Beyond the Liner Notes: Uncoiled, the back-stories, lyrics, credits, trivia and more
Uncoiled 2008
The concept behind this album was to get noticed.
Having achieved our lofty goal of creating a sound-therapy tool with our first project, we came up with new goals of becoming famous and went back to work. But seriously, the primary aim of the second CD was to expand our sound palette and make an upbeat, lively, world-music-ish album and also experiment with all the fun tricks we had learned from making Mantra Chill the year before.
And I also had a secret agenda, I wanted to make a record that someone respectable and big in the field of world music, like Peter Gabriel, would hear and say “Hey, nice work, I like that sound!” So, when the Independent Music Awards (the poor man’s Grammys) posted Peter Gabriel as judge for the 2008 awards, I had to say “Hmm? Is this a sign?” And when the nominations came in, and our song “Ananda” was placed in the top five new age songs of the year, and went on to take number the one spot in the popular vote, I took it as a resounding “Yes!”
Ananda- our biggest hit and the song we almost didn’t record
No we didn't misspell Amanda, Ananda means bliss.
Jason Carter, who guided us through the making of our first recordings, had gone on a European tour to drum for Frank Black (The Pixies) so we started this album with Tom Nunes at Skyline Mastering Labs here in Salem. When Jason returned to town we finished up recording the tunes we had but we still had the idea of doing a dance track, something along the lines of the music of Burning Man legends One at Last.
With no idea of where we were heading Jason laid down some awesome beats as a framework for this new track that we were maybe, or maybe not, going to do. As a side note, his drumming was done in one take. In other words, Jason sat down and played away for the full six minutes to lay down the steady beat that supports this tune.
As the music started taking form I wondered if it would fit to use the words from the 16th century Sikh poem/song Anand Sahib written by Amar Das. The first time I heard the classic version of it was in 1976 at the 3HO Ashram in Michigan and it had haunted me ever since.
Ananda is the tale Amar Das’ cosmic trip, his God experience. It starts with a loving cry out to his mother, or the Universal Mother, or maybe both. He encourages us to let our voices and minds resound with vibrations of love, gratitude and praise. As the lyrics continue they paint vivid, enticing pictures of being enveloped in a mysterious, all pervading, and cosmic vibration. Amar Das describes celestial fairies and heavenly musicians sending him in to states of ecstacy. And he humbly credits an unseen, infinite force, the “True Guru” which gracefully moves him from un-awareness to enlightenment. The opening line, “Ananda, Ek Ong Kar, Sat Gurprasad” sets the theme, “Bliss, It’s all God, and it’s all good.”
When I suggested the lyrics to the group everyone liked the idea. Sara cut her vocals, and to the shock of Sara and Jason, since I had been pretty much silent up to that point, I said I wanted to give vocals a try, too.
Frank Black had just finished up in the recording booth that evening and I felt inspired to ride the wave of his energy and see what would happen if I was behind the mic. Up to that point the only thing I knew about his work was a video from their recent tour of Europe where he screamed as Jason wailed on the drum kit. Before that I had thought the Pixies were an Irish band with a waif-like singer, ala Cranberries and Enya. I surfed on Frank’s wake that night as I recited Anand Sahib in the classic, mesmerizing way. I also added, at times, some Yogi Bhajan style chanting (Ek Ong Kar, Sat Gur Prasad…) and some mild “screams” of my own. Frank may find it amusing to know that we almost named this album The Guru Project, which is what he called our music.
What you hear on the finished song is only five percent of the complete Anand Sahib by Guru Amar Das. We covered the intro and first two verses. There are 38 more. One day it would be fun to record it in its entirety.
Govinda: We will mantra-rock you!
Sara asked me to come up with a Hindu Kirtan style tune since we had so much fun chanting with Jai Uttal and Daniel Paul. My favorite of those chants is the old standard Govinda Jaya, Gopala Jaya.There are many great recordings of this mantra, from the traditional ones by Krishna Das and Wah to my favorite, the rocking one by Kula Shaker. We invite you to sing along with our version.
This was a fun song to do with the building choruses of Silver Sørensen and Beth Eck singing such beautiful backup. Speaking of Silver, she is the most incredible studio bass player outside of Pino Paladino. You can throw any tune at her and she’ll lay down the sweetest bass lines, and always in one take.
Now2theNow
Most often I have music I’m working on and Sara is the wordsmith. Our songs come together as a joint process. This is the perfect example. I was goofing around with a rock progression and Sara had the concept of a hip-hop style chant in English, Now to the Now: a catchy phrase, almost meaningless but full of meaning at the same time. This track presented a challenge since we wanted to keep all the song titles to one word each. Thank you Prince for saving the day, once again.
One
In Sanskrit the term Amrit Vela, the ambrosial hours, describes the pre-dawn time when the ethers are clearest and spiritual connection is the highest. We went into the studio at 5:00 a.m. on a Sunday to take advantage of this vibe and experiment with some new ideas. We didn’t know Jason could stay up that late!
