Technology Is Beating Us Black(berry) and Blue(tooth)!!!

Even though my paternal grandfather was Italian he never cooked. Hell, he could barely boil a pot of water! Working the oven was not within his grasp. The extent of his TV remote skill was turning the TV on and off, and adjusting the volume. Even dialing a phone number was a stretch for him. It’s not that he was an unintelligent man. It’s just that he had no real use for technology. It’s funny even referring to a TV remote, an oven, and a land-line telephone as “technology”, but for my grandfather – who was born before TV’s and refrigerators – these were hi-tech conveniences!

As a rather cocky kid I remember considering him to be somewhat of a “Luddite”, and I wondered how on earth he managed to navigate through this life without a solid grasp of current technology. Well, believe it or not, he did indeed manage to make it through life…to the ripe old age of 92! His wife (my Nonna) made it to 91! They actually both remained in their own house until the last year or so! In fact my grandfather was still tending to his massive garden (“giardino”) until he literally fell down in it and couldn’t get up. He was 90 years old at the time.

What am I getting at? In the past quarter century or so, we’ve seen life go from the simplicity of playing outside after school, hand-writing and actually mailing letters to friends and family, regular family dinners, and using a payphone when away from home or the office, to Avatar® and Wii®, email and instant messaging, ordering out and microwave meals on-the-go, and iPhones® and Blackberries®!

Indeed there have been some miraculous advances in medical procedures. Agricultural technology has allowed an average farm to go from feeding 90 people to feeding some 900! Vast quantities of information are readily available at the push of a button. Communication throughout much of the global community has advanced so far that physical borders are almost irrelevant. And for musicians, recording artists have witnessed the virtual end of analog (tape) recording and its replacement by ever-changing digital technology. High quality audio recordings are now possible in one’s own basement for a minute fraction of the cost of professional recordings, say, 20 years ago. So what? It’s all terrific, right? Or is it?

What has been the net result of all these “improvements” to our lives? Take a look around and what do you see? At the risk of seeming like my “Luddite” grandfather, I’ll tell you what I see beyond the thin veil of technological advancement…

I see kids who are so obsessed with the Internet, television, and video games (both at-home and hand-held versions) that real imagination and communication skills are suffering. Basic spelling and grammar are optional at best these days. And do kids even play hide-and-seek or make-believe anymore? I mean kids can’t even go to the store now without the DVD player being on in the van. Whatever happened to just “talking” to each other? Or reading a book? Or playing games like “Punch Buggy”, or “I Spy”. Just consider the onslaught of so-called childhood ADD, ADHD. This simply was not the case a couple of decades ago. I’m not talking about autism…that is a whole other entity. But really, where has this come from? We didn’t even have such a thing 20 years ago. Now it’s a relatively common “diagnosis” for kids with attention issues. Is jacking kids up on Ritalin® really a medical “advancement”?

And if it isn’t the overload of audio/visual stimuli, consider the food chain! Sure we can feed more people per farm now, but what are we eating? Processed food? Genetically engineered food? Whatever is quick and easy, right? Is it mere coincidence that we have alarming childhood obesity and diabetes rates? Is it any wonder that between the lack of basic physical activity and proper nutrition, for the first time in history, today’s youth are expected to live shorter lives than their parents?

Speaking of parents, how has technology “helped” them? Seems to me that these days parents so busy and stressed out that we now have as many divorces as marriages in North America. And who suffers most as a result? The children. Where is the stability in being shipped off to a different home every other week, as is often the arrangement in today’s divorce situations?

Now I really don’t mean to come down on parents in divorces, because to be honest, given what people are up against these days, it’s a wonder that anyone stays together anymore! Why is that? There are many reasons. But if I had to boil it down to one concept, I would argue that in the ever-accelerating, desperate and ultimately unfulfilling race to be the “best we can be”…in EVERYTHING…we have lost the essence of it all – our sense of self. We don’t know or feel who we are, how we fit in to the greater scheme of things, and what matters to us anymore. Instead we are TOLD how to feel, what to think, what to fear, what to buy, how to look, etc.

