this album started as a cosmic joke. a few guys brainstorming how amazing it would be to create an iTunes-only album that consisted of a bunch of horribly written songs and also one AMAZING song--so amazing that you just HAD to have it. but the catch would be that you could only get that one amazing song if you bought the entire album. the amazing song would be an iTunes "album only" song. frustratingly brilliant, right?
over the years, i've found that many of our "jokes" come from things we are trying to hide from, walls we are building, or pain we're keeping buried. this is where much of the great comedy comes from. i am NOT a comedian. i am an artist whose focus is music. that is why you hold an album of music in your hands. this joke about mediocrity and settling for more of less kicked off a year that contained the darkest moments of my life. the joke was on me. this album is an excerpt of my travel-journal. i have a feeling it might be an excerpt of yours as well.
birth and death are two inevitable things that we human beings must encounter on our terrestrial journey. and while we don't really have a choice over the time and the matter of our birth, we play a very active role in regards to how and when we will die. when we live passionately toward others, we choose our daily death. this is how all good love stories begin: two lovers give their lives away to each other. everything. 100%. but beginnings turn to middles and then, somewhere along the journey, the lovers settle. they lose focus. they end up asking to be met half-way. each will give 50% and it'll have to be good enough. it's all they can offer. the other 50% is "me time"… the thing is, 50% is failing.
when we choose to live life in a way where we don't play an active role in the matter of when and where we will give up our lives, we end up settling and floating through life without a plan or purpose or passion, until death eventually creeps up on us and tells us that it's time. if we don't choose him, he chooses us.
there is darkness in this album, because anything that honestly seeks truth discovers darkness along the way, but the journey is laced with beauty and hope. a spark of light is seen from miles away and, though the journey is unclear, the direction is certain. even the smallest light pierces the darkest night. the candle that illuminates the home of our lover is seen in the distance. we get back up. we move forward. for the final words of this album sum it all up: we belong together.
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If you're interested in the lyrics, go here:
http://lyrics.brionriborn.com
If you want various merchandise, go here:
http://merch.brionriborn.com
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All songs written by Brion Riborn and are (p)(c)2010 Eymbiotic Music [ASCAP]
Recorded, Produced, Mixed & Mastered by Brion Riborn at Etymbiotic Studios
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thanks could never be enough, but i'll say it anyway, to:
Gabe & Amanda at White Hot Phoenix Photography for a heart that explodes into amazing art direction, photos, and layout; headless models Eric McClung & Tori Goen for posing wonderfully for the photos (sorry we had to cut off your heads); Ty Rock for playing drums on "I Was A Lover"; Waldon Reed Jr for playing electric guitar & Tommy B for playing lap-steel on "More Of Less"; the originators and fellow wonderers who helped to birth this idea one year ago--"Earth" Rick "Chaz(z)" Guttersohn, Andrew "Brion Riborn's Fake Agent" Fisher, Nate "Zerc" Davis--and anyone else who listened to me go on and on about mediocrity over the past year; my family and friends who loved me through the darkest of days; and to you, for taking the time to listen.
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