The Record. What's it about?
Kevin is starting to write the bio (as usual) and to do that he had to do the first interview with me about the record. Its always strange doing that first interview. Its the first time you really get to reflect and realize what you’ve made. There is always that question. “What is it about?”
Hummm.
At its core, scrapping away all the paint and shine, its about reconnecting. I am obsessed these days with looking at how i live, sorting through all the noise that makes a life and figuring out how to reconnect to what I think is really important. Over and over that theme of reconnection appears in the record. So i guess thats what its really about:)
How do you sort through the noise?
What do you need to reconnect to?
22 Responses to “The Record. What's it about?”
elizabethlouise • May 17th, 2008 at 10:42 am
My mother has recently fought breast cancer and during her radiation treatments we got to talking. Said told me that she’d come to the conclusion that no matter what direction life takes you, no matter who you’ve tried to make yourself into, eventually you realize that you are still the same person you were as a teenager. Your values, your general outlook on life and people, all essentially the same, albeit a little more calm maybe. I think she’s right. Each time in my life that I have taken a moment to breathe that’s who I find. I think reconnecting to yourself is important. When so many decisions in life are about “we” it’s all too easy to forget the “me”. Sounds like a great theme for an album, I can’t wait.
moistndamp • May 17th, 2008 at 10:52 am
woww…this is too much interesting! im super excited more than ever for the new record. :D
haa~~ cant wait ^^
hmmm…i think what i need to reconnect to is my ideology. there are many new things ive been learning more and more everyday and while growing up im also always afraid that i could let myself go with the flow without noticing it.
so i always manage a time to reconnect to myself, examine what is really within me at the moment. and i have to always ask myself the same question ‘is this the right thing?’ everytime i make any decisions. :)
anyway, how much formal did kevin interview you? hehehe ^^
bui+ xoxoxo
shannon • May 17th, 2008 at 11:02 am
I regularly find I need to go through a cleanse of some sort and reconnect with what really matters: my goals, my family & friends, my passions. What I really struggle with is the need to sever other connections to focus on those that matter. I am not so good at the severing part and therein lies the clutter I have to muddle through!
Bronwyn • May 17th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
I find that every once in a while I feel like I’ve been neglecting who I am and how I’ve grown so I feel the need to really reconnect to that, and I’ve found that one thing is extremely important in that process: silence. My conductor pointed out to me that we no longer have silence.. ever. Even in music it’s clear, I mean.. Beethoven was the king of pauses and many others and they are effective, but we rarely have pauses in music or our lives now. And even if you aren’t listening to something, there’s still a constant hum of technology and this and that.. So to reconnect with myself, every now and again, I turn off as much of my electronics as possible and just hang out with myself in the *quiet*.
Amanda • May 17th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
How do I sort through the noise? hummm… well… I guess that in sitting I just sit… in walking I just walk… in listening to the traffic I think to myself- while all of these people are wasting away spending 30 minutes driving here and there, I walk past them and think wow it is a beautiful day.. why aren’t all these people walking in the sunshine? Why do they care so much that it will take longer to get to where they are going? What is the hurry? I walk an hour and a half home from work, just to walk and talk with a friend.. or listen to my music and enjoy the sunshine.. Canada has like… almost 7+ months of cold horrible weather… why not take advantage of the 5- good wonderful sunshiney months we do have and get off our butts and walk or bike or skateboard (OH but not in Fredericton pfffft)? In all of the noise… I listen to the sunshine.
What do I need to reconnect to? hummm… the reality of life… People are so over dramaitc it makes me bonkers…. I try my best to not get wrapped up in all the chaos and others self loathing negative outlook on life… It drains my energy… It is hard to keep a solid logical outlook on life sometimes when you are constantly surrounded by even one negative person (like at work for example) One negaitve person is like a vaccuum.. sucking everyone in and making it really hard to enjoy things (like your job for example) So I think it is most important for me to connect back to the reality of life… it is simple and people make it complicated… Being around dramatic people brings me right back down to earth… pops that big bubble I sometimes find myself in and makes me really think about the important things… like breathing in and out…. smiling and enjoying the sunshine… sitting to sit and walking to walk.
Lalou • May 17th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
It’s crazy but I fought the noise in my own head and life, with the noise…I bought an old house and made real reconnection noise!
I just decided to get away from my life and restart again with some new goals.
There’s less noise since I’m reconnected with myself…that’s what I needed. I’m at the first step but I’m confident. I’m trying hard everyday, to let all those unreal and noisy and pretty and…so you know…behind me. Prefer listening hammers and good music, listening the laughs of child and good friends by a sunny day…good wine,good meals and good love making…THIS IS REAL LIFE to me.
sourfriday • May 17th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
I think it’s pretty cool how you throw questions back out there after your own blog.
I sort through noise but shutting down and getting away from it. Not necessarily healthy, but it’s worse if I don’t because chances are I will get hostile.
The only person I need to reconnect with is myself (I think?). Keeping my goals clear (or establishing lasting new ones) is my largest concern. If I can’t find a level place for myself to exist, I certainly can’t spend any measure of time pleasing or enjoying life with anyone else. I value my solitude far too much, it’s a crutch.
allan isfan • May 17th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Sometimes just sitting and listening to music takes you away. I find it neat that you still call what you do a “record”. I recently dusted off my old yamaha record player and the old milk box with some of the albums that survived through the years. It felt weird to lift the arm with the needle and drop it on the record. It was a Guess Who album I had listened to a million times before. Last time I did that was probably when I was at Waterloo University … about 17 years ago! Listening to a record that way … just sitting in a chair and listening … is a long lost thrill. You end up truly listening to the music and often the whole record from end to end because it is a pain to keep changing songs. Anyway, now that I have that set up in the basement, I’ll be chilling like that much more often. I highly recommend it.
