Welcome

I have always written music - sometimes as a form of catharsis, sometimes as a form of amusement - and then there were times when it seemed as if I really had no choice in the matter.

This last case is something that many writers are familiar with and yet no one has much of an answer for - the tune comes along, or the words just seem to make themselves known to you, and the next thing you know, it’s going down on paper, and you find yourself struggling to find the center of it - the main theme as it were.

Throughout my life, I’ve certainly had my bouts of contention with religion, philosophy, political concerns, and, on more of a day to day level, every moral issue I can imagine - coming to conclusion after conclusion, but always left feeling as if there still remained a much larger answer that was simply out of my reach - elusive in nature - but out there somewhere.

The music and words I have written are simply my way of dealing with the realities and fantasies of my own life - I think that if you listen to the words of my songs, you will easily be able to tell the difference between what might be considered to be “heart felt”, as opposed to an extended journey into the imagination.

It would be a mistake to assume that the words I write are, in fact, a direct reflection or accurate indication of my personal belief system at any given time - maturation not only entails, but actually demands change - and change is constant .

I suppose one could say that it might be more appropriate to look at my music in the same light as you would view any contemporary book - enjoy what you are reading, take what you need from it, but always remember, it’s just a book!

Having said that, there is one observation that I would share. That being the feeling that the music here seems to play better at night, the later the better. It really is that simple. My songs are reflective of moods, and I believe that in order to really absorb them, you have to not only have the time, but you need to be able to slip into a certain frame of mind that comes more easily when the day is done, and the evening hours are well upon us.

I am not taken by the sun. Betrothed as it seems, to the quiet and darker hours, I embrace the fantasies and fancy that come with night. The day is not my concern, it doesn’t need me. There is truth to absorb, and perceptions to unravel, if, in fact, you are willing to do so. The quiet and subsequently peaceful hours of the evening lend themselves to the deeper side of our awareness, and it is there that the very essence of this music resides.

Raymond Clearwater