This Blog coming soon,

Just check out DJ Earworm on my Featured Friends for now and I'll say more very soon ....

Lou

Check Out those surreal images on Official T.N. Web Site Intro & You Tube!!!

To me the images look like stills from a state of the art, big budget Hollywood Sci-Fi or Fantasy film !

Here's the deal,

Last fall I was invited to a live show of an Ultra Alternative West Coast band, OSLO who were here in town for New York's CMJ Music Fest.

The Free Vodka & sheer intensity of this bands' performance made it hard for even me to catch the lyrics. I was completely moved none the less.

I went up to meet the boys & let them know they left a heavy dent in the audience.

I gave them our -for industry only- copy of the then coverless 'Feels Like Centuries' CD we had just finished.

Their bass player found Tony Levin's name and his jaw seemed to descend beneath the New York Subways.

In addition to free vodka & Oslo's complimentary ear drum tightening, I was now being offered this striking CD by Oslo's lead singer.

The Cover contained a most contemporary & unique image. It was one of the coolest Album Covers I'd ever seen !!!

A photo realistic image of young kids playing on a nuclear missile that had landed face down submerged into the earth; Sunlight struggling behind a canopy of grey clouds looming over this unimaginable, yet photo realistic scene !

I've always considered TRUE NATURE to be a Concept Band. Here in my hands
was the work of a true master of conceptual Rock Art.

Who created OSLO's cover?

Glen Wexler in L.A. rarely helps Indie bands. A pioneer of digitally altered photography, 'Improbable Realities,' in his own words. He's done a lot of now famous covers for Major Label bands.

What got me this far were only these moments of undeniable emotion that come to me from time to time, as if saying, 'This is it. This is exactly what you want.'

I come from a family of visual artists. It was getting frustrating that I couldn't generate an image idea that I myself approved of !

After contacting Glen, it took nearly 3 months before Glen & I would really talk.

We struck a unique deal as True Nature doesn't have major label backing.

New York to L.A. Glen and I spoke for weeks about exactly what the concept for 'Feels Like Centuries' would be.

In many ways, the most amazing thing Glen did was to imagine a visual concept for 'Feels Like Centuries.'

Glen then painstakingly went out, hired a model, various make up & lighting people for his elaborate photo shoot in L.A.

I was not present for that & I'm almost sure that Glen wanted it that way even if I could have flown out !

Glen then showed me just the one image that he materialized for our cover & didn't show me any additional images from the shoot that day.

The androgynous, intensely focused figure standing on a desolate modern highway in broad daylight.



Hmmmmm.

Honestly I needed a moment. The image defied anything I imagined it to be from our conversations.

In the days to follow I showed this image to my fiancee, a few close friends & to Aaron Comess, Gerry Leonard & Roman Klun (our recording & mix engineer).

Everyone had a very strong reaction upon seeing it.

I never once considered that I needed to listen to my own music to really 'get' how this image works perfectly with the sound.

We had a guest staying with us at that time and I wanted to show her the cover art. I made a point of simultaneously playing the CD while we looked at it together.

In that moment, I suddenly saw this image differently than I had been seeing it on it's own.

Born was the iconic TRUE NATURE shamanistic UN-PROGRAMMED HUMAN

Stoically she came to life, like some modern Buddha statue awakening.

The 'Un-Programmed Human' is also seen facing a city scape.



That city scape is the 9/11 World Trade Center 'Pit' now minus the Twin Towers.

I lived in NYC through 9/11.

Although the entire world went through a collective dark rite of passage, Glen obviously heard me when I shared with him that, 'Living in New York has shaped my adult life in many ways.'

In the days & months following 9/11 a smell permeated the entire city as all manor of emergency, military and utility vehicles passed right outside my window instantly transforming the hipster, night life, East Village into a war zone.

I had to show my drivers license to officials to be admitted below 14th St. to go home every night.

