Channel The Rain

Thank you for gracing our site with your visit.

It's interesting… how the agoraphobic period of our life prepared us to sail through a period of discernment, as it afforded us the time and space to learn new skills to achieve some long-term musical goals, in the early 2020’s.

Through sharing this online journey, it became a total violation of our artistic and human autonomy; and violation of our basic human rights to privacy, freedom of travel, etc. via a massive, multi-state stalking campaign. That, instead of it being the intended “learning a little about our life experiences;” and, to your opportunity to hopefully relate to various thought-provoking messages through our blogs and music. We were able to discern we’d always struggled to articulate in ways to most accurately, adequately, and “appropriately” convey what we’ve intended to say or do… when writing or speaking. 

We are very great-full for the collaborative partnerships along this creative music and blogging journey; specifically, those who helped us in any way in accomplishing this website enlightenment series, from building the website for us; to collaborative music composers, arrangers, and producers; to those who taught us equipment options, to those whose instruments we bought using credit from mostly Sweetwater, Musicians Friend, Amazon Prime, and a few specialty stores in order to begin creating the music brought to and through us; but, we didn’t have access to creating or were unable to articulate, previously. Thank you to the creditors who also helped it all become possible… as well as all of the people in the services industries, etc. Inclusive of those valuable “behind-the-scenes,” people, the ones ensuring we had and continue to ensure we have everything we need to be able focus on working towards finishing our books, music, and other projects… in order to earn a living that will prayer-fully afford us the opportunities to give back to our communities… hopeful there will be a day soon, others do not have to work multiple jobs; and wealth is more equitable to all. We’d like to especially thank the active collaborators on the music: Judy Coder, Randy Wills, Monica Lynn De Vitry, Dan Laureano, Linda Alario, and Adam… and Jennifer Epps for building our beautiful website. Thank you so much for believing in our vision. Thank you to Young Living for manufacturing the essential oil blends we used for this series. 

Thank you to the town of Bloomsburg Pa and all the creatures big and small, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, the American Legion and VFW, the DAV, Columbia County Veterans’ Group and others, churches, agencies and organizations like EOS Therapeutic Riding Center and Bloomsburg Music Therapy, and various other homeopathic product, knowledge, and service providers, including Bafile Chiropractic in Sugarloaf Pa, Phoenix Physical Therapies, Bloom Naturally, Briar Creek Farms, the Bloomsburg Public Library, Knoebels’ Amusement Park; and the VA system of care as you move forward into overhauling medical care into a more holistic care blended system integrating with homeopathic care options in the communities. Thank you to the coaches, mentors, authors, etc. with the Steve Harrison Group, I got to meet back in 2016 or 2017… and Sharkie Zartman. Thank you to the various music webinar providers, songwriting, and drumming groups for teaching me about what equipment to use in order to create the music and find cover art for the website series, and to write in a commercial-oriented style… especially MPS, Drummergirls United, Aaron Kennedy, JJ Jones, The Drumming Channel, Full Circle Music, and Six-Figure Songwriting. Thank you to the social media content providers for your work, as well. Thank you to Kathy Covert Jensen for allowing me to accompany your multi-talented musicianship using part of my five-gallon bucket drum setup, and The Just Alright Band for giving me the opportunity to sing at live open mic nights at Colonel Rickett’s Cider in Benton… as well as Kim and her husband for providing the Cidery as an open mic venue for people like newbies and experienced musicians and vocalists to find one another to jam. Thank you to Heaps Disposal Services, Service First Electric Cablevision, FedEx, UPS, USPS, Walmart, Weis, Giant, Lowe’s, Home Depot, Harbor Freight, Crawford Construction, Steve Shannon Tire, Lawton Plumbing, Roto Rooter, etc., in other words, an exhaustive, never-ending list to include Central Columbia School District in Bloomsburg, PA. 

