Memphis’ own daily newspaper, The Commercial Appeal, has always been great about supporting regional artists and now they have expanded that effort into the Internet age. The Talking Stick is one of a group of regional blogs that they are promoting on their website and publishing in the paper itself. This is a wonderful gesture on their part and I appreciate the Commercial Appeal working to be a community resource, not “just a newspaper.”

Regardless of how you found this place, please make yourself at home! In addition to my ruminations, you’ll find links to VoGE music online, and several music videos. I hope you enjoy it here and your comments are always appreciated.

WADO!

Sometimes magic happens… Without planning or forethought, a normal day can transform into something intense and sacred if we just open our hearts to the possibilities. Such a time was recently gifted to me and as luck would have it, a camera was rolling!

I was visiting with some dear friends, one of whom is a sculptor and painter. The ambiance of their home is amazing, like visiting a gallery or museum. As I marveled at the wonderful artwork everywhere about, I also became aware of an amazing number of HUGE quartz crystals in the room. Feeling a warm glow swirling all about me (so strong I could feel it pulsate!), I sat down in the middle of the floor with my Juniper Flute, closed my eyes and began literally inhaling the energies, “charging the flute” with each breath.

The music that soon flowed through me spoke of Sunset time… The period of gathering darkness for all… A time of reliance on a greater light within… It sang a lullaby for sleepy winged spirits… Wistful, whispered promises of rejuvenation before a Dawn sure to come.

As I reviewed the videotape, I was again caught by the magic of the moment and added two additional keyboard tracks. Thus was born the video I share with you now!

SUNSET SONG (8meg file)

Click to view the entire video or

Right Click then choose Save Target As

to download the video to your local hard drive.

I warn you in advance that all the technical elements for a “good video” are missing here. The light was very dim; the camera was casually sat on a table unattended; the room was noisy and I didn’t even use a “good microphone”… But somehow the flaws don’t matter. This is a slice of time, a singular prayerful moment at sunset, crystallized and captured by the technology.

I hope you enjoy the video. It is an honor to share it with you!

AHO!!!

Found the following item in my web browsing the other day…

March 10 & 11

2Day WebCast Auction

MP3.COM, Inc.

Office, Furniture, Tech

By Order of Vivendi Universal Net USA Group, Inc.

In The Matter of MP3.COM Inc.

Complete Liquidation of 100,000 sq ft Corporate facility:

100s of Servers from Sun, Compaq, HP, & Dell, Clarion EMC Storage Arrays Networking from Cisco, Extreme, Foundry, etc. 100s of PCs, Notebooks, Printers, Monitors, Copiers, Fax Machines, etc. Digital Audio & Video Production and Editing Equipment LCD Projectors, Conference room suites 100s of Herman Miller Aeron Chairs Complete 10,000 sq ft health club Game Room including Pool Table, Foosball, Video Arcade Games, Ping Pong, Etc. Artwork, Collectable Musical instruments, Contemporary Furniture.

And if you’ve been looking for a Hummer with 7 (yes, 7) TVs they may have a perfect deal for you! Or you could bid on the custom Harley Fat Boy (insert your own joke here).

Editorial comments

There are far too many examples of corporate excess in those auction pics. And that is just the tiny tip of the MP3.com iceberg. We’ll never know how many frivolous business trips and parties went down… How many perks were bought on company expense accounts… How much money was wasted on appearances and experiments instead of being invested back into in the core business.

And then there’s their biggest wasteful excess of all… In my opinion, what Michael Robertson (the founder) did to mp3.com with his bad business decisions should have negated his receiving so much as a cent from them when he left. He should also have been held personally liable for at least a portion of the fines imposed upon the company by the courts. The litigation was a direct result of HIS decisions, made against the legal advice he had at the time, and it was ultimately the killing blow that lead to MP3.com’s spiraling downfall.

It’s amazing to me that he’s always touted in the press as being the “founder of MP3.com” with no mention of his also being its chief executioner. The man who poisoned his own well. The visionary who went blind.

When I think of what might have been, I know that Karma has placed an especially heavy weight on Mr. Robertson.

To me, the saddest pictures on that auction site were those stacks of PCs that once ruled the world of online indie music now sitting idle in saran wrap.

Ahh, well… Soon the auction buzzards will have the carcass picked clean and we can finally close the epilog and write the epitaph:

“Here lies MP3.com… As usual.”

From the VoGE mailbag:
Here’s an email I recently received that I wanted to
share. My spirit cannot express how deeply touched I
was by its message. This is one of those moments
that makes all the work so very worthwhile.

To: voge@galaxycorp.com
Subject: Lost heritage
Date: Sat, 31 Jan 2004 01:51:34 -0500 (EST)

Long was my heritage denied me, my family never speaking of it, not even to deny it. Long did I feel the truth, when my soul quivered at pow wows and my feet refused to be still; when 15 years ago, I moved to this house guarded by the Redtail hawk I have named Senator Redtail, who each evening sits with his mate at the top of the highline tower at the edge of our yard and calls down to me as I do my nightly chores. He knows they will always be safe here.

Long have I sought it, and at last, I learned the truth. Your music stirs it and makes it complete. I am Cherokee. I am whole.

(Name witheld to protect privacy)

WADO Creator for allowing me to help spread a bit
of light in a world with too many shadows!

ste yu-a le-u wo du hi (Be strong and beautiful)

…Voice of Golden Eagle

I am very excited to announce a web-sized preview of the new VoGE video, Sister Moon Medicine Song! In the course of making this video I remixed and revisited the song, adding my Cherry Raven Flute to the music. The actual playing-and-recording of this track is part of the music video itself! You can click here to view the entire video or Right Click then choose Save Target As to download the video to your local hard drive (16meg file).

This completely self-produced project was done entirely at my lodge here on the Chickasaw Bluffs. I hope you enjoy it! And as always, I appreciate any comments you may have. Please, contact me.

WADO!!!