Greg on Jul 14 2008 | Filed under: Music Videos
Human Rights, Freedom, Oppression, War, Politics, Religion and Genocide.
This song comes with an explicit lyrics warning.
To read more about this song and how I wrote it, click here.
ecwadmin on Jun 23 2008 | Filed under: Events
Where: The Maleny Community Centre
When: Friday 4th of July
Time: Movies Start at 6.30 p.m. Music starts at 7.30 p.m. sharp.
Cost: $15 per person, with children under 12 free.
Contact: Greg Reid - greg@blossomhead.com
Click Here to Download the Poster ~ Please share this with your friends!
Ever spent the night under the stars?
Well a local star has risen to victory with the completion of his epic album, Dream Beautiful.
Experience brilliant music from some of the shining artists from Astronomy Records in a night of spectacular musical and visual splendor!
Check out the Running Sheet
6:30 - 7:30 Beautiful relaxing movies playing on the big screen while we serve delicious meals provided by Aravindha at Lotuseed catering. Download the menu right here.
7:30 - 8:00 Murray Wall plays his unique brand of acoustic instrumental music. www.murraywall.com
8:00 - 8:30 More movies and yummy food.
8:30 - 9:15 Blossomhead perform the album Dream Beautiful for your enjoyment. Visit www.Blossomhead.com to hear more of his music.
9:30 - 11:00 High class earth jazz dance beats provided by the mixing and musical genius of Mr Kit Cotter and Herrin Larkan. This will be accompanied by swirling visuals on the big screen that dance to the pulse of the music!
The whole night will be video recorded and placed upon the internet and the audio will be part of a live set of CD’s Astronomy Records will be producing and marketing.
People of all ages are welcome to come along and be a part of a very special night.
There will also be nutritious, wholesome food and juices for sale and plenty of free, fresh water.
Greg on May 01 2008 | Filed under: About the Songs
WINGS FOR YOU
A few years ago a close friend of mine took his life and as much as I think it a waste I understood why he did it. Unlike most of us he started life the hard way thanks to his dad who was a sadistic, wasteful bastard. He blew the family fortune, lost priceless heirlooms and tried to justify his failures by looking for salvation in the bottom of a bottle.
When that didn’t work he started to take the anger he truly felt at himself, out on his wife and children. They all suffered physical, sexual and psychological abuse from this person who had they had given their love to.
I could only imagine what it would be like as a youngster to have your father come into your bedroom at night with a shotgun that he laid against your head as you pretended to sleep, blaming you for his failures in life.
On top of having a father like that, my friend and his brother who was also a good friend, suffered from a rare genetic anomaly that caused horrible, terribly painful ulcers to develop around their ankles, because of certain valves that were missing it meant the blood was not able to be pumped back up the leg. I can remember seeing these terrible sores on my friend’s ankles and watching the agony it caused. One of the brothers had both his legs amputated in his adult years as a solution to the terrible constant pain, while the other tried to live with it as best he could.
When they were both old enough and big enough, they put their father in his place and the family escaped his terrifying prison of a world. With his mum, two sisters and brother, they lived as poor as church mice struggling over the years doing shitty jobs to make ends meet and trying to make their lives better, bit by bit.
One of the brothers spent some time in institutions for the insane, trying to cope with the physical, sexual and mental abuse he suffered as a child. Eventually when in his forties, he took his own life rather than suffer any more, two months later the other brother died of a heart attack and this song is for both of them.
Both brothers weren’t perfect but they were more courageous than most people I have met.
Despite all that had happened to them, they were people of genuine goodness who tried as best they knew how to be decent and loving, sometimes they succeeded and sometimes they didn’t.
They “travelled with madness and its bundle of sin down strange twisted roads where some of us have been but they travelled further past the last wooden gate into the deep where the tides will not wait”.
I think of them every so often, the seasons pass and the light of memories grow dim and I sometimes wonder what life would have been like for them had they been born into a loving, nurturing family.
I know some of the wonderous things they would have achieved.
One brother was a very intelligent scholar and the other had a true gift for painting and drawing.It was he that is my inspiration every time I pick up a pencil or a brush but I will never come close to his ability to make a painting or a drawing come to life.
