Just something I cooked up for Christmas before going to bed. Goodnight.

Der Voghormya

"I'm Small" is from a song cycle, "Cities", personifying biblical cities. It is sung from the point of view of Bethlehem, specifically inspired by the passage in Micah 5:2, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

The bulk of this song was written a few years ago before my wife Emily and I had kids, imagining a small Bethlehem embracing this news, but it didn't come into focus until jamming with my then 20-month old Walter. I guess it takes playing with someone small to finish a song about smallness.

Jonathon Roberts: vocals, piano, drum programming 
Emily Clare Zempel: vocals
Ariana Rosen: violin
Kevin Gosa: soprano and alto saxophones, backing vocals
Meaghan Burke: cello, backing vocals
James Hall: Trombone, backing vocals
Walter Roberts: backing vocals

Music, lyrics, and production by Jonathon Roberts

Buy on Bandcamp

I'm Small

Acclaimed singer/songwriter Mara Measor explores the theme of dancing in 1 Chronicles 15, a section that describes the bringing of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Through my songs, I seek to gently transport people from where they are to where they might not have been before. Places of introspection, provocation, memory; places accessible only through melodies.

ARTIST BIO

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Mara Measor is half-British and half-Chinese but you wouldn’t guess it when you hear her. After high-school she spent a year working and singing in Ethiopia and now performs as an indie singer-songwriter in NYC.

She was featured as “One to Watch” in Audrey Magazine, and her bilingual song “I want to Love You” recorded live on a Hong Kong TV Channel RTHK was shortly selected as a Best of the Year performance in 2012. She has played in NYC venues including Joe’s Pub, the Bitter End, Caffe Vivaldi and the Museum of Chinese in America. She has also sang in Shanghai and South Korea.

Mara graduated with an acting degree from NYU Tisch. She has appeared on TV (Blue Bloods, CBS), off-Broadway shows and starred in numerous independent films.

She is currently a recording artist at Good Mood Records, where she works in collaboration with Emmy-Award winning producer and composer Jamie Lawrence. Her debut album “Mara” was released August 2013. www.marameasor.com

You Saw Me

You Saw Me - Mara Measor

By Kelley McRae In response to Psalm 93 for Spark and Echo Arts' Bible Illumination Project. 

Artist Statement:
I really love the language in Psalm 93 that 'the seas have lifted up their voice.’  And it's clear from the different translations that it's a raging sea. It’s a storm. 

The song obviously works in metaphor and (I hope) can be interpreted in different ways. But I mainly had in mind the storms we bring on ourselves and on our children. By what we have done and by what we have left undone. It's hard to see how we might find mercy for the destruction we cause. This song comes out of that struggle.

Photo Credit: Darin Back

RISING

The water's rising.
We don't have a choice.
The seas have lifted.
Lifted up their voice.

And it doesn't matter if you believe
That the punishment doesn't fit the crime.
Cause the sad sorry truth, that no one would choose
Is that our children will be doing the time.
Our children will be doing the time.

The waves are breaking.
Breaking on our shores.
The floods are rising.
Rising to our doors. 

CHORUS

Is there mercy enough for us?
I stand at the scene of the crime.
Is there mercy enough for us?
My children will be doing the time.
My children will be doing the time.
My children will be doing the time.

The water's rising.
We don't have a choice.
The seas have lifted.
Lifted up their voice.

Rising

Rising - Kelley McRae

Spark and Echo Arts 2013 Resident Artist Emily Ruth Hazel’s poem in response to the theme of Fools as explored through her experiences in Ghana. The poem is in response to:

Proverbs 1:8–9
Proverbs 10:14, 10:21
Proverbs 17:12, 17:28
Proverbs 19:13
Proverbs 29:20
Ecclesiastes 10:12

Learn more and read the text at:
http://www.sparkandecho.org/circling-the-waist-of-wisdom_emily-ruth-hazel/

Emily Ruth Hazel is a New York City-based poet and writer whose work
wrestles with themes of relationship and faith. As a believer in poetry that feels accessible and lived-in, she aims to capture the beauty, hope, and humor that can be found in everyday experiences.

