Arcadia started as an idea about two years ago. I hadn't made a solo Tom Miller Music album in years, the previous being Neuvo Cusino in 2018. But I got fixated on this name. To me, it represented some idea of society in a heyday that doesn't exist anymore - like a mall, a perfect little gated community where the houses were all the same, and people got along because they obeyed the rules and had what they needed.
When Corona Virus struck and suddenly we were all sequestered in our homes with not much to do, suddenly the idea blossomed because there it was right in front of me: the world would never be the same. Malls were dying and no longer cool. All the restaurants, beaches, conveniences of life like shopping and travel all come to an end in the uncertainty of a pandemic. Conspiracy theories and anti-science anti-reason consume your once reasonable friends into rabbit holes. The President is a rotten cartoon pumpkin.
So what do you do when you're stuck at home and there's not much to do? And you're a creative person? You make an album, naturally. And now with fresh ideas of dystopian surrealism combined with my studies at the David Lynch MFA Program in Screenwriting at Maharishi International University (where Transcendental Meditation is part and parcel of the curriculum of Consciousness-Based Education), I had the perfect creative storm. Elements of Cosmic Consciousness and Transcendental Meditation were not only part of the creative process, they are included thematically in the work.
The songs were recorded over a period of two months, March and April of 2020. It was recorded in Garage Band on an iPad, with a combination of loops, electronic instruments, and live instrumentation and vocals. Although the guitar features prominently especially in the scorching atonal lead work, all the guitar was actually played on a simple 6-string Ibanez acoustic guitar, and the sound treated with amp simulators and effects. Even the bass sounds were generated in this way.
I also designed some scrappy videos to go with certain of the songs on YouTube, and these will be linked at the end of this page.
So these songs represent observations of the world in which we live, reflections on the world as it used to be, and ultimately in the end, the world as we leave it behind for greater pastures.
Definition of arcadia
: a region or scene of simple pleasure and quiet.
1.) Arcadia
you don't know they don't tell you these things at the mall you don't know how they feel they don't tell you with their gun then a man comes along throws the whole thing out of kilter the day is gone everything is upside down and it won't be long till the dirt knows what it's doing and it buries you alone i'll bury you at the mall
2.) Wolf and the Wanderer
on a moonlit night in a desert town a forgotten shore dreams within dreams flying soaring feeling the space within and the moon she cries and the moon she cries and the moon she cries and the moon she cries she cries she cries the silent call of the woodland owl and the howl of the wolf and the wanderer they are one
3.) Go Within
you gotta' breathe in the ocean you gotta' see in the sea you gotta' dance in the starlight you gotta' run in the moonlight you gotta' breathe go within see go within be go within free go within go within float into the light why feel live heaven share hope sleep dream feel your emotions merge into the one you didn't have to say goodbye go with me float into the night float into the light
4.) Corona Dump
it was all fine a minute ago then the news came on and told me no said a thing was going around gonna' fuck up everything in town and i could give it to you and you could give it to me and it was coming from god through the antenna of the TV and now we cant go out to play from one day to the next day we gotta' stay at home away from everybody or we get the end of days i got nothing to do but go inside my mind to try and find out how we got out of this the last time you think things were different then but war is war we just didn't expect the earth to be the enemy because you can't beat the earth without scorching the hegemony say goodbye to broadway and hello to the lonely he got lost in his room and ten thousand years later they found him they made his bones into jewelry for the robot zoo
5.) Interview With Amine
(Musical)
6.) Rabbit Hole
yeah well you're down in the hole now you're a dirty little mole now scared of the world scared of the world scared of the world yeah you buried yourself and you made it so easy like everyone else scared of the world scared of the world scared of the world Yeah I think you better go now I had enough of your show now go down in your hole hole hole
7.) Snow is Fire
sinking down in the soul of you can you feel the moon sinking down underneath the snow it's a warm feeling it's a warm feeling sinking down will you stay awhile drinking wine by the evening fire hold me close this may be the moment this may be the moment this may be the moment sinking down and the dream is done snow is fire snow is fire one last breath and beneath the stars i am one with you i am one with you everything is one with you
8.) My Friend's Place
remember that club in 1980
cliff was in the booth and the beat was crazy
someone dosed me up with a cocaine bullet
took me to the car and said let's get to it
lester held court and the boys were pretty
our own fifty four in a small town city
the cult and the cure and the cocteau twins
the people hid the tina when the cops came in
dazzling lights and the bass was deep
black light goth night LSD
pop another purple pill of ecstacy
everybody wanna have some fun with me
silka poured the shots and the drag show started
gotta put a dollar in the lady boy's pocket
there's lady pearl he's the king of the show
and the queen of the ball, and the sultan of snow
let's see what they're wearing in the dressing room
sucking on a blow pop howlin' at the moon
like to introduce you to a boy called peter
he's taking us to breakfast at a joint called skeeter's
ernie puts a little bit of coke in your rum
so glad you made it and we hope that you cum
clifford blew the tweeters but it just sounds better
my friend's place forever and ever
9.) Go
i don't wanna go they tell me at the end though you gotta' go so i guess i gotta' go please stay with me you don't have to go
NOTES:
Corona Dump is about Donald Trump and how much he lies.
