Recorded October 2023

What does it mean to be present? To be conscious, or mindful, of one’s self, others, and the world and to have a voice within the social structure. Music and philosophy allow the voice to be found, and according to the musician and philosopher Stanley Cavell, finding the voice is both of their end goals. Some of my first questions were about the meaning of the hymns in church. Music was a perpetual medium for interaction with being and continues to be so. Music and philosophy have accompanied the troubles and joys in my life. Through them, I experience a continual solidification of what I can express, but not in a linear fashion. I would leave the words to others and let music convey the meaning. The words are more evident through philosophy, but they are still difficult to put forth in constructive, non-antagonistic musical ideas.
We’re here— we are, and we were, here—an acknowledgment of the present or a statement left behind for those who come after us. What will be the legacy we leave, if at all, and what would we build for the future if we could? As it lives now, society seems to be one of division and the pursuit of home. Some have it, others do not. Because of fear, the entitlement to freedom is questioned. Where are the lines drawn for safety? Who do we consider worthy of home, a place where necessities are available within a safe domicile? Acknowledged as it has been, the balance of order and freedom cannot be just when others suffer. The current structures remain in need of improvement if all are to be given the dignity and autonomy they deserve. If the means-ends-unity is not practiced, the solutions will fail, but unlike utopian ideals, humans vastly differentiate from each other. One person cannot know the best solution for everyone because the individual experience, although it may correlate, originates from different causations and thought processes.
I began reading Murray Bookchin’s work in 2022 as I studied music and philosophy at college. Many of the ecological ideas he proposed aligned with my observations. Since 2020, I endeavored to create an album about the relationship between humanity, itself, and nature through the lens of a fantasy setting. This became Against All Trappings, Staring Into The Cavernous Sea. Much of what I desired to incorporate into the project came from the transcendence of my past self. I strived to live according to the philosophical ideas. To put these subjects to music through my voice, I set the limits of my compositional practice to incorporate the development of the ideas from the second album while engaging with Bookchin’s social ecology and to present ideas for reflection on the current divisions while providing space for further engagement to coalesce. An important aspect to note, is the symbiotic nature of liberation within Bookchin’s work. Liberation symbiotically is a network of help. But how is this different from the baseline of our current economy? We work, money is spent in business and creativity is channeled through the desires curated by the environment for those who seek to provide a service or help themselves. For those who aspire to profit and capital, their influence over business and value creates centers in a society of interest and utility. Yet, this help does not empower lives to truly be free. Freedom among many forces by nature positions one action in tension with another. The plethora of business may speak to individuality, it even offers something close to what an individual envisions. How does symbiosis matter so long as necessities are provided, and social relations and family continue? How does one album of voiceless music create a space for thinking about how the world can be better when it is so obvious to those who want something better? Silence, noise, and tonality create resonance with the listener. The emotions evoked or brought forth by the album harness focus to relax, enjoy, and reflect on our troubles.
We’re Here represents liberatory symbiotic relationships. These relationships can be thought of in many ways. From the traditional to the radical, it can be seen as a simple form of Kantian disinterest, Santayana’s pleasure, Deleuze’s and Guattari’s rhizome, or Cage’s silence. What matters is a more pragmatic realization. Music may be seen as a language, but seen as a reference of space and waveform it creates a new tension of thought. Like the unformed, and unorganized potential body without organs it maintains a refraction of linearity into nothingness. From that nothingness, something through the view of the listener, and here from that of the composer enlists language to particularize with no certain accuracy the tension found between multiplicities. This work of phenomenology or encounter with the self in place remains a silent action to stay active without having to demand of myself or others and
I present two tracks from the third album for consideration to illuminate the expression of the continuous experiment that is life and death, silence and sound, energy and static.
Track One: Towards a Liberatory Symbiotic Ecology
A liberatory symbiotic ecology proposes beneficial relationships of human-to-human and human-to-nature towards non-hierarchical systems. This continues to speak to me, a concern for the well-being of all and the well-being of where we are, liberating existence from oppressive power structures. Within the 20th-century avant-garde stream of thought, I am taking a subject matter and positioning it musically to provoke the thoughts of an audience beyond the enjoyment of music. This piece is more listenable than John Cage’s chance music, but the elements I created align with Cage’s practice. I developed a soundscape to portray these concepts towards recognizing our current situation and thoughts toward a more sustainable future. To compare, Cage’s chance music regarding the I-Ching utilized a method of determining harmony from the chance results of tossing three coins, resulting in the divinatory lines. I incorporate environmental sounds relating to the subject matter, some by chance and others by choice. I see these tonal relationships, as noisy as they may become, to place their waveform in juxtaposition to the other, not as a tonal sequence of resolve, but as an elaborate scape of nature. This piece contains the sounds of a wind turbine in motion and a greenhouse during its hydrating moment. The bass comes from my cat’s joyous purrs. She was quite in bliss when I picked her up that day and continued to be so once we sat down and the microphone was on her side. These sonorities combined with the the various instruments create an analog palette combined with synthetic technology into a harmonious relationship, but the timing is not perfect.
