Indian Drum Circle

"The more people present before us the more exciting things got.   But what really did it for us?  It's when we had enough practice together that each of our individual parts melded perfectly with the other so that we all instantaneously shared this joyous anticipation that tonight, perhaps unlike last night, we were 'in a groove' and we were 'feeling it'..."

Peace Drum Circles

"Entertaining the people - our fans, spreading joy, freedom, liberation via our ability to perform music in communion with one another, our commitment to be a show for one another, for the crowd..."

To Go Our Own Way

When The Titans! did their final show in 1992 my brothers had nearly 20 years of playing and performing music together.  Wow!  What a ride!  Rich and famous?  No.  Hit singles in circulation on the air waves or Internet?  No. 

Heck, I didn't even get to rejoin my brothers on stage for one last display of glory with a funky guitar rhythm or backing vocal harmony. 

I see now how people line up around buildings for auditions and I have got to shake my head; hundreds of people sometimes thousands, just to get maybe an hour of what my brothers and I struggled with during our lives.  Do you know that you guys are crazy?  Yes, I said struggle, the music business isn't easy.  It's easy to become misguided and prideful.  Now and days the odds of "making it" with your own music must be like those of winning the lottery and that's if you're really, really good.  Otherwise, you play for club owners or you're background music at some function or event; people telling you to turn it down all the time gets old too.

On the other hand…….despite the gazillion road trips, vehicular breakdowns, equipment failures, money shortages, and nameless other difficulties, The Titans! succeeded in spreading joy, happiness, and a sense of freedom to most all those who heard the live performances.   I don't think the band ever missed a show - that in itself is amazing.  I'll bet if you polled every musician who ever performed as a member of The Titans! and asked if they would do it all over again if they could, they would.   For this, we all are richly blessed.

But for now, like every musician that ever did a show or two or three with us, my brothers were faced once again with that ultimate, existential question of conscience: where does my life go from here?

Brothers (L to R) Daniel, Gary, Marc, and Ken Geraci (1983)

Congas for Christ!

Day by day and for the first time in my life, I get a bit further in my personal reading of the Old Testament section of the Holy Bible (Catholic).   I'm in 1 Chronicles 25:1 right now.  It's elating for me to think that Mary, our great Jewish Mother and the Mother of Jesus Christ, was so dedicated in her own personal study and fidelity to God, to the teachings of Jewish Scriptures.

A musician most of my life, I am struck by how many times I see the word "cymbals" and other words referencing musical instruments, but especially "cymbals."  

This morning, wanting to see perhaps how many times the word "cymbals" is used in the Bible, I did a Google search and I came across the following blog post instead:  

God Loves to Reveal Himself Through Music  by Dave Cover 

It's worth the read, especially to anyone who sings or plays music or perhaps is thinking about playing music or singing in the future. 

I think this biblical/historical tie speaks volumes for the power of rhythm and music in persevering to unite people in love and celebration all over the world; activities that glorify God -  -music made in praise, worship, celebration, and best of all, LOVE!

Here's what my own church, the Catholic Church teaches about the subject of music in her Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)- Part Two, The Celebration of the Christian Mystery,( …..anyone with a new YouCat? Please comment if music is referenced here.)

1. importance of songs and music (CCC 1158)

2. liturgical music as Church's treasure (CCC 1156)

3. Sign function in the liturgy (CCC 1157)

Sadly, like wealth, art, food, and fashion, rhythm and music can also be used for the profanation of man.  I've seen it used to incite rebellion and instigate overt sensuality and I have seen it performed preceding horrible acts of genocide and war. 

For my part, I would like to join the focus on using rhythm and music for the love of neighbor and community, celebration, increasing virtue while decreasing vice; i.e. playing rhythm and music to glorify God! 

So, from time to time, I will try to give you or point you to a few simple rhythms here; like the Tumbao.  These rhythms originate from all over the world.  Play them alone or in community with your family and friends.  Practice them throughout the day perhaps preceding meditation or prayer.  Whether you have an instrument or not, play these rhythms on a table top, in union with your own community or in union with the saints, the Old Covenant cymbal players, most of all, play these rhythms for the glory of God! 

Coming Home

Until recently, my own path home has varied:

1960's and 1970's - regularly, various Catholic Churchs

St. Felicitas Catholic Church, San Leandro, CA

Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Austin, TX

St Thomas More Catholic Church, Austin, TX

Late 1980's - sparingly, non-denominational Cornerstone Church, San Antonio, TX

Late 1980's - sparingly, Unity Church, San Antonio, TX

Mid to late 1990's - sparingly, Our Lady of Atonement -Roman Catholic/Anglican Use Parish

Mid to late 1990's - sparingly, Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, Helotes, TX

Late 1990's to early 2000's - Agnostic but not quite Atheist

2005-2006 - attended a few services,  Mormon LDS, Round Rock, TX

Late 2000's - regularly, Unity Church of the Hills, Austin, TX

Late 2000's - regularly, non-denominational, Riverbend Church, Austin, TX

Late 2000's to Present - regularly, via Internet, Joel Osteen Ministries, Houston, TX

Mid through Late 2009 to Present - Complete Catholic reversion after my own, real world experience with the miraculous*

St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, Austin, TX

St. Luke's Catholic Church, Temple, TX

St. Mary's Catholic Church, Temple, TX

Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, Temple, TX

St. Williams Catholic Church, Round Rock, TX

...and wherever else our daily travels take us.

Religious freedom is pivotal to a free society; God is at work everywhere.

*"Imagine a dot in a circle. You are the dot. Inside the circle are all your knowledge and experience. Outside the circle is everything else. Surely, there is much more outside than inside.  So how could you 'know' there are no miracles or no God? If you have never been to Iceland, how do you know miracles don't happen in Iceland?"  Peter Kreeft & Ronald K. Tacelli, Handbook of Christian Apologetics