Interview With Amine is a music selection which I made at Maharishi International University for an Interview I conducted with Amine Kouider, my Science and Technology of Consciousness course Professor. I used this music as background introductory music to the interview, and I'll include that interview in the videos section.
Rabbit Hole is about losing friends to ignorance, stupidity, anti-science, and anti-reason. For any of your friends that used to be intelligent, reasonable and creative who got sucked in the "Patriot" right-wing conspiracies of Alex Jones and Chem Trails, Flat Earth and QAnon, who believe the world is run by a group of Satan-worshiping pedophiles who eat roasted babies and farm children out of pizza shops for the serial murderer Hillary Clinton, this song is for you.
My Friend's Place (a.k.a. MFP) was a nightclub in Gainesville Florida in the 80s. It was Gainesville's own little Studio 54, and promoted diversity in race, color, creed, sexual orientation, socioeconomic...you name it. Everyone went there, drag queens, frat boys, goths, country folk, it was the place to dance and be seen and disappear, or reappear. Gender awareness was going on there before it ever became a subject of Neo Feminism. Thursday nights were legendary as DJ Clif Nelson blew tweeters and kept people dancing early in the evening and well into the next day. Ernie's drinks were beautifully over-poured with alcohol, the 80s were in full swing musically and pharmaceutically, there will never be another club like it again. The song is dedicated to the memory of that club and specifically to Clif Nelson (DJ, Chef/Owner of Paramount Grill), Lester Smilowitz - Hair Salon Owner, Theatre Director, Chef, Creator, Socialite and Self Awareness Guru, and William Morehead (a.k.a. The Lady Pearl) legendary drag queen and show director at the University Club.
Arcadia is Tom Miller's 55th Full Length Solo Album. Music, Lyrics, Vocals performed by Tom Miller. A FREDInk Recording. Released 4/20/2020.
The album is available HERE:
https://tommiller.bandcamp.com/album/arcadia
FREE to listen or stream, $15 for the digital download.
RELATED VIDEOS BELOW
When Corona Virus struck and suddenly we were all sequestered in our homes with not much to do, suddenly the idea blossomed because there it was right in front of me: the world would never be the same. Malls were dying and no longer cool. All the restaurants, beaches, conveniences of life like shopping and travel all come to an end in the uncertainty of a pandemic. Conspiracy theories and anti-science anti-reason consume your once reasonable friends into rabbit holes. The President is a rotten cartoon pumpkin.
So what do you do when you're stuck at home and there's not much to do? And you're a creative person? You make an album, naturally. And now with fresh ideas of dystopian surrealism combined with my studies at the David Lynch MFA Program in Screenwriting at Maharishi International University (where Transcendental Meditation is part and parcel of the curriculum of Consciousness-Based Education), I had the perfect creative storm. Elements of Cosmic Consciousness and Transcendental Meditation were not only part of the creative process, they are included thematically in the work.
The songs were recorded over a period of two months, March and April of 2020. It was recorded in Garage Band on an iPad, with a combination of loops, electronic instruments, and live instrumentation and vocals. Although the guitar features prominently especially in the scorching atonal lead work, all the guitar was actually played on a simple 6-string Ibanez acoustic guitar, and the sound treated with amp simulators and effects. Even the bass sounds were generated in this way.
I also designed some scrappy videos to go with certain of the songs on YouTube, and these will be linked at the end of this page.
So these songs represent observations of the world in which we live, reflections on the world as it used to be, and ultimately in the end, the world as we leave it behind for greater pastures.
Definition of arcadia
: a region or scene of simple pleasure and quiet.