From the Artist: 
Throughout the book of Proverbs, the foolish and the wise are defined by their contrast with each other—so writing about foolishness naturally led me to explore the tandem theme of wisdom. Proverbs are also an essential part of the rich oral tradition of African cultures. As the meanings almost always hinge on metaphors, proverbs lend themselves to poetic play and reinterpretation. As I learned from African friends in college—both in the United States and in Ghana and South Africa—there is a sense of humor that translates through many African proverbs as
well. (One of my personal favorites is, “A leopard is chasing us, and you are asking me, ‘Is it a male or a female?’”)
I was interested in creating a poem in which biblical and African proverbs could be in conversation with each other. Framing the poem partly around my own experiences as an American traveling in Ghana, I incorporated eight biblical proverbs, five common African proverbs, and eleven specifically Ghanaian proverbs—a bicultural exploration that deepened my appreciation for the universality of wisdom.

Notes on the Poem (Specific to Ghanaian Culture)
Asantehene: the highest traditional ruler of the Asante people of Ghana
Baobab: African tree with an extremely wide trunk—a symbol of wisdom
Batik: commonly worn fabric, dyed using a wax-resist method to create patterns
Cedis: Ghanaian currency
Harmattan: dry season during which the wind blows dust from the desert
Kente: traditional hand-woven cloth featuring bright colors and designs
Legon: suburb of Accra, the capital city of Ghana
Tro-tro: mode of public transportation—a van that operates similar to a bus

for Spark and Echo Arts

Circling the Waist of Wisdom - Emily Ruth Hazel

Division
80bpm
Piano, Basses, Cellos, Flutes, Clarinets, Oboes, English Horn, Percussion

This is an awesome theme tune. For ANYthing. You got a dark comedy about an inept biologist? This will work. A gritty fantasy dealing with fairy politics? A sci-fi dystopian future where everyone likes sardines? A reality show about bicycle thieves? A  slice-of-life serial about growing up in the Upper Peninsula? Seriously. Anything.

Division

Video available here: https://vimeo.com/206977800

For more information on this track, please visit: http://sleepfacingwest.com/sleepfacingwest/2017/3/7/gl022-seldom-spoken

This track was created for game and animation use. Though it's available for download here, I've posted it mainly for review purposes. There are high quality files with additional sections available on my site. (The review track here doesn't offer stinger endings, separated stems, etc.) If you would like to use this track or commission new work visit me at www.SleepFacingWest.com or contact SleepFacingWest@gmail.com

Game Loops

GL022 Seldom Spoken

A Prayer of Examen

Comedian Paul Schissler explores the unseen side of the comedian's life in response to Ecclesiastes 4:13-16 for Spark and Echo Arts' Bible Illumination project.

ARTIST STATEMENT
There's a side to comedy that the audience doesn't see. A side that's not filled with laughter. So often people question what it's like being a comedian-- how hard it is, what's the motivation, what's the goal? You work obsessively on something that results in mostly failures, setbacks and self-doubts. It's incredibly lucky to "make it" in comedy, and often feels futile. Like chasing the wind. This bedtime story is an honest look at the rollercoaster feelings inside a comedian-- hope, determination, joy, self-doubt, hopelessness.

ARTIST BIO:
Paul Schissler is a NYC comedian and co-founder of Comedywire.com. Paul's been part of the NY Comedy Festival and seen on The Steve Harvey.

A Comedian's Bedtime Story

A Comedian's Bedtime Story - Paul Schissler

Letting the text 'speak' to directly inspire his creative process, composer and musician Ezra Haugabrooks​ wrote, performed, and recorded this song in response to Joel 2:1-11 for Spark+Echo Arts Bible Illumination Project.

Read about his artistic process at: sparkandecho.org/illumination/joel_ezra-haugabrooks

Joel

Joel - Ezra Haugabrooks

BattleBlock Theater Music- Boss Stage

Jonathon Roberts is a composer for games, film, theatre, and ensembles. He created the popular podcast/web series ComposerDad vs. Bible, in which ComposerDad accepts intense compositional challenges from mysterious Bible, while out with kids. He founded the long-standing NYC arts nonprofit Spark and Echo Arts. From Wisconsin, living in Beacon, NY, he used to write music for slot machines, tour the country in an RV as the Apostle Paul, and play in an absurdist comedy band. With his wife, actor Emily Clare Zempel, he collaborates on music and theater projects. He currently is on staff as an audio engineer for scripted podcasts at Gimlet/Spotify.