Teleport my Telepathy

There are many events in this world that are easily classified as “impossibilities.” Precognition, invisibility, and time travel are just a few examples of present day “impossibilities.” The problem with “impossibilities” is that they often become “possibilities” through the course of time. Even though that has been the case throughout history (telephone, airplanes, x-ray, email), people still believe in, even hang onto, “impossibilities.”

I have made a point to surround myself with people who seek to overcome the impossible. My circle of friends include musicians, poets, artists, gamblers, lawyers, computer technicians, parents, and teachers. All of whom contribute to humanity by showcasing the “impossibilities” by making them possible. Don’t tell me that I can’t do something if you are not willing to watch me do it.

I believe that what we classify as “impossibilities” are things that we have yet to achieve. If we all buy into the myth of “impossibilities” who among us will try to prove that unforeseen events are “possible.” We don’t have to be scientists to contribute. We just need to be willing to go against the grain.

JP
2009

“In order to attain the impossible, one must attempt the absurd.”
--Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Global Consciousness Project

I sit shaking into the ether. Every inch of my being trembles. From electricity? Anticipation? Magnetic fields? Love? It’s hard to know which of these direct the shake. The steady shake of life. What if it were the drugs? Would I feel the need to write about it? How pretentious would that be? Only as pretentious as I am.

I wish I was a machine. Lacking heart with a sustained consciousness. Maybe then each minute that passed would just be one more instead of one less. My hands shake when I stop writing. Have I made a wise decision? This record that I hear, will it be the one I make? To be trustworthy is to be worthy of trust. That is not to mean capable of trust. It’s hard for me to trust anyone and have yet to realize if myself has somehow been included.  I'm fearful of love.

Are my words mine? If my life was without music, would I be relevant today? What if you were me? What if I was somewhere? If I could know, would the shakes continue or calm? A world of untruths is just a world but a world of truths is art. Watch me shake.

JP

2009

"There is no coming to consciousness without pain."

--Carl Jung

Cartel Aperture

Typify with time

its angle waves

gently we guard.

Gallery god

the actress wag

accurate tumble

elegant yarn

brief hiss

carbon

corrupt

Neutral with whispers

the bandage slide

stable we rest.

JP

2009

"There is no odor so bad as that which arises from goodness tainted."

--Henry David Thoreau

Reel to Real

Over the course of the last three months, my stress level has been its highest in years and its lowest in years. I now stand here cradling a stress level that I’m more comfortable with. Steady. Headphones have cemented themselves onto my ears, listening non-stop to an album that has yet to be released. I have studied the movement to each of these songs and have made decisions on the direction they will take. I now feel as if the songs are able to walk on their own. I continue the “listening sessions” for hours at a time (everyday) to make sure I’m not overlooking any problems. This is my child. I nurtured it for over a year and a half before inviting anyone in to help raise it. Now, my job is to mold it into a human experience that fuses the many into the one.

It is a beautiful journey to create. I often lay awake at night and try to remember life without these songs. Without the titles constantly in the forefront of my mind. I think about where I was in life moments before I sat with my pen and paper to create what will be our next release. So much has gone on since then that it usually keeps me up at night. Staring into the dark with my thoughts circling me like predators on prey. Maybe it’s excitement, but currently, it feels more like trepidation vowing to devour.

Songs are extremely fragile even after they have been recorded. A mix that doesn't quite fit can destroy the very thing we have struggled to create. I have to be overly attentive. I make sure to watch in all directions and attempt to protect these songs. I also must stay open to ideas that might help strengthen them. This process for a songwriter is an extremely lonely state of being. At least it is for me. You can have your trusted band mates and friends share opinions and give support but at the end of the day you are left all alone.

For the most part, my life has been made up of these moments. I have found my truest solace deep in the caverns of solitude. I have invested my physical and mental self into the manipulation of waves and language. I have become a social hermit behind the walls of sound and creativity until the moment that creation morphs itself into reality. Yes, we must all face uncertainty within life. The future is unknown until it is the present. Therefore, I shall approach it as if it were the past.


JP
2009



“Vision over visibility”
--Bono

To The Plains

Wednesday afternoon was spent working on a mix for the next release. I had lunch, went over a few tunes, and hit the road. I was headed south to Auburn University. I had the opportunity to play an intimate acoustic set for an audience at the Big Blue Bagel.

The Big Blue Bagel is exactly what it sounds like. A bagel a shop. Yet, this bagel shop is no ordinary restaurant. As I entered the place for sound check, my feet walked across hardwood floors. Pictures of Dylan and Garcia hung freely around the venue. I immediately felt comfort there.

From the moment I entered, I understood why it is such a popular place. The people working were fantastic, the acoustics could not have been better, and the food was delicious. One of the things I found so intriguing were the reasons they served beer from tap and not from bottle. They revolved around recycling and being conscious of the environment. More power to you Big Blue!

After the show, I got some time to hang with my brother. It was such a treat for us to have time to chill. Both of us are extremely busy, so when this time comes available we live it up.

On the drive back to Birmingham I listened to Jim James and M. Ward performing at SXSW. My brother had given me the disk for the drive. It was the perfect way to end a trip. Thanks to my brother, the Big Blue Bagel, and thank you to my new friends. I hope to see you all again very soon.

JP
2009

"When brothers agree, no fortress is so strong as their common life."
--Antisthenes

Winter's Warmth

What a beautiful day! I witnessed history as the 44th President of the United States of America was sworn into office. His hand on Lincoln's Bible and a pin on the lapel, Barack Obama took oath. Out of every emotion that traveled through the confines of my mind, thankfulness was the one left to linger. Thankful that the transition period has ended, the Bush term is over, and the day of new has now begun.

JP
2009

"America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations."

--Barack Obama
01.20.09

On The Eve Of A New Day

As I drift into the new year, I have found myself fighting to keep my head above the ripple of life. Within nineteen days I’ve lost a family member, a friend, and a mentor. I have spent the majority of my year in funeral homes or at a grave. It would be far too easy for me to hold my breath beneath the water. Instead, I’ve asked myself what I would want from people on my day of passing. So I lift my head, kick my feet, and swim for dry land. For today I have hope.

I awoke this morning to Martin Luther King’s vocal cords spilling from the television speakers. A dream of dreams where equality reigns. A voice as powerful as a thunderous roar, yet as peaceful as a gentle breeze. “Free at last,” he cries, as the crowd cheers with unified amazement. It was the dawn of a new day. He was an orator of hope.

Tomorrow I’ll watch as the forty-fourth president, Barack Obama, is sworn into office. He is the vessel for so many of our dreams. After campaigning and watching his grassroots movement grow into a global change, this is possibly the proudest moment in our country’s history. Will he bring us together? How high will he take us? He is the man who came from a dream. He is an orator of hope.

Being surrounded by death has rejuvenated my lungs. It is a reminder that the old must pass for there to be new. We are a species of mindful evolution. We all continue to swim for dry land no matter how high the waves. On the eve of a new day, I have hope.

JP

2009

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

--Martin Luther King Jr.