1.) Arcadia
you don't know they don't tell you these things at the mall you don't know how they feel they don't tell you with their gun then a man comes along throws the whole thing out of kilter the day is gone everything is upside down and it won't be long till the dirt knows what it's doing and it buries you alone i'll bury you at the mall
2.) Wolf and the Wanderer
on a moonlit night in a desert town a forgotten shore dreams within dreams flying soaring feeling the space within and the moon she cries and the moon she cries and the moon she cries and the moon she cries she cries she cries the silent call of the woodland owl and the howl of the wolf and the wanderer they are one
3.) Go Within
you gotta' breathe in the ocean you gotta' see in the sea you gotta' dance in the starlight you gotta' run in the moonlight you gotta' breathe go within see go within be go within free go within go within float into the light why feel live heaven share hope sleep dream feel your emotions merge into the one you didn't have to say goodbye go with me float into the night float into the light
4.) Corona Dump
it was all fine a minute ago then the news came on and told me no said a thing was going around gonna' fuck up everything in town and i could give it to you and you could give it to me and it was coming from god through the antenna of the TV and now we cant go out to play from one day to the next day we gotta' stay at home away from everybody or we get the end of days i got nothing to do but go inside my mind to try and find out how we got out of this the last time you think things were different then but war is war we just didn't expect the earth to be the enemy because you can't beat the earth without scorching the hegemony say goodbye to broadway and hello to the lonely he got lost in his room and ten thousand years later they found him they made his bones into jewelry for the robot zoo
5.) Interview With Amine
(Musical)
6.) Rabbit Hole
yeah well you're down in the hole now you're a dirty little mole now scared of the world scared of the world scared of the world yeah you buried yourself and you made it so easy like everyone else scared of the world scared of the world scared of the world Yeah I think you better go now I had enough of your show now go down in your hole hole hole
7.) Snow is Fire
sinking down in the soul of you can you feel the moon sinking down underneath the snow it's a warm feeling it's a warm feeling sinking down will you stay awhile drinking wine by the evening fire hold me close this may be the moment this may be the moment this may be the moment sinking down and the dream is done snow is fire snow is fire one last breath and beneath the stars i am one with you i am one with you everything is one with you
8.) My Friend's Place
remember that club in 1980
cliff was in the booth and the beat was crazy
someone dosed me up with a cocaine bullet
took me to the car and said let's get to it
lester held court and the boys were pretty
our own fifty four in a small town city
the cult and the cure and the cocteau twins
the people hid the tina when the cops came in
dazzling lights and the bass was deep
black light goth night LSD
pop another purple pill of ecstacy
everybody wanna have some fun with me
silka poured the shots and the drag show started
gotta put a dollar in the lady boy's pocket
there's lady pearl he's the king of the show
and the queen of the ball, and the sultan of snow
let's see what they're wearing in the dressing room
sucking on a blow pop howlin' at the moon
like to introduce you to a boy called peter
he's taking us to breakfast at a joint called skeeter's
ernie puts a little bit of coke in your rum
so glad you made it and we hope that you cum
clifford blew the tweeters but it just sounds better
my friend's place forever and ever
9.) Go
i don't wanna go they tell me at the end though you gotta' go so i guess i gotta' go please stay with me you don't have to go
NOTES:
Corona Dump is about Donald Trump and how much he lies.
Interview With Amine is a music selection which I made at Maharishi International University for an Interview I conducted with Amine Kouider, my Science and Technology of Consciousness course Professor. I used this music as background introductory music to the interview, and I'll include that interview in the videos section.
Rabbit Hole is about losing friends to ignorance, stupidity, anti-science, and anti-reason. For any of your friends that used to be intelligent, reasonable and creative who got sucked in the "Patriot" right-wing conspiracies of Alex Jones and Chem Trails, Flat Earth and QAnon, who believe the world is run by a group of Satan-worshiping pedophiles who eat roasted babies and farm children out of pizza shops for the serial murderer Hillary Clinton, this song is for you.
My Friend's Place (a.k.a. MFP) was a nightclub in Gainesville Florida in the 80s. It was Gainesville's own little Studio 54, and promoted diversity in race, color, creed, sexual orientation, socioeconomic...you name it. Everyone went there, drag queens, frat boys, goths, country folk, it was the place to dance and be seen and disappear, or reappear. Gender awareness was going on there before it ever became a subject of Neo Feminism. Thursday nights were legendary as DJ Clif Nelson blew tweeters and kept people dancing early in the evening and well into the next day. Ernie's drinks were beautifully over-poured with alcohol, the 80s were in full swing musically and pharmaceutically, there will never be another club like it again. The song is dedicated to the memory of that club and specifically to Clif Nelson (DJ, Chef/Owner of Paramount Grill), Lester Smilowitz - Hair Salon Owner, Theatre Director, Chef, Creator, Socialite and Self Awareness Guru, and William Morehead (a.k.a. The Lady Pearl) legendary drag queen and show director at the University Club.
Arcadia is Tom Miller's 55th Full Length Solo Album. Music, Lyrics, Vocals performed by Tom Miller. A FREDInk Recording. Released 4/20/2020.
The album is available HERE:
https://tommiller.bandcamp.com/album/arcadia
FREE to listen or stream, $15 for the digital download.
RELATED VIDEOS BELOW
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