You may have noticed by now, that I use the phrase "Voice = Power" often. It's the name of my second album, the podcast that I hosted, and I often refer to my band by that name as well. However, to me its more than just a name. It is my mantra. It is what I tell myself when I feel overwhelmed, anxious, and insignificant. It is also what I try to instill in others to help elevate those around me.
I'd like to share with you the story of how these words became a part of my life and how they've helped to set a new course, one abundant with creative energy and purpose.
In 2015 I was a graduate student at Temple University. My goal up to then was to be a top tier side-man. I had no real interest in composing or leading a group. I had no personal aesthetic at all. My goal was to be a musical chameleon, blending into whatever group I was hired to play with. Providing them with what they need for the gig and then on to the next situation.
To be honest, this arrangement worked out well for many years. I worked a lot, made decent money, and learned a ton of real-life lessons. However, around the time of the 2016 elections I started having doubts about what I was doing with my life. Music started to seem self-indulgent, a luxury. There seemed to be so many problems in the world, and I calculated that with the amount of time I spent practicing music, I could have been a lawyer fighting for social justice or a scientist working on renewable energies.
It was a bleak time for me. I didn't know what to do with myself and my work as a sideman was not as fulfilling as it once was. One day I had a revelation. I was listening to Kenny Garrett's album 'Do Your Dance', and I was struck by how irrepressibly joyous he sounded. Then I suddenly realized that his state of being in music WAS his superpower. In other words his ARTISTIC VOICE is his superpower. Then a way for me to shorthand this logic became 'Voice = Power'. This has been my mantra ever since.
In the months following this experience, I began to write more and with purpose. I started to write lyrics both to be sung and to be spoken. I tried my best to speak about issues that were important to me, such as sustainability, and live by them, by eliminating plastic covers from my albums and now only selling digital copies to lessen waste.
One of the songs from that period was 'Speaking Back Through Time' (which you can listen to below). It is a spoken word piece that is essentially a letter to my younger self. In it, I try to express the benefits of slowing down, listening, and operating out of a state of calm and not of emotional reaction.
This is where I am today, using my artistic voice to help improve myself and the world a little bit at a time. After all music IS my superpower, and with your help I will continue on this path.