PS. Looking forward to catching you at MESH next week.
allan isfan • May 18th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
I think music has a magic secret … don’t know what it is but it has the power to change people.
For people that are into music (you must be since you’re on this blog) and twitter, you might want to check out “lyric of the day” or (follow @lotd). This was kicked off by Fred Wilson who is a VC and big music fan. It is pretty cool … you get interesting lyrics through the day and some people include links to the actual music.
yvette kirchgesner • May 19th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
This may sound goofy, but I reconnected to mysef recently by walking around Old Montreal, listening to David Usher music and writing poetry in the coffee shops. I skated outdoors at night taking in the Christmas lights, the spotlight going back and forth over the city and listening to the sound of the St. Lawrence River. It helped me to realize why I love to teach skating so much and why I do what I do is special. It also made me realize why David’s music is appealing to so many people. He has found a genuine connection to the human soul. Especially mine. Wow! I also realize that it is important to take time for yourself, especially if you are a parent or have lost someone special or if someone close to you becomes ill. It is easy to get lost in all the hustle and bustle of things. I like to go to the lake and go for a nature walk and remember the simpler things in life. Yoga helps as well :-) Remember to “Breathe!”
yvette kirchgesner • May 19th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Also, I have been reconnecting with friends I haven’t heard from in a very long time. They have a way of making you see yourself the way you were intended to be…authentic! XO Can’t wait for the new album. It will have great meaning for me :-)
allan isfan • May 19th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Stopping the constant chatter in the brain is very difficult. I’ve been listening to The New Earth by Eckhart Tolle and the chapter I’m on is talking about the importance of breathing properly. He says that all you have to do is focus on the breathing and that will be the best meditation you can do. You are bang on Yvette! I’ll be listening to the rest on the way to TO for MESH tomorrow.
The busier it gets, the tougher it is to quiet the chatter. I’m the co-founder of young startup and the father of three wonderful girls. On top of that, my wife (Yvonne) and I run a consulting company. Life is fantastic but busy. I was alluding earlier to music as having a magical quality. I think playing it or listening to it is one of the few things that calms the chatter.
A friend recently sent me a very interesting talk given by a brain scientist after she had a stroke. It talks about the constant thinking of the left side vs the creative right side. It is absolutely fascinating. This is part of the TED Talks series which I highly recommend. http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/229 .
PS. Sorry about hogging the comments on this post … it is a very fascinating topic and probably more important than we realize.
david usher • May 20th, 2008 at 12:52 am
@allan, we are of the same mind, i actually posted that TED talk last month (here or on cloudiD, or was it twitter?:) if we could connect to that euphoric place more and the noise less.
yvette kirchgesner • May 20th, 2008 at 3:20 am
@David : Remember, “Wings are not only for birds; they are also for minds”
-Toller Cranston
Amanda • May 20th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Why does Porter Air rock?
yvette kirchgesner • May 21st, 2008 at 2:40 am
@Allan : I’ve been reading some blogs of people who are completely against The New Earth book by Eckhart Tolle. Boy are they fired up! I’m all for free speech but the Bullhorn tactic of some of the bloggers makes my stomach turn. I haven’t read the book yet, but it sounds intriguing. I wish more people were open minded about faith. I’m a Christian but would never tell anyone they are going to be condemned if they don’t believe what I believe. That’s not even in my vocabulary. If people want to do the bullhorn thing, that’s their right…but is anybody really going to listen when it’s that noisy? @David, It makes me think of “Devil By My Side.” An interesting group of videos I found is from Nooma on youtube. Rob Bell talks indirectly to “The Bullhorn Guy”, and also about Breathing and other interesting topics. It’s spiritual without pushing the “my truth is better than your truth”. You can take from the messages what you want or take nothing. Pretty thought provoking though and a way to reconnect to what’s important in your life.
Michael • May 21st, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Reconnecting, great topic and so vast, lots of great ideas and thoughts above. I suppose for myself, it’s more about trying to connect to other people’s needs more while maintaining an observance to what is important to me and what I like. A not-so-selfish/selfish yin/yang type thing. Difficult to do.
Interesting that the workplace where I am also uses the term ‘disconnect’ when referring to how some positions in the organization exist and perhaps changes they would like to make to these positions. Very interesting.
Shannon • May 21st, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I think its interesting that the song you reworked and added to the album at the last minute (the new ‘forgive everything’) seems to fit so perfectly with this theme despite being originally written for the previous cd! I love how cohesively the songs seem to fit into this overall framework (or maybe the theme shapes the songs?)
bee • May 24th, 2008 at 4:29 am
I sort through the noise by writing, singing, removing excess clutter from my house & sitting quietly by myself. I need to reconnect to myself & to all of the other people around me.
Thanks for asking.
victoria bourne • June 2nd, 2008 at 8:52 am
how i sort through noise is if it makes me dance I keep it. The better i dance the more attention i give it.
i need to reconnect with my voice and my power to speak the truth, to stand up for what is right without fear, and to sing for everyone to hear, and reconnect my spine.
then maybe i will be able to reconnect with the people who really love me and reconnect my eyes you i can see clearly again.
I think I need to reconnect to people more, in “real life”. One of your CloudID posts made me think about that, the way I use email way more than I ever use the phone.
I agree, good theme for an album. When you say “sorting through all the noise that makes a life” it makes me think of the lyrics “What is a life? A series of moments all in a line”, which instantly struck me the first time I heard And So We Run. Simple but true.