Feature: solwater Decodes ‘feel it all the way’
Can you tell us about the inspiration behind 'feel it all the way' and the story it tells?
I have experienced a lot of grief in my life, and find it tragic that humanity appears to be so addicted to violence and making such a mess of this beautiful planet. These songs come from my deep questions about the human condition, and about what it has taken for me personally to learn how to trust myself, to trust the calm and steady voice in the heart, to trust the unfolding road one step at a time.
How did you work with the producer or engineers to bring your vision for this album to life?
I’m very fortunate to be working with one of the most respected producers in northern California, John Alevizakis. Over the last 30 years John Alevizakis has earned Grammy nominations and Gold and Platinum record status, and worked with artists including Willie Nelson, Third Eye Blind, & Donovan.
I visited him about once a month for a year and a half, until we had the bare bones down for about a dozen of my songs. After listening to what we had down, I came back to him and said that I wasn’t feeling it. To me it sounded like I had some OK ‘performances’ but I wasn’t feeling the soul of the songs coming through. He agreed so we scratched it all and began again. I’m so glad we did. I feel like it can take time to become less insecure in a recording studio, time to get into the flow and learn how to embody the spirit of the songs while they are being recorded. We recorded these 9 songs over the next year and took our time until we were both really happy with it. I like to be involved in every step of the process. We sat side by side throughout the production and I really appreciate that John was down to co-produce in that way.
Can you talk about any standout tracks on the album and what makes them special to you?
My songs have themes of grief and gratitude, longing and belonging. Water is prominent in my music - from my lyrics to the way I play my guitar. In the song “belonging,” which is the opening track of this album, the chorus is "Grief like a river, teaching me how to feel. In a world on fire, how are we going to heal?" Humanity seems to me to suffer from too much fire. If we grieved more, I believe humanity would be less inflamed and we would see more connection and less aggression.
I love the song “courage” also. “Can we stand up tall, even if we doubt we'll rise again, from another fall, we all need our courage now." This is a song about drawing on the roots of our strength even when it feels like our world is going to fall apart.
One of my favorite songs is the title track from the album ‘Feel it all the way’: “Feel it all the way, Let the moment have you, Stay with yourself don't turn away, Let the moment have you." This is kind of what I’m all about. Feel it all the way through. Don’t stop half way through the birth canal. Feel it all the way through until we can be thankful for the pain that opens our hearts, learning never to take for granted the gift of another moment to love. Feel it all the way through until we find out that even a broken heart is still made of love.
How has your music evolved since you started as a singer-songwriter? What have been some key milestones in your artistic journey?
I was sent to a boarding school in England from the age of 7 and my family was in Hong Kong. I was there til I was 18. The school environment was very grey and disciplined, with little space or allowance for feeling and music was one of the only places I felt like I could actually express myself, my feelings, my vitality, my yearning for connection. At the age of ten I started playing the trombone - and played it in a jazz band until I was 18. At 15 picked up the guitar and within weeks started writing my own songs. One of my favorite things to do as a teenager during school vacations was to hitch hike around the UK and busk on the streets to earn enough money to buy some food and keep on traveling. It felt like freedom to me. I busked with some of my original songs and also a lot of blues and covers from the 60s - the Doors, Hendrix, Dylan etc. Then as a young adult I used to compare myself to other musicians a lot - and figured that with so many better musicians out there I should probably just play for friends and family. Things started to change a little over a decade ago. Creativity started pouring out of me and I just had to write and play music more. My heart and soul demanded it. It was how I made sense of the world and my human experience. And I began being asked to play music at meditation and healing retreats of various kinds and doing that became a big part of my work. Increasingly people started asking me when I was going to record an album and that inspired me to prioritize it. I'm grateful that I waited all this time though, because I matured as a human, as a lyricist and as a musician. Now I feel I can be truly proud of the music that comes though.
Are there any specific themes or topics that often find their way into your songs?
I live deep in the forest at the bottom of a canyon and I draw inspiration from the stillness and wild beauty here, and I draw inspiration from the crisis of our times which has me want to dig deeper and deeper for creativity and healing. What is it going to take for us all to remember how to live as though we belong here on earth? I’m passionate about bringing through music as medicine for the times we are living in. I believe in the power of song to remind us of the way back a humanity rooted in wisdom, respect and compassion. Solwater is a journey home through the landscape of the human heart. These songs are an invitation into a more soulful way of being and an encouragement to show up wholeheartedly and give everything we are here to give. Death comes sooner than we think. This life is a gift.