I wonder how much use there is for back-porch psychedelia these days,
the Appalachian improvisational style that stares up into the crisp and clear
night sky way out in the middle of nowhere. Don’t get me wrong: I’m not
wondering that because I don’t think it’s viable style or a valid way to
express oneself artistically, I just wonder, as a collection of entities tied
together because we all belong to the human race, have we positioned ourselves
to ignore the devotional in favor of the quick and convenient? I sure hope not.
We’d miss out on stuff like Trance Music.
Michael Potter, Garden Portal curator and Almanac-er, gets his Electric Nature buddies Michael Pierce and
Thom Strickland together every once and a while to perform live in front of
Athens, Georgia, audiences, amplified and strangled acoustic guitars clutched
tightly in their mitts. The three of them run melodies and tones and arpeggios
off each other, the notes combining in heavenly clouds, until an actual,
honest-to-god “trance” comes over the players and audience (and listeners at
home with cassette tape in hand). They get in the zone, and we get in it with
them.
It’s hard to put into words what it feels like to be in the center of
that trance, but you have 75 minutes to get yourself acclimated and hopefully
on the same vibe. But know this – once the embers of your campfire drift into
and overlap your view of the stars, it’s all over. You can keep your eyes open
or closed, but the results will be the same: Trance Music will become part of your body and the infinite will
open itself up to you. You’ll never encounter acoustic guitar music in the same
way again, not after this shakes the foundations of everything you believe in.
Was that too much?
Remember to believe in something, don't just get stuck in whatever life normally chucks at you. There's a hugeness out there that's beyond even anything you can imagine. Embrace it. Take experiences like Trance Music and use them to make yourself amazing.
https://michaelpotter.bandcamp.com/
https://theelectricnature.bandcamp.com/
https://gardenportal.bandcamp.com/
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