He has collaborated and fronted many musicians including
John Anderson, Chubby Checker, The Crystals, Merle Hagert, Martha
Reeves and the Vandellas, Billy Joe Royal, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit
Wheels, Henry Lee Summers, and many more.
MySpace: www.myspace.com/johndeboer
Website: www.skydancerdesigns.com
Interview: July 24th 2009 Sidney, Ohio, United States
Interview arranged by Stephanie Baldridge, Facilitator, Cascadia
Flute Circle
Photo: John De Boer / SkyDancer Designs

DEVOURMENT are a brutal death-metal band from

Dallas, Texas. “Molesting The Decapitated” (1999)
is available from United Guttural Records, and
“Butcher The Weak [Re-Released]” (2006) is
available from Brutal Bands Records.
MySpace: www.myspace.com/devourment
Interview (Mike Majewski): April 28th 2007 Addison, Texas, United States
Photo: Devourment / Devourment.us

YAYA DIALLO is an author, musician, percussionist,

teacher, and vocalist from Mali, West Africa. His
book “At The Threshold Of The African Soul: The
Fulani-Minianka Way” (1985) is available from the
Intercultural Institute Of Montreal Publications,
“The Healing Drum: African Wisdom Teachings”
(1989) is available from Destiny Books, and “Dombaa Fole-Medicine

169
 Music Of Mali” (1998) is available from The Relaxation Company. His
recording “The Healing Drum: African Ceremonial And Ritual Music”
(1994) is available from Destiny Recordings, “Nangape” (1980),
“Dounoukan” (1995), and “Live At Club Soda” (2003) are also
available. Yaya Diallo is the Founder of Farafina Donia, a survival
school for traditional African culture in Mali.
Website: www.farafinadonia.org, and www.yayadiallo.com
Interview: May 5th 2008 Louisville, Kentucky, United States
Photo: Yaya Diallo

Dolour is the musical alias of singer-songwriter

Shane Tutmarc from Seattle, Washington. “Waiting
For A World War” (2001), “Suburbiac” (2002), “New
Old Friends” (2004), “A Matter Of Time” (2005),
and “The Years In The Wilderness” (2007) are all
available from ShaneTutmarc.com. Shane Tutmarc
and The Traveling Mercies’ “I’m Gonna Live The Life I Sing About In
My Song” (2007), “Hey Lazarus!” (2008), and “Shouting At A Silent
Sky” (2009) are all available from Inverness Recordings.
Website: www.ShaneTutmarc.com
Interview (Shane Tutmarc): August 16th 2007 Seattle, Washington,
United States
Photo: Brandon Tutmarc / BrandonTutmarc.com

MARC ENFROY is a composer and pianist from

South Lyon, Michigan. “Unbounded” (2008), and
“Awakening” (2009) are both independently
released and available from Enfroy Music. Marc’s
debut album “Unbounded” was the winner of the
2008 Best Neo-Classical Album in the New Age
Reporter 2008 Lifestyle Awards, where Marc Enfroy also received a
nomination for Best New Artist. “Unbounded” also appeared in the
Top Ten on the New Age Reporter Album Chart during August and
September 2008.
Website: www.marcenfroy.com
Interview: April 1st 2009 South Lyon, Michigan, United States
Photo: Marc Enfroy / MarcEnfroy.com
170
 ESTARYIA is an international Sacred Dance
Artist and Vocalist, Movement and Sound Healing
Educator, Shamanic Breath Educator, Speaker,
Ceremonial Leader, Intuitive Healer and Channel,
based in San Rafael, California. Her sound healing
CDs “Quieting The Mind: Entering Alpha, Theta,
And Delta Brain Wave States” and “Divine Union: Balancing The
Feminine And Masculine Energies” are both available via EstaraWeb.
com. Estaryia, formerly known as Estara, gives presentations at
conferences, also leading workshops and retreats in vibrational
healing, teaching her “Light Body Movement and Sound System”,
a breakthrough system of integrating breath, movement, and
sound. She is the Founding Director of Earth Consciousness
Institute, dedicated to “inspiring the awareness of humanity’s
interconnection with the Earth and all life through educational
programs, media content, and multi-media transformational
worldwide events uniting people and cultures globally”.
Websites: www.estaraweb.com and www.goddesstours.com
Interview: April 25th 2008 San Rafael, California, United States
Photo: Estaryia / EstaraWeb.com

EVOCATION are a melodic death-metal band from

Borås, Sweden. “The Ancient Gate [Demo Tape]”
(1992), and “Promo 1992 [Demo Tape]” (1992) were
both independently released, “Evocation (Self-
Titled)” (2004) is available from Breath Of Night,
“Evocation (Self-Titled) [Demo]” (2006) was
independently released, “Tales From The Tomb” (2007) is available
from Cyclone Empire Records, “Dead Calm Chaos” (2008) is available
from Cyclone Empire Records and FONO Ltd in Russia, and
“Apocalyptic” (2010) is available from Cyclone Empire Records and
Metal Blade Records in the United States and Canada.
MySpace: www.myspace.com/evocationswe
Website: www.evocation.se
Interview (Thomas Josefsson): December 18th 2007 Borås, Sweden
Photo: Anton Hedberg

171
 FAITH FACTOR are a Christian heavy-metal band
from Mantua, New Jersey. Their debut album
“Against A Darkened Sky” (2008) is available from
Retroactive Records. Their musical influences
include Demon Hunter, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest,
Sacred Warrior, and Stryper. Faith Factor is also
fronted by Ski, former vocalist of Deadly Blessing.
MySpace: www.myspace.com/faithfactorrocks
Website: www.faithfactorband.com
Interview (Ski): April 23rd 2009 Mantua, New Jersey, United States
Photo: Jowita Kaminska / Jowita-Kaminska.com

FANTÔMAS are an avant-garde metal band from

San Francisco, California. “Fantômas (Self-Titled)”
(1999), “The Director’s Cut” (2001), “Millennium
Monsterwork 2000 [Live]” (2002), “Delìrium Còrdia”
(2004), and “Suspended Animation” (2005) are all
available from Ipecac Recordings. Fantômas are
named after an evil villain featured in a series of crime novels from
France. Trevor Dunn is a bass guitarist, composer, double-bassist,
and co-founder of the avant-rock band Mr. Bungle, and avant-jazz
group Trio-Convulsant. He has featured on over eighty recordings,
including several projects with composer and saxophonist John Zorn,
and with the original incarnation of the Secret Chiefs 3. Recent projects
include his rock band MadLove, and PROOF Readers, which plays the
music of Ornette Coleman. He continues to perform with Fantômas,
John Zorn’s Electric Masada, Moonchild, Curtis Hasslebring’s New
Mellow Edwards, and occasional appearances with Nels Cline, David
Krakauer, Andrew D’Angelo, and John Hollenbeck’s Claudia Quintet.
MySpace: www.myspace.com/convulsivebeauty
Website: www.trevordunn.net
Interview (Trevor Dunn): November 17th 2006 Brooklyn, New York,
United States
Photo: Trevor Dunn / TrevorDunn.net

172
 FIREFLIGHT are a Christian Rock band from
Orlando, Florida. “Glam-rok” (2002), and “On The
Subject Of Moving Forward [EP]” (2004) were both
independently released and are available from
Fireflight, “The Healing Of Harms” (2006),
“Unbreakable” (2008), and “For Those Who Wait”
(2010) are all available from Flicker Records, Provident Label Group.
Website: www.fireflightrock.com
Interview (Dawn Michele): May 8th 2008 Orlando, Florida, United States
Photo: Tony Baker / Provident Label Group

FORSAKEN are a doom-metal band from Malta.

“Evermore” (1996) was originally available from
Storm Records, re-released in 2004 on Golden Lake
Productions, and Immortal Vinyl Records in LP vinyl
format only with bonus tracks in 2005. “Anima
Mundi” (2004) was originally available from Golden
Lake Productions, and re-released in 2005 on Immortal Vinyl Records
in LP vinyl format only with bonus tracks. “Dominaeon” (2005) was
originally available from Golden Lake Productions, and re-released in
2006 on Immortal Vinyl Records in LP vinyl format only with bonus
tracks. “After The Fall” (2009) is available from I Hate Records. Albert
Bell also plays bass in the doom-metal band Nomad Son.
MySpace: www.myspace.com/forsakenmalta
Website: www.forsakenmalta.com
Interview (Albert Bell): August 25th 2007 Marsascala, Malta
Photo: Albert Bell / www.forsakenmalta.com

FROST LIKE ASHES are a black-metal band from

Kansas City, Missouri. “Pure As The Blood Covered
Snow [EP]” (2003) was released on Sounds Of The
Dead, but is currently out of print. “Tophet” (2005)
was released on Psycho Acoustix Records, “Live In
Omaha [DVD]” (2006) was independently released,
and “Born To Pieces” (2008) is available from Sullen Records.
Website: www.frostlikeashes.com

173
 Interview (Azahel): September 1st 2007 Mandan, North Dakota,
United States
Photo: Frost Like Ashes / FrostLikeAshes.com