TRACKS
1. Ananda 6:05
2. Govinda 5:02
3. Now2theNow 4:32
4. Uncoiled 8:17
5. Amelia (pt.1) 2:53
6. Amelia (pt.2) 4:51
7. Being 4:11
8. Tantra 3:05
9. One 5:43
Tribal beat entwines with sacred mantra and world instrumentation. And as each chakra releases into bliss, we become Uncoiled: a journey to infinite opening through tribal rhythms, sacred chanting, exotic instrumentation and carefully placed electronica. From the funky mantra groove of Ananda to the euro pop vibe of Now2theNow to the dance/trance heartbeat of Uncoiled to the allure of Tantra, each song brings you to a deeper level of opening and Oneness in the Now. In this alternately primal and ethereal soundscape, African drums, Middle Eastern guitar, world percussion, electric guitar and created sound meld with lush and gritty vocals in Sanskrit mantra, Ancient Voice and English. To hear Uncoiled is to be released from root to crown, in the bliss that comes when there is no distinction between I and One.
THE WORDS
Ananda
Ramkali Mehala Teej Anand
Ek Ong Kar Sat GurPrasad.
Ananda bhaia mayri mayeh Sat Guru mai paia.
Sat Gur ta paia sahaj saytee man vajia vadhaia.
Rag ratan parvar paria shabad gavan aia.
Shabado ta gavho Hari kayra man jini vasaia.
Kahai Nanak Ananda hoa Sat Guru mai paia.
Ay man mayria too sada raho Har nalay.
Har nal raho too man mayray dukh sabh visarna.
Angia kar oh karay tera karaj sabh savarna.
Sabhna gala samrath swami so kio manho visaray.
Kahai Nanak man mayray sada raho Har nalay.
Govinda
Govinda Jaya Jaya, Gopala Jaya Jaya
Now2theNow
No moving forward
No going back
A game of present time
Don’t matter where you’re at
Jesus, Muhammad, great Buddha said
Look to the now
Or you mess up your head
Ram Dass, The Bhagwan, Siri Singh Sahib said
Look to the now
Or just go back to bed
Nanak, Amma, Gracie Slick said
Look to the now
It will feed your head
Rumi, Lord Shiva, Yoko Ono said
Look to the now
Stop living like you’re dead
Now to the Now to the Now to the Now to the
Now to the Now to the Now to the Now
Uncoiled
Prana,Apana, Shushmana, Hari
Inhale, Exhale, Kundalini Rising, God
Amelia
Amelia, Oh, what have you done?
You gave us a child;
She grew strong in the sun.
Now you’ve lost all your good sense
You say “we’re all done”
Won’t you come home, Amelia,
My sweet loving one… oh my sweet loving
Amelia, Ah, Where did you go?
The fields they are barren
they covered in snow and
My head and my heart…
Ah… God only knows
Use your good sense, Amelia
And find your way home…ah won’t you find your way
Come back to your good sense, Amelia
Come back to your sweet lovin’ home
Wherever you run to, you find you’re still there
Use your good sense, Amelia
Let me breathe your sweet air…Breathe your sweet air
Amelia, how I wish you’d return
Your sweet lips, your fragrance
I’ll always yearn but
now that you’re gone
My darling, I’ve learned
When it comes to Amelia, I will always get burned…always get burned
Being
Oh God! My being is divine.
One
I only see you
and I only see me.
I and I only see you.
CREDITS
Ananda
Steve Koc (guitar, percussion, vocals), Sara Wiseman (vocals), Jason Carter (drums)
Govinda
Steve Koc (guitar), Sara Wiseman (vocals), Jason Carter (drums, percussion), Silver Sørensen (bass, vocals) Elizabeth Eck (vocals)
Now2theNow
Steve Koc (guitar, vocals), Sara Wiseman (vocals), Jason Carter (drums, glockenspiel), Silver Sørensen (bass)
Uncoiled
Steve Koc (guitar, drums, percussion, vocals), Sara Wiseman (vocals), Tom Nunes (bass), Mark Powers (drums, percussion), Bob Brevoort (didgeridoo), Elizabeth Eck (vocals)
Amelia
Steve Koc (guitar, drums, percussion), Sara Wiseman (vocals), Tom Nunes (bass), Mark Powers (drums, percussion), Elizabeth Eck (vocals)
Being
Steve Koc (guitar, drums, percussion, gong), Sara Wiseman (vocals), Bob Brevoort (flute)
Tantra
Steve Koc (guitar, drums, percussion, gong), Bob Brevoort (flute)
One
Steve Koc (guitar, zils, vocals), Sara Wiseman (vocals), Jason Carter (drones)
Original music by Steve Koc & Sara Wiseman, except Ananda lyrics by Guru Amar Das, circa 1550.
Produced by Steve Koc. Published by Chaka Groove ASCAP 2008. ©
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Jason Carter, Wavelength Multimedia, wavelengthmm.com.
Additional recording on Uncoiled and Amelia by Tom Nunes, Skyline Mastering Lab.
Graphic design by Leslie Venti
With our deepest gratitude to: God, Jason Carter and our families.
2008 Chaka Groove Records