Free or by-donation download of album. Proceeds will fund the pressing of our first vinyl.
I recently attended a concert at the Spotty Dog in Hudson, NY to
perform with a group of local musicians who preform regularly under
the name "Summer Mummy". Knowing well the band's distorted drones and
their dark, unforgiving landscapes, it was bizarre to witness such a
calm and attentive reception from a rather diverse audience inside
this intimate, Old Hudson book store. I realized that night that the
strong wave of NYC anti-folk / electronic-doom-noise, in all of its
ironic, pseudo-rebellious glory may have actually
mutated under a rock
and climbed out in upstate, NY to change the way the surrounding area
appreciates music and the process behind listening and creating. What
excites me the most is the synchronicity with which these sounds are
appearing all over the world.
There was a time in our country when music paved a social and
political pathway for true freedom, love and understanding. The late
culture of the 60's and early 70's was about action, exposing the war
on consciousness and the powers responsible for mankind's never ending
cycle of slavery. With their backs against the wall, these big
corporations, government agencies and entertainment industry hacks
found ways to manipulate and capitalize on all of our sweet ideas.
Anti-war philosophies, holistic medicine, alternative lifestyles, new
age beliefs, mind altering drugs, and perhaps most obviously music
were widely accepted and practiced by millions of people. However, any
lasting change was lost in the laws of supply and demand and became
what they originally intended to supersede - trends. Monetized frauds
and tacky propaganda prove to be easily accessible and convenient, but
as most of us are figuring out, obtaining spiritual enlightenment
through Apple's latest piece of plastic is about as likely as getting
high off of legally synthesized marijuana substitutes you can purchase
on the web. Yet we are told everyday that our status and our material
possessions will bring us happiness. Musicians worldwide have given
their lives to do there part in defeating this poisonous
misconception. We know there can be no real evolution nor positive
change in the mind unless it comes from within the individual and
manifests through a creative process.
Empathy for others, unconditional love, caring and humble
understanding, all the good shit comes from the heart - the source of
our humanness, our connection with the spirit of the Earth, whose
heart beats from her core as does ours. We've heard this new age
rhetoric before, but listening to and learning from our inner psyche
can be nearly impossible in a world of endless clatter and
overwhelming stimuli. Whether we realize it or not, our minds are
constantly bombarded with information - most of which gets stored in
the subconscious. Musicians have struggled for years to compete with
this noise - deconstructing, decomposing, sampling and reaarranging.
The remix generation will stop at nothing to combat the forces of
falsehood with our ever-growing abilities to create truth out of lies.
But only when the mind is quiet can the voice within be heard. The act
of careful, attentive listening should be practiced by everyone, both
individually and in small groups. I believe the patience required to
dig on music like that of Summer Mummy and groups with similar
aspirations, is a key element needed for an individual's spiritual
transition into silence. Just as traditional chanting resonates
through monastery corridors and the campsites of indigenous tribes, so
should the modern Drone envelope our venues, cafes an taverns. After
all, concerts, plays, festivals and performances of any kind are
ceremonial in nature and they deserve our undivided attention,
patience and participation.
Musical innovation is believed by many to be directly in sync with
the various states of human consciousness. Jazz legends like Ayler an
Coltrane believed their improvisational talents to be rooted in
spiritual energy. Scientists like Dr. Robert Beck have discovered
methods by which electronic tones can be used to alter people's
brainwaves, to heal sometimes even fatal illnesses from the inside
out. Modern-day alchemists and "New Age Shamans" like the McKenna
brothers used vibrations in the nasal and throat passages to harness
the psychedelic effects of the teaching plants of the Amazon. Each of
these amazing pursuits is founded on the basic practices of meditation
and listening. Nothing can be known without the desire to experience
and learn. Summer Mummy is a collaborative effort to manifest organic,
improvised music, and when trying to achieve a unified sound with
little to no preconceived structure, listening is even more important
than playing. This process isn't new, but its originality lies in a
thought-provoking statement concerning our abilities to come together
and combine noises that supersede spoken word. To truly innovate is to
produce what comes from within - to bring forth a celebration of the
self - free from language, form or systematic structure. This is a
campaign to change the way we jam out to our tunes and for that matter
- the ways in which we communicate with one another.
Like all mathematical patterns contained within sacred geometrical
shapes, emotional and spiritual energies seem to be contained within
music. The Food of Love, the Language of the Soul with practice can be
mastered and replace the dualistic means by which we attempt to know
God. We need no longer to rely on the complex system of languages, the
traditional dialects, the ever-changing slangs, the latest text
abbreviations or internet lingo. Nor should the love of music be
limited by obsessive, instinctual behavior - excessive downloading,
mindless name dropping, and the jealousy of others' success. We should
work towards embracing not the will, but the willingness to take part
- to simultaneously listen and create.
Phillip S.R. Allison
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