the other side of symmetry

Planting Peace

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:28:00 -0400

This is the NGO that I work with. Our goal is to deworm the 2 billion people in the world that have intestinal parasites, and to house as many homeless children as we can. If you look through the website and are interested in helping, please email me at ryanstephena@gmail.com.

Guatemala City.

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:12:41 -0400

Guatemala City.

"I know there is a God, and that He hates injustice and slavery. I see the storm coming, and I know..."

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 10:07:00 -0400

“I know there is a God, and that He hates injustice and slavery. I see the storm coming, and I know that His hand is in it. If He has a place and work for me–and I think He has–I believe I am ready. I am nothing, but truth is everything. I know I am right because I know that liberty is right, for Christ teaches it, and Christ is God.”

- Abraham Lincoln

“Crudbot” is a misnomer. Upon hearing him me that...

Fri, 16 May 2008 00:40:00 -0400

“Crudbot” is a misnomer. Upon hearing him me that the name of his solo project was “Sikno vs. Crudbot”, I almost laughed… but I didn’t becuase my momma raised me right. His momma raised him up right too- in South Carolina. But don’t let that detour you from listening to this guy. Since our first meeting he has dropped the later half of his avatar and is now simply “Crudbot”. I steal everyhting from him. Every glitched out beat, that little Major 7 sweep I play during the second verse of “Sing, All You People”… it all came from him. Jonthan Clark is as class-act as they come. An incredibly unique songwritter with an even more amazing gift of musicianship. He’s a walking legend. His new record (incredible) will be released sometime in August. So, for now you can check out his stuff on Myspace, or pick up his record on iTunes.

Lyrics

Wed, 14 May 2008 23:48:00 -0400

1492
Monuments
I’m Not Right
Fight What
Trust Me On This One
Sing, All You People
Calamity Jane
To Right Love
You Will Never Know
Be Careful What You Wish For
Never Be Alone Again (Has The Lord’s Arm Been Shortened?)
+/ Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment Every Time.

1492

If I had to guess what it was/ That was going through the mind of Christopher Columbus/ The seven seas and Antoinette/ As her glory filled the ballroom/ The waves she cast upon the peasants kings and all who/ Beheld her there, he stood and stared/ And killed her with kindness, kindness/ And I know he could not have been prepared for/ The distance he would travel for his love/ He would have you think/ His claim was for Spain/ But all the while he knew that/ He knew it was all for her

Monuments

I swear, that you have the best luck/ South of the Brooklyn Bridge/ And the monuments can’t argue with that/ Although the southern sky/ And the moon may try/ To divert, distract and compromise/ You know you have my attention, Dear// Disguised and perceived as irrelevant/ You dismiss the tunnels light/ And say “the river above, my Love,/ Was built to go beneath” and I agree/ But with all the bridges burnt/ And the tides that turned/ To the shifting sand, a work that God began/ They’ve come to orchestrate/ You coming here to me/ Beneath the river// There’s no other time but now/ No other place but here/ It’s just the two of us/ The two of us/ And it’s so clear

I’m Not Right

I’m not right, I hate to say it/ But I feel the time has finally come/ I feel the tides are finally turning/ You bring the sun, the rain/ Your eyes have changed/ Our hearts remain untouched/ By plagues to come// I’m not right/ Alone or without you// I can’t lie, I think I love you/ And the more you try to move/ The firmer my grip becomes/ With every inch we’re sure to take a mile/ And with every mile walked a story swapped/ And in every star that drops/ The blessings are disguised// I’m not right/ Alone or without you// I know that summer will be gone some day/And the chill you’ll bring/ Will just be a season thing// So long, sunshine/ You’ve had your chance/ To speak your peace/ To speak your mind/ You passed it by/ So long, sunshine/ She’s mine, you’re gone/ Your chance had come/ Your chance had come/ Just as sure as it’s gone

Fight What

Easy as it came I don’t think that I knew it/ Knew it’d all come crashing down on me/ This is my fear, this is my cover/ I fear of falling and then doing it wrong// Science claims that if you don’t see a pattern/ Then it’s probably faith and it’ll do you wrong/ But what the scientists are soon to discover/ Is elements ignite when exposed to love// This is our right, this is our calling/ This is our chance to fight what we’ve become/ And simplify our lives, releasing all our sorrow/Now’s our chance to fight, to fly// I can’t explain why when it comes to freedom/ The freedom to choose would have me coming undone/ And being done will leave us no room for fighting/ Because it implies the battles just been won