Since the digital age of music production, the quantization of rhythm has instituted a perfect beat. I strive to create with an acceptance of human ability. Often, I’ve found the perfection asked of musicians unachievable. There are two paths. One sees oneself as imperfect, striving for perfection, continuously reminding oneself that they are not good enough. The other uses perfection as the scale of judgment by which a harmonious performance is achieved. I am reminded of Stanley Cavell in his essay Philosophy and the Arrogation of Voice on moral perfectionism, “It is a perspective from which—give that there are choices we must make between what is right and wrong to do and what is good and bad to get—the given world is to be judged in which just these options and objects with which the world is conversant make the world in which, and in terms of which, to choose; a perspective from which it may be seen that with a small alteration of its structure, the world might be taken a small step—a half step—toward perfection.” (Cavell, 1994. p. 50)
My half step towards perfection represents nature and human structures. Wittgenstein points out in the Tractatus, “The totality of true thoughts is a picture of this world.” (Wittgenstein, 1922. p. 30) Thoughts are not always communicated well, and endeavoring to continue the development of my voice, I supply no lyrics so as not to obscure the intent. The titles only use language to provide the topic. I prefer these tracks to engage with the intrinsic knowing of each person before words become involved, and one is within the incomplete conveying of experience. Words facilitate conversation with oneself or others to interface with one another. In doing so, I hope communal individualism can be achieved without perpetuating oppression. However, we are different individuals. There will be conflict, but society will remain static with suffering unless conversation happens. In such a way, these tracks aspire to be conversational. Following the feel of the piece, I aligned the rhythms until I was satisfied that the ecology, or rhythms, of life were represented. For life to be represented rhythmically within these tracks, the emphasized beats must be together. The harmonies should reflect the consonance and dissonance of life, and the melodic content ought to produce itself organically. With these goals in mind, repetition no longer builds tension or conveys serene escapism. It becomes the lingering upon a moment.
Music and philosophy feedback into the other. They become different outlets of my voice and being. Through music, I express philosophy and encounter works of philosophy from music. Like Cavell attending Ernest Bloch’s lectures, the profound possibilities of voice through music are communicated from the wisdom of the music creator or philosopher. As said before, in my study of philosophy, I find my thoughts having been thought before me, and I learn the references of other people to philosophy. For instance, William James’s stream of consciousness resembles the form presented in these tracks in a through composed form. Cavell renumerates on Derrida in Counter-Philosophy and the Pawn of Voice on the idea of ambiguity, allowing for competing determined interpretations with the caveat of discursive vagueness. (Cavell, 1994. p. 109) Applying context situates the track as vague by form but ambiguous in the potential for interpretations determined by the listener. The listener will ideally be able to take these incomplete perceptions and recognize the totality of the other— person, or organism. This recognition could be through Santayanian individuality, a Levinasian responsibility, a Deweyian experience, Voltaire’s tending of the garden, or more. After studying music for so many years, identifying my influences becomes difficult. I continue incorporating music from my past explorations into new expressions. From my thesis of providing topics to facilitate a transcendence of division without loss of identity, these philosophical modes of thought hone the edges of understanding. My voice, if found, aspires to human connection with the world outside of itself while looking within itself.
Music and philosophy confront the listener with a path of transcendence. Through these subjects, a connection of feeling and greater understanding are achieved. The voice is found. The perceived album or essay may be interpreted as inhibiting growth by keeping one in an unhealthy mental state, but that is the moment to choose a healthy path forward. Whether that is reaching out for help, going to therapy, or finding a different form of entertainment, music, and philosophy, reflect back onto the receiver’s momentary notions of feeling and thought. These feelings and thoughts through music and philosophy are limited to the receiver and what the artist or author provides. The use of voice becomes the receiver’s decision, influenced by internal-external contexts. Their reaction could be disinterest, regret, feelings of sorrow, joy, happiness, or celebration. My intentions with the track may not be communicated, but that should not keep them from moving forward and engaging with their voice. There are differing levels of transcendence. Any step forward across the water is adding to the present.
To know one’s home is to know one’s voice. Through the voice found in music and philosophy, I feel more at home in the world, which becomes a catalyst for furthering the expression of voice. Silence frames sound, and the relation of notes to one another creates harmony. My voice in this project is quiet, and when I remain silent, I create a space for the potential understanding of many people. Perhaps when enough people have listened, bonds can be formed through camaraderie with one another. With the voice I present here, I hope that more mundane everyday experiences will be uncovered.
Track Eleven: Traffic Patterns
This second track proposes a relationship within our ecology incorporated with modern life. The dynamics at play with traffic from cities to rural highways influence our communication, stress, and the environment. In a dithyrambic chorus, roads, streets, boulevards, and routes are navigated, maintained, and directed through communication. Blinkers, hand signals, traffic lights, street signs, and the lack thereof comprise flurries to blizzards of movement. For some, driving, biking, or cycling consumes concentration. The concept of travel, and what it takes once learned, are an instinctive awareness to reach the destination in mind. It can be the most active mindlessness or stressful activity in one’s day. Whenever a place is traveled, traffic is considered, and many console their apps for the best route. There is a tradition of traffic news on the morning radio for those who listen on their way to work.
