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Beautiful El Malpais region
inspires songwriter's work
Perry releases original songs in
‘Canyon Rose’
Cibola County Beacon
Grants, New Mexico
When Arkansas songwriter Lisa Perry
visited the nation's newest national monument in New
Mexico, a creative energy and inspiration
engulfed her. She felt the wisdom and experience of
the ancient Indians and was touched by the
extraordinary beauty of the mesas and canyons.
The result of this and other encounters
with nature is a collection of songs she has written and
released entitled "Canyon
Rose."
"The creative moment is really an
experience of unity. The creative act is an attempt to
re-create that moment in order to
re-experience it as well as to share it," Perry said.
The songs in Canyon Rose are a reflection
of this idea of unity. She is a frequent visitor to the
Mount Taylor area near Grants, New Mexico.
This area includes La Ventana, a huge natural
stone arch and the magnificent sandstone
bluffs Southwest of Grants. The area has recently
been set aside as a national monument
called El Malpais. El Malpais is sacred Indian land that
seems to possess a certain power and
beauty all its own. She credits this area as the inspiration
for many of the songs on "Canyon
Rose," her self-produced 60 minute CD of original songs.
"There is a special beauty about this
part of the country, a kind of accumulation of all that has
passed through it. I feel a real sense of
the presence of ancient ceremony and thought forms
as well as the power of the volcanic
period. I always enjoy the scenic magnificence of the
mountain, the sandstone bluffs and the
canyons," Perry said.
The "Canyon Sunset Song" and the
"Sacred Mountain Song" are reflective of that beauty.
"I
was so glad when the decision was made to
preserve El Malpais as a national monument. It
should be protected and I'm glad it will
be more accessible to the public," she said. "Old
Ways" is a song that pays respect to
the ancients and their impact on the land and us.
Two of the songs on the album, "Fast
Lane Blues" and "Voices" are about slowing down
and listening. "We have a tendency to
think about the pauses in our lives as something
extra, when we have time. Yet they are
essential to balance in our daily lives." She said.
"We have so much noise and action
going on around us that we miss a great deal when
we're not taking the time to be still.
Nature expresses that creative unity and it can be
experienced by anyone who pauses long
enough to recognizes presence," Perry said.
She believes there is a growing awareness
of the spiritual value of nature and its power
to help us focus on the more metaphysical
aspects of life. There is urgency and a
responsibility to preserve and protect the
beauty in all parts of this country.
In Arkansas, there is an abundance of
natural beauty and many spectacular state parks. "Down by
the Pond" is a happy song that was written about the joy
of being in the Arkansas hills. However, there is also massive
clear cutting of trees going on in the Ouachita Mountains. In
some areas they are bulldozing whole sides of mountains in the
name of forest management. Unfortunately, this short-sided
approach is not all that uncommon. It appears that abundance
has bred a tendency towards waste and insensitivity to the
whole ecology of the area. There are people trying to fight it,
but it is still going on, Perry said. "None of us can
change the world alone, yet we can each have an effect on the
part of it that is within our own scope of influence. How we
personally recycle and deal with our own waste will have an
effect. Each persons relationship to and awareness of nature
and its subtle energy can make a difference."
"We can each contribute with action,
art and music or through our thought forms. Thought is a
powerful force and each of us has an effect. Whether aware or
unaware, conscious or unconscious, the whole will be influenced
by each individual," Perry said. "Through my music I
try to portray the need and the responsibility of each
individual to make that subtle shift, she said. The songs
"Turn" and "Million Planets Lullaby" deal
with man's responsibility to the earth and even the universe.
Perry has taken on serious topics in her
music but she doesn't preach to you. The songs have hauntingly
beautiful melodies and are filled with harmonies and strong
instrumentation. All of the songs are original compositions.
She enlisted the help of her husband, Jim Perry, in producing
the project. He also played the drums and percussion. Part of
the album was recorded in Tulsa, Oklahoma, so the Perrys could
utilize the talents of two old friends and top Tulsa musicians.
Mark Carpenter and Jim Strader are featured on nearly all of
the cuts playing guitar and bass, respectively.
The remainder of the recording and
mastering was done at the couples' home recording studio in
Hope, Arkansas. They did import Lisa's brother, Randy Crouch,
to lend his considerable music talents to the project. Crouch
fronts an Oklahoma band called "Flying Horse". He
plays fiddle, pedal steel, and adds to the country feel of many
of the tunes. Arkansas musicians, Bruce Webb and Brian
Jefferies also played on the album. Perry is very aware of how
much science, religion, and philosophy are coming to a point of
union. There is a lot of new scientific research being done on
chaotic systems, turbulence and the exploration of fractals.
This research is pointing to the unification concept and to the
influence of the parts upon the whole.
Philosophy has always recognized the
effects of thought forms and subtle energies on individuals and
even entire civilizations. Einstein taught us that matter and
energy are interchangeable. The word religion comes from a word
that means "energy gathering". Theosophy points out
that what religion, science and philosophy have in common
(rather than their differences) is a key to understanding.
"First we must become aware," Perry said.
"Secondly, we must take personal responsibility for our
own focus of energy. Finally, we must recognize how each part
fits into the structure of the whole.
"Land of Dreams" is a song about
that recognition. The songwriter sings, "don't be
afraid" and reassures us about upcoming changes and our
responsibility to deal with them.
In describing her music, Perry calls it a
cross between jazz and new country. "We try to play music
that feels good and is alive. A lot of emphasis is on the
vocals and harmonies but the back up musicians really pulled it
all together. "They did a fantastic job," she said.
Although it might be a little difficult to
categorize, the music by Lisa Perry is captivating and
different. The 60-minute album is being sold by mail and on the
Internet.
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