GANDALF is a composer and multi-instrumentalist

from Pressbaum, Austria. “Journey To An Imaginary
Land” (1981), “Visions” (1982), “To Another Horizon”
(1983), “More Than Just A Seagull” (1983), “Magic
Theatre” (1984), “Tale From A Long Forgotten
Kingdom” (1985), “The Universal Play” (1987), “From
Source To Sea” (1987), “Fantasia: The Best Of” (1987), “Invisible Power”
(1989), “Labyrinth” (1990), “Symphonic Landscapes” (1990), “Reflection:
1986-1990” (1991), “Gallery Of Dreams” (1992), “The Stones Of Wisdom”
(1992), “To Our Children’s Children” (1994), “Colours Of The Earth”
(1994), “Echoes From Ancient Dreams” (1995), “The Shining” (1996),
“Gates To Secret Realities” (1996), “Barakaya: Trees Water Life” (1997),
“Into The Light” (1999), “Samsara” (1999), “Visions 2001” (2000), “The
Fountain Of Secrets” (2002), “Between Earth And Sky” (2003), “Colors
Of A New Dawn” (2004), “Der Prophet” (2005), “Sacred River” (2006),
“Lotus Land” (2007), “Live In Vienna [CD & DVD]” (2008), “Sanctuary”
(2009), and “Earthsong And Stardance” (2011), are all available from
Gandalf’s website. He plays a wide variety of musical instruments
including acoustic and electric guitars, balaphon, bouzuki, charango,
piano, saz, sitar, sample-based keyboards, several synthesizers, and
percussion instruments. Gandalf has become one of Austria’s most
accomplished and successful international musicians.
Website: www.gandalf.at
Interview: February 10th 2009 Pressbaum, Austria
Photo: Gandalf / Gandalf.at

ROBERT GASS is an author, leadership coach,

organizational shaman, and seminar leader based
in Boulder, Colorado. His book “Chanting:
Discovering Spirit In Sound” (2000), co-authored
with Kathleen Brehony, is available from Broadway
Books. His recordings “Awakening” (2003), “Bliss:

174
Om Namaha Shivaya” (2005), and “Kirtana” (2007) are all available
from Spring Hill Music. Robert Gass is Founder of the record label
Spring Hill Music, the Spring Hill Conference Center, and the New Age
choral enterprise On Wings Of Song, who have sold over 700,000
albums worldwide.
Websites: www.sacredunion.com and www.springhillmedia.com
Interview: June 29th 2008 Boulder, Colorado, United States
Interview arranged by Kim Monteleone, Mountainlion Management
Photo: Robert Gass / SpringHillMedia.com

ELIANA GILAD is an author, composer, spiritual

peace activist, and Founder of the Voices of Eden
Healing Music and Peace Center in Galilee, Israel.
She helps people to manifest the essence of creation
through the voice of silence. Her books “Rhythms
Of The Natural Voice” (2002), and “Quiet In The Eye
Of The Storm: Living Peace In A War Zone” (2006) are both
independently released and available from VoicesOfEden.com. This
digital book and audio program was written, recorded, and self-
published during the Israeli-Lebanon War in 2006. The project is
currently being translated into Hebrew, Arabic, German, French, and
Spanish. Her forthcoming book is “Miriam’s Secret: Midwiving Your
Inner Transformation”. Her albums “Course In Ease: Stress Release
With Hebrew Meditation” (2001), “Rhythms Of The Natural Voice”
(2001), “Noam: Healing Lullaby Music” (2003), “Bible, Beatles &
Beyond” (2005), and “Sepphoris: Music For Meditation From Ancient
Israel” (2010) are all available from CDBaby.com, iTunes.com,
MusicMatch.com, and Rhapsody.com. Eliana Gilad’s has appeared on
stage with vocalist Bobby McFerrin, drummer Glen Velez, and sacred
music and folk masters from the Eastern traditions. Her spiritual
influences include Lester Levenson, Paramahansa Yogananda,
Amarananda Bhairavan and most importantly, the biblical prophetess
Miriam, whose musical legacy Gilad has dedicated her life to revive.
Eliana publishes an authentic voice blog, and offers a free five day
“Release Your Stress - Increase Your Results” course and music
meditation on her Website: www.voicesofeden.com, and

175
 Blog: www.inspirationalmessage.blogspot.com
Interview: May 25th 2009 Galilee, Israel
Photo: Eliana Gilad / VoicesOfEden.com

TED GIOIA (pronounced “joy-ya”) is an author,

composer, jazz critic, music historian, and pianist
living in Plano, Texas. His books “The Imperfect
Art: Reflections On Jazz And Modern Culture”
(1990), “West Coast Jazz” (1992), and “The History
Of Jazz” (1998) are all available from Oxford
University Press, “Healing Songs” (2006), and “Work Songs” (2006)
are both available from Duke University Press, and “Delta Blues”
(2008) is available from W. W. Norton & Company. His recordings
include “The End Of The Open Road” (1988), “Tango Cool” (1990),
and “The City Is A Chinese Vase” (1998). Ted Gioia was one of the
founders of Stanford University’s Jazz Studies program, and of
the music web portal Jazz.com.
Websites: www.tedgioia.com, www.greatbooksguide.com, and
www.jazz.com
Interview: March 21st 2008 Plano, Texas, United States
Photo: Kent Barker / TedGioia.com

SIMONE GIULIANI, also known as 4MuLA, is a

music producer, film composer, arranger,
orchestrator and keyboard player living in
Manhattan, New York. He is currently recording and
producing Sambismo, a project with multi-
instrumentalist Zé Luis Oliveira (Gilberto Gil, Tania
Maria) and DJ and producer Béco Dranoff (Red, Hot & Rio, Bebel
Gilberto). Recently he collaborated with Miho Hatori from Cibo Matto
on the soundtrack for the movie “Color Me Love” (2010). Simone
composed original music for “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”, Spike
Lee’s “Humanity” project, CBS News, Volkswagen, the Golden Globe-
nominated TV movie “A Raisin In The Sun” (2008), the original
soundtracks of “Little Gold Men” and “Blindspot”, and the best-selling
CD release Café del Mar. Since 2007, Simone has been joining forces
with Grammy Award-winning producer Jason Olaine for Monterey
176
Jazz Festival Records and Concord Music Group, working on rare live
recordings of Miles Davis Quintet, Dave Brubeck, Sarah Vaughan,
Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie and Louis Armstrong among others.
Simone’s music can also be heard in the film “Beyond Ipanema”
featuring David Byrne, M.I.A., and Devendra Banhart. He is also the
Founder of Emunity Records, a digital label that focuses on future-
lounge, nu-jazz, and ambient soundscapes.
Website: www.simonegiuliani.com
Interview: August 31st 2009 New York, New York, United States
Photo: Michael Weintrob / MichaelWeintrob.com

MATHIAS GRASSOW is a composer, multi-

instrumentalist, music producer, and vocalist from
Wiesbaden, Germany. “Psychic Dome” (1993) is
available from Aquarius International Music,
“Ambience” (1995) is available from Divine
Frequency Records, “Lifecycle” (1996), and
“Prophecy” (1998) are both available from Aquarius International
Music, “Deeper Purity [CD-R]” (2006), “Elixir [CD-R]” (2006), “Clear
Light Of Death [CD-R]” (2007), “Calibration [CD-R]” (2009),
“Dissolution [Re-Released CD-R]” (2009), “Transpersonal [CD-R]”
(2009) are all independently released and are available from Practising
Nature, “Himavat [Re-Released]” (2009), and “The Fragrance Of
Eternal Roses [Re-Released]” (2009) will both be available from
Musical Philosophy. Mathias Grassow creates music on flutes, guitars,
singing bowls, tambouras, zithers, and some home-built instruments.
Website: www.mathias-grassow.de
Interview: April 17th 2009 Wiesbaden, Germany
Photo: Mathias Grassow / Mathias-Grassow.de

GRAVE FORSAKEN are a Christian thrash-metal band

from Perth, Australia. “Grave Forsaken (Self-Titled)
[EP]” (2005) was independently released, “Beside The
River Of Blood” (2006), “Horror And Sadness [EP]”
(2007), “Destined For Ascension” (2008), “This Day
Forth” (2009), “Light The Hall!” (2009), and “Fight To
The Death” (2010) are all available from Soundmass.
177
 Website: www.graveforsaken.com
Interview (Vaughan Gregory): January 7th 2008 Perth, Australia
Photo: Grave Forsaken / GraveForsaken.com