Trust Me On This One

With an outstretched arm/ I’d like to think/ That you mean for me to stay with you/ But it’s hard to believe/ That with a cloud you lead your people/ Your people and me// I think you might/ Just have to trust me on this one/ I think you might

Sing, All You People

It breaks my heart to see you alone/ When you were once the steeple/ To which the people would run/ It must be hard standing alone/ And for him to look on at your/ Self-inflicted heart break/ Because you sold yourself short// Sing, All You People/ Sing// Now you look back/ At when the organ would play/ The people would clap/ And the singers would praise/ The angels in awe/ Of what they’d just heard/ But the dress that you wore, my Love/ Is now covered in dirt// Would you swing low, sweet chariot/ And sweep us away/ For the sake of ourselves/ And for the sake of our children/ And maximize, the time, my life/ Friend and lover, I cannot thank you enough// Now’s the time for black ties, champaign/ Love’s in the air/ Spoons striking glass, a vanity fair/ The organ resumes, the guests are moved// And we sing, and smile tonight/ And you know you’re bursting to life/ From the inside// Would you swing low, sweet chariot/ And sweep me away/ For the sake of my soul/ And for the sake of my children/ And bring to mind the weight of my worth/ You’re offering gold/ And I am stuck shoveling dirt

Calamity Jane

Forgive me, Love, for words I have stolen/ From one before whose heart I’d broken/ In the name of calamity, but for her sake/ From where I sit I see you smile/ And your smiles not leaving me/ But the spot I occupy is busy trying to convince me/ That a smile’s not a sign/ Nor a warm invite inside// So long, good night/ It’s been some time/ I must admit I’m so tired/ Of letting down the ones I love/ I am earning back your trust// Forgive me, Love, for swords I have swallowed/ The beds of nails and coals that I have walked on/ You are a whole new light/ My Love, I really tried/ From where I stand I see the sun/ But your snow keeps falling down But I’d rather have your winter/ Than any others’ summer/ Your smile’s alive/ Not a warning sign in sight// I can’t live you down/ No, I can’t live you down/ You have called me out/ And I cannot leave unchanged/ No, not now

My Sister, My Bride (I Am Taking On Your Hell)

She is not in love/ She thinks she’s all alone/ With her blood she sinks a memory/ Down into my bones/ She is not alone, you see there is Brother John/ With a smile he fakes his pleasantries/ He is a man of God/ I really find it odd, how he smiles and sings his songs/ With a congregation gleaming, beaming/ Thinking of how far they’ve come// Now she finds herself alone/ And I am amongst the ones/ That cannot defend her/ No I cannot protect her now/ For I have become detached/ And the love that I claimed I had/ Has placed me on a pew/ And engraved my name upon its plaque/ I am no defender of the weak// It would have crushed your soul/ If you had seen her there/ With her blood she wrote for help/ And Brother John just left her there/ Now it’s Sunday morning/ And it is time for God/ O, and God, did it feel great/ When he thought of all the good he’d done/ I think it’s obvious/ There’s a tragedy/ That he could be so blind,/ Preoccupied with collecting tithe/ He is a wretch like me// Now I find myself alone/ And I am broken down,/ And I can only offer help/ Because I first received a bit myself/ You are not alone,/ It is you that I’m fighting for/ I am taking on your hell/ And your burden I am bearing, speaking/ “Woman why are weeping/ Whom are you seeking?”//Now, she is so in love/ And her scars, they sing a song/ The eyes once filed with tears/ And the wrists that flowed with blood/ Are holding stronger hands,/ And healing broken hearts,/ Speaking the peace she found/ And passing hope along

You Will Never Know

You will never know/ What it is you mean to me/ You will never know/ I will never own up/ To what I think is true/ And that, my dear, is I belong with you/ When I lost my train of thought/ My eye caught you and I was thrown back on/ To what I’d said that started this/ Here we go again// And when I have to move on to someone else/ Once I have to go/ Might I change your mind/ Might my heart be true/ And hands, my dear, used for holding you/ You are my train of thought/ It’s not mine for what I have is ours/ If this wasn’t the message sent,/ Might I try again// If a million words could change your mind/ I’d plot them out and organize/ I’d speak my peace and probably/ Do my woe-is-me routine/ For woe has come, your grace is gone/ Solidarity authors the saddest songs Am I making sense at all// Your love, your love/ Is singing me to sleep/ Your love, your love/ Has brought me to a screeching hault// I hope not

Be Careful What You Wish For

I gave you my heart, you know/ You gave me your hand/ And I had to let it go/ But the truth be told/ I hold on to notes you wrote/ And all of your anecdotes/ You are my wishing well/ You are my hope/ And my dream is to be with you/ It must be hard to tell/ From where I stand/ But know that I’m standing// You should be careful what you wish for// You have the upper hand/ And given your power,/ I have to live without/ And learning to deal with less/ Is more than I can take// You should be careful what you wish for/ You might get more than what you bargain for/ You should be careful what you wish for/ Because you could get more, you could get more

Never Be Alone Again (Has The Lord’s Arm Been Shortened?)

