Enchanters,
I have a bit of an unusual story to relate.
I grew up listening to the great prog rock of the late 60's/early 70's. What a wonderful period that was. I remember seeing Kansas perform in a club here in town during their tours to promote their first and second albums. Fantastic shows! As time went on, the music scene changed until there was very little interesting music left to listen to. Over the years, my own musical preferences drifted towards more subdued genres. I love piano music and there are several artists who I enjoy listening to. Occassionally, I will still pull out a few of my louder CDs like Kansas, Yes, or some vintage Uriah Heep just to make sure I never become totally old and boring.
For some reason, I have been very captivated by your music ever since I discovered "A Blueprint Of The World" a few years ago. This CD was very different than anything else in my collection. After progressing on to your other albums, I have a developed a deep appreciation and respect for your work. What a pleasure to find such creative and talented musicians exploring new territories during this era of mass musical blandness.
Two years ago, being an adoptee, I decided to search for my birth family. I found them and discovered, among my siblings, an older brother living just a few hours away from me. We have gotten together several times and have been sharing our lives and histories with each other. One of the things that we both have in common is a very strong interest and appreciation for good music, much more so than the casual listener. It is interesting to compare what I listened to growing up with his musical tastes. We have found many commonalities in this area.
Two months ago, I gave him a copy of your CD "Juggling 9 or Dropping 10". I felt that it was something that would appeal to him. As it turns out, he has become quite enthralled with this release. He cannot believe that a band like yours exists nowadays, since he had never heard of you before. We have had several phone conversations exploring various aspects of this CD; the different layers and textures of the songs, the musical contributions of each member, our favorite lyrics, and the production tasks. When I recently mentioned the band Kansas as a point of musical reference, my brother replied "Man, these guys blow Kansas away!" This CD has struck a very deep resounding chord within both of us. It is very meaningful to me that, after being apart for 45 years, my brother and I can find such strong common ground in relating to each other. I have recently sent him all of your other releases and await his response which I'm sure will be enthusiastic.
Even though our lives have been very different, we have become good friends and plan to spend the rest of our years getting better acquainted with each other. And as we move forward, I will always remember that the music of Enchant was an important part of building our bond during these first years after our meeting.
In closing, I want to compliment you on your talents and creativity in producing the unique music that you play. It is great to see a band exploring new musical boundries and pushing their abilities to the limit. Your music is composed and performed with such a depth of passion that it is obvious you all love what you are doing. No band could produce this kind of music if they didn't. After all.....isn't love the source of all great works of art?
"Buffalo" Fred
