In The Beginning....

There was music.

Mary of Egypt was, initially, something that was supposed to get out of my system. I have spent my whole life with music, and always have had this nagging urge to create "artistically valid" pop music. During adolescence and early adulthood, the institutionalized, formal, and hierarchical music world gave me the impression that such a mainstream desire was fruitless, contrary to the notion of artistry, and ultimately incompatible with my musical growth. However, the very communities that might foster these biases are teeming with individuals who, after playing Beethoven, Bach, Coltrane, Mozart, Monk, and Stravinsky all day will return to their own homes, or perhaps gather together, and choose to listen to the Beatles, to Radiohead, to Bjork.

"Why is this the case?" I asked myself, as you should ask. Why do such highly trained musicians have a tendency to love the musical "dark side" in their private moments? I confess I may not know the full answer, but I suspect that it has something to do with emotional response. The personal, informal, and community oriented pop/rock music genre is easily understood; one needs no formal training for it to cut to the emotional quick. It just feels good. Make no mistake, I did not become a socialist realist, for I do not believe that accessibility and intellectual merit are mutually exclusive. I do not want to dumb down music, and I do not want to over-complicate it. I aim for somewhere in the middle.

There are many pop artists who are lauded for their complexity, intellectual construction, and innovation. There are also many who are chastised by formally trained musicians for their repetitiveness, ultra-simplified methods, and lack of foresight. On the other hand, there are many classical and jazz musicians/composers who have the awesome power of deep communication with a listener, just as there are many similar artists who might be called elitist, inaccessible, and downright snobby.

I believe that the best of both worlds is possible, and that in fact the best of both worlds is the very definition of a true music for humanity- the most aesthetically pleasing music contains not only easily discernible emotional intent but a formal, intellectual scope- both musical aspects must be present for a piece of music to be useful to the world.

After writing my first couple of songs, I heard so many positive remarks regarding this very issue. Listeners are happy to hear something that simultaneously interests their ear and moves their spirit. I have been so fortunate and grateful to have a group of phenomenal players who not only agreed to perform my growing collection of music, but who have put in countless hours of their own time in its preparation and the logistics entailed. What began as one traveling microphone has evolved into a living breathing organism, as Mary of Egypt embarks upon the final stretch of preparations for live debut.

What was supposed to get out of my system now defines my very musical ethics, my artistic ideology, and my life, which has always been and will always be dedicated to the pursuit of musical excellence.