With all the so-called “advancements” in media, we have managed to convince ourselves that we NEED everything that is thrown at us, be it the latest gadget, appliance, clothing, or pill (the insane prevalence of prescription drugs in today’s society is subject for a whole other blog)! And what drives this perceived “need”? FEAR. As a technologically “advanced” society, we have mastered the art of using fear to motivate. For example, we scare the crap out of parents, by sensationalizing even the remotest mishap to befall a child, such as the MASSIVE coverage on CNN of the “dry-drowning” victim last week. One unfortunate child dies of some random illness or accident, and suddenly there are “experts” all over the media, telling us how to “keep our kids safe” from the “hidden danger” that lurks in the shadows. Seriously, between the sensational stories of one-in-a-million type deaths or injuries, to the latest “health threat”, to the fear-mongering, overblown news coverage of violence, parents are terrified to let their kids out of their sight even for a second without sunscreen, a cell phone, a helmet, and a GPS tracking device!!! Good thing we’ve had such advancements in SPF, cellular, sport protection and satellite technology! PHEW!!!

Things, things, things…and MORE things. Bigger is better. More is better. Faster is better. Easier is better. Enough already! We are so afraid of not being like everyone else, that we constantly feel the “need” distract ourselves with every new technology that is thrown our way. We are indeed ADDICTED to technology. It is a drug at its core. For all the good a drug can provide someone, the untempered, excessive, unnecessary use (abuse) of it will eventually have a seriously negative impact on our bodies and our beings. So it is with technology. I would argue that of all the things one can become addicted to, none is as insidious, as deceptive and ultimately as damaging as “Almighty Technology” simply for technology’s sake.

God forbid we ever spend some quiet time alone with our thoughts. Think of what could happen then…We might not maintain the high score on that Grand Theft Auto®…We might miss that “essential” bit of news regarding the child who died in a freak farming accident 5,000 miles away…We might miss Paris Hilton’s latest escapade…We might not catch the latest DVD the moment it hits the shelves…We might not catch the special report on the Killer Bees…We might miss that one-day-only sale on that piece of shit we don’t really need but everyone else has…Please, say it ain’t so!!!

…OR WORSE YET – We might actually have a moment of clarity. A moment where we find the solution to a problem that has been plaguing us. A moment where we realize just how pointless that argument we are having with our lover really is. A moment where we come up with a great idea for a new business venture…one that we are passionate about. A moment where we create a song or poem. A moment where we connect with ourselves- the real us, not the us we are told to be. A moment where we discover that technology for technology’s sake is an empty promise, a deceitful mistress, a distracting, debilitating, destructive drug.

Having said all of the above, please don’t misunderstand me – I am in fact all for technology and technological advancements. However, there is a world of difference between being “all for” technology and being “for all” technology! This market-driven, false sense of “needing” all the latest technology so as not to “fall behind” is a load of rubbish! Technology should serve the purpose of benefiting those who truly NEED it. I am a musician. I can tell you that all the advances in audio technology are great, but in many ways, I feel overwhelmed by too many options. It often takes more time to get the final product instead of less, because I spend so much time choosing between one plug-in and another, or dealing with the inevitable “system crash”. Besides no amount of Pro-Tools® or Auto-Tune® will make a bad song any better. Quantity does not necessarily (if ever) beget quality. I still don’t even have an iPod® …What?!?!?!? Why?!?!?! Because I don’t truly need it (yet at least). I don’t have cable TV either…DOUBLE-WHAT?!?!?…How can I live without it? Because I don’t need it. Basic air feed channels provide me with far more programming than I could ever care to watch. I mean, really – how much time do I want to waste watching TV? I would much rather write a song, hang with my friends or family, read a book, take a walk, call a friend long-distance…or simply BE.

It is somewhat ironic that I have just spent the better part of two hours at my computer typing this blog entry. Everything in good measure though – time to get outside and enjoy nature for a bit. My grandfather often used to sit on a crooked lawn chair and just look out over his garden. No Blackberry®, cell phone, or Wii®…just him and his garden. And again, he lived to 92. I have that chair now. And at the risk of carrying on the “Luddite” tradition, I think I’ll go sit on it for a while…and hopefully get to understand myself and the world around me a little better…and maybe even add a few years – hopefully peaceful, fulfilling ones – to my life.

Yesterday I Became A Killer…

WARNING: THIS IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF STOMACH!!!