GREGORIAN MASTERS OF CHANT are a neo-

Gregorian chant act from Hamburg, Germany. The
group perform covers of modern pop and rock
songs in the vocal style of Gregorian chant,
conceived and created by Enigma producer Frank
Peterson. “Sadisfaction” (1991) was available from
Metronome Musik GmbH, “Masters Of Chant” (2000), “Masters Of
Chant Chapter II” (2001), “Masters Of Chant Chapter III” (2002),
“Masters Of Chant Chapter IV” (2003), “The Dark Side” (2004),
“Masters Of Chant Chapter V” (2005), “The Masterpieces [CD & DVD]”
(2006), “Christmas Chants” (2006), “Christmas Chants & Visions”
(2008), “Masters Of Chant Chapter VI” (2008), and “Masters Of Chant
Chapter VII” (2009) are all available from Edel Germany, and “Dark
Side Of The Chant” (2010) is available from Starwatch Entertainment.
Toni Young’s company, Rogue Artists Entertainment, is the U.S.
representation for Gregorian Masters Of Chant.
Websites: www.gregorian.de and www.gregorianmastersofchant.com
Interview (Toni Young): April 16th 2008 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Photo: Gregorian Masters Of Chant / Nemo Studio

JIM GREINER is an internationally acclaimed

percussionist, drum circle facilitator, educator and
inspirational speaker who lives in the Monterey
Bay Area of California. He conducts drum circles
and interactive rhythm-based programs worldwide
for corporate team building, conference and
meeting ice breaking, communities, schools, and private groups
through his company, Hands-On! Drumming® Events. His Rhythm
Power® Personal Enrichment Workshops and instructional/
inspirational DVD’s use drumming as a playful vehicle to reinforce
purposeful, positive Life Rhythms. He is also a Latin Percussion®
Endorser/Clinician, and is Head Artist of Latin Percussion’s

178
Recreational and Community Drumming Program. Jim Greiner’s
many accolades include being is a multiple winner of Drum!
Magazines’ Annual Readers Poll Awards for: Percussion Clinician of
the Year, Drum Circle Facilitator of the Year, and Percussion
Instructional Video of the Year for his workshops and for his DVD,
“Community Drumming: For Health And Happiness” (2004) available
from Alfred Publishing.
Websites: www.handsondrum.com and www.communitydrumming.com
Interview: March 29th 2008 Soquel, California, United States
Photo: Jim Greiner / Hands-On! Drumming®

HAALE are a psychedelic Sufi trance-rock band from

New York City. “Morning [EP]” (2007), and “Paratrooper
[EP]” (2007) are both available from Darya Records.
Haale’s music includes lyrical interpretations of
mystical writings by Persian poets Farid ad-Din Attar,
Hāfez, and Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi.
Website: www.haale.com
Interview (Haale Gafori): December 6th 2007 New York, New York,
United States
Interview arranged by Stephen Cohen, Music and Art Management, Inc.
Photo: Levi Pervin / Haale.com

SUSAN ELIZABETH HALE is an author,

internationally renowned music therapist, and
sound healer from Asheville, North Carolina. Her
book “Song And Silence: Voicing The Soul” (1995)
was available from La Alameda Press, and “Sacred
Space, Sacred Sound: The Acoustic Mysteries Of
Holy Places” (2007) is available from Quest Books, and was recently
translated into Italian through Edizioni Mediterranee. Susan
Elizabeth Hale is the Director of the Songkeeper Apprenticeship, a
Fellow of the Association for Music and Imagery, and a seminar
leader, teacher, and guide, helping people to explore their sacred
paths to find and free their natural voices. Susan is also a pioneer
in the fields of music therapy and sound healing, a creative mystic,

179
 and soul singer who loves to travel, teach, write, and inspire others
to live their creative potential. Recently she created Earth Day:
Sing for the Trees, a global celebration that involved participation
from people in thirty-nine countries.
Website: www.songkeeper.net
Interview: September 2nd 2009 Asheville, North Carolina, United States
Photo: Susan Elizabeth Hale / SongKeeper.net

KARIE HILLERY is a singer-songwriter from

Boulder Creek, California. Her albums “Let Down
Your Walls” (1986), “Mixed-Up” (1992), “Transitions”
(1995), “Bridge The Distance” (1999), “To Your
Heart” (2002), “Light The Way” (2007), “Peace
Instead” (2007), and “Solstice Peace” (2008) are all
available from One World Records. Karie’s original “pozmic” is positive
music where smooth-jazz meets spiritual pop-rock. Her songs bring
a smile to the face, a tear to the eye, and soulful touch to the heart.
Website: www.karie.com
Interview: December 1st 2009 Boulder Creek, California, United States
Photo: Karie Hillery / Karie.com

PROF. LARRY HURTADO is an author, Head of

School, and Professor of New Testament Language,
Literature, and Theology with the School of Divinity
at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. His book
“At The Origins Of Christian Worship: The Context
And Character Of Earliest Christian Devotion”
(2000), and “Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion To Jesus In Earliest
Christianity” (2005), “How On Earth Did Jesus Become A God?:
Historical Questions About Earliest Devotion To Jesus” (2005), and
“The Earliest Christian Artifacts: Manuscripts And Christian
Origins” (2006) are all available from Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company. Prof. Larry Hurtado is also Director of the Centre for the
Study of Christian Origins at the School of Divinity at the University
of Edinburgh.
Website: www.div.ed.ac.uk

180
Interview: February 18th 2008 Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Photo: Prof. Larry Hurtado / University of Edinburgh

INSURRECTION are a death-metal band from

Varberg, Sweden. Their debut demo (2006) was
independently released and is available from
Insurrection.
MySpace: www.myspace.com/insurrectionswe
Interview (Anton Honkonen): April 15th 2007
Varberg, Halland, Sweden
Photo: Anton Honkonen / Insurrection

JOSHUA is a Christian metal band from Los Angeles,

California. “The Hand Is Quicker Than The Eye”
(1982), and “Surrender” (1985) were both available
from Enigma Records, “Intense Defense” (1988) was
available from RCA Records, M-Pire’s “Chapter One”
(1995), and “Double Trouble” (1995) were both
available from Long Island Records, and Joshua Perahia’s “Something
To Say” (2001) was independently released and is available from
JoshuaPerahia.com. Joshua re-formed and released music under the
name M-Pire, and achieved an international audience in Europe, Japan,
and South America. Joshua Perahia (pronounced Pûr-i-yä) won the
Best Christian Song at the Angels On Earth Awards 2008 for his song
“Remembering You” with vocalist Alex Ligertwood.
Website: www.joshuaperahia.com
Interview (Joshua Perahia): May 2nd 2009 Torrance, California,
United States
Photo: Joshua Perahia / JoshuaPerahia.com

ARIA JOY is a Sound Healing Minister with Universal

Ministries, Trance Dance Facilitator, and
Transformational Facilitator from Minneapolis,
Minnesota. Aria Joy attended and completed
Jonathan Goldman’s Healing Sounds Intensive in
2006. While there she learned overtoning healing

181
 techniques, sacred geometry and sound, shifting frequencies,
sonic shamanism, sonic yoga of listening, therapeutic uses of
music, vocal harmonics, and about vowels as a sacred language.
Website: www.ariajoy.com
Interview: April 14th 2008 Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Photo Credit: Angela Stott Photography / AngelaStott.com

DR. PATRICK KAVANAUGH is an author,

conductor, musician, theologian, and writer from
Winona Lake, Indiana. His book “Spiritual Lives Of
The Great Composers” (1996) is available from
Zondervan, “The Music Of Angels: A Listener’s
Guide To Sacred Music From Chant To Christian
Rock” (1999) is available from Loyola Press, “Devotions From The
World Of Music” (2000) is available from Cook Communications
Ministries, and “Worship: A Way Of Life” (2001) is available from
Chosen Books. Dr. Patrick Kavanaugh is Executive Director of the
Christian Performing Artists’ Fellowship, and also Artistic Director
of the MasterWorks Festival.
Websites: www.ChristianPerformingArt.org and
www.MasterWorksFestival.org
Interview: February 23rd 2008 Winona Lake, Indiana, United States
Photo: Dr. Patrick Kavanaugh / Christian Performing Artists’ Fellowship

MAYA & SAGE KNOWLES are award-winning

multi-instrumentalists, international recording
artists, music producers, vocalists, and co-founders
of Spirit Singer Productions based in San Jose,
California. Projects include Sage Knowles and
Amrita Cottrell’s “Entering Devachan: Heavenly
Music For Healing And Meditation” (2001), Maya’s “Comin’ Home”
(2003), Maya & Sage’s “Spirit Of Love: Devotional Chanting And
Spiritual Love Songs” (2004), The Mystic JAMMS Band’s “Om Mama
Blessing Mantra” (2005), and Devotees of Sri Sai Kaleshwar’s “At
Baba’s Feet” (2008), Maya & Sage’s “Mantra Meets Melody” (2009).