Traffic signals and signs are designed to encourage an efficient mode of travel. Drivers choose based on their desired outcome. However, carbon-emitting vehicles contribute to air pollution. If ecology were liberated in a symbiotic direction, one proposed outcome would be to restructure traffic. Another would be integrating low emission vehicles, such as cars, light rails, or trains until air pollution can be reduced to to improve air quality. This utilitarian argument could reduce the number of secondary casualties along transit routes if the wild animals were taken into consideration and not at the will of the driver. Concomitantly, there is a slippery slope to ad infinitum that must be avoided when considering consequential action. To uproot the home ought to be the choice of those who dwell there, yet this was started long before we arrived. This brings me to William James’s Pragmatism.
Traffic patterns often become how each person makes use of the road. Sudden changes can occur and so can metered lights guiding the crossroads and walks. The responsibility of driving confines one to utilitarian safety and for the occasional police to reprimand or pass up on those outside the lines. Sometimes the most efficient form of travel is conformity to over the speed limit, but that can increase the risk. A relaxed and focused driver is better equipped to deal with any conflict. James speaks of pragmatism as a flux between the one and the many, fact and belief, and truth as a living community. A pragmatic choice can be to follow the use of the community or to strike out and help in some meliorist presentation. In traffic this leads to new names for old ways of thinking. Ecologically, the choice is to think of others or oneself, to combine them or separate them. I realize this does not bring about anything that most drivers don’t already know. Yet, perhaps that is the point-anything newly liberatory and symbiotic to traffic must come from elsewhere.
Traffic defined as the movement of bodies in any direction observed over time shows a regulated pattern in the human world, but traffic among the rest of the world is not quite so controlled as responsive and conversational. The rain falls, mushrooms fruit, lichens and moss spread on tree bark, the rivers raise, and birds find worms on the sidewalk. It would be a false equivalence to relate each of these movements to stopping at a stoplight or merging on the highway because traffic is less spontaneous. What we can find by moving from the mycelium to otherness is the nonlinearity of life breathing controlled or spontaneous. The consequences that then come about by these actions incorporate the environment to enrich, deplete, or remain static.
Traffic patterns are imbued with the other. They encapsulate the construction of human society, the transformation of nature, and the responsibility of moving alongside those strangers and familiars who permeate the ecological tensions that make up this consequential environment. Like the body, the interaction of bodies formulates the health and movement of particles reflecting happiness, sickness, peace, emptiness, and other states emotional or not. They categorize the actions of being both dominators and freeing. Choice and submission inform the will to dominate thereby creating an active resonance that when well maintained liberates rather than oppresses the vehicle.
Conclusion
Whether it is recognized or not, we are and will have been, here. Guided by perception, life moves in an environment that, as of now, remains dominated by humans. The relationships furthering such domination are integrated into being from the ground up, from language to consumerism. Music and philosophy help us find a voice by presenting ideas, concepts, and feelings in ways that facilitate being present. Through them, the inability to form thought into words stands liberated as the voice becomes clearer. My voice in each moment may connect or disconnect those listening from what there is to say. Cavell notes the polysemous words and instances in his remembrance of his life. It was not until years later, after believing his time with Austin amounted to little acknowledgment, that he learned his response to Austin was taught back at Oxford after the lectures and that Austin’s opening was in the same vein as his.
Resistance and voice are found in music and philosophy. The continuous dialogue of consciousness, power, and nature defines the environment and in some cases limits the voice. Through conversation, music and philosophy convey some of the most heartfelt ideas and troublesome worries. Otherness, then becomes the defining line between domination and freedom. So, I offer this collection for conversation and reflection upon the relationships of human to human, to oneself or others, and human to nature.
If I have brought the present moment and the relationships of existence to mind, then this work is a success.

Inspirations and Further Reading
Adams, J. (2001) Democracy and Social Ethics. University of Illinois Press
Bookchin, M. (2005) The Ecology of Freedom. AK Press
Bookchin, M. (2022) The Philosophy of Social Ecology. AK Press
Bookchin, M. (2004) Post-Scarcity Anarchism. AK Press
Cage, J. (2013) Silence: Lectures and Writing. Wesleyan University Press
Cavell, S. (1994). A Pitch of Philosophy. Harvard University Press.
Deleuze, G. & Guattari, F. (1987) A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia. University of Minnesota Press
James, W. (2000). Pragmatism and Other Writings. Penguin Classics
Kant, I. (1987) Critique of Judgment. Hackett Publishing
Tsing, A. (2021) The Mushroom at the End of the World. Princeton University Press
Wittgenstein, L. (1922). Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. The Edinburgh Press.