I’m not sure why I’m sharing this story…but I guess it affected me more than I had expected. Yesterday, I became a killer…a cold-blooded killer. Now in this life I have, as most people, been in some way connected to the termination of life on this planet. If you are a meat eater, I need say no more. If you have ever worn leather, squished a bug, or euthanized a pet, I need say no more. But yesterday was different. Yesterday, I beat a rat to death with a shovel. That’s right…a rat.

You may now be breathing a sigh of relief, or even laughing at the perceived silliness of this statement. However, try as I might to rationalize my action with facts about how much disease these creatures can carry, or what a destructive nuisance rats can become, if allowed to breed and eventually enter my home…or even the fact that this particular rat was obviously suffering a previous injury, spilling the blood of this helpless creature with a couple of swift blows of a shovel blade has left me shaken.

I have always considered myself a peaceful individual, and a lover of all creation. But faced with the alternatives in that moment yesterday, I chose to strike the life from another living being with vicious and precise force.

What, if any, is the lesson in this? Perhaps in a somewhat “positive” light, this proves that when push comes to shove, I will do whatever I deem necessary to protect my home and family. Now this may seem like a bit of a stretch. But having (albeit reluctantly) killed a relatively helpless living thing, I truly believe that in some way it might have been easier to attack a human being threatening violence against my family or me. At least he or she could have fought back.

Or maybe, on the darker side, I have discovered a frightening truth about myself. Maybe the truth is that yesterday it did not actually become a killer, but rather I unleashed the killer that has always been in me…the killer that, given the right circumstances, would likely rear its ugly head in any of us.

I hope I never really know.

Life Takes Its Tolle – Part 3 of 3

A Little More Love by Peter Bloom Band

Sorry this took a little longer than anticipated, but at last here is the final part of my EPIC three-part blog on comparisons between songs from Peter Bloom Band’s debut CD (Random Thoughts – from a paralyzed mind) and Eckhart Tolle’s recent book – A New Earth.

Whereas in part two of this blog, “Walls” seemed to parallel many of Tolle’s views on the core questions of life faced by humankind, this final part will show how “A Little More Love” closely relates to Tolle’s insights as to possible answers or solutions to those questions.

The song begins by pondering a simple possibility – what if we were faced with the realization that the moment in which we are living is the only moment we have (“If for a moment just a moment’s all we had, would one word be enough?”) On the surface, this could be interpreted as the moment being our “last” moment on earth. What one word could we say, hear, read, or write that would somehow give meaning and purpose to our existence? What would we think, feel, say or do, if we treated every moment as though it were our last. Suddenly, life would be all the more precious indeed. A concept such as this could drive us mad with fear and desperation. Perhaps a better way to look at it is to treat every moment of your life as though it were your first! Imagine the possibilities! It is this concept of only ever truly having (living, experiencing) the moment in which we find ourselves that will set us free to enjoy life and live it to its fullest. So what is the purpose of life? Tolle would likely say that the answer is in the question. Life is the purpose. That’s all we can really control – life right now. And by control, we can’t necessarily make everything we want to happen happen. But we can control our reaction to any given situation, and in so doing affect our perception (and experience) of life at that moment. There is in fact no purpose in worrying about the future. A friend recently said to me that worrying is like paying interest on a debt you may never have. Dwelling on the past is equally pointless, as it is impossible to change. Life…NOW…is all we have! How we come to terms with this realization is the subject of the rest of the song.

The following two lines of the song ask: “If for a moment we could wipe out all the bad, would one word be enough?” What one word could be powerful enough to rid us of all the evil in the world? “Sorry” perhaps? Not likely! So how do we tap into the essence of this mono-momentary situation? Tolle suggests the exercise of observing nature as though it were the very first time you had ever done so. Don’t try to assign labels to anything…just admire and enjoy it. This idea is quite similar to the first pre-chorus of >“A Little More Love”<strong>:

“Talk like you’ve never made a sound
Let everything around inspire you
Thank God for every morning
With every breath be born anew
Yes you know it’s true.”

Imagine talking as though you had never before made a sound. How thrilled would you be? What would your first word(s) be? Letting everything around inspire you, being thankful for every morning, being reborn with every breath – these are all examples of being truly present in the moment in which you find yourself. The more present you are, the more truly thankful and awestruck with life you will be…and the more inspired, motivated, and ALIVE you will feel! Tolle refers to this feeling as “awakening”.

