Processions by Heavy Stars

Life is a series of small processions within an overarching procession.

Everyday we walk farther from birth toward death. This should be something that is celebrated rather than feared.

Each song in Processions refers to a tiny journey within the larger one.

‘Womb’ seeks to imitate the universal sounds heard by infants in the womb. Every living human has experienced this procession.

‘Lessons’ represents the lessons we learn in both formal and informal settings. The samples were taken from field recordings of an African people in which an elder female is heard teaching children folk songs in the oral tradition.

‘Stars’ contains samples of two females (Megan and Madison) whose respective traumatic events and travels brought them together. The two conversed and improvised singing together in Washington Square Park in New York. The lyrics are dedicated to one of my best friends, Angela Garner, in celebration of her recent engagement. The song honors all kinds of relationships (strangers, friends, and romance) and how our energy draws us to one another.

‘Roji’ refers to the path that leads to the Japanese tea house. The word roji literally means “dewy path” and represents the journey to a state of meditation. I intentionally put this at the end of side A to lead to the other side.

‘Progress’ is the oldest song on the album and does not seem to “fit” with the others, but this is on purpose. Progress represents a fork in the road, getting “stuck,” examining progress thus far, and quandaries over where to go next within our procession.

‘Kudra’ is about and named for one of the main characters in Kurt Vonnegut’s novel ‘Jitterbug Perfume,’ which I read just before finishing this album. In the novel, Kudra escaped the traditional Hindu practice of suttee in which a widow is burned alive on the funeral pyre with her deceased husband. Kudra escaped her own funeral and then went on a quest for eternal life. This song represents mixed feelings about death and immortality. Ironically, the vocal sample is taken from someone preaching at a religious leader’s funeral.”

‘Bite of Earth’ is built on a melody I received during a trip with friends. The opening sample comes from a person of a South African tribe playing a song called ‘Murmure de la foret’ or ‘Murmur of the Forest’ on an African bow instrument. The song refers to the idea of returning to the earth after death and nourishing it for further growth. It also ponders the idea of reincarnation.

‘Marathon Wands’ is based on something I wrote examining the significance of genes and the resilience of humanity in their quest to pass them on for humankind to continue. I chose to call it “marathon wands” as an analogy to racers passing a baton or torch. I later learned that the word “marathon” literally means “fennel” because the Greek city of Marathon was covered in fields of fennel. I like how a name can come from something that is just laying around and then becomes a word with greater significance; when the ephemeral becomes eternal. I also later learned that Prometheus supposedly brought fire to humans on a stock of fennel. ‘Marathon Wands’ has a somber, hopeful, and reverent feeling, like a funeral march, which is how I wanted to close the procession.