Persia, Zoroaster, Shahnameh: An Obscure Cradle of Society

Persia: imperative and pertinent precursor to modern society. We often buy into modern propaganda about bad things in faraway lands – but it’s tragic that such a diverse, expansive, and influential part of humanity’s past is so grossly ignored. Did you know that Iran (Persia) is one of the oldest continuous cultures on Earth? Did you know that Persian Zoroastrianism predates and influenced monotheistic religions that came after it, like Judaism, Gnosticism, Christianity and Islam?

Please read The Book of Kings (Shahnameh) and discover 1) how much of Persian culture is intertwined in yours and 2) the lyrical inspiration for my song casting you as a traveling musician in one of the richest, most colorful and prolific cradles of the human experiment.

From my new CD, IDIO:  Click Here to Play on SoundCloud

Gitano en Shahnameh

Shahnameh, Book of Kings, poem sings,
free will brings hope or disaster
Shahnameh, in that day, they would say,
choice persuades now and hereafter

Truth or a lie, each path chosen
We’re just passersby in this life
Strive, multiply, to the future be true,
follow hope, follow light
In your days, help the poor, open doors,
stop the wars now and forever
When you play, what you say, show a way,
guiding stray spirits together

Truth unifies, each word chosen
Imply, verify, exemplify, demystify
To the lowest be kind, purify, testify

Love the land, take a stand, lend a hand,
understand all that is noble
Find a true attitude, don’t exclude,
end the feud our family is global

Truth or a lie, each path chosen
We’re just passersby in this life
Strive, multiply, to the future be true,
follow love, follow light

Somewhere out there, on a border,
there are refugees seeking asylum
from persecution, destitution,
retribution for failed revolution…

Truth unifies – Demystify –

Somewhere inside a conscience denied,
actions forged into cold lies and resides
with obliteration, annihilation,
suffocation and cruel subjugation

Truth unifies, each word chosen
Imply, verify, exemplify, demystify
To the lowest be kind, purify
Edify –

Download the entire CD at: http://cdbaby.com/cd/rejyna3

c. Rejyna Douglass-Whitman  (BMI)

Published by W.E./Citadel of Cynosure Productions (BMI). All Rights Reserved.  Unauthorized duplication, repurposing, exhibition or performance is prohibited by US and international copyright laws.

Synthetic to Organic: Citadel guitarist takes you from distant space to the desert sands!

Citadel guitarist/vocalist Rejyna, offers two more fresh songs from her new CD, IDIO.
‘Mandolian Mirage’ is a mando-laced folk-rock piece that transforms you into a nomad, blissfully roaming the desert sands.  ‘Galactic Projectories’ is an android-voiced rock anthem casting you as the last organic human to narrowly escape from assimilation by thrusting yourself into deep space.

Both cuts are from Rejyna’s new CD, IDIO, available at cdbaby.com/cd/rejyna3   Rejyna is a live-looping artist who uses pedals and effects with her voice, guitar, synth guitar and drums to create lush songs that sound like a full ensemble.  Her work in the band Citadel gives her a prog-metal and folk-world edge that slices nicely thru her solo presentation featuring a diverse palette of song stylings.

GALACTIC PROJECTORIES
Click Here To Listen on ReverbNation
Click Here To Listen on SoundCloud
LYRICS:

“Imagine you are the only human who is not sync’d to the galactic mainframe.  It’s against the law to be an ‘organic’ – to be without cyber implants, nanotech plasma pumps and A.I. i/o – – – and you’re on the run…”

Long are the days
in the dark on the run
Star upon star
rendering dawns with no suns

Outlawed and betrayed
and bountied and shunned
Off-grid genetic codes,
the damage is done –

Gaze into the null of the void
Swim in the slicing silence of space,
last of your kind, last hope for your race

Beyond the stars, beyond the sky
Beyond the earth, beyond the light

Cascading nebula rainbows of light
Outside space, between fire and ice
Endless horizon line, light-speed wave ride
Surfing and sailing anomaly tides

Cold ironsides with arrays of pulse guns
Laser guides, crew AI, replicant sons
Solitude, servitude, sterile and sanctified
Frantic and fraught, fretting with compromise

Wake in a state of delusional dreams
Nothing perceived is as it would seem
Studied and probed, abducted, displayed
Galactic projectories or cerebral charade?

Beyond the stars…

MANDOLIAN MIRAGE
Click Here To Listen on ReverbNation
Click Here To Listen on SoundCloud
LYRICS:

Sand fills the day’s horizon line,
there’s not much time
until the colder nights arrive
and white Winter stars align, a sign…

Enticed mandolian mirage,
safe passage through the tempest

The sky, the silence
The day, no shade
The night wind violently
etches furrows in my face

Gitano gently luring
sweet sounds surround
a solemn sunset in the sands

See what you are
in echoes of an army of guitars
Mirrors from sand,
silvered glass in the nomads land

Dance, dance
Renounce the silence with your hands
Sing, play
Our voices amend night into day

The mind, the vision
The heart in hand
Reflection enduring
Slake essence alluring

The sky, the silence
The day, no shade
The night wind violently
erases footsteps without a trace

Enticed mandolian mirage,
dream salve soothes chafe and chaff
and strums reflect like water flowing…

TECH TIDBITS: All music recorded using multiple memory slots on one Digitech JamMan Solo, vocals sung thru a DigiTech Vocalist Live Pro, loops stitched and massaged in SoundForge.  No midi guitars or synths were used on these songs.  All musical sounds are acoustic guitars (Ovation and Yamaha) thru the Boss GT3 effects board, and drums are played on a Yamaha DD55.  No tape machines, virtual multi tracks or DAW’s were harmed (nor used) in the making of these recordings – this is indie DIY…enjoy.

From the CD, IDIO, by Rejyna

Warning: Live Loops Ahead…

http://cdbaby.com/cd/rejyna3

c. Rejyna Douglass-Whitman  (BMI)

Published by W.E./Citadel of Cynosure Productions (BMI). All Rights Reserved.  Unauthorized duplication, repurposing, exhibition or performance is prohibited by US and international copyright laws.  Citadel is a registered US Tradename, used herein with exclusive permission.

Rejyna tours annually every October as part of the LoopFest concert circuit from Seattle to Long Beach and beyond.  A prolific poet, artist, composer and producer, she also works in the film and print industries and performs regularly in and around Los Angeles.
http://facebook.com/rejynamusic
http://reverbnation.com/rejyna
http://soundcloud.com/rejyna
http://twitter/rejyna
http://youtube.com/rejyna

‘Common Voice’ from the new IDIO CD!

Citadel band member, Rejyna, has uploaded a 2nd song from her new CD, IDIO, titled ‘Common Voice’

Hear the song here:
Soundcloud:  https://soundcloud.com/rejyna/common-voice-go-easy
ReverbNation:  http://www.reverbnation.com/rejyna/song/22180153-common-voice

Rejyna notes, “this is a fun song to play and the words hold a lot of meaning for me.  We have choices and freedoms that many do not and the lyrics to this song remind me to stay active, stay vigilant, stay alert and above all – add my common voice to the cry for liberty for all – and of course, the guitarist in me loves playing the shred leads between acoustic rhythms – and playing the drums and having the looper repeat what I play is something that appeases the novice drummer in me…”

01 – Common Voice (Go Easy)
There was a time
when the common voice among us
had no chance to dare a king
Dreams and wondering
were smothered into suffered silence
subjugated by imperial strings 

Now’s the time
for the common voice among us
to challenge netharias kings
Songs and sidewalk speeches
struggle to abate the silence,
to stay the liberated from surrendering 

Do we see it’s all all right? 
Do we see it’s all of light?

Still the surf and the noble
share a common threat
as our homeworld
suffers from neglect –

Easy, go easy
Say you want to love
Say you are for love

Right now, shout it out,
roundabout, all around the world.
Write it down, right it out,
your mind light can shine now.

Make your rhyme outside time
Speak your mind
to eyes blinded by the fright
Use, lose, abuse
or choose to unite
There are no second chances
to roll the liberty dice…

Music recorded using multiple memory slots on one JamMan Solo, Vocals sung thru an SM57 DigiTech Vocalist Live pro and tracked on a DigiTech GNX4, loops stitched and massaged in SoundForge.

Rejyna: IDIO ~ http://cdbaby.com/cd/rejyna3

From the CD, IDIO, by Rejyna
http://cdbaby.com/cd/rejyna3
c. Rejyna Douglass-Whitman  (BMI)

Published by W.E./Citadel of Cynosure Productions (BMI). All Rights Reserved.  Unauthorized duplication, repurposing, exhibition or performance is prohibited by US and international copyright laws.

“Looking For You” from the new CD, IDIO

Just Uploaded to ReverbNation, now you can listen to the full song “Looking For You”
from the new CD ‘IDIO’ by Citadel guitarist/vocalist, Rejyna.  

“This song is one of those that just came to me when using the looper to record a song idea.  The chord change is simple, maybe even danceable, which is kind of a new thing for me.  It is the treatments and loop layering that I got creative with on the DigiTech JamMan and then even more in SoundForge.  The lyrics are some of my simplest but maybe some of my most direct.  It’s is certainly fun to perform this one with my live looping rig.”  [Rejyna]

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE SONG IN A NEW WINDOW ON REVERBNATION

IDIO by Rejyna

Looking For You

I am the one who’s been looking for you
all of this time, all of this time…

Hide and I will find you
When and where and why

Try to memorize your eyes
The likeness of your smile

Where you go I follow
Here and there and now

All your life, you’re waiting
Love and peace and song

You are all I see
so why can’t you see me?

I am the one
who’s been looking for you
all of this time, all of this time…

All Music, Lyrics, Performance
c. Rejyna Douglass-Whitman

From the CD, IDIO, by Rejyna
http://cdbaby.com/cd/rejyna3

Published by W.E./Citadel of Cynosure Productions (BMI). All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized duplication, repurposing, exhibition or performance is prohibited by US and international copyright laws.
http://rejyna.com

Download the song from Reverbnation for $1.29 (50% goes to charity) or download the whole 16-song CD for $10 at http://cdbaby.com/cd/rejyna3

Citadel Guitarist: Rejyna on the Looptober Tour Trail – Part 1

Captured Live on her 2013 Looptober Tour, Citadel guitarist, Rejyna: ‘Mellow on the outside and metal in the middle’

Rejyna at the NW Loop Fest – These shots are from J and M Cafe (http://www.jandmcafe.com) in Seattle’s Pioneer Square.  Rejyna also performed her prog folk-ish loop tunes at The Analog Cafe in Portland (http://www.analogpdx.com), Meenar’s in Danville (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Meenar/114043475294324), the RDuck Radio Show in Santa Cruz (http://rduck.com) and the Y2K Loopfest in Santa Cruz – Y2K13 (http://y2kloopfest.com).

Songs that Rejyna performed included: Many Struggles, In Wonder, Dreamworld, Standing Alone, Stygian Barque, Another Dream Away, Freedom Dream and Happy Hands from her solo CD “Solo Sojourn Live” (http://cdbaby.com/artist/rejyna) and various loop-revised renditions of songs from the Citadel CD’s (http://cdbaby.com/artist/citadel).

More photos and videos will be released to Rejyna’s Kickstarter backers first, and then to the public on Rejyna’s SoundCloud (http://soundcloud.com/rejyna) and YouTube (http://youtube.com/rejyna) websites.  Rejyna plans to do a Looptober Tour next year as well, hoping to add shows in Texas, Nevada and Los Angeles – as talks for festival expansion will commence this week with Noah Peterson and others interested in hosting Loopfests in their city.

Additional Loopfest performers included: SEATTLE: Noah Peterson, Karma Bomb, Isaac Thompson, Tukso Okey, Clifford Kimbrel-Dunn, Eric Muhs, Moongriffin, Christopher Ingold, The Genie, Stephen Briggs, LucidBrain IntegrativeProject, Bill Walker, ANI, Rejyna Douglass-Whitman, Eastside Industrial, Consumer, Polemic Contriver.  PORTLAND: Noah Peterson, Polemic Contriver, Bill Walker, Moongriffin, , LucidBrain IntegrativeProject, ANI, Clifford Kimbrel-Dunn, Eastside Industrial, Christopher Ingold, The Genie, Eric Muhs, Gideon Freudmann, cellotronik, Rejyna Douglass-Whitman, Hans Lindauer, Stephen Briggs, Isaac Thompson, Eric Buchner, Consumer, Ben Beauvais, Forever Growing,  DANVILLE: Rejyna, Stephen Briggs, Noah Peterson.  RDuck Show: Albert, RIz, Jack Hertz, Stephen Briggs, Rejyna.  Y2K13 Loopfest: Wednesday – Semih Yanyali, ANI, Stephen Briggs, Lucid Brain Integrative Project, MANDOMAN, PREHISTO’ZIK, Rick Walker. Thursday –  Henry Kaiser, Andre LaFosse, John Connell, Lucid Brain Integrative Project.  Friday – Laurie Amat, Noah Peterson, John Connell, Semih Yanyali, Barry Cleveland.  Saturday – Zig Zag Robinson, Bob Amstadt, Cynthia Webster, Michael Carlson and TripleOhNine, jRj Rauche, Lindsey Walker, Matt Davignon, Disonova, STANOSAUR, Rejyna Douglass-Whitman, Marya Stark, Luis Angulo, Henry Kaiser, Daniel Thomas, Andre LaFosse, Bill Walker.  Sunday – Sourpatch, Greg Powers, Albert Mathias (Alberton Live), Greg Bryant, Pete Novembre, Toaster, Steve Uccello, Jerry Barnes, Grant Stoner, Casey Chisolm, Lucid Brain Integrative Project, Stephen Briggs, MANDOMAN, ANI, Shovelman, PREHISTO’ZIK, Rick Walker

Festival Directors are Rick Walker (Santa Cruz) and Noah Peterson (NW Loopfest)

Photos by Amy Lee of “Sequence Mediaworks” – www.seqmedia.com

http://rejyna.com

http://citadelband.com

Rejyna to offer Citadel songs solo sampler at McConnel Arts

Citadel band member, Rejyna, opens for Jim Volk’s Acoustic Guitar Night at 8:00 p.m. at the Peggy McConnel Arts Center’s Bronwynn Theatre in Worthington, Ohio on Friday, January 13. 

Performing songs she contributed to the band Citadel, Rejyna uses an acoustic guitar, a headset mic and various effects to present enhanced solo renditions of songs from Citadel albums and CD’s.  She presents songs that often stray from pop formula writing, citing lyric-writing influences such as; Yes, Jethro Tull, Rush, Cat Stevens, and even Gentle Giant.  The musical aspect of her compositions also draws heavily from rock-based genres that feature non-conventional song structures.  While Citadel focuses on the harder side of the rock-meter, Rejyna as a soloist strips it down to the acoustic core of the composition.

“Yes, I use a vocal harmonizer, but I turn off the autotune pitch correction.  I use the Vocalist to weave 2, 3 and 4 part harmonies around my own voice and the guitar rhythms that I record live into the looper, and I then layer in solo and harmony guitar riffs.  One of my most requested solo songs is an instrumental titled “Happy Hands” where I use the looper to lay down a rhythm guitar part, then add a lead, then a harmony lead, and then a bass line.  Creating solo-orchestrated musical pieces live in front of an audience is a different adrenalin beast from performing with other musicians.  The sweat and fervor in my live show is proof that trying to do it all correctly in ‘one-take’ in front of a live audience is the endorphin ‘buzz’ I am addicted to…and I hold DigiTech wholly responsible for my gear addiction” (Rejyna)

Rejyna recently released a CD of one of these live performances entitled, Solo Sojourn Live, which is available on CDBaby and their online affiliates like iTunes, Amazon, eMusic and Napster. 

Rejyna will be the opening act for Jim Volk’s Acoustic Guitar Night.

From:

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/life_and_entertainment/2012/01/08/2-this08-jan-art-grqfg7u6-1.html

“Guitarist Jim Volk will headline an evening of music with warm-up sets from recent International Thumbpicking Contest winners Josh Woods and Shohei Toyoda and singer-guitarist Rejyna.”

From: http://www.mcconnellarts.org/wp/archives/7516

“Jim Volk is a high energy solo acoustic guitar player that thrills his audiences every time he plays.  His performances include a wide mixture of blues, rock, country, guitar bangin’ “modern acoustic” – and, crowd favorite medleys Jim puts together on the fly.
http://jimvolk.com 

 

Out in western Kentucky there is a International Thumb Pickin’ Contest that BOTH Josh Woods and Shohei Toyoda have won – in consecutive years.  Nobody can win that prestigious award without being able to play the guitar VERY WELL:

Josh Woods – is a self taught Kentuckian guitar player, himself.  Thousands of avid guitar players attempt the extremely complicated Atkins/Travis style of playing guitar, yet only once in a millennium does one come along that was born to do so. That would be young Josh Woods. His long fingers on his large strong hands seem to know exactly where to go on the fret board.  And, the rhythm of his accompanying “thumb” is flawless – and, will have you up out of your seat dancing as he plays.

http://www.youtube.com/user/atmahack/videos

Shohei Toyoda – came to finger style guitar from a different direction – he is a graduate of Berklee College of Music, where he developed a love of finger style guitar from virtuoso guitarist, Guy VanDuser – who arranged Stars & Strips for the late great Chet Atkins.  Since graduation, Shohei has traveled the world over to learn from the Masters of Guitar. He has sat at their feet to internalize their ’soulful’ music. He brings to the world a form of fingerpicking unique and energetic.

http://shoheitoyoda.com/

Rejyna – is a composer, guitarist, vocalist, performer and studio artist who has worked in all types of bands and musical genres. A great bulk of her work can be heard on the releases of the rock band Citadel, who has been releasing their own indie music for the last three decades.”

http://rejyna.com

McConnell Arts Center of Worthington, 777 Evening St.

Tickets cost $15, or $20 the day of the show

Call 614-431-0329 or visit www.mcconnellarts.org

Citadel ® – Since 1979 – The Original Citadel

http://citadelsongs.com
http://citadelband.com
http://citadelmusic.org
http://facebook.com/citadelprog

The Next Citadel CD…

After a long process of choosing songs, tracking basics, and fine tuning lyrics, the in-progress Citadel CD is well underway to the next stage of tedious, laborious overdubbing.  Following the anti-genre style of previous releases, the as-yet-untitled upcoming Citadel CD will deliver a strong mix of folk, rock, prog & symphonic with metal, classical and jazz undercurrents.

Citadel’s Rejyna comments, “I am using a few new things on this CD like the sweet Dean Boca 12-string semi-hollowbody electric, the Inspired Instruments YRG as a midi controller for on-computer revisions and the wonderful Digitech Jamman Solo.  Most of the improv overdub stuff will still be done on the Godin Freeway SA/Roland GR-20 combo directly into the Digitech GNX4.” 

The Citadel guitarist continues, “so yeah, I’ve got some new toys to play with and that always means a lot of my improv orchestrations will be the result of experimentation with the new toys…although this part of the process is a burden of patience, perseverance and pain (see photo below); it is my favorite aspect.  A ‘Cliff Jumping’ brain adventure in sound.”

So there you have it, the band still refuses to pick a genre and stick with it…   Maybe that is actually a unconsious social comment as much as it is a sign of possible ADD… 

We will all just have to wait a while longer to find out –

Join Citadel on Facebook at http://facebook.com/citadelprog
On Twitter: http://twitter.com/citadelband
On MySpace: http://myspace.com/citadelsongs
On You Tube: http://youtube.com/citadelsongs
iLike: http://ilike.com/artist/citadel

CITADEL ®
http://cdbaby.com/artist/citadel

http://citadelband.com
http://citadelsongs.com
http://citadelmusic.org

Just a little fun during polar studio sessions...

IMPROVIJAZZATION Citadel CD Review Now Online!

The New Citadel CD has just been reviewed by the one and only Rotcod Zzaj in IMPROVIJAZZATION Nation! 

Check out http://zzaj.freehostia.com/Z93Reviews.htm– and read concise and insightful reviews of many artists and styles! 

We are honored and humbled!  Wow! 

Rotcod Zzaj (aka Dick Metcalf) is an improvising keyboardist and spoken-word artist who has been playing and producing music for over 30 years now.  More info and links to his deep, passionate and revealing reviews of thousands of artists can be found at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rotcod-Zzaj/46429413343
be his ‘fan’ while you’re there too!

Thanks so much Dick!

Folks, Spread the Word and read IMPROVIJAZZATION!

Free Downloads Threat?

Are FREE DOWNLOADS a THREAT to the livelihood of Composers, Musicians, Bands or Producers?

IMHO, this is all a transitional phase. Getting stuff for free diminishes it’s value to the recipient (most often unconsciously) although paying the high major label prices for sub-par compositions IS insulting. The result of the paradox is where we are now. Eventually, consumers may discover that ‘free’ isn’t really ‘free’ and the hidden cost is that the quality of music will suffer and you’ll have to spend a lot of time browsing and sampling to find the nuggets worth your listening, downloading, titling, filing and burning time – amidst all the throwaway freebies.

Look back a bit before the labels took control. It was the DJ who brought in new music – and many listeners trusted specific DJ’s recommendations. Now we have internet radio (my favorite is http://www.last.fm/) and the listener makes his own playlist (i.e. radio station) without commercials and with only the music they want to hear. They seem to be the new breed of DJ’s.

All of the old models will probably die a slow death (major label dominance, radio station playlists, live ‘pay to play’ policies, etc.) and while that takes place (with wailing and gnashing of teeth), there will be this ‘free-for’all’ willy nilly middle-space where we are now.

Eventually, it should go back to listeners ‘wanting’ to support their favorites via purchase power – because by that time, everyone will be so burnt out on the getting ‘something for nothing’ fad that will have flooded the online sites and personal players with tons of garbage – they’ll not have the time in their busy lives to find those rarities worth stealing, or rather, ‘sharing’. When they find something ‘worth the money’ they will understand it is up to them to promote it and support it – or it will go away.

Give it time, it should all work itself out and I firmly believe it could level the playing field and up-the-quality of music for decades to follow. It’s hard to see, being in the midst of it, but maybe we’re on a ‘cusp’ – at the brink of true balance…

Rejyna
Citadel ®

The unabashed self-promotional blurbs follow:

Two Rockin’ Citadel ® songs are free here

If ya want, we’ve got some ‘Live’ freebies here

and more on iLike

or, for some full-length songs to add to your Last.fm playlists, go here

or, Google ‘citadelsongs’ or ‘citadelband’ and take a few hours to sift through all the sites we’re on (now counting 500+)

or, take a risk and only a few minutes (literally) to purchase our stuff at CDBaby in physical (CD) form or as a download…

or, last but not least on iTunes, Napster, PayPlay, Tradebit, GreatIndie, AudioLunchbox, Rhapsody, etc…

Our band policy is to give as much stuff away for promotion as plausible – we don’t make music to get rich and famous – but we love it when someone likes our stuff enough to buy it. It’s not the money…it’s the thought that counts…really…