I will leave the chorus (title) line until the end of this blog. For now, let’s look at the next verse. The first half is as follows: >“If for a moment we let go of all the hurt, would one word heal it now?” Again, imagine if we could truly let go of any and all pain and suffering we had ever endured, be it of our own or someone else’s doing, or merely as a result of circumstance. What if we truly forgave others, forgave “God” or fate…or often more importantly, forgave ourselves for past wrongs? What word could heal all that pain? “Forgiveness”? Maybe…but there is an even simpler concept (word) that precedes forgiveness. We’ll get there a little later.

The second half of the verse ponders: “If for a moment there were silence on the earth, would our ears hear it now?” What if we truly had a moment with no distractions – no TVs, computers, music, cell phones, video games…or even books? Nothing but silence and you. Now we’re touching on another of Tolle’s keys to achieving inner peace and a sense of purpose. It’s a practice as old as humankind. Tolle and others refer to concepts such as “meditation” and “prayer”, but these unfortunately often connote ascribing to a particular religious or spiritual belief or practice. So in order to avoid this trap, think of it simply as being in silence. It is only when we are truly silent, and the world around us presents no distractions – only harmony – that we can actually feel who we are. Not know or think who we are, but really feel it. Needless to say it is very difficult to achieve this sort of true silence in which we might catch a figurative “glimpse” into the essence of our being. But as rare and fleeting as these moments of pure insight are, it is a most worthwhile pursuit.

The subsequent pre-chorus again suggests exercises similar to Tolle’s concept of living each moment as though it were the first moment of life, and hence to fill oneself with…hope.

“Walk like you’ve never touched the ground
And let your steps resound with fiery youth
Find hope in every cloud above
With every drop of rain let love wash right over you”

Again, by letting every step feel like your first ever, by maintaining a youthful and hopeful outlook, even the difficult times (the clouds and rain) will resound with life!

This next verse is often interpreted as a “We Are The World”-type, global-minded, “beak-out-the-lighters-and/or-cell phones” rallying cry! While it can indeed be seen as such, it can also be examined on a very individual, personal level:

“If for a moment we turned anger into song
Would our words reach the sun?
If for a moment we conspired to get along
Would our hearts bleed as one?”

Note this is a deliberately sarcastic, and slightly ironic use of the word “conspiring”, considering its context. It is done to underscore how seemingly impossible living in peace with one another is. As I said above, this verse could be interpreted as a global move toward peace. Or it could just as easily represent the easing of tension between two individuals – be they neighbors, friends, enemies, lovers, siblings, etc. I would argue, as I believe would Tolle, that if every individual quarrel were indeed settled all around the world, the likelihood of any real global conflict would be greatly reduced if not eliminated. Is this pure fantasy? Perhaps. But I would certainly not be averse to testing the theory. Surely no harm would come of it!

The final pre-chorus lays everything on the line. The concept of speaking for the first time is reiterated (“Talk like you’ve never made a sound”), and then a crucial concept of Tolle (and many other thinkers, such as Deepak Chopra) is echoed in the lines, “Let everything around light up the world inside of you.” Put another way, the world we perceive is the world we create, both literally and figuratively. On the surface, if you tell yourself that you are going to have a bad day, chances are you will! The world has a funny way of fulfilling that sort of prophecy. On a far deeper (virtually intangible) level, the actual (“physical”) world itself exists only insofar as each of us experiences and perceives it internally. This is a tough one to swallow, I admit. But perhaps a helpful way of looking at it is to imagine your perception of the world if you were dead. You would have no perception, at least in a physical sense, since your physical “receptors” (sense of smell, sight, hearing, touch, taste) would cease to function. So what world would exist, as far as you were concerned? None. As far as you are concerned, the world will effectively “end” when you die. Another way of interpreting the “world inside of you” is the “life force”, the “source”, the “universal consciousness”, to which we are all connected, and of which we are all a part. Put simply, it is that from which all of creation emanates. It is the part of us that connects us all to one another. It is timeless and formless. And it can never die. That, too, is the “world” inside of you. Imagine “lighting up” that world inside of you for all the rest of us to see…now imagine if we ALL did the same!

