Today's Tidbits from a Simple Soul

RHYME TIME:

To just be. To just breathe. To just live and not think.
Some of us numb our pains with liver taunting drinks.
We want just the dizzied blur, walking on reality's brink.

I wanted nothing more than to implode and merely sink.
But life changed in an instance, faster than I could blink.

Those were the days, those were the days I thought I'd never escape.
Now I'm present, using past tense to describe my new found fate.

***

VENTING SESH:

Today I arose in a disheveled heap, body heavy with the remnants of my lingering stomach flu. A nasty culprit to fend off, I ignored its nagging ache the best I could, the only sign of pain emerged through the wrinkling of my forehead and clenched shut eyes in moments when it was hard to bear.

Oddly enough, I'm thankful for this sickness because:

#1 I have become exceedingly less immobile than  recent days of busyness, giving me perspective on the need for balance.

#2 I have consented to the fate of getting rest, sleep, hydration and time to write.

The truth is...life has been busy. Change seems constant and established routine is merely a mirage in my dreams. And I'm okay with this, for what seems to be the first time in my life - not because I mastered a yoga pose or meditated in silence, but because I yearn daily to release my reigns to the eternal God who grants peace beyond understanding.

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

***

PICTURE THIS:

Psalm 95: Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!

Despite my angry insides, I made it to the beach today - where God whispered to me in the breeze and roared with the crashing waves. Alone with Him...there's nothing better.

Breeze of Memories

It's easiest for me to write in rhyme form
I wish I knew why, it doesn't feel quite the norm
I'm not even sure where my fingers and mind will lead me tonight
Giving control up, I have no might


Today I found an old notebook full of aged prayers and sour dreams
They reminded me of the person I once was, or seemed to be
I was scared and thought I was alone
I prayed to a God who I questioned, to give me a home

I wasn't sure who or how to trust
I just knew that eventually I must
What is a life full of lies and deceit?
I'll be the first to describe it, I was in the driver seat
Headed toward a hell far too real
Stepping on the pedal, falling into layers of pain that would be hard to heal

I look back and see myself speeding to a vast nowhere
I look forward and see the person I always wanted to be there

It wasn't anything that I did to get to where I am now
Living and breathing in the moment, a peace I have endowed
Healed of the wounds of my past
Led to an eternal life that will forever last

New Age X Goes Postal

My band New Age X is featured in the Reno News and Review!

Check it out:

LOCAL STORIES  |  GREEN  |  OPINIONS          ARTS&CULTURE  |  CALENDAR  |  MUSIC  |  DINING  |  FILM  |  GUIDES  |  N&R EVENTS          CLASSIFIEDS

Going postal  New Age X By Sean Barron  This article was published on 12.20.12. Phill Real recording vocals for New Age X. PHOTO BY ALLISON YOUNG For more information, visit newagexmusic.com Advertisement It wasn’t very far into my interview with Phill Real that I realized not only that we had something in common, but also that he’s quite funny, in his own understated way. During the ice-breaking stage, I’d found Real had stopped watching Sons of Anarchy some time in the third season, which is exactly when I’d stopped watching. While I had no idea why I’d stopped watching, Real said oh so eloquently that it had “turned into a bunch of old guys riding their motorcycles around who would make intermittent stops to hug each other.” Other than that, the man was soft spoken, tired but engaged, and excited to talk about his hip-hop group. New Age X has just released their first official album, called Into the 5th Dimension, which consists of seven original tracks, all without any sampling. This is a big step for the group, who previously released online a 13-track mixtape called The Dawning for free 2011. (The mixtape and new album can be streamed at newagexmusic.com; the new album can be purchased for $5 at cdbaby.com/cd/newagex.) The group consists of Real, who provides lyrics and music, AD-verse and Baby-B-Fresh, who also provide lyrics and vocals. They all live in different cities. Phill lives here in Reno, AD-verse in Arizona, and Baby-B-Fresh in Los Angeles. I’m sure it would be much easier to produce and refine material when everyone is in the same place, but New Age X has found a way to navigate these pitfalls. They collaborate over the internet, sort of like hip-hop’s answer to the Postal Service. The problem is time. Sometimes it takes a few days to a couple of weeks to get through the back and forth. If they were all in the same place at the same time, they could be even more prolific than they have been in the last two years. What’s even more refreshing than the music is the message. New Age X is about being optimistic. They deliver a “positive message that doesn’t disrespect our society.” Yes, they want a radio-friendly, polished sound, but to also deliver hopeful messages. The thing about New Age X is that it doesn’t have a local feel. It doesn’t sound like music that your friend is making in the basement next door. It sounds like music that is—and rightfully should be—on the radio. It’s polished, from the mixing and mastering, to the crisp lyrics. As of right now, they get play on local college radio and the web, but they deserve to be heard by a wider audience. “One time for my city that I don’t rep,” says Real in one lyric. New Age X is thinking bigger than Reno. They’re not dissing their hometown at all, they love Reno, but they realize it can be a stifling scene for bands, where it’s incredibly difficult to get people to acknowledge you, much less support you. New Age X is trying to bring a cosmopolitan feel to their identity. It’s working. They got together with an Arizona producer, called Efreezee, who put out a single off their new album, The Moment, which reached No. 1 on soundclick.com. That’s a big deal, considering there are millions of songs in the hip-hop genre on the site. It’s only now, since the product is crafted and packaged well, that New Age X is starting to become concerned with using its resources and getting into the arenas where it can be singled out in the midst of many artists.