182
All are available through Spirit Singer Productions at MayaSage.com.
Maya and Sage perform with the Mystic JAMMS Band in California
and at spiritual celebrations worldwide.
Website: www.mayasage.com
Interview: June 16th 2008 Los Gatos, California, United States
Photo: Maya & Sage Knowles / MayaSage.com

JOHN KULIAS is a composer, flutist, and flute

artisan from Lakewood, Colorado. He first heard
the sound of the Native American Style Flute in
Canyon De Chelly, Arizona, and was drawn to the
voice and spirit of that first flute song. John is a
ceramic flute specialist who creates both Woodlands
and Plains style flutes, and tunes them to the pentatonic scale, Mode
1 and 4. He is one of the few Native American Style flute makers who
creates from clay using an ancient technique called pit firing, which
gives each flute it’s own coloring pattern and unique voice.
Website: www.meadowlarkflutes.com
Interview: April 11th 2009 Lakewood, Colorado, United States
Photo: John Kulias / MeadowlarkFlutes.com

DAVID LANZ is a Grammy-nominated pianist from

Seattle, Washington. “Cristofori’s Dream [Re-
Released]” (1999), “East Of The Moon” (2000),
“Love Songs” (2001), “Romantic: The Ultimate
David Lanz Collection [2CD]” (2002), “Finding
Paradise” (2002), “Heartsounds/Nightfall” (2003)
[2CD Re-Released], “The Symphonic Sessions” (2003), “The Good
Life” (2004), “The Best Of David Lanz” (2005), “Spirit Romance”
(2005), with Gary Stroutsos, “Sacred Road Revisited” (2006), “A Cup
Of Moonlight [Re-Released]” (2007), “Living Temples” (2008),
“Painting The Sun” (2008), and “Liverpool: Re-Imagining The Beatles”
(2010) are all available from DavidLanz.com.
Websites: www.davidlanz.com and www.liverpoolcd.com

183
 Interview: October 30th 2008 Seattle, Washington, United States
Photo: Bill Hagstotz / BHPimages.com

STEPHEN LINSTEADT is an author, painter, poet,

writer, and scholar of cosmology and consciousness
from La Quinta, California. His book “The Heart Of
Health: The Principles Of Physical Health And
Vitality” (2003), co-authored with Maria Elena
Boekemeyer, is available from Amazon.com,
and  NaturalHealingHouse.com.  Stephen has studied Eastern
philosophy for over thirty years and has traveled to India to learn
and gain experience about his spiritual path. He has published articles
on health, consciousness, and emotional well-being in various health
related magazines and is a contributing writer for an international
spiritual journal. His latest book, “Aquarian Messenger”, traces Carl
G. Jung’s journey of conscious awareness into a modern alchemical
myth for being human in the 21st century. Stephen Linsteadt is also
CEO of Natural Healing House, assisting in the health and happiness
of all beings through cellular nutrition, homeopathic products, and
supplement solutions.
Websites: www.stephenlinsteadt.com, www.globalalchemyforum.com,
and www.naturalhealinghouse.com
Interview: April 1st 2010 La Quinta, California, United States
Photo: Stephen Linsteadt / StephenLinsteadt.com

ANDREW LYDDON is an author and workshop

leader living in Hertfordshire, England. His book
“Working With Singing Bowls: A Sacred Journey”
(2007) is available from Polair Publishing. Andrew
has produced a number of CDs, with the two most
recent being “City Of Light”, and “Spiritual Heart Of
The Sun”. The first attempts to capture something of the sound of
Shambala, and the second seeks to express the sound-nature of
beings who inform the Sun. Andrew Lyddon was introduced to Singing
Bowls after hearing Tibetan Singing Bowls expert Frank Perry play at
the White Eagle Lodge. When not working with Singing Bowls, Andrew
also practices as a mental health social worker.
184
Interview: March 28th 2008 Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom
Photo: Colum Hayward / Polair Publishing

PAUL MADAULE is an author, Listening Therapist,

lecturer, workshop leader, and Director of The
Listening Centre in Toronto, Ontario. His book
“When Listening Comes Alive: A Guide To Effective
Learning And Communication” (1994) is available
from The Listening Centre. He worked with
internationally-known otolaryngologist Dr. Alfred Tomatis for ten
years before developing a dozen Tomatis Method Centres throughout
Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Paul Madaule has also written
many articles on the educational and therapeutic value of music,
voice, and listening training. More recently, he originated “Listening
Fitness With The LiFT®”, an educational-oriented and user-friendly
Listening Training technique. Paul is presently working with Eve
Kodiak, a movement therapist, on Listenin’ Live. This is a book and
CD of original songs and word games to playfully and spontaneously
engage children to explore their listening and to enrich their voice
and speech.
Websites: www.listeningcentre.com and www.listeningfitness.com
Interview: June 28th 2008 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Photo: Paul Madaule / The Listening Centre

MALEVOLENT CREATION are a death-metal band

from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “The Ten
Commandments” (1990), “Retribution” (1992), and
“Stillborn” (1993) are all available from Roadrunner
Records, “Eternal” (1995), “Joe Black” (1996), “In
Cold Blood” (1997), “The Fine Art Of Murder” (1998),
and “Manifestation” (2000) are all available from Pavement Music,
“Envenomed” (2000), “The Will To Kill” (2002), and “Conquering
South America” (2004) are all available from Arctic Music Group,
“Warkult” (2004), and “Doomsday X” (2007) are both available from
Nuclear Blast Records.
Website: www.malevolent-creation.com

185
 Interview (Brett Hoffmann): January 5th 2008 Fort Lauderdale,
Florida, United States
Photo: Malevolent Creation / Malevolent-Creation.com

LOUIS MARTINIÉ is an author, liturgist, voodoo

drummer, spiritual doctor, and Priest of the New
Orleans Voodoo Spiritual Temple in New Orleans,
Louisiana. His book “New Orleans Voodoo Tarot”
(1992), co-authored with Sallie Ann Glassman, is
available from Destiny Books, “Waters Of Return:
Aeonic Voodoo” (1994), and “Voodoo At The Cafe Puce” (2005),
co-authored with Severina K. M. Singh, are both available from
Black Moon Publishing. His audiobook “Festival And Ritual Drumming:
Evoking The Sacred Through Rhythms Of The Spirit” (1993),
co-authored with Mishlen Linden, is available from Destiny Recordings.
Websites: www.voodoospiritualtemple.org,
www.neworleansvoodoocrossroads.com, and www.blackmoonweb.com
Interview: March 22nd 2008 New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Photo: Mishlen Linden / VoodooSpiritualTemple.org

KATE MCGARRY is a singer-songwriter from

Tarrytown, New York. “Show Me” (2003), The Fred
Hersch Ensemble’s “Leaves Of Grass” (2005),
“Mercy Streets” (2005), “The Target” (2007) are all
available from Palmetto Records, Moss’ “Moss (Self-
Titled)” (2008) is available from Sunnyside Records,
and “If Less Is More... Nothing Is Everything” (2008) is available
from Palmetto Records, and was nominated for a 2009 Grammy
Award in the Best Jazz Vocal Album category. Kate McGarry has
collaborated with Theo Bleckmann, Kurt Elling, Hank Jones, Maria
Schneider, and Luciana Souza among many others.
Website: www.katemcgarry.com
Interview: March 1st 2009 Tarrytown, New York, United States
Photo: Lourdes Delgado / LourdesDelgado.com

186
 Monarch are a sludge doom-metal band from
Bayonne, France. “666 [2CD]” (2005) was available
from Solitude Records and Throne Records, “Speak
Of The Sea [LP]” (2006) was available from Throne
Records, “Swan Song [EP]” (2006) was independently
released, “Die Tonight [LP]” (2007) was available
from Throne Records, “Dead Men Tell No Tales [2CD]” (2007) was
available from Crucial Blast Records, and “Mer Morte [CD/LP]” (2008)
was available from Crucial Blast Records and Throne Records, “A
Look At Tomorrow / Mass Destruction [EP]” (2009), “Sabbat Noir
[LP]” (2010), and “Sortilège [EP]” (2011) are all available from
Heathen Skulls Records. MySpace: www.myspace.com/
monarchuberalles
Interview (Shiran Kaïdine): October 25th 2007 Bayonne, France
Photo: Monarch

MORTAL SIN are a thrash metal band from Sydney,

New South Wales, Australia. “Mayhemic Destruction”
(1987) is available from Mega Metal Records, “Face
Of Despair” (1989) is available from Vertigo Records,
“Every Dog Has It’s Day [aka “Rebellious Youth”]”
(1991) is available from Under One Flag Records,
“Revolution Of The Mind [Re-Released EP]” (2000) is available from
Battlegod Productions, “Out Of The Darkness” (2006) was self-
released, and “An Absence Of Faith” (2007) is available from Mega
Metal Records.
Website: www.mortalsin.com.au
Interview (Mat Maurer): November 5th 2007 Sydney, New South
Wales, Australia
Photo: Mortal Sin / MortalSin.com.au

TIM NEUMARK is a composer and pianist from

Columbia, Maryland. “Biography” (2007), “Christmas”
(2007), and “Influence” (2009) are all independently
released and available from CD Baby, iTunes, and
PayPlay. His music has been influenced by many

187
 musicians including Antonín Dvořák, David Lanz, Kostia, John Tesh,
and Yanni. Tim Neumark has also produced an original arrangement of
the first movement from Karl Jenkin’s “Palladio”, available on his debut
album “Biography” (2007).
Website: www.neumarkmusic.com
Interview: February 15th 2009 Columbia, Maryland, United States
Photo: Tim Neumark / NeumarkMusic.com