It's 7 years later. I'm moved to say True Nature's album art features the most unique, provocative, wisdom image statement surrounding 9/11 that I've seen to date !

'The Un-Programmed Human' perfectly embodies the unique call to consciousness amidst this troubled modernity that TRUE NATURE songs cry out for . . .

-THE REAL LOU BARLOW-

True Nature is a concept band name. I keep writing songs and being blessed to record & perform with world class musicians as True Nature.

I've always wanted a dedicated band, yet by not being bound to that credo, True Nature has been able to grow and develop enormously in a very short period of time.

What's amazing to me is that I've been able to establish a True Nature sound in the hands of vastly different musicians.

For better or worse, I don't have a strong sense of cultural identity.

A lot of True Nature songs center around universal ideals, or my longing to find such ideals in this world.

In one way, I wish I did have more of a cultural anchor. I've noticed that most people, much less bands & recording artists, have this sub-identity they can fall back on, which is their own culture.

This is my 6th Blog & it's exactly 6 days until the U.S. Presidential election. So, I'm gonna briefly veer into something I feel is very relevant & important.

Barack Obama is such an effective example of being human as 'a connecting principle.'

He calmly emphasizes his humanness which transcends issues of race & culture. He achieves this on a most powerful stage, the world stage.

On the other side of the coin, he also overcomes accusations of being an elitist.

His overwhelming passion when he speaks, acts & leads convinces me that he's just one of us and that he knows this very well in his blood.

He has been leading us to this moment for well over a year now !

To that end, I'd like to say one final thing before getting back to True Nature, which is that Barack Obama honors the women in his life starting with his lovely wife Michelle.

My vision of True Nature has always been to tap into the universal human . . .

As a performing artist, it's liberating for me to not be identified with a single culture.

It allows me to experience other people more fully because I can step into your world without a voice going off in my head that insists, "I'm this, but you're that."

I've always identified with music and a sense of the sacred which has formed the core of my identity.

I'm the only musician in our family in any direction I can see.

There's just one sweet rumor that my late Father's real Mom was a decent or perhaps exceptional piano player.

Creativity however was highly inspired & encouraged growing up in our house just outside of Chicago.

My Father was famous in the Toy industry for first combining a Toy & A Game into one. He invented "Mouse Trap," which has become an all time best selling 'game.'

Like my Father, something in me is very determined because my first years here in Gotham City were incredibly lonely & overwhelming.

Looking back, I would not have wished to live anywhere else. The inner desolation & uncertainty I was feeling found only vibrant, thriving people all around me.

I have New York City to thank, more than anything else I can think of, for bringing so many rare & talented people into my life.

-SPOOKY GHOST IS IN !!!-

The next morning there was yet another e-mail from Aaron that had this professional Producers vibe about it.

He was saying: 'We're gonna need someone really heavy on guitar now. I have a list of great guitar players that I use. I'll start calling around, alright?"

. . ."Lou, you don't have anyone in mind do you ?"

. . . "Ahhhh, no. Hmmmm, wait a minute . . . I know Gerry Leonard."

"You know Gerry Leonard ?!!!!!"

If you haven't noticed the gods had been orchestrating all of this. I googled 'Spooky Ghost' & honestly I couldn't believe it, Gerry was in New York that day only ! He was passing through on tour with Duncan Sheik.

Sweating profusely I felt the power of the stars aligning in broad daylight high above my head. Impulsively I thought about canceling my plans & running downtown to catch Duncan. I ended up making it to Philly the next evening where they were also performing.

By the time Duncan's impressive show was over in Philly, I had throughly worked my way through 'World Cafe Live's' wine list when I finally found Gerry who was hurriedly explaining to me that they had a performance early the next morning in another State!

He couldn't talk for long - about 60 seconds !

Gerry was his always focused & warm self. I quickly gave him the demo from Aaron's home studio telling him that Tony Levin agreed to record with us which caused his right eyebrow to raise just slightly.