This is what the last few lines are saying: “Each hour is now or never.” In other words, every moment matters. “Reach out and help each other through – that’s what we’ve got to do.” Ultimately, we are in this together, like the cells of a body. If the every cell just decided to do its own thing without any concern for the greater good of the body, the body would soon fall apart. Imagine if heart cells just decided they wanted to be tongue tissue, because they wanted to taste food too. Is this too abstract perhaps? Then simply imagine cells turning on other cells and killing them…there’s really no need to imagine this scenario – we have all at least witnessed, if not experienced, the effects of cancer on the body, and on those around the cancer victim. So Tolle would argue that instead of finding fault with those around us, instead of trying to hurt or outdo those around us, we would be better off to acknowledge the basic sameness we all share at our core level of being, and to help each other to avoid getting bogged down by our often overblown and misguided egos, and the false sense of security we tend to seek out via material gain.

I said I would leave the title line (chorus) until the end…and here we are. The concepts examined above may at first be either difficult to grasp, or simply seem far-fetched and unrealistic. But I would argue that it is only when we fully acknowledge and accept what most of us deem “unreal” as being that which is the only true reality…then and only then will we be fully “awake”, fully alive. And what is that one true reality? LOVE – pure and simple. Not romantic or lustful love. I’m referring to love at its essence, which is the wellspring of creation. To truly love unconditionally is to create, and to nurture and protect creation, without expecting reciprocation. The expression “God is love” is more than a motto adopted by certain religious groups. It is the essential truth underlying our very existence, and that of the universal consciousness of which we are all a part. Although I am not restricting this idea to Christianity, the concept of the Holy Trinity serves as a good model to illustrate the nature of our existence. In Christianity, however, the notion of “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” is applied exclusively to God/Jesus. At the risk of being accused of blasphemy, I would argue that it truly applies to each and every one of us. The “Father” component is God, or the Source, or the Creator, or the Universe, or Mother Nature – that from which everything originates. “Son” is the human (physical) “child” or “offspring” (male or female) of the Creator. “Holy Spirit” is that “world inside of us” that I wrote of above. It is the timeless, formless essence (observer) within each of us that connects us to the Creator, and thus to each other. The nature of every human being is therefore a tri-faceted intertwining of Creator, Creation, and Spirit.

LOVE is at the core of this identity. LOVE is the truth holds this world together. With the current state of affairs on both an individual and global level, I hope we can all agree on one thing: “We just need a little more LOVE.”

Thanks for reading. Peace.

Tags: a new earth, awakening to your life’s purpose, deepak chopra, eckhart tolle, oprah winfrey, peter bloom, peter bloom band

A Night Of Debauchery

This past Saturday night, I was honoured to be invited to the birthday celebration of a good friend of mine, (Nashville producer/songwriter) Terry Sawchuk. We hooked up at the hip Queen Street nightclub, The Drake. The wine was a-flowing, and the food was exquisite! I had great chats with all sorts of people, both in and out of the music biz. Of note, I spoke with Jazz singer (and Canadian & Japanese Pop-radio chart topper), Matt Dusk. Sweet guy! I also had the pleasure of speaking at length with Rob Lanni, head of Coalition Entertainment. Hope I didn’t talk his ear off! Coalition manages my good buddy, Justin Nozuka, who is in the U.S. now…about to take them by storm!!!

It was a terrific night, with a lot of serious talent in one room! Too bad Terry drank so much that he doesn’t remember a thing! HA! Happy 29th, brother!

Tags: coalition entertainment, justin nozuka, matt dusk, peter bloom, peter bloom band, rob lanni, terry sawchuck

Justin Nozuka and friends…

I just caught my friend, Justin Nozuka, a couple nights ago (May 5th) at Hugh’s Room in Toronto. It was a great little night of current and former Humber Songwriting Workshop attendees strutting their stuff for all to see. Every performer was terrific! Apart from Justin’s intense and stirring performance, there were other memorable moments provided by the lovely Jeanette Lee, the ever-enthusiastic Ron Beer (his real name), the multi-talented Terry Gowan, and a new “one-to-watch” – Karen Ellis…wow, she was something else! The other performers will have to forgive me for not mentioning their names…they were, as I said, all terrific as well!