REBECCA OSWALD is a composer and pianist

from Eugene, Oregon. Her solo piano CD “October
Wind” (2005) was independently released and is
available from CD Baby and iTunes. Her orchestral
works “Finding the Murray River” and “Sleep, Child”
will be released in winter 2011 by PARMA recordings
on the Navona label, and her second solo piano CD will be available
in spring 2011. Rebecca Oswald is an award-winning composer of
solo-instrument compositions, chamber music, choral and vocal
works, orchestral works, pop music recordings, and music for media.
Her music has been performed all over the U.S. and in the U.K.,
Canada, France, Spain, the Dominican Republic, Finland, and Australia.
Website: www.rebeccaoswald.com
Interview: April 10th 2009 Eugene, Oregon, United States
Photo: Rebecca Oswald / RebeccaOswald.com

LEO PEREZ is a composer, multi-instrumentalist,

and pianist from Coral Springs, Florida. “Infinite
Horizon” (1998), “Heaven’s Folklore Chronicles”
(2003), “Piano Pictures” (2005), “An Earth
Thought” (2007), and “Dreams Of Wonder” (2008)
are all available from Bluedream Music. Leo Perez
is a Colombian - American composer who combines ambient,
classical, electronic, and ethnic sounds with solo performances,
symphonic arrangements, and world music ensembles.
Website: www.leoperez.net
Interview: February 15th 2009 Coral Springs, Florida, United States
Photo: Leo Perez / Bluedream Music

188
 SAMBODHI PREM is an artist, composer, guitarist,
meditator, and musician from Auckland, New
Zealand. His album’s “Mirror Of The Sun” (1991),
“Rose Water Moon” (1992), “Sunlight Rain River”
(1999), “NatureSpace” (2000), “Heart Music” (2004),
“Lake Of Restfulness” (2007), “One Hour Long Bird
Song” (2007), and “Seven Waves Of Knowing” (2008) are all available
from Global Suitcase. Sambodhi Prem’s music is dedicated to his
spiritual master Osho, who shows him what meditation is: the art of
listening, and a journey into love and awareness.
Website: www.SambodhiPrem.com
Interview: March 2nd 2010 Auckland, New Zealand
Photo: Sambodhi Prem / SambodhiPrem.com

LEW PAXTON PRICE is an author, flutist, and flute

artisan from Garden Valley, California. His books
“Astrology: The Music Of Life” (1984), “Native North
American Flutes” (1990), “Secrets Of The Flute”
(1991), “Dimensions In Astrology” (1992 & 1986),
“The Oldest Magic” (1995), “More Secrets Of The
Flute” (1997), books series “Creating And Using” (1994-1998), and
“Behind Light’s Illusion” (1999-2001) are all independently released,
with some available online at OregonFluteStore.com and Lew Paxton
Price’s website: www.lewpaxtonprice.us
Interview: April 10th 2009 Garden Valley, California, United States
Photo: Lew Paxton Price

CALEB QUAYE is a guitarist, Founder, and Executive

Director of New World Music Ministries from West
Covina, California. Throughout the 1960’s and
1970’s, Caleb Quaye worked with Elton John, Mick
Jagger, Paul McCartney, and Pete Townshend. Caleb
Quaye is now the founder and executive director of
New World Music Ministries. His autobiography “A Voice Louder Than
Rock & Roll” (2006) is available from Vision Publishing.
Website: www.newworldmusic.org

189
 Interview: July 19th 2007 West Covina, California, United States
Photo: Caleb Quaye / New World Music Ministries

ROBERT RICH is a composer and musician from

Mountain View, California. “Inner Landscapes
[Live]” (1987), “Numena” (1987), “Rainforest”
(1989), “Gaudi” (1991), “Geometry” (1991),
“Propagation” (1994), “A Troubled Resting Place”
(1996), “Below Zero” (1998), “Seven Veils” (1998),
“Humidity [3CD Live]” (2000), “Somnium [DVD]” (2001), “Bestiary”
(2001), “Temple Of The Invisible” (2003), “Calling Down The Sky”
(2003), “Open Window” (2004), “Echo Of Small Things” (2005),
“Electric Ladder” (2006), “Music From Atlas Dei” (2007), and
“Illumination” (2007). Robert Rich’s discography spans over twenty
years, and his music serves as a important influence on today’s
ambient, electronica, and intelligent dance music. Robert Rich also
maintains FlavorNotes.com, an online archive and directory for
recipes and restaurants.
Website: www.robertrich.com and www.flavornotes.com
Interview: April 17th 2009 Mountain View, California, United States
Photo: Dixie Chan / RobertRich.com

DR. CHRIS ROBINSON is a music therapist,

pianist, Founder and President of the Foundation
for Music and Healing, Inc. based in South Bend,
Indiana. Music and Healing, Inc. is a non-profit
charitable corporation that seeks to serve an
instructional music program to exceptional people
with special needs. Dr. Robinson is a member of the American Music
Therapy Association, National Association of Music Teachers, the
Indiana Association of Music Teachers, and the South Bend Area
Association of Music Teachers. He delights in helping people enjoy
music and the arts to the fullest.
Website: www.musichealing.org
Interview: April 23rd 2008 South Bend, Indiana, United States
Photo: Dr. Chris Robinson / Foundation for Music and Healing, Inc.

190
 MARILYN ROSE is an inspirational speaker, singer-
songwriter, and storyteller from Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada. Her debut album “Spirit Whispers” (2004)
was independently released and is available from
MarilynRose.ca. Marilyn Rose’s music combines a
variety of musical styles from traditional and
uptempo country to traditional and contemporary spiritual music.
She has performed at aboriginal gatherings, concerts, festivals, and
spiritual centres throughout Canada. Marilyn hopes to inspire others
to explore their roots and discover their gifts and talents. She believes
we are all blessed with special gifts and that it is our purpose in life
to discover those gifts, and to share them with others. Marilyn is
committed to doing her part, by sharing her music with as many
people as she possibly can.
Website: www.marilynrose.ca
Interview: June 28th 2009 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Photo: Marilyn Rose / MarilynRose.ca

HAROLD ROSENBAUM is a conductor, artistic

director, professor, composer, editor, consultant,
and lecturer. He is the 2010 winner of ASCAP’s
Victor Herbert Founders Award and the 2008
American Composer Alliance’s Laurel Leaf Award
for his dedication to fostering and encouraging
American music. G. Schirmer Music has established its Harold
Rosenbaum Choral Series, for which he composes, edits, and gives
performance suggestions for conductors. Mr. Rosenbaum is also
Artistic Director of the Society For Universal Sacred Music, an
Associate Professor at the University at Buffalo, and conductor and
founder of both The New York Virtuoso Singers and The Canticum
Novum Singers.
Websites: www.HaroldRosenbaum.com and www.nyvirtuoso.org
Interview: January 21st 2009 South Salem, New York, United States
Interview arranged by: Susannah Ruditsky, former Program
Coordinator, Society For Universal Sacred Music
Photo: Harold Rosenbaum / Society For Universal Sacred Music

191
 VIDYA SHAH is a composer, musician, and writer
from New Delhi, India. “Hum Sab: Celebrating
Cultures Of Resistance” (2008) is available from
Underscore Records, and her international
collaborations feature on Karsh Kale’s “Realize”
(2001), and MIDIval PunditZ’s “MIDIval PunditZ (Self-
Titled)” (2002) both available from Six Degrees Records. Her forthoming
release includes Tread carefully through the Forest with Don Li (Tonus
Music Labor, Bern, Switzerland) Vidya Shah was initially trained in
Carnatic music, and later received guidance in Hindustani classical
music from Shubha Mudgal and Thumri Dadra, and Ghazal from Shanti
Hiranand. She has performed at national and international forums,
including the Asia Society in New York and the Bode Museum in Berlin.
She is the Director of the project Women on Record and is the recipient
of the Charles Wallace Award for 2010.
Website: www.vidyashah-music.blogspot.com
Interview: July 15th 2008 New Delhi, India
Photo: Parthiv Shah

Shambhu is a composer, guitarist, and producer

from Larkspur, California. His album “Sacred Love:
Feel The Journey” (2010) is available from Acoustic
Shine Records, Amazon, CD Baby, iTunes, and
ShambhuMusic.com. Shambhu performs a
contemporary fusion of acoustic, Indian, jazz, and
world styles that communicate feelings of harmony, fulfillment, and
tranquility. Shambhu has performed with Carlos Santana, Premik
Tubbs, Narada Michael Walden, and played on Whitney Houston’s
multi-platinum album “Whitney” (1987) available from Arista Records.
Shambhu has studied meditation for three decades with renowned
mystic, philosopher, and spiritual teacher Sri Chinmoy.
Website: www.shambhumusic.com
Interview: December 26th 2010 Larkspur, California, United States
Photo: Shambhu / ShambhuMusic.com