I knew Gerry through various circles but I never once before thought about asking him to record for True Nature, especially post Bowie !!! I thank the grapes that made all that wine I drank giving me just a little extra poise in that moment.

Just like Aaron Comess's recognition that my songs would work with Tony Levin on bass, I knew in my heart that the other worldly sounds of Gerry Leonard, which I was very familiar with, would be perfect for this recording.

And they were. Gerry got back to me a few days later saying that he was in !!!!

As a songwriter, there is nothing more fulfilling than recording with the very best musicians in the world.

When a song finally comes to Ol' Barlow-Beethoven there is often a deep sense of being nothing more than its humble messenger who has been handed something from 'A REALITY' that remains very distant.

I stagger away drunkenly from all this with only these stories to share & some songs I can sing for the rest of my life.

Sometime soon I'll have to tell ya' about our recording sessions in a very home-ie studio in Woodstock NY . . .

-TONY LEVIN JOINS US!!!-

I don't exactly remember what happened next: All I know is I got this late night e-mail from Aaron saying, 'Tonys' cool to record with us.'

I literally laid down on the floor and put on some Peter Gabriel (that Tony Levin of course plays bass on), that has carried me through some of the hardest times of my life. And started to cry deeply.

Music had come to me in my times of need, in times of transition & loneliness, anger, exuberance & most of all reverence . . . I suddenly felt I was about to give something back to music itself.

Tony Levin has been a vital creative force in so much essential, 'core' music that's inspired & influenced generations.

It's staggering to know that Tony has contributed his signature talents to John Lennon, Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd, Paul Simon, Tom Waits, James Taylor, Andy Sumners (of The Police),Yes, and literally countless other top artists and bands not to mention King Crimson, who Tony is a founding member of !

It felt like a semi truck was headed straight for me ! A bit intimidated but overwhelmingly excited to rise to this level, I was carried forward with tremendous inspiration & single minded focus.

-MEETING GERRY LEONARD-

TRUE NATURE's 2nd EP, FEELS LIKE CENTURIES, was an all 'round incredible experience. The story of how these legends came together amazes me.

I first met Gerry Leonard in 1999. We both volunteered to dismantle the elaborate & colorful 'throne' of a high Tibetan Lama who was passing through New York City at that time.

We were carrying large, sacredly decorated pieces of wood, as if props from a hollywood film set, onto a parked van on 2nd Avenue; just 20 blocks up from my Apartment.

It turned out that Gerry's now wife was a good friend of a girl I knew which got us talkin,' but I can't remember how we got on to the subject of music ?

Gerry was telling me in that mischievous, yet down to earth, charming Irish way, 'how one gig just leads to the next.'

David Bowie recruited Gerry Leonard (a.k.a. "Spooky Ghost") to record in the studio & perform on World Tour in Bowie's band in 2003, 04.'

I felt total inspiration & amazement watching, 'Bowie - A Reality Tour' on DVD; seeing Gerry & hearing his signature sound fill an ecstatic stadium of Bowie fans !

Very auspiciously for Gerry they choose to film in Spooky's home town, Dublin Ireland !

If you haven't already, absolutely check out Bowie's "A Reality Tour" DVD."

-THE NAME: TRUE NATURE & 1st our EP-

Welcome to my first Blog !

FEELS LIKE CENTURIES is the 2nd TRUE NATURE CD & has just been released!!! It's the first recording to date that I feel completely identified with that best captures my vision for TRUE NATURE.

It's going to Triple A Radio in January 2009 !

I'm just starting to Blog now, so I need to fly you back through how TRUE NATURE got here & get you caught up on a few things before we talk about the new CD which features a unique gathering of legends . . .

The name True Nature came to me a few years ago when I shared a brief but powerful musical partnership with a fellow Buddhist friend, Dave.

To me, True Nature simply means that we each originate from the same source.

