Who we are

Raised in Bozeman, MT and educated in Electrical Engineering at the University of Idaho, David became somewhat unhinged after a drug trip his Junior year of college. He has written expository prose throughout adulthood, but he has always nurtured an “artistic seed.” Recently, circumstances prompted him to the realization that it was time to “get something done.”

We in the Western Christian tradition have always wrestled, somewhat immaturely, with a sharp dichotomy between good and evil, the damned and the saved, and have been, at best, intolerant and suspicious of other religious traditions. My produced music seeks to redress some of these concerns, within the framework of Christian thought.

Buddha left the royal palace to grapple with the sickness of the human mind, retiring to the forest for the work of meditation, contemplation, introspection, and reflection. Today, there are no forests full of Star-fruit like the Buddha had, but by the Grace of the taxpayer, schizophrenics and other mentally-ill people who grapple intensely with the root causative seeds of our society-wide malaise, can, if fortunate enough to find a good therapist or teacher, be guided into assuming a shamanistic/bodhisattvic role for the rest of society, however imperfectly fulfilled.

Perhaps now more than ever, we are poised to move beyond “Us vs Them” thinking in spirituality, and realize that the real war to be “fought” appears to involve a non-combative unification of opposites, both within the Self and the World, where relative good and evil cautiously collaborate (through mutual forgiveness) in revealing “the Good, the True, and the Beautiful.”

As any therapist worth her salt will attest, judgement “locks in” negative behavior, emotional states, and thought patterns… and the near-locus of causality in all this, perhaps surprisingly, lies within the realm of thought. The three, in fact, dependently co-arise out the departure of Christ from his loving Center, but thought is where we have our best leverage over “The Beast.” This is prayer work, and it can be dark, though when in the company of others, we can do best to observe Christ’s dictum: “Be of good cheer, for I have overcome the World.”

Although language, its meaning, and perception are all ambivalent, and can “flip-on-a-dime,” my meaning attempts to avoid overtly suggesting that we become even more self-conscious and shameful, now, both about our “bad” acts and our judgements, but rather gives us a loving “nudge” to awaken from our dark ruminations into a more near-at-hand Present, and return us to the business of working, loving, laughing, and crying (in safe company) the Tears of Christ.

We can use the world, in short, as a via for coming alive again; for a wisened-up return to the Garden; and to gently “Wake the Devil from His Dream.” We need not despair at the shadows we bring with us, though at times we will be tempted, for time, itself, will last only so long as we have need for it.

As for me and the music here co-produced, I confess I have no musical skill other than a measured proficiency with the English language, and with regards to that, I must quote my dad speaking about electricity when he was raising me, saying, “I know just enough to be dangerous.”

David's two produced songs - composed, performed, and produced by Songbay professionals Gary Cubberley (Composer/Producer/Performer) and Clay Collins (Singer) - and called “The Advocate” and “The Beast,” are both Spiritual’s that, unless the listeners’ God adoration has already emerged, or is primed to emerge, will likely have little appeal. However, for the faith-ready, their metered non-dual approach to questions of Ultimate Good and evil can be profoundly inspiring.