Last year I received a custom 3-string, Cigar-Box Dobro guitar from instrument maker Frank Harter out of Utah. He worked on it for some time and said he was inspired when he saw these two, steam punk looking f-hole pieces. When I received it the beauty and craftsmanship overwhelmed me. It took me a little while to figure out how to make the swampy, resonant sounds I put on my newest record Desert Dreaming which I released under my project name Lone Granger.
Come sometimes last winter while at drum practice with 10+1 the group of drummers and dancers I sometimes perform with here in southern New Mexico. My friend Mei Ling Po McKay, always a great supporter of my music, found that one of the tracks inspired her. She is a teacher, educator, blends traditional Tai Chi and Qigong with dance and has a dance company called “Wu of the Silk Road.” Well, from Frank’s inspiration to my creation to Mei Ling’s inspiration to creation they’ve come up with fabulous and powerful dance/movement piece to the song “Soaring” from the record.
I was inspired to film the project. I want to document what it takes to create a dance piece to a song from the ground up. Cross media collaboration is something I’ve done for decades and often stop in galleries when I’m on tour. I’ve had the joy of working poets, writers, actors and of course dancers and choreographers. It’s all creation and inspiration to me. And I knew, even if she didn’t, that Mei Ling would bring her sense of depth and inspiration to my music. She told me, “Part of the adventure was to create adjectives for your music. After looking at the photo I came (of the dancers) the adjective I found most descriptive was ‘magical.’
Like myself, Mei Ling draws upon her ancestors, hers being Chinese and Mexican. She said she actually felt my ancestors guiding the choreography and sometimes chastising her for choices. Too funny and not surprising.
The song “Soaring” is inspired by a dream I had. In the dream I was on top of a volcano with ancient peoples. There was a Bald Eagle facing the crowd and flames were shooting out of the volcano. A Condor flew down and grabbed the Eagle, which was fighting. It dropped the Eagle into the volcano. I was confused by the dream until I typed some keywords into a search engine. I was blown away when I discovered the Incan prophecy of the Eagle and Condor. Basically it’s a prophecy that humans have split into two camps. The Eagle, the path of science, the mind, the industrial and in my dream—the takers. The Condor, the path of the heart, intuition, wisdom. What was shown to me was that the age of the Eagle is done as we move into the time of the Condor. Read about it for yourself. http://www.pachamama.org/blog/the-eagle-and-the-condor-prophecy I had absolutely no idea about this prophecy. At least nothing I had learned in this life. Clearly, my own shamanic ancestors were talking to me. This is how my music happens. It isn’t just get a new instrument and fiddle around with it until I get bored and buy a new instrument. It’s real, it’s connected, it’s from the depths of my soul and heart. Not an easy path at all in consumption driven world and I struggle daily trying to understand why I continue. So this dance to “Soaring” is an affirmation and a reminder.
"Soaring" has the Cigar Box Dobro of course with phrases Mei Ling immediately heard. The instrumentation is Dobro which is water , a deep drum representing earth, Bansuri flute bringing air and flight. The dance has all the elements as well as Qi or Chi which they create, flow then share with the audience. So many layers going on here that are lost on the listeners unless they take the time to invest. https://soundcloud.com/randy-granger/soaring
Wu of the Silk Road Dancer and Randy Granger
The nine dancers collaborated, designed and made their own costumes, which are stunning. Mei Ling had a photograph of a mask that spoke to her. One of the dancers made a template and offered advice on construction. The masks depersonalize the dancers to honor the dance and support the unmasked more modern dancers. Each dancer has a unique headdress and feathers. Some are Condor, Peacock etc. all representing the archetype the dancer represents. As I watched the rehearsals with costumes I saw the dancers transform into their characters. I know what that is like.
The dance premieres tonight at the historic Rio Grande Theater in downtown Las Cruces, NM as part of the "We Are One" drum and dance festival. Ironically I’m on a huge mural on the theater’s outside wall on Water street. What an honor and full circle. I’m just so excited when artists I collaborate with reach for that excellence I feel I bring to my own music and work. I’ve often said my only competition is mediocrity. I hope to have a video of the performance and continue working on the documentary. So thank you Frank and Mei Ling for your faith in what I could do. If it loads correctly, here is a snippet of rehearsal.