192
 SHANTI SHANTI are a Sanskrit-rock band from
Sparks, Nevada. “Shanti Shanti (Self-Titled)”
(1997), “Walkin’ With The Devas” (2000), “Three”
(2002), “Dreaming In Real Time” (2003), “Boys
From The City Of Angels [EP]” (2004), and “East
Meets South” (2006) are all available from Blue
Halo Productions. Linda Forman’s band biography “Dreaming In
Real Time: The Shanti Shanti Story” (2003) is available from North
Atlantic Books.
Website: www.shantishanti.com
Interview (Andrea Forman): January 31st 2008 Sparks, Nevada,
United States
Photo: Shanti Shanti / ShantiShanti.com

ED & DEB SHAPIRO are bestselling authors,

corporate consultants, and meditation teachers
from Boulder, Colorado. They have written over
fifteen books on meditation, spirituality, and social
action, including their latest, winner of the 2010
Gold Nautilus Book Award:  “Be The Change: How
Meditation Can Transform You And The World” (2009), with forewords
by the Dalai Lama and Robert Thurman, and interviews with Ram
Dass, Jack Kornfield, Gangaji, Byron Katie and others; and award-
winning  “Your Body Speaks Your Mind: Decoding The Emotional,
Psychological, And Spiritual Messages That Underlie Illness” (2007).
Ed and Deb Shapiro’s meditation CDs: “Yoga Nidra”, “Samadhi”, and
“Metta” are available from their website: www.edanddebshapiro.com 
Interview (Ed Shapiro): April 11th 2008 Denver, Colorado, United States
Interview (Deb Shapiro): April 13th 2008 Denver, Colorado, United States
Photo: Ed & Deb Shapiro / EdAndDebShapiro.com

LARRY SITSKY is an author, composer, educator,

musicologist, pianist, scholar, and Emeritus
Professor of the Australian National University in
Canberra, Australia. His book “Music Of The
Repressed Russian Avant-Garde, 1900-1929” (1994)

193
 is available from Greenwood Press, “Folk Songs From Century” (1995)
is available from Currency Press, “Anton Rubinstein: An Annotated
Catalog Of Piano Works And Biography (Music Reference Collection)”
(1998) is available from Greenwood Press, “Twenty-Two Russian
Melodies: For Oboe And Piano” (2001) is available from Alfred
Publishing Company, “Music Of The Twentieth-Century Avant-Garde:
A Biocritical Sourcebook” (2002) is available from Greenwood Press,
“Australian Piano Music Of The Twentieth Century (Music Reference
Collection)” (2005) is available from Praeger Publishers, and “Busoni
And The Piano: The Works, The Writings, And The Recordings
(Distinguished Reprints)” (2008) is available from Pendragon Press.
Website: www.anu.edu.au
Interview: June 18th 2008 Canberra, Australia
Photo: Larry Sitsky

RUTH SKAGGS is an author, musician, and recently

retired psychotherapist previously based in Atlanta,
Georgia. Her book “Finishing Strong: Treating
Chemical Addictions With Music And Imagery [Book
& CD]” (1998) is available from MusicArtsTherapy.
com, and “Music: Keynote Of The Human Spirit”
(2004) is available from PublishAmerica.com. Ruth Skaggs is also
the Founder and Director of the Southeastern Institute For Music-
Centered Psychotherapy, where she trained other therapists in
sound healing.
Website: www.musicartstherapy.com
Interview: January 3rd 2008 Daphne, Alabama, United States
Photo: Ruth Skaggs / MusicArtsTherapy.com

ROBIN SPIELBERG is a composer and pianist

from Maplewood, New Jersey. Her discography
includes sixteen CDs and her music appears on
over forty compilations around the world. She was
named to the prestigious Steinway Artist Roster in
1996, and has toured throughout the United States
and Korea. Performance highlights include three concerts at Carnegie

194
Hall, the LG Arts Center, and Seoul Arts Center in Korea, and a
month-long tour through rural Montana with Steinway in tow. Her
albums include her best-selling recordings for original solo piano
“Heal Of The Hand” (1994), “Songs Of The Spirit” (1996), “Memories
Of Utopia” (2004), and “A New Kind Of Love” (2008), several releases
for the holidays, recordings of standards and showtunes, a lullaby
CD, and a few recordings for piano and ensemble, all available from
Amazon.com and her website. Robin’s newest project is a tribute to
Americana music with a small ensemble, “Sea To Shining Sea: A
Tapestry Of American Music” (2010) available from playMountain
Music and her Website: www.robinspielberg.com
Interview: January 18th 2008 New Freedom, Pennsylvania, United States
Photo: Walter Colley Images

STATE OF MAN are an alternative-rock band from

Atlanta, Georgia. “Lose Your Mind” (2002), “More
Than Coincidence [EP]” (2004), “Both Sides Of The
Story” (2006), and “In This Place” (2009) were all
independently released and are available from
PolyPlat Records.
Website: www.stateofmanmusic.com
Interview (John Stringer): October 24th 2007 Atlanta, Georgia,
United States
Photo: Brian Partain / StateOfManMusic.com

DR. ROBERT STEARNS is an author, musician,

Founder and Executive Director of Eagles’ Wings
Ministries, and the Executive Publisher of Kairos
Magazine based in Clarence, New York. An
accomplished musician, with releases including
“The River Vol. 1: The King Is In The Land [Live]”
(1997), “The River Vol. 2: Undiscovered Country [Live]” (1998), and
“The River Vol. 3: Lament For The Poor [Live]” (1998) are all available
from Kairos Records. Robert Stearns is also author of the mini-text
“Prepare The Way: Twelve Spiritual Signposts For The New Millennium”
(1999) published by Charisma House, and “Keepers Of The Flame:

195
 Unlocking The Ancient Secret Of An Acceptable Sacrifice” (2007)
published by Eagles’ Wings. Along with  “The Cry Of Mordecai:
Awakening An Esther Generation In A Human Age” (2009) published
by Destiny Image and “Return To Authentic Christianity: An In-Depth
Look At 12 Vital Issues Facing Today’s Church” (2010) published by
Destiny Image. Robert Stearns is also the visionary behind the
worldwide annual-prayer initiative “The Day Of Prayer For The Peace
Of Jerusalem”, observed on the first Sunday of October.
Websites: www.eagleswings.to and www.daytopray.com
Interview: August 21st 2007 Clarence, New York, United States
Interview arranged by Sarah Wolf, Assistant Editor, Kairos Publishing
Photo: Robert Stearns / Eagles’ Wings Ministries

DR. MARTIN STOKES is an author, musician,

organist, qanun player, and lecturer in
Ethnomusicology at the University of Oxford,
England. His book “Ethnicity, Identity And Music:
The Musical Construction Of Place” (1997) is
available from Berg Publishers, “Celtic Modern:
Music At The Global Fringe” (2003) is available from The Scarecrow
Press, Inc., and “The Republic Of Love: Cultural Intimacy In Turkish
Popular Music” (2010) is available from the University of Chicago
Press. Dr. Martin Stokes has written widely on Middle Eastern music,
taught at the Queen’s University of Belfast, and the University of
Chicago where he was Director of the Center for Middle Eastern
Studies, before returning to Oxford University in 2007.
Website: www.ox.ac.uk
Interview: March 31st 2008 Oxford, England, United Kingdom
Photo: Catriona Stokes

STRIBORG is a one-man ambient black-metal

band from Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. “Mysterious
Semblance” (2004), “Spiritual Catharsis” (2004),
“Black Desolate Winter / Depressive Hibernation”
(2005), “Trepidation” (2005), “Embittered Darkness
/ Isle De Morts” (2006), “Nefaria / Tragic Journey

196
Towards The Light” (2006), “Ghostwoodlands” (2007), “Solitude”
(2007), “Journey Of A Misanthrope [DVD]” (2007), “Autumnal
Melancholy” (2008), “Foreboding Silence” (2008), “Perceiving The
World With Hate” (2009), and “Southwest Passage” (2009) are all
available from Finsternis Productions, the micro-label of Sin-Nanna.
“Sin (Nanna)” is the name given to a Sumerian crescent moon god.
MySpace: www.myspace.com/striborg1
Interview (Sin-Nanna): June 30th 2007 Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Photo: Sin-Nanna / Striborg

YALE STROM is an author, composer, director,

filmmaker, musician, photographer, and writer from
San Diego, California. His book “The Last Jews Of
Eastern Europe” (1986) was available from the
Philosophical Library, “A Tree Still Stands: Jewish
Youth In Eastern Europe Today” (1990) was available
from Philomel Books, “Uncertain Roads: Searching For The Gypsies”
(1993) was available from Simon & Schuster, “The Book Of Klezmer:
The History, The Music, The Folklore” (2002) is available from Chicago
Review Press, “A Wandering Feast: A Journey Through The Jewish
Culture Of Eastern Europe” (2004) is available from Jossey-Bass
Books, “The Absolutely Complete Klezmer Songbook [CD Included]”
(2006) is available from Transcontinental Music Publications, Yale
Strom’s first children’s book “The Wedding That Saved A Town” (2008)
is available from Kar-Ben Publishing and YaleStrom.com, and “Dave
Tarras: The King Of Klezmer” (2010) is available from OR-TAV Music
Publications. His album “Cholent With Huckleberry” (1988) was
available from Global Village Music, “Garden Of Yidn” (2001), and
“Klezmer: Cafe Jew Zoo” (2003) are both available from Naxos World,
“Borsht With Bread Brothers” (2006) is available from ARC Music
Productions, “The Absolutely Complete Introduction To Klezmer Vol.
1” (2006), and “Absolutely Klezmer Vol. 2” (2008) are both available
from Transcontinental Music Publications and his most recent Cd “The
Devil’s Brides” (2011) is available from ARC Music and YaleStrom.com.
His films “The Last Klezmer: Leopold Kozlowski: His Life And Music”
(1994) is available from New Yorker Films, his other documentary films