Thanks to Bill McKetrick for putting the night together, and to both (guitar hero) Rik Emmet, and (everyday hero) Blair Packham for performing.

I’ve added a few photos from the night to my MySpace page. Check them out.

Peace.

Tags: Bill McKetrick, Blair Packham, hugh's room, humber college, humber songwriting workshop, jeanette lee, justin nozuka, karen ellis, peter bloom, peter bloom band, Rik Emmet, ron beer, terry gowan

Life Takes Its “Tolle” – part 2 of 3

Walls by Peter Bloom Band

Today I will compare my song, Walls, to some key concepts in Eckhart Tolle’s book, A New Earth. Walls seems to summarize much of the current human condition as Tolle sees it. It is the story of a soldier who is at first overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of nature – the magnificent land, sea, and sky that abound around him (“…the world awaits – a work of art no hand can trace… she’ll steal your every thought”). But as a physical being in a world of form and ego, his all-too-brief moment of wonderment, awareness, or “presence” is halted (“the moment skips, and slowly slips away”). He wonders why he can never fully feel a part of this greater “being” (“too far is as close as I can be… king of all imperfect harmony”).

The chorus’ first half which repeats throughout the song touches upon what I would argue is one of the essential dilemmas we grapple with as human beings – the desire to show the world who we truly are, and yet somehow never being able to do so satisfactorily (“These walls keep something inside of me… I want all the world to know… but I can’t seem to let it show”). The “walls” are in a sense the “form” – the physical and temporal, with which our mind (ego) identifies. The soldier feels that there is more to this life than what he sees and hears. But managing to verbalize that truth, and to “shine that inner light” is far easier said than done (“… another bird without a song… every word I write is wrong… all alone and tongue-tied to a tree… while its shadow hides the light you’ll never see”). The shadow of the tree (form / ego) is preventing the inner light from shining through.

Tolle uses various quotations from diverse spiritual leaders, such as Buddha and Jesus, to illustrate the common truth that is core to all of these belief systems – that we are all a part of a greater Being. He goes on to say that the trouble with subscribing rigidly to a particular belief system (religion) is that it is still at its essence a construct of the mind (ego/form). It’s what one believes or thinks – and therefore limits access to the greater truth of the universal intelligence or consciousness that is not bound by mind-imposed identifiers. As history has so often shown, aligning ourselves to rigid belief systems has been (and continues to be) the root cause of, or at least a contributing factor to, innumerable cases of violence and atrocities among people.

The second verse of Walls speaks to that issue. The soldier realizes that beyond religious belief systems, which have so often been corrupted and manipulated for earthly (ego) gain (“Choose your cross, the life you want… the truth lost… the liars won… ), there lies the simple truth about the essence of our origins and our nature. Each of us is an energy that manifests for an indeterminate amount of time, then dissolves back into energy, to once again manifest and dissolve, and so on and so forth ad infinitum (“… no one knows the limit… we’re in it till we’re gone… and then we go back to whence we came… soul path leads once again to on and on… ”). And sadly, until we are fully aware and acceptant of this truth, we as physical entities will never quite feel as though we are where we should be (“… we need to belong… forevermore a beggar for a home”).

The second half of the second verse seems to mirror the core lesson of Tolle’s A New Earth. He argues that until we learn how to truly live fully in the present moment, without being weighted down either by nostalgia or regrets of an unalterable past, or by the worries and anxieties of an uncertain future, we will never be fulfilled at our core. In fact, our very existence will seem to have little or no true meaning or purpose. Until the global “awakening” to the NOW, this will continue to be the fate of the vast majority of people. (“… A lonely wave bound for shore… all around a million more come and go… and no one knows we’ve been… life’s a riddle… how little now can mean”).

There is both a musical and lyrical intensity change in the bridge section of Walls. We get glimpses of a tumultuous physical situation unfolding. First, “… sand falls from the metal of a shovel”. This could be interpreted as either a trench or grave being dug. Next, a “… man calls for a battle with the Devil… all right boys, don’t miss your calling.” Is this the ultimate battle of “Good vs. Evil”? Is that our true purpose? What is “Good”? What is “Evil”? Apart from the literal meaning of the battle scene that is unfolding, the “loud noise of missiles falling” represents the chaotic sense of confusion, as the world seems to be crumbling around us. The soldier is panicked and desperate for help or “salvation” (“… I can’t breathe and I’m reaching for someone… Jesus, please – it’s me and I’m coming up for air… there’s no one there”).