The day of my friends funeral, it rained as I read out the lyrics to this song, it was the only thing I could say that meant anything as I looked at the hole in the ground in which my friends body had been laid.
The old line of “Why do the good die young” comes to mind and I wish I knew the answer. It seems unfair that evil bastards seem to get to prosper and live to an old age while those who die young have only a short time in which to do so much good.
How unfair and it seems, a waste but they had both touched my life and taught me things that have helped to make me the person I am today and for that I am very grateful.
Even though time passes and memories that once seemed so painful no longer shine as they once did, I will never forget them and so their lives have had meaning if only for me.
When I wrote this song it came together very quickly and very easily.
Even though the cause to write the song was a sad one, I found playing it a beautiful delight and never tired of playing or singing it.
When I was recording it I met someone who had spent a lot of time in India learning to sing in Indian scales. She had never sung in a western way before using the limited range that western music has nor had she sung a song like this before.
I asked if she would like to sing backing vocals on the song and I’m so glad she gave it a try, her voice is perfect for the song giving it a haunting, melancholy other world feel.
I hope the song touches you as it has some people and when your time comes, I wish there be Wings For You.
Greg on May 01 2008 | Filed under: Rants & Raves
It’s true, I used to be one of them and even today it is an uncomfortable transition.
People are frightened of change, change of address, change of relationship, change of circumstance and of course the biggest change of all, death.
Having been one of the timid masses I can understand the reasons but cannot fathom the denial. If your life changes to such an extent where even Blind Freddy could see a change is needed in the course of a persons life, why wouldn’t you take up the challenge and find where it leads, it must surely be a better place then where you once were but not so for some, they will cling with all their strength screaming denial at the bloody obvious and why?
A simple malady we have all suffered from at some stage in our lives – the fear of change.
I have been surprised and disappointed by some people I thought made of tougher stuff, who have used their strength to hold on for dear life to their comfort zones even though the waters of life are dragging at them and will assuredly win in the end.
They create more suffering for themselves, needlessly.
Of late I have felt astonished at one person in particular that I know of who even though he has suffered an injustice brought about by the path he was walking in life, still seems to have learnt nothing, he is still the same - the same mentality, the same way of viewing life and seemingly determined to continue walking the same path which led him to his predicament in the first place.
I have lived for 43 years and in that time have learnt sometimes through the hard way, that life will teach us what we need to learn whether we like it or not.
The wise will look for the lessons presented and make the best of the situation while the foolish will still struggle determinedly on their way, ignoring the bleeding obvious.
It seems their addiction to suffering means more to them than their ability to succeed in life.
So why would someone be addicted to suffering I hear it said?
Well there is usually some emotional pay off for them, whether it be the “poor me” syndrome, the “martyr ” syndrome, the “doormat” syndrome, or the “victim” syndrome, take your pick. I’m sure there are other reasons but these four spring to mind straight away.
It is understandable, it is unfortunate, it is sad, it is real and as I said before, nearly all of us have been in this situation where our mistakes have led us to the crossroads where we are given the opportunity to make a change for the better in our direction and learn.
The reason we make mistakes is to learn of better ways to live our lives for the short time we have them, so while I can have understanding and compassion, I feel no sympathy for those who continue to cause their own selves suffering when they have been given a unique opportunity to make a change for the better.
T o have courage is to have the ability to lead ourselves out of the valley of despair and accept the challenge to climb that mountain where we can gain a better perspective in the direction we need to go next.
If you lead others will follow, so be careful where you lead them by watching where your place your own footsteps, this is a responsibility we all share towards each other.
Greg on Apr 07 2008 | Filed under: The Good the Strange and the Odd - around the world
The Temples Of Damanhur
Nestling in the foothills of the Alps of northern Italy, 30 miles from the ancient city of Turin, lies the valley of Valchiusella.
This picturesque countryside is peppered with medieval villages but it is deep underground, buried into the ancient rock, that the region’s greatest wonders are concealed.
Here, 100ft down and hidden from public view, lies an astonishing secret - one that has drawn comparisons with the fabled city of Atlantis and has been dubbed ‘the Eighth Wonder of the World’ by the Italian government.
For weaving their way underneath the hillside are nine ornate temples, on five levels, whose scale and opulence take the breath away.