I was performing regularly with a trio as a solo artist under my name: Lou Barlow at New York's legendary & sadly recently deceased CBGB's !!!

One night, to my suprize, there was Dave & his wife enthusiastically rockin' out in the audience.

Dave called me the next day in typical Russian fashion saying, 'That was great. Can I offer you my honest opinions now ?'

Although I had just completed my first demo with a good producer, I immediately felt that Dave's comments were very helpful and to the point.

I had been performing in bands since 7th grade, was awarded NYU's Composition Of The Year Award for a Solo Piano piece. Dave just humbly considered himself to be a 'closet' musician.

We started "improving" my songs and writing a few new one's which led to True Nature's 1st self titled EP.

After nine grueling months in a Brooklyn studio with an A list producer & musicians, nearly upon completion, Dave announced that all this just wasn't for him.

Disheartened at first, I quickly began to feel an unexpected sense of relief suspecting that I could move faster on my own.

I couldn't afford to skip a beat anyway. The CD had just gotten True Nature into Austin's prestigious SXSW Music Festival !!!

In 2006 I debuted True Nature's 1st release with a band that I quickly had to throw together, weeks before flying to Austin !

We only got one pic from SXSW but it's up on My-Space. Check it out !!!

-MEETING AARON COMESS-

Last summer I was in search of a great drummer. Literally downstairs from my Apartment on 2nd Avenue in New York City, I approached Aaron Comess at 'The Nightingale' Lounge where his legendary band The Spin Doctors used to play back in the day.

Time stood still. I hadn't noticed The Doctors' lead singer, Chris Barron, was jovially entertaining the small posse that Aaron was a part of. Aaron graciously got into it with me on the side.

I suddenly wondered if I was imposing on some kind of historic rock and roll re-union ?!

Aaron seemed somehow familiar in that brief exchange. I had seen Aaron many times on different gigs around town, including The Spin Doctors.

I suddenly questioned if we had ever spoke before or not ?

I offered him True Nature's 1st EP.

He e-mailed me a few days later saying he was not interested in the band thing but that he wanted me to come by & demo my unrecorded songs to see if he'd be interested in producing them for the next True Nature CD.

I had no idea we were neighbors !

New York is filled with suprises. Aaron's apartment reflected that of the multi Grammy nominated artist that he is. I suddenly felt that a great opportunity was upon me.

As a producer, Aaron offered a wonderfully humble sense of wise authority that I immediately related to. I sang as if for thousands.

He choose only 2 of my songs that he felt were ready for producing to get us started.

It seemed like the gods had placed me right where I need to be. 'Feels Like Centuries' was about to be born un-benounced to me !

True Nature's 1st self titled EP had just debuted earlier that year culminating in a sweaty full band performance at Austin Texas' renowned - South By South West - Music Festival.

I didn't especially want to turn around and head straight back into the studio for round 2, but I felt strongly that Aaron and I would work exceptionally well together.

The Spin Doctors who toured with The Rolling Stones in the 90's recently re-united their original line up and themselves had just been produced by Maroon's 5 producer, Matt Wallace.

Aaron, now a veteran producer himself, seemed inspired by a few things he gleaned from Matt.

BTW If you like The Spin Doctors, their recent, "Nice Talking To Me," is The Doctors at their best ! - so just go buy it ! . . . just go ahead now ."

Aaron and I held a few sessions together in his home studio & we quickly achieved rockin' arrangements of my 2 songs. But we didn't have a band to record with!

I still treasure those demos that Aaron and I made at his home studio. It was kind of like The White Stripes . . . Well . . . Aaron on drums & guy on guitar singing . . .

I knew that Aaron had literally just completed his own first solo album of instrumental 'songs' entitled: "Catskills Cry" with an all time hero of mine on bass, Tony Levin !!!!!!!!

Aaron knew, not only that I would be moved beyond words to have Tony Levin in the studio with us, but more importantly that the music itself would work with Tony's one and only, signature approach . . .