An evening with Shalini

On Monday, I had the opportunity to perform at the Displace Hashery. I got to play 2 sets for a total of an hour - my longest gig yet (thank you Oswaldo!)! What was extra special for me, was that I knew just about every single face in the audience personally and it made me feel at home and at ease (Thank you Vikaash, Giselle, Michael, Anne, Quynh, Randy, Nick, Raymond, Man-Shun, Ike, Angee, Ganesh, Aubrina, Michelle, Grace, Jasel, Mrs. Vinci, Anish (and to Anish's awesome parents for picking up the food bill...you guys didn't have to do that)  Mom, and Papa!) The bartender was super cool too and he bought a CD with the tips he collected that night - I thought that was so sweet. :)

Vik brought a couple of hand puppets that he picked up from Seattle. They have such unique personalities! He and my talented friend Nick improvised a puppet show for one of the songs - it was so cute...We're going to have to script out a youtube music video with them - it would be a shame not to show them off to the world!

A couple of friends from my old school came by and caught me by surprise - I hadn't seen them for almost 6 years! I wish I had more time to sit and talk, but will rest assured knowing that we'll be having an eggnog/pumpkin latte get together soon!

My friend, Raymond, took some pictures at the event. I think they turned out so beautiful - especially the ones with the puppets! What do you think?

At the end, Oswaldo shared three of his very own written compositions. I love the fantastical imagery he painted and how he described the art of dreaming and escaping to different dimensions (we're both pisces!). I will leave you with one of his beautiful passages:

THE SAVIOUR

BY OSWALDO PEREZ CABRERA

When he received the sign, he didn’t understand it. He must find the answer before 500 something. He begins his voyage through the nightscapes. He knows he must lose touch with his mind in order to achieve his passport to the cave.

He flies until he reaches the cuspid of dreams. Strange, fantastic beings dance around him. Majestic constructions lie beyond him. The void in his body, the sweet vertigo and the sweat. Green landscapes, dubiousness, a cool breeze. Bicorns, jelly chimeras, holograms and he feels so light. He can hear the sound of stars. He can see the sound blocks made by the cenobite monks. Music, lyrics, ethereal sensations; swimming in a sea of wind, calm, floating immune to danger; blue gardens inhabited by winged gnomes. In this atmosphere, nothing grows old. The time must be an ally breathing in a parallel dimension. Melancholy can be felt sighing. Nostalgia enters in his pores. Two little drops escape caressing his face …Sad with beauty and memories. You are not that tough Mr. Human. Endless cliffs punished by the ocean, humid forests. He is being fed with fairy tales and moonlight. He cannot see his body but he knows he is travelling fast through this land of perfect confusion, however he is only a mute witness. He cannot interfere with the harmony of this universe and its eternal scenarios.

He sees a mountain range made of reflections of rain, purple rivers, and a pure soil. He sees the cave of Gargantuan, a hidden chapel of fluorescent stones, a multicoloured underground labyrinth. From here, he can see his world and those of his species revolving in their nightmares. He shudders, terrified. A crack in the paradise, a window through his hell. Gargantuan shares this vision too and cries green waterfalls to the bottom of this enchanted valley. The sprinkles metamorphose into sand-dwarves. The little spirits boldly march to the dreamlands to find the enemy; the nightmares provokers await them with blazing weapons and spit scorching venom with strident roars. The dwarves defend themselves bravely with their incandescent arrows of hope and try to slow time to weaken the dream demons. Time is an ally but is not that mighty, it is a trap invented by humankind.

Now Gargantuan comes out of the polychromatic cave willing to defend his live teardrops. He expands his enormous wings clouding the majestic constructions and the blue gardens to descent into the depths of the combat zone. Strange, fantastic beings hide beside the sound blocks, bicorns, and jelly chimeras evanesce shrieking to the stars. With his immeasurable size crushes the creatures of bad dreams and stabs the runaways with his claws until they are lifeless. Death congratulates bored leaping from dimension to dimension in a hurry.

The winner plays with fireballs as he returns to his neon cave. Humans recover their sweet dreams. His mission was completed in 483 words, barely before the 500. We still have seven to pray for the dragon, the saviour.