197
 “Carpati: 50 Miles 50 Years” (1996), and “L’Chayim Comrade Stalin”
(2002) are available from Cinema Guild, his film “Klezmer On Fish
Street” (2004), “A Man From Munkas: Gypsy Klezmer” (2005), and “A
Great Day On Eldridge Street (2008) are all available from Yale Strom.
Yale has produced extensive music, research, and work among the
Jews and Gypsies of Central and Eastern Europe to create his films,
original stage plays, and photography exhibitions.
Website: www.yalestrom.com
Interview: June 10th 2009 San Diego, California, United States
Photo: Yale Strom / YaleStrom.com

DR. DAVID G. SUCH is an author, composer,

ethnomusicologist, musician, teacher, and
videographer from Spokane, Washington. His album
“Winds On The Horizon” is available from AIM
Records, and “Sound Of Dreams” is available from
Space Age Bachelor Pad Records. His book “Avant-
Garde Jazz Musicians: Performing ‘Out There’” (1993) is available
from the University of Iowa Press, and “Travels Of A Space Age
Musician” (2008) is available from David G. Such.
Website: www.suchmuse.com
Interview: December 5th 2007 Spokane, Washington, United States
Photo: Dr. David G. Such / SuchMuse.com

JENNIFER THOMAS is a composer, pianist, and

violinist from Seattle, Washington. “Key Of Sea”
(2006) was independently released and is available
from Tickled Ivory Music, “Best Of The Swan Lake:
Moving Image & Music Award” (2007), and “Music
In Motion: Best Of The Swan Lake: Moving Image &
Music Award” (2008) are both available from NewAgePiano.net,
Carolyn Southworth & Jennifer Thomas’ “The Lullaby Album” (2009),
and “Portraits” (2010) will be available from Tickled Ivory Music.
Jennifer Thomas’ music has been featured in several independent
films, and her live tours have included performing with award-winning
artist Jace Vek, and composer and pianist Michele McLaughlin.

198
Website: www.jenniferthomasmusic.com
Interview: April 6th 2009 Seattle, Washington, United States
Photo: Jen Nance / EveryMomentPhoto.com

DR. BILLIE THOMPSON is Founder and President

of Sound Listening Corporation and Co-Founder
and CEO of EnListen® Corporation based in
Phoenix, Arizona. She is an international leader in
writing structured custom music and voice programs
that improve how the ear and brain process
information for the purpose of developing human potential. Dr.
Thompson holds two US patents in the field. Between 1986 and 2004,
she founded and directed five Sound Listening and Learning Centers®
and provided Tomatis Method programs to six thousand people
across the United States. Together with Don Campbell, she co-
facilitated Power of Sound workshops for six years. Since 2005, she
has developed EnListen® custom programs, an Assessment and
Program Decision Model, and Professional Training for EnListen®
software. She is also a Certified Rubenfeld Synergist®, Certified
Neuro-Linguistic Programmer, and member of the Advisory Board for
Sound And Music Alliance (SAMA). Dr. Thompson trained with Dr. A.
A. Tomatis, was the first exclusive US trainer of the Tomatis Method,
and edited Tomatis’ English translations of The Conscious Ear and
The Ear and Language. She is also working to expand the use of
EnListen® programs internationally.
Websites: www.soundlistening.com and www.enlisten.com
Interview: April 14th 2008 Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Photo: Dr. Billie Thompson / Sound Listening Corporation

TUB RING are a space-punk-rock band from

Chicago, Illinois, United States. “Stupid Pet Tricks”
(1992), “Music For The Bathroom” (1993), “…And
The Mashed Potato Mountain Etiquette” (1995),
“Super Sci-Fi Samurai Rockstar Ultra Turbo II (Ver.
3.6)” (1997) were all independently released,
“Drake Equation” (2001) is available from Invisible Records, “Book Of

199
 Water” (2001) is available from Bad News Records, “Fermi Paradox”
(2002) is available from Invisible Records, “Zoo Hypothesis” (2004)
is available from Underground Inc. Records, “Optics And Sonics”
(2006) is available from Invisible Records, “The Great Filter” (2007),
and “Secret Handshakes” (2010) are both available from The End
Records, and “Velocity Of Progress” (2011) was independently
released and is available from Tub Ring.
Websites: www.tubring.com and www.robkleiner.com
Interview (Rob Kleiner): March 23rd 2007 Chicago, Illinois, United States
Photo: Jason Madden / Paranoid Nervosa Photography

UNEARTH are a metalcore band from Winthrop,

Massachusetts. “Above The Fall Of Man [EP]” (1999)
was available from Endless Fight Records, “The
Stings Of Conscience” (2001), “Endless [EP]” (2002),
and “Our Days Of Eulogy” (2005) were all available
from Eulogy Recordings, “The Oncoming Storm”
(2004), “III: In The Eyes Of Fire” (2006), “The March” (2008), and
“Alive From The Apocalypse [2DVD]” (2008) are all available from
Metal Blade Records. Unearth’s musical influences include At The
Gates, Earth Crisis, In Flames, Metallica, Pantera, and Slayer.
MySpace: www.myspace.com/unearth
Website: www.unearth.tv
Interview (Derek Kerswill): August 4th 2009 Worcester, Massachusetts,
United States
Interview arranged by Vince Edwards, Publicist, Metal Blade Records
Photo: Jeremy Saffer / Metal Blade Records

UNEXPECT are an avant-garde metal band from

Montreal, Quebec, Canada. “Utopia” (1999) was
independently released, “We, Invaders [EP]” (2003)
is available from Galy Records, “In A Flesh Aquarium”
(2006) is available from The End Records, and
“Fables Of The Sleepless Empire” (2011) is
independently released and available from Unexpect.
Website: www.unexpect.com

200
Interview (Syriak): March 11th 2007 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Photo: Syriak / Unexpect.com

UNITED STATE OF ELECTRONICA (U.S.E.) are

a dance-rock band from Seattle, Washington.
“U.S.E. (Self-Titled)” (2004), and “Live And Direct
From The Emerald City [EP]” (2005) are all
available from Sonic Boom Recordings, “Party
People [EP]” (2005) is available from Side Out
Records, and “Loveworld” (2009) is available from Rebel Group
and Sonic Boom Records.
Website: www.usemusic.com
Interview (Noah Star Weaver): February 23rd 2007 Seattle,
Washington, United States
Interview arranged by Mike Manning, Manager, Mill Pond Records
Photo: United State Of Electronica / USEMusic.com

UNMAKER are a melodic death-metal band from

Vale dos Sinos, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Their debut
release “Rape Reality [EP]” (2006) was independently
released and is available from Unmaker.
Website: www.unmaker.net
Interview (Eduardo Clark): April 5th 2007 Novo
Hamburgo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Interview arranged by Emanuel ‘Seagal’ Motta
Photo: Eduardo Clark / Unmaker.net

MATT VENUTI is a composer, multi-instrumentalist,

and sound-innovator from San Francisco, California.
His albums with The Venusians’ “Hot Planet” (2002),
Matt Venuti & The Venusians’ “Dance Of The Helix”
(2006), and Matt Venuti’s “Hangisphere” (2009) are
all available from Venus Central Productions. Matt’s
music displays diverse energy and stylistic innovation, exploring the
extraordinary world of the PanArt Hang, the world’s latest acoustic
instrument for the 21st Century.

