Hey all,

It’s been a little while since my last blog post, and this is what I’ve been up to… Creating a studio, and forming a concept for the next phase of music.  Here is more about it…

In my first album, Postmodern Love, the discovery was that love is the way.  You can go through life with love like a light, like a shoulder to cry on, with love like a warm bed to lie in, and like a sword.  Practically, though, you don’t have the time or energy to love everything, or to commit to a hundred different things.  So what is really worth it to you, and what is just fancy?  And what is it like being at the cusp of where a dream meets reality?  In this new new phase of art and in the accompanying album – REAL/DREAM – I will explore these questions.

I’ve been inspired to focus my art on these questions because for some of us it’s time to get real; still, I don’t believe that means giving up your dreams.  That means looking at what it takes to make the dreams that are closest to your heart – and closest to being real – actually real.  These don’t have to be the biggest dreams, just the ones that are truest to you.

This phase is about experiencing the power of the real – about finding what you’ve really got in your hands and in your heart.  Because Love is the way.  You know this, and to know this will protect you and make you powerful.  Now, just how and where to use that love…

I look forward to sharing this new phase of music and ideas with you all that are listening.

Sincerely,

Parzival

I want to say it straight away:  If we’re in touch, you inspire me and keep me doing creative projects and putting them out.

With the waves of changes that ebb and flow on the surface of life, I think genuine connectedness and mutual recognition makes up the water underneath – the deep, calm, slowly changing stuff that daily life floats on.  These comments that I’ve printed out and posted on my wall make up the deep waters that I come back to again and again for motivation to follow through on my ideas and make them into real songs, events, videos, websites, blog entries, etc.

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And I want to say that I recognize you when you speak up – I recognize that beauty and radness has to be in you for you to recognize it in what I do, or anywhere.  I recognize that you are reaching out and sharing your appreciation – that you’ve saved up good feeling and can now give to others.

It’s almost electrical when you guys show appreciation, or give ideas, and it charges me up.  With this Real-World Facebook Wall, there is seriously no way that I could be in my room and feel discouraged, no matter what I’m doing.  These 150 choice posts, comments, and messages from friends and fans, old and new are only a few of our many exchanges, but they capture the essence.

I love your awesome pics and inspiring comments, and I must say that I’m thankful to have Facebook to record some of the inspiring moments that fill the deep, calm waters of my heart.

Keep doing what you do; I will, too!

Much love,

Parzival

Hi everybody,

I’m excited to announce that Postmodern Love is now playing on Pandora Internet Radio!  If you already use Pandora, you can seed Parzival stations here:http://www.pandora.com/music/artist/parzival

If you haven’t heard of Pandora, it is a unique (and free) music-listening service that allows you to create radio stations tailored to your particular taste.

Here’s how it works:  If you go to www.pandora.com and create an account, you can then “seed” stations around a particular artist or a particular song.  Pandora will then choose songs that are similar in tempo, mood, instrumentation, etc. and create an always-streaming radio station of the style you choose.  I like to make different stations for different moods and times of day, for example.

And as of today, you can now “seed” channels based around the artist Parzival, or any favorite song from Postmodern Love.  You can create a “Throw a Revolution” station, or a “Wipe This Away” station, etc. as you design.

One last feature of Pandora radio stations is that you can refine your stations as you go.  You have the options to “like” or “dislike” any song that plays on your station; after that Pandora will either play more of that artist and style if you “liked” it, or never play it again if you “disliked” it.  You can also “add” any artist or song to your station to mix in a new flavor – for example you can add Beatles or Death Cab For Cutie to your station.

If you enjoy the variety and discovery of radio, but want the music to be consistently to your liking, I definitely recommend Pandora.

Once again, the link to Parzival’s Pandora home is here:http://www.pandora.com/music/artist/parzival.  And if you like it, click the Facebook “Like” button on that page!  It helps others know to check it out.

Cheers to hearing our music on the radio!

Much love!
Parzival

I recently wrote out the following info sheet to give out when selling “Postmodern Love”.  While it doesn’t tell the whole story of the album and why it was made, it captures a key element:  the daily motivation of love.

Here it is…

Inspire your life with the power of love.

A modern rock album for every day.

Postmodern Love conveys the empowering experience of acting out of love.

This album was created to accompany you whenever you need inspiration – at work, at home, during your commute, when you’re hanging out…

It happened like this:  while making this album I discovered how much I was inspired and focused by doing my day-to-day tasks while keeping those I love in mind.  I felt like I could do anything, and I worked constantly!  Since I was still writing the album at the time, I wrote a number of songs about this inspiring experience – “Throw a Revolution”, “Make History”, “Soul Shining” and “City In Your Heart” for starters.

Now I’m convinced.  If you find yourself needing an extra kick on a project or in a relationship, I believe you can just take a moment to think of those you love.