Before we had to sell our third generation familial property, our “Poppy” used to order us onto our drum kit, daily by 10am EST, which engrained a dedicated time schedule to work on building our drumming skills. Thanks to our, now, late yellow Labrador, “Poppy,” whom we affectionately dubbed our “Drumming Drill Sergeant;” because, like clockwork, he “ordered us” onto our diligently ergonomically setup acoustic drum kit to drum to his favorite playlist… we were able to become good at playing basic drum beats, patterns, and rhythms… quickly. For him, our memories together, and the people, places, and things that have shaped who we are as a human BEing… we are immeasurably great-full. “We had a vision,” part way into our music therapy journey; and other subsequent online music-related webinars. We only did a couple of  music compositions and arrangements using live-recorded world percussion and wind instrument bits for this first website series, since we were not yet experienced at recording while playing live instruments, much. 

When we began working on our first album, (outside of and in addition to the website project;) however, we enjoyed experimenting more with recording our live-instrument playing in bits and pieces, again, to edit them, as well, into compositions for what is to be a mostly ethereal energy vibe album, with Enya-esque and other diverse multi-cultural instrumentation and implementation choices sprinkled within it.  We were ecstatic with the progressive strides we’d made improving our vocalist, recording, arranging, and production skills… since we were “brand new” to most of those in practical application. We had also been considering expanding our album songs into perhaps some ethereal-rock-orchestral songs; because it would be inclusive of more genres we have appreciated, as well. The time we spent doing the website series led to the beginning of our quintessential angelically ethereal-essence album, appropriately so, since we’d always loved to sing a lot of songs about angels and rain. Rain has always felt like “a baptismal cleansing of the soul” to us.  It was a painstakingly immaculate evocation and depiction… the ultimate culmination of the “due diligence” of applying ourselves to accomplish the spiritual enlightenment website journey very few saw the monetary valuation thereof and hence, only five of the NINETY songs were collaborations. The website and songs for our upcoming first album are the “ultimate depiction” and articulation of the struggled; yet, ever-so beauty-filled journey of still being a mostly closeted singer-songwriter up until few years ago… and how BElieving in oneself, working hard; yet smart, immersing into a world of utmost precious and heartfelt joy for one’s Divine work “calling” through creating music. We created this music for listeners to purchase and implement as a “displacement, vulnerability-in-conversation icebreaker. ” We’ve seen and watched how people have felt free to “approach us” after we’ve sung at karaoke and/or “open mic nights,” and how they avoid saying THEY feel something; but, displace their vulnerability by sharing “the song” or my voice… “made them feel” a, b, c, or x, y, or z. We hope they feel as open to share their “emotive relatability,” aka… their “vulnerability,” their “Sacred Spaces” brought up (to process) while hearing our work… with those around them. We plan on releasing a book, (both online and within physical formats,) soon. I know working on this project made us “feel” like we had experienced a personal “immaculate re-conception.”

It’s beyond time we truly begin making sure all people have access to the means and methods to live the “abundance” and the lives United Statesians like to project to the world we encourage and help one another achieve; but, the only time we aren’t “in competition” with one another is, seemingly, during or after catastrophic weather or terroristic events happening on our soil. There’s blood being figuratively spilled on our soil every day. It’s time we awaken and acknowledge the clear and salty tears we choose to “not see” or “turn a blind eye…” to those crying desperately on the inside in our midst we can “reach” and humanize… BeFore it turns into blood pouring out of those we all, at least occasionally,  may “take our pain and anguish out upon,” in fear of the lack of something within us. Let’s not need that “shock and awe…” another “catastrophic event” to “open our eyes and hearts.”Let’s not wait until it becomes perhaps our loved ones who perish or become severely traumatized or disabled from an unnecessary “catastrophic event.”

As a nation of people, we need to stop lying about not knowing or understanding why people commit suicides, homicides, or any crime. It’s one of two things: a cry for help; or, hate crimes… to assert power or control out of a sense of inferiority or sense of lack… no more, no less. When we lack nothing, we envy and hate nothing. We don’t want or need or seek out anything for an addiction, (including coffee,) if our lives are not riddled by injustices, and lack of access to services to help us ALL… feel human. When we lack nothing, we fear nothing. We approach and receive everyone we see… as equally… human.