BlissFullU

Music is another thing the uplifts me and sustains me and entertains me and educates me during troubled times. This weekend, Miles and Letha Costin provided the music during the service at our spiritual center (when we were still having life services–they have all moved online now). I have loved Miles and Letha’s music for years, having first been introduced to it when they were part of a wonderful three-person band called the Transzenders.

They played a song called “Moment of Remembering,” which I’ve heard many, many times since it came out on the Transzenders 2007 album, Unmarked Pavement. But last Sunday, it just hit me in such a powerful way that it brought tears to my eyes. It was exactly the song I needed to hear in our current times. The song opens with these words:

It’s the sky that’s always colored  blue
Storms and clouds that are passing through
I get distracted from the truth
…
In a moment of remembering
Who I am and why I’m here
Chaos and confusion fades away and disappears

“Moment of Remembering,” Transzenders, ©2007 Zenergy Records

What a great reminder for me! If you want to hear the entire song, you can find it on the Transzenders Unmarked Pavement playlist on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/album/3TdrKbIuBc2ttaAjReJdPn?si=dAH2K3I0SmSfxqSVPsALoQ

The point is, we need music right now. The great thing is that, unlike many of the great pandemics of the past, we have technology to ensure that we don’t have to go without this vital “food of love,” even when we are self-quarantined.

First of all, we can download digital music or buy CDs. If you have any favorite local artists, now is a really good time to buy their music. Any public outings or gigs have probably been cancelled, so artists can really use your financial support at this time.

However, there is nothing like a life musical performance. Fortunately, many artists are turning to the Internet to continue to provide life music to their fans.

One example is Global Citizens, which has organized a series of informal concerts by all sorts of artists, starting with Chris Martin and John Legend to Common and Niall Horan to Juliane Hough and Celeste…and that was just this week! Check out the performances called #TogetherAtHome and see who shows up next week.

Diplo, Lizzo, Keith Urban, Pink, Katherine McPhee, Yo-Yo Ma, Lin Manuel Miranda, and others are sharing live mini-performances on social media sites like Instagram, Twitter, and such. I’m not on any of those platforms, but I love the idea that artists are sharing their gifts to lift people’s spirits during this time.

If your musical taste tends more towards less commercially-known but spiritually-oriented musicians like the Transzenders or Bob Sima and Shannon Plummer, who I wrote about earlier this year, I can tell you about some online performances coming up. The Centers for Spiritual Living are launching a Cozy Couch Concert series, in which the kinds of musicians you find in places like the emPower Music Festival are live-streaming music from their homes to yours. All performances take place at 7:00 PM Mountain Time and are available for free by going to each artist’s Facebook Page on the designated date.

Here is the schedule:

Friday, March 20th @ 7pm Mountain Amy Bishop: https://www.facebook.com/AmyBishopMusicOfficial/ 

Saturday, March 21st @ 7pm Mountain Melissa & Z:
https://www.facebook.com/OhMyGodLife/ 

Sunday, March 22nd @ 7pm Mountain Martin Kerr:
https://www.facebook.com/martinrosskerr 

Friday, March 27th @ 7pm Mountain Denise Rosier: 
https://www.facebook.com/deniserosier 

Saturday, March 28th @ 7pm Mountain Gary Lynn Floyd: https://www.facebook.com/GaryLynnFloyd/ 

Sunday, March 29th @ 7pm Mountain Karen Drucker: https://www.facebook.com/KarenDruckerMusic/

They are planning more concerts for April, so I will post those when they become available.

I recommend that you find the music that feeds your soul and make sure to listen to some every day. It’s one more step in keeping ourselves sane while also keeping ourselves safe by forgoing our usual social experiences.