Constructed like a three-dimensional book, narrating the history of humanity, they are linked by hundreds of meters of richly decorated tunnels and occupy almost 300,000 cubic feet - Big Ben is 15,000 cubic feet.
Few have been granted permission to see these marvels, indeed, the Italian government was not even aware of their existence until a few years ago but the ‘Temples of Damanhur’ are not the great legacy of some long-lost civilisation, they are the work of a 57-year-old former insurance broker from northern Italy who, inspired by a childhood vision, began digging into the rock.
It all began in the early Sixties when Oberto Airaudi was aged ten. From an early age, he claims to have experienced visions of what he believed to be a past life, in which there were amazing temples.
Around these, he dreamed there lived a highly evolved community who enjoyed an idyllic existence in which all the people worked for the common good.
More bizarrely still, Oberto appeared to have had a supernatural ability: the gift of “remote viewing” - the ability to travel in his mind’s eye to describe in detail the contents of any building. “My goal was to recreate the temples from my visions,” he says.
Oberto - who prefers to use the name ‘Falco’ - began by digging a trial hole under his parent’s home to more fully understand the principals of excavation but it was only as he began a successful career as an insurance broker that he began to search for his perfect site. In 1977, he selected a remote hillside where he felt the hard rock would sustain the structures he had in mind.
A house was built on the hillside and Falco moved in with several friends who shared his vision. Using hammers and picks, they began their dig to create the temples of Damanhur - named after the ancient subterranean Egyptian temple meaning City of Light - in August 1978.
As no planning permission had been granted, they decided to share their scheme only with like-minded people.Volunteers, who flocked from around the world, worked in four-hour shifts for the next 16 years with no formal plans other than Falco’s sketches and visions, funding their scheme by setting up small businesses to serve the local community.
By 1991, several of the nine chambers were almost complete with stunning murals, mosaics, statues, secret doors and stained glass windows. But time was running out on the secret. The first time the police came it was over alleged tax evasion and still the temples lay undiscovered but a year later the police swooped on the community demanding: “Show us these temples or we will dynamite the entire hillside.” Falco and his colleagues duly complied and opened the secret door to reveal what lay beneath.
Three policemen and the public prosecutor hesitantly entered, but as they stooped down to enter the first temple - named the Hall of the Earth - their jaws dropped. Inside was a circular chamber measuring 8m in diameter.A central sculpted column, depicting a three dimensional man and woman, supported a ceiling of intricately painted glass.
The astonished group walked on to find sculpted columns covered with gold leaf, more than 8m high. Stunned by what they had found, the authorities decided to seize the temples on behalf of the government.
“By the time they had seen all of the chambers, we were told to continue with the artwork, but to cease further building, as we had not been granted planning permission,” says Esperide Ananas, who has written a new book called Damanhur, Temples Of Humankind.
Retrospective permission was eventually granted and today the ‘Damanhurians’ even have their own university, schools, organic supermarkets, vineyards, farms, bakeries and award-winning eco homes.
They do not worship a spiritual leader, though their temples have become the focus for group meditation. ‘They are to remind people that we are all capable of much more than we realise and that hidden treasures can be found within every one of us once you know how to access them,’ says Falco.
To see more pictures of this amazing temple please go to - www.the temple.org and don’t forget to pick your jaw up off the floor when you leave. The text for this article was shamelessly taken from an article by the journalist Hazel Courtney with much appreciation.
Greg on Apr 07 2008 | Filed under: About the Songs
MORE FAMOUS THAN JESUS
When I wrote More Famous Than Jesus I was thinking about John Lennon and the hoo ha that happened when he stated the obvious fact that the Beatles meant more to the people of his generation at the time than Jesus did.
Man what an example of shallow people feeling threatened by the truth as they try to hold on to the illusion of a lie.
From there I thought about how the personalities of the great masters have become more famous than that which they were trying to teach us.
So I tried to write a song about how it made me feel, the lies and twisted half-truths handed down through the centuries and how easy it can be to be seduced by the great lie. I don’t know whether other people have experienced the spin it can create in a person who is walking the path but I know that as long as I breathe I will never follow the lie.
Hitler is a perfect example of a follower and messenger of the great lie and Martin Luther King was an example to me of someone who followed the truth as best he was able to, showing great courage and conviction against seemingly impossible odds.
