More about my album "Clear & Velvet"

"Clear & Velvet" came about because of my awakening sense of spirituality in life around the turn of the decade in the late '70's and early '80's. Many of the terms and concepts expressed in the lyrics come from my study of the teachings of Eckankar, which was the first real organized religion that I had found appealing to me. Being a musican, I related quickly to the ECK concept of "Light & Sound." I had heard other paths talk about "the Light," but this was the first religion that had given due consideration to "the Sound" as an integral and creative force of life.
The bulk of the recordings were done in the small upstate town of Red Hook, NY during the summer of 1980. I had decided to take a summer-long course there in Studio Recording and our final project was to record some music and show off our newly-learned audio engineering expertise! I, of course, chose my own songs, and the majority of the cuts on "Clear & Velvet" were born out of those recording sessions.

Of all my albums, this one contained the most input from other creative artists. Much of the basic recording itself was done by fellow students there in Red Hook, and I must especially acknowledge the great addition of my friend John Nazarenko's bass playing on many of the cuts. It was an enjoyable experience (though sometimes challenging!) to work with others on my own music, being so used to my "one man show" method. I discovered the joy of letting go and letting others contribute to my music in the way that the music inspired them. Also, kudos to my good friend Stan Burgess, who created the artwork and did the layout for the album. He truly captured the feeling of the music with his delicate drawings - thanks Stan!

Many people have asked me what the title of the last song on the album, the instrumental "F.I.L.B," refers to. At the time, I was listening to a lot of Brian Eno's ambient music and that style definitely influenced this piece. "F.I.L.B." stands for "Frozen In Loving Beauty," which, when I think about it now, doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but it sure seemed to then!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the journey into "Clear & Velvet" land. It still holds up for me over all these years, and is probably the most conceptually-related album that I have made.

ENJOY!