Garth Stevenson - Passage

I Know You Are But What Am I

Prana was recorded and improvised live in an underground former silo in the deep southern Utah desert over the winter solstice. The temperature outside was at about 10 degrees below zero, inside a giant wood stove burned away, and all around were about twenty or so sonic journeyers forming a meditative circle on the slate floor. 

The album contains vocals - but no English - rather the vocalizations you hear are more channeled sounds intended keep our language centers quiet and our hearts open. 

5 extended tracks - running time 48 minutes. 
This is a gapless playback continuous listening experience.

Music by Trevor Oswalt
Mastered by Chris Vita at Vita Mastering
Artwork by Ross Bleckner

http://www.eastforest.org


Samana

the bicycle and the boardwalk

Be sure to listen to the twin record, "MUSIC TO DIE TO" for the complete listening experience : http://soundcloud.com/eastforest

Trevor Oswalt's near-death experiences catalyzed a search for answers. After two violent bicycle accidents – the second of which causing almost identical injuries to the first incident – he began searching for understanding; his path eventually lead him to volunteer in a hospice, until Oswalt, aka East Forest, felt comfortable facing his fears. 

"Everyone copes with loss and trauma in different ways," he says.  "I was searching for a way that could help me and others at the same time." 

That search birthed the idea for his next album, Music To Die To, out February 26, 2016 on Aquilo Records.  "People think that nearly everything in life stems from the fact that we know we're going to die, and that real creative freedom comes from accepting our mortality," Oswalt says. "Part of this album is literally music for people to die to, but it's also the soundtrack of my own journey toward acceptance."

Inspired by one of his idols, Keith Jarrett, and his The Köln Concert, Oswalt knew he'd improvise most of the recordings by live looping a combination of vintage pianos, his voice, and original field recordings, all with the theme of life's finite nature in mind.  Recording on an organic farm in upstate New York and a remote ranch in the southern Utah high desert, he bunkered in until he had more than enough for one album. 
"Once you get out into nature and get the ball rolling, the improvisation starts to flow through you," he says. "I love the idea of giving birth to music on the spot, to record something in the moment that won't be made again."

Armed with a surplus of material, East Forest realized the perfect bookend: Music To Be Born To, the sister album to Music To Die To. To me, birth comes from the space created by the destruction of something, not the other way around. Out of death comes birth.” 

Together, the twin releases form a perfect pair, complementing the other in not only theme, but in musical substance. The former is an optimistic glow bathed in waves of his "blissful" (NPR), ethereal sound; the latter is more direct, more organic, and more focused - embodying an increasingly-mature sound and aesthetic.  but provides a fresher start with a newer beginning.

In 2016, he's back in Portland, but is now armed with a live show that is continually evolving; sometimes performing solo, sometimes with a string section, and often with cinematic projections. With experience as a performing pianist for a dance troupe, in a hospice volunteering as well as in the Amazonian jungle searching for answers, his music is a connected journey that's been dubbed "a revelatory excursion in sound" (Under The Gun Review) that invites listeners to "go on a journey of self discovery" (Earmilk).  He's been featured on NPR's Second Stage and Tiny Desk Contest, and shared the stage with Moby. 

"We forget that we are nature. We feel so much separation in our modern life, inundated with so much information; I believe our solutions will come from the inside out. They're already here, we're just uncovering them." 

"It’s all a process of discovery.  We need to give space for that which wants to emerge  -- something needs to die for something else to be born.  Making these albums was my way of creating some space, and inside I hope to hear an answer.

WEB - http://www.eastforest.org 
FB - http://www.facebook.com/eastforestmusic
INSTAGRAM - http://instagram.com/eastforest
YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/user/eastforestmusic
TWITTER - http://www.twitter.com/eastforestmusic

#eastforest #eastforestmusic

Trevor Oswalt - live looped music, field recordings, vocals
Taylor Deupree - mastering
Michael Robinson - art direction

Formats CD/DIGITAL/CASSETTE

Download

For Elena

Dive In

BE SURE TO LISTEN TO THE TWIN RECORD, "MUSIC TO BE BORN TO" FOR THE COMPLETE LISTENING EXPERIENCE : 



Grounded

Ephemeral

Handpanophone

In June 2018, East Forest was invited to Ram Dass’ home in Maui to join in conversation and record brand new teachings from the legendary teacher. After capturing these words of wisdom, East Forest returned to his studio in the high desert of Southern Utah to compose the soundtrack to beautifully support each songs’ subject. In these new recordings, Ram Dass’ words speak masterfully to the modern challenges that so many face with technology, dark thoughts, the nature of soul and so much more. The new East Forest record also features guest appearances from the likes of Trevor Hall and Grammy nominated artist, Krishna Das, all framing Ram Dass’ teachings with contemporary voices and cementing the 87 year old spiritual teacher into an echelon of relevancy and immediacy — offering a direct antidote for a highly polarized nation that is deeply in need of a universal voice of wisdom, connection and unconditional love.

http://eastforest.org
http://ramdass.org

I Know You Are But What Am I

April