Although the traffickers of the great lie had him assassinated his example still lives on and inspires many who struggle daily with their path through life.
I decided to use as an example the three religions that have had the most affect on the human race throughout history, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism.
I don’t know if I really succeeded in getting this message across, some people get it and some don’t but like all who try to find their way through the web of lies and deceit that litter this world I tried and I guess in the attempt I have succeeded in some way.
This song is probably the one that has the most collaboration from the various musicians that played on the album.
It was a song that developed over time as each person added their bit, slowly taking shape into what you now hear.
It is also the only song on which I played mandolin before I was forced to stop playing by the arthritis in my wrist and hand.
I love the dynamics in this song, from Jai’s bass playing to Simone’s soaring vocal to Martin Luther battling it out with Hitler and hopefully amongst it all, the lyrics I sing manage to convey the message I felt needed to be said.
So remember that it is not the messenger but the message that is most important.
It is not the lie but the truth that will set you free.
Greg on Apr 07 2008 | Filed under: About the Songs
KISSING ME
At the time I wrote this song I was married and very much in love with my wife at the time.
I wanted to write a song that reflected how I felt but I didn’t want it to be some ordinary sloppy love song.
I hopped in the van and drove somewhere private with pen, paper and guitar and opened up my heart and mind and let what came out, come.
Once I knew I had something worthwhile, I returned home and played the song to my wife who began crying with tears of love and gratitude.
It is a wonderful thing when you feel the love of another kissing you.
Once more my friend Jai added his touch to the song lifting it up to heights I had not seen and giving it a unique feel I had not imagined.
This also was a song that was recorded in a short session of a few hours, seemingly coming together in a way that felt as right as the smile on my face and the happiness in my heart.
It was a session in which I recorded three songs, this being one of them, overnight so I could give them to my wife in time for her birthday.
I enjoyed the session, the accomplishment, the sunrise and her smile.
Greg on Apr 07 2008 | Filed under: About the Songs
DANCING IN THE GARDEN
Originally this song was called “Dancing In The Garden With Elizabeth”. I didn’t know an Elizabeth at the time but for some reason it seemed right to call it by that name.
I wrote the bulk of this song many years ago but never was able to finish it, I had everything else but the beginning to the song.
It wasn’t until a week before I met my ex-wife, whose name just happened to be Elizabeth, that I finally found the beginning to the song somewhere in the recesses of my musical mind.
Strange and wonderful how these things sometimes happen.
It is the only instrumental on the album and was recorded very quickly and very simply with classical guitar and accompanying keyboard/cello track courtesy of a friend called Jai.
Even though I like the simplicity of the song, I would one day like to develop it some more adding strings and things to give it some of the majesty I hear when I listen to the song.
I no longer call it “Dancing In The Garden with Elizabeth” because she is gone and I have moved on but the song keeps on dancing.
Greg on Apr 01 2008 | Filed under: The Good the Strange and the Odd - around the world
A friend sent me this incredible story about a most unusual restaurant. 
It is a huge table suspended 165 feet in the air with chairs that swivel 180 degrees. Those brave souls with a head for heights are harnessed into 22 seats with a space in the centre for a chef and two helpers.
One diner who recently dined in front of the Amiens Cathedral in France said “It was just like eating with the 12 apostles and Jesus Christ”. Quite a commendation.
The table is suspended in the air by a crane which means you can have dinner anywhere the crane can maneuver. Imagine the possibilities when you consider some of the amazing and beautiful places in the world.
Greg on Mar 27 2008 | Filed under: About the Songs
WEAVER
This song was a strange little ditty that I wrote in one go and recorded in one session with Herrin playing the guitar lead and myself playing the keyboard and rhythm guitar.
Not many people liked it at the time compared to the other songs on the album but it just had to be included.
It is one of my favourite songs from the album simply because it says a lot about the human condition.
I have a view of life as though it was a tapestry and we create that tapestry as we weave our own unique patterns into it throughout the course of our lives.
Sometimes we weave well and other times we loose the thread amongst the confusion we sometimes feel between reality and illusion.
But most of us manage to find the thread again and keep on going until we come to the end.
The design we leave behind is our contribution to the ever unfolding process of life.