201
 Website: www.venusians.com
Interview: January 24th 2010 San Francisco, California, United States
Photo: Matt Venuti / Media Owls

PROF. RICHARD VILADESAU is an author,

scholar, and Professor of Theology at Fordham
University in New York City. His book “Theological
Aesthetics: God In Imagination, Beauty, And Art”
(1999) is available from Oxford University Press,
“Theology And The Arts: Encountering God Through
Music, Art, And Rhetoric” (2000), and “The Word In And Out Of
Season: Homilies For The Major Feasts, Christmas, Easter, Weddings,
And Funerals” (2001) are both available from Paulist Press, “The
Beauty Of The Cross: The Passion Of Christ In Theology And The
Arts From The Catacombs To The Eve Of The Renaissance” (2005),
“The Triumph Of The Cross: The Passion Of Christ In Theology And
The Arts From The Renaissance To The Counter-Reformation” (2008)
are both available from Oxford University Press. Fr. Richard
Viladesau is also a Priest of the diocese of Rockville Centre.
Website: www.fordham.edu
Interview: March 2nd 2008 New York, New York, United States
Photo: Prof. Richard Viladesau / Fordham University

VILE are a brutal death-metal band from Concord,

California. “Stench Of The Deceased” (1999) was
self-released, “Depopulate” (2002) is available from
Listenable Records and Unique Leader Records,
“The New Age Of Chaos” (2005) is available from
Listenable Records and Unique Leader Records.
Website: www.vilestench.com
Interview (Colin Davis): December 31st 2007 Concord, California,
United States
Photo: Vile / VileStench.com

202
 TIM WHEATER is a composer, flutist, performer,
public speaker, and vocalist from Haslemere,
England. “Heart Land” (1995) is available from
Almo Sounds, “A Calmer Panorama” (1996),
“Eclipse” (1996), “Green Dream: Before The Rains”
(1996), “Timeless” (1996), and “Whalesong” (1996)
are all available from Audio Alternatives, “Fish Nite Moon” (1996) is
available from MG Records, Michael Hoppe and Tim Wheater’s “The
Yearning: Romances For Alto Flute” (1996) is available from Teldec
Records, Julia Cameron and Tim Wheater’s “This Earth” (1997) is
available from Sounds True Direct, “Incantation” (1999) is available
from Real Music, Michael Hoppe, Martin Tillman, and Tim Wheater’s
“Afterglow” (1999) is available from Hearts Of Space Records, Michael
Hoppe and Tim Wheater’s “Wing Songs [Live]” (2001) is available
from Spring Hill Records, “Into The Healing” (2004) is available from
Gemini Sun Records, “Peace Of Mind 1: Calling Wisdom” (2004) is
available from Real Music, “Sound Medicine Man” (2005) is available
from New World Music, Tim Wheater and David Lord’s “In Unity”
(2007), Tim Wheater, Natalie Shaw, and David Lord’s “Invisible
Journeys” (2008), Tim Wheater and David Lord’s “SoulStorm” (2008)
are all available from Gemini Sun Records. Tim Wheater has co-
presented alongside many of the world’s finest authors, healers,
and musicians including Deepak Chopra, Donovan, Eurythmics, The
Grateful Dead, and Neale Donald Walsch. He has performed for
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, The King and Queen of Sweden,
and most recently His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Website: www.timwheater.com
Interview: April 17th 2009 Midhurst, England, United Kingdom
Photo: Tim Wheater / TimWheater.com

SULE GREG WILSON is a percussionist, author,

dancer, storyteller, and educator living in Tempe,
Arizona. His book “The Drummer’s Path: Moving
The Spirit With Ritual And Traditional Drumming”
(1992) is available from Destiny Books; “African
American Quilting The Warmth Of Tradition” (1999),

203
 and “Kwanzaa!: Africa Lives In A New World Festival” (1999) are both
available from Rosen Publishing. His album “The Drummer’s Path:
African And Diaspora Percussive Music” (1994) is available from
Destiny Recordings; “Ancestral Whirlwind” (1998), “Runaway Dream:
Post-African Music” (2010), and “Drumpath Rhythms: A Method for
Learning and Teaching Percussion [Book & DVD]” (2010), are all
available from SuleGregWilson.com.  Wilson is also featured on the
Sankofa Strings’ CD “Colored Aristocracy” (2006), the Repeat
Offenders’ “Back On The Block” (2007), and the Carolina Chocolate
Drops’ “Genuine Negro Jig”   (2010). Sule Greg Wilson studied
drumming under Baba Ngoma and Tunda, and has performed with
Babatunde Olatunji, the International Afrikan-American Ballet, Mike
Seeger, Taj Mahal, Ruthie Foster, and John Sebastian. He co-directed
the historic 2005 Black Banjo Gathering in Boone, North Carolina.
Website: www.sulegregwilson.com
Interview: July 26th 2008 Tempe, Arizona, United States
Photo: Sule Greg Wilson / Griot Path Media, LLC

DR. ANDREW WILSON-DICKSON is an author,

composer, and teacher from Cardiff, Wales. His book
“The Story Of Christian Music: From Gregorian Chant
To Black Gospel” (2003) is available from Lion Publishing.
Andrew Wilson-Dickson is a musical polymath, composer
of all forms of classical and liturgical music, conductor
of the Welsh Baroque Orchestra and Welsh Camerata, honorary fellow of
the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.
Website: www.wilson-dickson.co.uk
Interview: February 24th 2008 Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
Photo: Dr. Andrew Wilson-Dickson / Wilson-Dickson.co.uk

WONDERFUL are an ambient-experimental-pop

band from Seattle, Washington. “Welcome To
Wonderful” (2001), “God Bless Our Pad” (2003),
and “Wake Up To Dreamland” (2011) were all
independently released and are available from

204
WonderfulMusic.net. Jason Holstrom is also a musician in United
State Of Electronica, and his solo release “The Thieves Of Kailua”
(2007) is available from Mill Pond Records.
MySpace: www.myspace.com/wonderfulmusic
Websites: www.wonderfulmusic.net and www.thievesofkailua.com
Interview (Jason Holstrom): June 13th 2008 Seattle, Washington,
United States
Interview arranged by Mike Manning, Manager, Mill Pond Records
Photo: Brian C. Bosworth / BrianCBosworth.com

BRIAN YOUNG is Founder and President of Parallel

Voice Productions, LLC, based in New York City.
Brian and his producing partner, Jonathan Secor,
direct and co-produce the interfaith, intercultural
concert series, “Songs of the Spirit,” celebrating
the musical and spiritual connections among diverse
faiths and cultures. Featured artists and speakers have included Hugh
Masekela, Odetta, Patti Smith, Laurie Anderson, Salman Ahmad,
Meshell Ndegeocello, Gary Lucas, Bill Bragin, Sekou Sundiata, Craig
Harris, Haale, Iraj Anvar, The Klezmatics, Ollabelle, Tracy Grammer,
DJ Spooky, Sussan Deyhim, The Tibetan monks of the Drepung
Loseling Monastery, and the Shangilia Youth Choir of Nairobi, Kenya.
Brian’s career as a producer, artistic director, recording engineer and
sound designer spans more than thirty years and includes recordings
and events with artists such as Ray Charles, Yoko Ono, Tito Puente,
Vernon Reid, Bill Frisell, Joan Osborne, Richie Havens, Lucinda Williams,
Tom Russell, Kool Moe Dee, Jon Faddis, Paquito D’Rivera, Regina
Carter, Judy Collins, Joan Baez, Bill Cosby, Whoopi Goldberg, Pinetop
Perkins, Hubert Sumlin and Michael Hill’s Blues Mob.
Website: www.parallelvoice.net and www.songsofthespiritconcert.org
Interview: December 21st 2007 New York, New York, United States
Photo: Brian Young

205
 About the editor
JUSTIN ST. VINCENT is the Director and
Founder of Xtreme Music, where Music meets
Spirituality. He was born in New Zealand,
lived in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, and
North America, and is passionate about music
from around the world. His book “The Spiritual
Significance of Music” (2009) is available from
Xtreme Music, and features exclusive
interviews with many of the world’s most
visionary musicians and writers. A unique
anthology that explores the dynamic relationship between Music and
Spirituality, sharing incredible insights from their experience,
knowledge, and wisdom. Justin St. Vincent has interviewed more
than one thousand people, choosing over one hundred responses,
to produce a cutting-edge and ground-breaking project for our
music-minded generation. Justin lives in Auckland, New Zealand,
and is also the Managing Editor and pioneer of the highly acclaimed
Website: www.musicandspirituality.com
Photo: Bayly & Moore / BaylyMoore.com

206
 Complete the set

Now Available From

www.musicandspirituality.com

207
 www.musicandspirituality.com

208
209
 “What do you believe is the
spiritual significance of music?”
The Spir itua l Sign ifica nce Of Music : Book 3
develops a deeper intimacy with faith-filled insights into
Music and Spirituality. Contributors from all over the world
have searched within their soul for the answers now available in
this third volume of Justin St. Vincent’s popular book series.

Musicians and writers unite in this inspirational anthology that

has positively impacted the music and lives of many music-makers
and music-lovers around the globe. This critically-acclaimed
book series has forever changed the way we experience Music and
embrace Spirituality throughout the world today.

includes exclusive interviews with

Asva Fantômas Malevolent Creation
Margie Balter Fireflight Mortal Sin
June Boyce-Tillman Robert Gass Shambhu
Brujeria Ted Gioia Shanti Shanti
Roy Campbell Jr. Haale Ed & Deb Shapiro
Amrita Cottrell Larry Hurtado Robin Spielberg
Daylight Dies Insurrection State Of Man
Devourment Aria Joy Tub Ring
Evocation Patrick K avanaugh Vile
Faith Factor David Lanz Wonderful

JUSTIN ST. VINCENT is the Director and Founder

of Xtreme Music, where Music meets Spirituality.
He is passionate about what people believe, and
Music/Spirituality
what people create. Justin has an intimate ISBN 978-0-473-18009-6
relationship with Music and Spirituality, encouraging
several generations of musicians through interviews
on the inspiring website:
9 780473 180096
www.musicandspirituality.com