The second half of the third chorus not only makes reference to the fact that the soldier has died, but also illustrates the cycle of life, as “a flower laid on lime above” his grave is “a final fading sign of love,” that “will find a way to play a part again.” He will, as will the flower, be physically absorbed into the earth. His energy or spirit will then manifest itself in a new form of physical life, and so on. The lines “too much time – it never came to me… too much time forever is plain to see” indicate both that the soldier feels he did not get enough time in this life, and also that the Truth never came to him… until now. Therefore “forever’ is indeed plain to see. At the moment of his death, he finally understands, or at least fully experiences, the infinite nature of Being. And so he comforts himself (and the listener) by stating, “you’ll never die if you never close your eyes… no goodbyes.” This could be interpreted as simple denial, but is better understood in the metaphoric sense that, as long as we remain “awake”, or “aware”, or “present” in the moment – connected with the infinite nature of Being – we will never truly die. Our body will, but our energy (spirit, soul) will not.

The soldier then refers one last time to the “walls” that keep something inside of him. This can be understood as the literal walls of his grave, and also as the physical (ego) barrier that had hereto prevented him from finding fulfillment. But in the end, he has indeed managed to do so, and he says to himself and to us all, “So now you know.” The Truth is known. And the Truth, as Tolle might say, is NOW.

Please check out part 3 of This Life Takes Its “Tolle”, which will illustrate how my song, A Little More Love, touches upon what Tolle believes one can do… NOW… to nurture one’s spiritual awakening. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Please share it with others. Peace.

Visit: peterbloomband.com/music/samples.html

Tags: a new earth, awakening to your life’s purpose, deepak chopra, eckhart tolle, oprah winfrey, peter bloom, peter bloom band

Peter Bloom Opens For Juliana Sparks CD Launch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Toronto-based singer/songwriter Peter Bloom will be opening the launch of Juliana Sparks long-awaited CD entitled “Juliana” at The Rivoli (334 Queen St. W., Toronto, east of Spadina) on May 7th at 8:00 PM. Performing as an acoustic trio, Peter will perform songs from his just-released full-length debut “Random Thoughts (from a paralyzed mind)“.

Peter Bloom has the perfect gift for all those people who let fear prevent them from breaking free and reaching their potential. Drawing emotional strength and wisdom from his own powerful personal life experiences, his album is an insightful, musically and lyrically compelling debut that chronicles his dramatic shift from years of self-doubt (and physical problems with his voice) to his current emergence as a critically acclaimed, award winning artist and performer.

His newly assembled band’s first gig in December 2007 at The Cameron House—one of the city’s hip musical venues—saw many fans lining up after the show to buy CDs and get autographs. One review described Bloom’s live performance as “pure heart and raw energy.” Leading up to Random Thoughts’ official national March 2008 release, Peter Bloom Band is also set to play Toronto hotspot The Horseshoe, and headline for over 1,000 people at a benefit show for DANI (Developing and Nurturing Individuals), a local organization that raises money to help special needs people become more independent.

What the press is saying:

“For (people) keen to try Canadian pop but put off by all the oddball Montreal indie acts, the answer may come in the shape of Peter Bloom. Earnest as a Toronto winter day is short, Bloom makes sweeping piano pop redolent of late Beatles ballads or Chris Martin at his most thoughtful.”
Download.Com – Editor’s Review

“Peter Bloom is a singer-songwriter who learned all the right lessons from John, George, Ringo and especially Paul – not to mention Elton John and John (Five For Fighting) Ondrasik. This is simply gorgeous piano/orchestral-based pop, carried to the next level by Bloom’s insightful lyrics and full-bodied melodic sensibilities.”
Jason Warburg, The Daily Vault

For more information on Peter Bloom, visit his website (peterbloomband.com) and MySpace (myspace.com/peterbloommusic)

For press and other inquiries, contact:
Eric de Fontenay
MusicDish LLC
ecfont@musicdish.net

