The Release of "Love Today"
Six years ago, I had a rare opportunity to meet with Prem Rawat for an hour each day over the course of four days to talk about his photography. The goal? To learn about his fascination and approach to the art so I could write about his photography for his website, RawatCreations.com.
What was my experience during those four days? Like nothing I had ever experienced before.
After the second day of meeting with him, his secretary called to tell me that tomorrow would be a day off -- which I was very glad to have, needing as I was, some time to process everything we had talked about the previous two days and to more deeply get in touch with the feeling that was bubbling up inside of me.
And so, on the morning of the third day, after breakfast, I decided to go for a long walk by the beach.
As I walked, I began sensing an extraordinary sensation -- one most writers are very familiar with -- the experience of words spontaneously forming from deep within, giving shape to uncontainable inspiration.
Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a pen in a sudden urge to write, but realized I had nothing to write on. Not a notebook. Not a piece of paper. Not even the back of a business card. So I kept on walking, letting the feeling within me marinate, assuming I'd write it all down when I got back home.
Nice concept. Wrong lifetime.
I had to write! I had to give shape to what was burning within me to be born. I had to get it down on paper. That's the moment when I saw a garbage can just ahead of me -- an overflowing garbage can. Never before had I been this happy to see a garbage can. Reaching in, I pulled out three almost pristine napkins. Then, as I sat down on a park bench, a kind of divine palsy took me over and shook a whole bunch of words out of me.
It wasn't a poem. It wasn't a story. It was a song and I could hear it being sung.
When I got back to my friend's house, I typed it up and emailed it to my good friend, Stuart Hoffman, a wonderful musician, composer, and arranger -- someone I had collaborated with many times before on all kinds of fun projects.
The title of the song? Love Today.
In the days that followed, Stuart, God bless him, produced a demo of the song.
A few years passed. We moved on to other projects. The song just sat there wherever unfinished songs sit. But every time we talked about it, we'd feel a surge of irrepressible inspiration and delight. Late at night, more than a few times, we talked about taking it further, but the time just wasn't right. Until it was. Like a few weeks ago to be more specific.
That's when Stuart engaged the services of Stephen Rivera, an extraordinary vocalist who had just the right sound for the song.
And so here we are, today. Or, should I say, Love Today -- a musical collaboration between Stuart, Stephen and myself.
The three of us invite you to give it a listen. If you like what you hear, feel free to forward it to your friends or, if have any enemies, them too.
If you want to download it from Stuart's Bandcamp site, it's simple to do. It's also the bonus track on Stuart's newly released compilation CD, "Can't Stop This Love: The Essential Collection", which will be available for sale at the Focus Five Amaroo Peace Event from September 4 - September 10 and online at Eversound.
"Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life, bringing peace, abolishing strife." -- Kahlil Gibran
PremRawat.com
TimelessToday.com
Album cover design: Jennifer Edwards
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