Songs_of_Praise_and

Songs of Praise and Torture

1: Invocation                                                              12:53
2: Basillica Neptuni                                                    43:36
3: An Ever Bubbling Fountain of Resplendence         49:44
4: John's Cage                                                           19:19
5: Indian Summer                                                     14:55
6: The Big Blue Dream                                              51:30
7: Mid-evil Mantra                                                   21:59
8: It was a dark and stormy night...                          14:10
9: An Evening In The Lion's Den                              70:46
10: Sunrise On North Field                                        33:09
Total Time 5:31:09

I hope Phillip Glass will forgive me. A few years ago, I wrote a review bit on an Amazon page about
the CD "Music With Changing Parts." I wrote that it was a great CD for clearing the house when
you wanted every one to leave, and that if someone did stay, that you should open a bottle of wine and
have a discussion on the subject of using music as a method of torture. I actually happen to love that
particular piece of music. I was going to add to the short review saying how much I personally
admired the piece, but hit the send button by accident, got cut off, and then could never edit the
review. I have seen this short review pop up all over the internet, and I hope Mr. Glass has not taken
offense to the remark. I consider
him as one of my favorite composers, I think what he did for music in the 20th and 21st centuries will
be remembered for centuries to come. I also think he is a very nice man, having met him and got his
autograph on my copy of "Einstein on the Beach."

On the subject of "music to clear the house out." My best friend, Chris, and I were roommates for
years. We would have people over to where ever we lived, partying in our youth. But there was
always a time when we wanted everyone to leave. We had certain albums we would put on specifically
in mind to weed out the guests. For example, if there were a bunch of metal heads over, Side 2 of
The Talking Heads "Fear Of Music" would do the trick. We found that hardly anyone could handle
Scorpions "Lonesome Crow", which was an album we loved. We found this out accidentally one
evening when we put it on early on a Saturday and the apartment was cleared by the third song. I can
still hear Chris saying "we gotta remember that one!"

As far as music as a form of torture, this was a concept introduced to me through a news story. In the
1980's, an officer in the American Army had been kidnapped by the what I think was the Italian Red
Brigade. He was kept for a long time, and eventually released. He was not harmed, but when asked
about torture, he remarked that the men who held him captive would play loud, heavy metal music
constantly. He did not like heavy metal, he considered the act of forcing him to listen to be torture,
and said he would never be able to listen to heavy metal music again.

Invocation
Recorded during the same session as "Basillica Neptuni", I wanted it to be an introduction to the
piece. As I decided to drop the title of the album from "What Is Art For?" to "Songs of Praise and
Torture", this became a beginning the entire album.

Basillca Neptuni
I've been experimenting, and achieving music that sounds like it was created underwater. The
Basillica Neptuni is an actual location in the forum ruins of Rome, but I thought it would be a good
theme. A temple erected for the God Neptune should be underwater, no?

An Ever Bubbling Fountain Of Resplendence
This one has been bounced around so many times, and reworked and redone and remastered and
recut, that I have no idea of the original idea. My son is good at helping me with titles, he came up
with the ever bubbling fountain bit.

John's Cage
A homage to John Cage, of course. The notes imprisoned the loop were created with a "tuned" ring
modulator.

Indian Summer
Another song of nature from Oenyaw. I thought this depicted the stillness of the short season which
comes after the first burst of cold in the winter, followed by warmth before the winter actually sets in.
I don't know why we call it "Indian Summer", but I have always considered it a romantic time.

The Big Blue Dream
In a roundabout way, I was asked to do some rock and roll or blues. I did a few different smaller
things, standard 12-bar blues riffs and progressions. I decided to put them all together in a dream
sequence, sort of like the second side of Mountain's "Flowers of Evil" album. Honestly, the choir at
the end of the last part just “appeared.” Freaked me out! One of those recording sessions when you
hear something happening and you place yourself under an enormous amount of pressure to “not
make one single mistake.” Torture.

Mid-evil Mantra
As the title suggests, this one is a repetitive piece in a Gregorian tone, a chant, a music for making a
tapestry depicting some mid-evil adventure. Like the torturing of people who do not accept the ideas
of a minority of religious nuts who happen to be in power.

It was a dark and stormy night...
The original title was to be "It's Raining, The Monster Is Approaching, And My Body Weighs
Heavily In AVertical Position Against The Stone Wall As I Reach For The Huge Obsidian Door
Knocker", but I opted for the famous opening line of Snoopy's novel.

An Evening in the Lion's Den
This is a personal favorite, and center piece of the entire project. I was thinking of a painting of
Daniel in the Lion's Den that I saw as a child. Daniel was in the middle of the lion's den, standing in a
light coming in from the ceiling (or maybe some holy energy). All the lions were around him, quietly
content, and not bothering him at all. The piece is in three movements. The first movement is "being
shown the door", the
part were Daniel is taken into the den. The second movement is a song of praise, Daniel thanking
God for everything he can possibly think of, as well a song of faith, the knowledge that God will keep
him safe. The third movement explores the reality of the situation. "Oh shit, I'm in a den of lions!"
The book of Daniel is
really good, but it seems to be not written by Daniel himself.

Sunrise on North Field
There is a sod farm near by the place I live. The fields are named according to location. I have seen
the sun rise, and set, on the farm and it can be absolutely beautiful. Deer walking around, squirrels
playing, birds getting what ever insects they can find. This piece is about the beauty of nature itself.
I was riding
home the other night through the country and was passed by an SUV with the kids in the back seat
watching television. I went on a rant, “Don’t look out the window, and do not talk to mommy and
daddy! Just watch your show and be quiet.” Pitiful.

All selections copyright 2007 David Wayne Higgins

The cover photograph was taken by Carol Higgins. The location is near the Grand Canyon in
Arizona. The reason behind this being used as a cover for "Songs of Praise and Torture" can be seen
in the movie "Once Upon A Time In The West." It is a scene of torture, death, and a harmonica
passage which resonates throughout the movie. I was going to write a long explanation about it, but
I'd rather anyone who cares who reads this to watch the movie. Carol had taken the photo during our
honeymoon, years before we ever saw the film. While watching the extra features on the DVD, we
noticed the scene and realized we had been there and had photographed the same location, just at a
slightly different angle.

All selections composed, arranged, performed, recorded, manipulated, treated and produced by
Oenyaw.   Recorded January -May, 2007. Equipment and software: Epiphone Sheraton, Fender
Stratocaster, DanElectro Black Coffee Distortion, Morley Volume Pedal, Line 6 Modulation
Modeler, Line 6 Delay Modeler, Lexicon Omega Desktop Recording Studio, E Machines T2542
Computer (RAM upgrade 768), Cubase LE, Polderbits Sound Editor, All Audio Converter V1.50,
Windows XP.

Electronic Realizations for Guitar and Computer, volume 6