Tags: juliana sparks, peter bloom, peter bloom band, the rivoli, toronto, toronto events, toronto music, toronto shows

Life Takes Its “Tolle” – part 1 of 3

Although I very much respect and admire Oprah Winfrey for her tremendous career and her many philanthropic efforts, I don’t tend to read a specific book simply because Oprah told me to! However, recently I was inexplicably drawn to reading the latest offering from her current “life guru”, Eckhart Tolle. The book is called A New Earth – Awakening To Your Life’s Purpose. Tolle has managed to synthesize a vast amount of religious, philosophical, spiritual and even scientific ideas and insights into a rather simple, coherent and enlightening thesis that at its very core simply rings truer than anything else I’ve read on the subject. If you are at all a fan of Deepak Chopra and the like, it is well worth the read.

Throughout his book, Tolle illustrates how he believes we, on a physical (form) level, are actually all temporary manifestations of the creator, the “I Am”, or “God” – the universal intelligence or “Being” of which we are all a part, and which is timeless and formless. Try as we might, by the very fact that we are in a time and mind constrained form, we can never fully grasp this Being’s true nature. However, if we are able to silence our minds for a moment and in so doing be truly “present” in that moment, we can indeed catch “glimpses” of the true essence of this Being. Eventually, as we become more aware of being, as opposed to thinking or doing, we will find our stress levels reduced dramatically. Ultimately, we will find true inner peace – a peace and fulfillment that no amount of external achievement and/or accumulation can provide. In other words, when we finally come to accept the true nature of existence (the ego) and its (secondary) relationship and relevance to that of simply “Being”, we will find joy in every moment, no matter how seemingly mundane or even painful it may sometimes appear from a physical perspective. This enlightenment, or “awakening”, will set us free to live the life we are meant to live, however short or long…at every moment… and be happy doing so!

As I got deep into the book, I started to realize just how “in sync” I am with this man’s point of view. In fact, as I will demonstrate, I am starting to feel that a couple of the songs from my CD, Random Thoughts (from a paralyzed mind), are in some ways synopses of the key insights of A New Earth. It is as though, by some confluence of universal energy, while Tolle was busy writing the longhand prose version, I was busy writing the shorthand (hopefully poetic) version! I would like to believe that the seeming simultaneity of our creative works has some deeper significance with respect to the spiritual awakening of which Tolle writes. It would appear we are indeed connected. If only I could get Oprah to endorse my CD as well… I would be connected and RICH!!! Uh-oh… that’s my EGO talking!!!

Please check out part 2 of This Life Takes Its “Tolle” – which examines my song, Walls, and its relation to key concepts in Tolle’s book. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Please share it with others. Peace.

Visit: peterbloomband.com/music/samples.html

Tags: a new earth, awakening to your life's purpose, deepak chopra, eckhart tolle, oprah winfrey, peter bloom, peter bloom band

Justin HINES – Award nomination!!!

Hey again…

ANOTHER of my favourite artists…also named Justin (HINES) has been nominated for a 2008 CANADIAN INDIE AWARD (Favourite folk/roots artist/group)! Justin Hines writes and sings songs that will make you feel not only that he has tremendous clarity and insight on this journey called life, but that you are taking the journey right along with him! Brilliant lyrics. Honest and earnest voice. Subtle & vulnerable, yet confident delivery. It all makes for a truly special musical experience.

So please visit http://www.indiscover.net/indies and cast your vote NOW! Thanks for supporting new and very deserving talent!

Peace.

Pete

Justin Nozuka – 2008 JUNO nominee!!!

He did, it, ladies and gents (no surprise, really)!!!

Justin Nozuka (with whom I had the honour of co-writing a track on his debut CD – Holly) has been nominated for the 2008 “New Artist Of The Year” JUNO AWARD!!!! This is such terrific news! Please take the time to go to his MySpace page (www.myspace.com/justinnozuka) and congratulate him…although he will no doubt soon be the JUNO WINNER too!!! Well, you can congratulate him again then!

(Just as an aside, the song we co-wrote, “If I Gave You My Life”, was just featured in the final montage of CBC TV’s “MVP” last Friday – pretty sweet! Man, can he SING!!!)

Peace.

Pete