We are moving things along/ At a rate which would terrify most anyone/ I feel I’m barely hanging on/ Despite the fall,/ This has been more beautiful than anything thus far// Given the circumstance involved,/ You are a wrecking ball,/ And I the point you’re proving/ You can keep on pushing off/ And guard your heart,/ Forgetting that you are not alone/ This is our common ground/ This is your common ground, O Love/ You will never be alone again// Because of these consequences/ And getting no second chances,/ You have the upper hand/ And you will never be alone again//Rain clouds are pushed aside and/ Sun light has broken through the night sky/ We burst to life, my sunshine/ You will never be alone

+/ Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment Every Time.

Lovely, seems you don’t know what you’re worth/ I’m sorry I haven’t told you sooner/ My love, it seems you’re changing me/ And I just let you down// Heaven and Hell/ Are waging up a war for both of our souls/ We’re no good apart/ And everyone knows it// Don’t ever apologize for having a broken heart/ We will restore this love and what trust you’ve lost// Heaven and Hell/ Are raging in a war for both of our souls/ We’re no good apart/ And everyone knows it

The Pressing Begins.

Wed, 14 May 2008 23:38:43 -0400

So, things didn’t exactly work out with the album art that was being designed for the record. The iTunes album cover is going to stay the same, but the copies of the record that I actually print are going to be a totally new design and feel. I am excited to see this thing get done and out into human hands. I have been waiting quite a long time for this. I think it would be safe to say that we will have physical copies pressed and for sale in the next month and a half. I am aiming for the end of June. Fingers crossed!

Every time I listen to the music of Thomas Dalholt I want to...

Sun, 11 May 2008 13:51:40 -0400

Every time I listen to the music of Thomas Dalholt I want to quit writing songs. The Maine bred wonder child that is “Jump, Buck!” is quickly becoming one of the more anticipated indie, small town releases that I am waiting on this summer. Check out his song “Anything They’d feed Us”.

RIP: Thanks for the memories, ShowPants.

Sat, 10 May 2008 23:57:00 -0400

RIP: Thanks for the memories, ShowPants.

New solo song: “She Used To Be Shy” -Alexander

Sat, 10 May 2008 23:47:00 -0400

New solo song: “She Used To Be Shy” -Alexander

White Flags and Silver Spoons Have To Sleep In Separate Rooms

Sat, 10 May 2008 23:24:00 -0400

After months of lolly-gagging my new record is finally out. “White Flags and Silver Spoons Have to Sleep in Separate Rooms” has been a long time coming. We started the recording in early August. It took myself and Stephen Shapiro about two months to engineer and start to mix the record. We had it done and mastered in November and have been sitting on it ever since. I have been working with Rory Felton, the owner/ president of The Militia Group for the past few months trying to get this thing onto iTunes.

The record, for me, was a way for me to clear my throat. All of the lyrics that I wrote, all of the parts that I played, all of the sections I programmed, were all, in some strange way, a vehicle for me to exhale. That’s what makes this album so real for me. I didn’t write a single lyric that I didn’t mean whole- heartedly. I didn’t play a guitar part that was half done. And yet, as complete as it is a a final product, I now see how much further I can with the next record. I have plans to head back up to Oviedo (Orlando) and start on the next project in the early summer.

The Final Track listing for the record is as follows:

1. 1492
2. Monuments
3. I’m Not Right
4. Fight What
5. Trust Me On This One
6. Sing, All You People
7. Calamity Jane
8. My Sister, My Bride (I Am Taking On Your Hell)
9. You Will Never Know
10. Be Careful What You Wish For
11. Never Be Alone Again (Has The Lord’s Arm Been Shortened?)
12. +/ Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment Every Time

Thanks and check out the new record if you get a second!

Here’s the new album cover. Click on it for a link to it...

Sat, 10 May 2008 16:20:00 -0400

Here’s the new album cover. Click on it for a link to it on iTunes…