And you can put on Postmodern Love!  You will be reminded of the greatness of love, and you’ll feel the enthusiasm of doing something out of love for another.

With this simple perspective, and Postmodern Love playing in the background, I believe you can enhance your productivity, your happiness in your relationships, and your own peace of mind.

I invite you to try living and working with Postmodern Love.

To your happiness!

Parzival

P.S. If you have any questions or comments, you get in touch with me directly at parzival@parzivalmusic.com.

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Parzival has a BA in Psychology from Vanderbilt University, and studied significantly in the fields of depth psychology and mental health before becoming a rock musician.

Here’s a PDF download in case you want to print it and keep it with your CD, or use it some other way: POSTMODERN LOVE Info Flyer.

Summer’s coming, and the video we shot in April for “Make History” is ready for release!

Taking a cue from the theme of community in “Make History”, and the warmth of summer, I’m happy to announce LOVE IS FREE – a period of sharing and community-building keynoted by the songs of Postmodern Love.

Starting tomorrow I’ll post a different song each day for free download on my Facebook Page, along with a related question about local or long-range community.  If a song or question resonates with you, please chime in with a comment.  You can easily share a song, too – on your Wall or on a friend’s Wall.  Whoever joins the conversation is sure to bring inspiration!

Then on the solstice, I’ll premier the “Make History” video, and we’ll have set a tone for the summer: community is all around us, and love is in our hands to give.

I’m honored to be making some of our community’s music!

Yours,
Parzival

Parzival here.  I’d like to share a few pictures with you from the video shoot for my song ‘City In Your Heart’, and share a bit of the story behind it, too.  I hope that you find some of your own meaning in the song and video-to-come as a result…

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‘City In Your Heart’ – The Story in the Video…

The video depicts how a man overcomes the ghosts of the past…

to discover the people and places around him,

…and find new love.

The story is mirrored throughout the video by a partner-dance – as they begin the dance, get comfortable with each other, and express themselves. All this is set to the backdrop of iconic Seattle.

Talk to me!

If you’ve heard ‘City In Your Heart,’ what does it mean to you?  Do you connect with this story and these images?  I see videos and images as a great way to flesh out the symbolic phases of growth and transformation that each of the songs on Postmodern Love represents.  Let me know if you’re feeling it, or how you would tell the story of it all…

Look forward to sharing the official video with you, and creating more videos down the road with your feedback clearly in mind.

Love and respect!

Parzival

P.S. If you’d like to hear the song ‘City In Your Heart’, you can listen and download it free here:  http://snd.sc/lP6cF8.

How to change the world…

Step One: Find out what you want to see.  |  Step Two: Declare it – to yourself, and to the world.  |  Step Three: Make it happen.

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Yo!

Parzival here.  Over last weekend, I traveled to LA to film the music video for my song “Make History.”

The video shows how one person figures out what they want to see, declares it for the world, and installs genuine art in the community to help bring it about – with a little help from his friends.

We shot the video with Erin Weller directing, Richard Kim on camera, and with our friends Ben, Dayne, Sam, Julian, and Tom helping behind the scenes (and onscreen putting up the blue-letter installment.)

<–  Erin W.

Richard K.  –>

I’m excited to soon share some of the editing process with you, and explore the ideas and tricks that are leading to the final video!

Lines always open,

Parzival

comment below -or- parzival [at] parzivalmusic [dot] com.

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ps “Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Kerouac

I’ll be going to LA this weekend to shoot the music video for “Make History.”  Because I know you have keen taste, I want to run the concept by you before shooting.

Tell us which ideas you like, contribute a new idea if it pops in your head, and then see how the video unfolds on the way to a final product.

Here it is:

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The video will be comprised of four main elements, woven together to show Los Angeles, and what an individual and groups endeavor to affect it with beauty and love…

The Portrait of a City:

We plan to film a range of LA locations – including Skid Row, to portray the city of in a realistic light – including what could be improved.

The Manifesto:

We plan to film the scripting, and hanging of a 4-foot X 12-foot paper scroll.  The scroll will consist of a manifesto-in-phrases of the kinds experiences I want to bring in to the world.

The Installation:

We plan to film the creation and installation by a group of friends of a series of 7 foot, block letters along a chain-link fence, spelling one of the following phrases connected to the song-lyric:

“MAKE LOVE” (PINK or BLACK or RED)

“WE ALL SHINE” (LIGHT BLUE)

“MAKE HISTORY” (BLACK)

“COME WITH ME” (RED)

“BUILD A CITY” (ORANGE)

“USE THE POWER” (PINK?)

The Chair of Destiny:

We plan to film the compelling recitation of the verse poetry sitting in the black chair from “Postmodern Love.”  We also plan to place the chair in the final shot of the video, below the hung scroll.

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Talk to me!

Parzival