The Golden Ear Theatre from adam patrick jones on Vimeo.


I am very pleased to tell you that our next tour will feature the phenomenal Brooke Waggoner. More details to come soon :)

Happy Thanksgiving 2008

Lets make a list. Tell me the top 10 things you are thankful for in the 2008. I will think about it and tell you mine as well.

-Jacob
(Update) my list is in the replies.

Multisensory aesthetic experience is a constant quest for the creative visualization of music. This animation is a fun example of what is beginning to be possible.

Thank you.

As a thank you for being a part of the international Mae community, we'd like to give you an exclusive, unreleased Mae song called "Somewhere." Keep reading for directions on how to download the song.

This song is our gift to you and it comes with an invitation and a promise. We are hard at work on a new collection of music in the studio here in Virginia. This is the same studio in which we created Destination: Beautiful six years ago. Many things have changed for us in the past year. We saw Rob and Mark leave to start new chapters in their lives. In early 2008 we parted ways with management and Capitol Records. At this point we have no label and no manager and we are inspired by a new beginning.

At it's genesis, Mae was about making music and connecting people. The reasons for our continued existence as a band are the same as when we started; music and people. The old model of the music business is broken and there is no longer a mold to fit into. We are the creators and followers of our own path. Most importantly we are still doing what we love, and we are excited to share this experience with you. Outlined below is a bit of the details of our transition, where we are going, and how you, our fans, fit in. Thank you for joining us on our journey and our continued walk together.

There were many difficult times during these transitions. Finances were tight and we began the year heavily in debt. The challenges to bands these days are overwhelming. As the music business has continued to suffer, music itself is quite alive. There is a passion inside of us that has refused to let this band die and we humbly thank you for your encouragement through the darkest of those days. There is a sense of coming full circle and it feels good to be home. We would like to share with you our plan for 2009.

There are so many ways that you have changed our lives. You have given us memories that will inspire our children to know that anything is possible when they pursue their dreams with hard work and dedication. We are grateful to you for that inspiration. Every time you listen to these songs, you will be channeling a moment of time that was wrought with intention from the silence of an empty room. Every work of music begins with still air. Every painting starts with a blank canvas and an idea. Every epic begins with empty pages and a thought. Every day begins in darkness with a sunrise. Every year begins in winter with a spring. Every life begins in the unconscious cry that fills tiny lungs with air for the first time. Those same lungs will eventually breathe life into words, both spoken and sung. That tiny mind will grow and be filled with countless thoughts and impressions that shape its actions and views. