(the following is a letter composed to explain the reason that the band "Seeker" changed it's name to "The They". This lasted less than a month before "Seeker" was resumed...due to, arguably, popular demand)
The name Seeker meant many things to the people (arguably few) that came to know it. Ultimately the term “seeker” means an attempt to find…something. Personally I’ve always identified with that moniker as I’ve always considered myself to be on some sort of quest to find that which is beyond form…some essence of the supernatural or a ubiquitous source of energy that transcends my body and ego and unites me with the ultimate source of “is-ness”. It’s simply the acknowledgement of a basic human desire which is to find something that exists in the places and times when and where I can not.
Appropriately enough, music to this day is the only thing that has given me any tangible sense of that which is beyond the physical (beyond physical being: that which is beyond my five senses). My spirituality can more or less be measured by how musical I am at any given moment. Often when we play well I find myself in a space of silence- where there is no thought, no “mind noise”, there is simply Song. I wish everyone could have this experience. This actually became my philosophy as a music teacher: everyone should learn the guitar (or any instrument) if for no other reason that to induce some small amount of “zen” (calming the mind noise). I often shared my philosophy with my students and parents of my students. People would always ask me how I had so many student referrals. I believe that it was my philosophy and the truth it contains that made this happen. I wanted to get people away from the television and behind a guitar…and this resonated with people for some reason. Using music as a tool to wage war against the brainkiller called Television. It was my personal mission. So as far as a band name goes, Seeker seemed to cater to this concept of quest; searching for something, and particularly: discontent with the ordinary.
I wrote extensively about this idea- the idea of Music as the only source of spirituality that could be demonstrated and experienced so simply…which did not require a foolish amount of blind faith. I actually wrote my senior thesis on “The Physical effects of Music on the Brain and Body” and did extensive research on how music actually makes the body react. There is more sound research done everyday…but I digress.
These ideas eventually found their way to my childhood obsession with comic books, science fiction and fantasy novels. As my adult research and childhood dreams merged I began to write a story, if only in my head at first. The primary message: Music as a means to enlightenment.
I suppose that I might define enlightenment at this point, or at least what I mean when I say that word. The problem is that words are merely symbols for ideas. So let’s make sure that you understand my symbols.
I hesitate to use this word because it is so heavily connected to the Christian ideology but let me make clear that this has NOTHING to do with religion. That being said, I will continue. In Greek, the word Sin literally means, to “miss the mark”. Sin, classically, has been that which keeps us from reason and happiness; which is essentially the obvious goal of being a sane human being. Enlightenment, when I refer to it, indicates not just sanity but an elevated level of sanity…super sanity; a state in which you “hit the mark” every fucking time. A state in which you do exactly what is fresh, original, creative and appropriate for every situation you come into. One no longer views themselves as having a “persona” or a “role” to play which dictates their actions or reactions. There is no calculating self interest in their dynamic. All interaction is genuine and true. If you’ve ever met anyone like this you would recognize it immediately, although you might not have known what it was that you recognized. I think I’ve only met two people in my life that seem to posses this.
So how does music help to bring this about? If I had to describe it simply I’d say that music helps through the natural concentration and focus that accompanies it. It silences the egoic cacophony and allows room for more subtle messages to be relayed…along a frequency that we all share. This kills Them, or that which is other. It is a natural wall dissolver, when we play together as a group the walls between individuals (ideally) blend into one. We function as a singularity, we move together and know changes before we make them.
Then of course there is the dissolution of barriers between musician and audience. When we go to concerts we get high off of the shared experience of sound, dissolving walls between audience members as well. In this way even solo artists can experience this same sense of oneness with others.
Through music we find a wormhole that leads us directly to what has been historically considered the key to experiencing the essence of something higher than self, or a shortcut to transcending the ego. Bluntly this is ceasing to see oneself as isolated from others and feeling as “one” with others…it kills “them” and gives birth to a united consciousness.
The They symbolizes all things that are outside of us. There is only “them” and “us” and if we ARE the they…we are one. This is my philosophical affection for this name.
With this idea of The They in tow, I can begin to describe their role in the Rays of Dawn (my tentative title for the book that would eventually encompass the story that we have begun to tell musically). The They are all things that keep us separate from others…these traits over the years have been broken down and identified. They are seven: Lust, pride, anger, greed, gluttony, sloth, envy. Think momentarily- all things that bring you pain can be identified to have been caused by one of the 7. Think about it…can you identify some source of suffering that does not have its roots here? No really, please think about it…I would love to find one that is not caused by this…but I can’t think of one for the life of me.
So the The They is born in this seething mass of a city that covers one entire half of the planet. It is the highest concentration of humanity that has ever existed, which has unprecedented results. Evil manifests itself physically as it is so highly concentrated (remember this is science fiction, so suspend your disbelief, thank you). It breaks into seven factions. Each symbolized by an animal. We can go into this later but basically, The They is the 7 manifested through the high concentration of human consciousness that puts these “vices” in such high regard. Essentially The They IS everyone. We are all The They. As the city is ultimately corrupt there is no group of men in a room that are The They. There are individuals from each of the 7 that represent what would be considered “figureheads” for one of the traits that bring The They to life…but they do not consider themselves part of The They…they too fear The They although they are primary in continuing it’s existence although they are unaware of this. An example is the CEO of a major sex clone syndicate. He is the Cow (symbolic of Lust). In this society women of significant beauty are considered royalty (yet treated like slaves) and are cloned so that their clones can be “rented” to men or women for their uses. Women of beauty have no choice, such high value is placed on beauty that it is considered to be for the benefit of mankind to have them replicated and enjoyed on a mass scale. The more elegant, sophisticated and beautiful the woman…the more expensive; Mnimi comes be be cloned as such and a replication, #71, is discovered by Kno…this causes significant complications.
So how do you defeat something that has no identifiable source and is perpetuated by a teeming city of many billion souls? Good question…but I’ll bet that music has something to do with it…
But the problem remains: we are all The They.
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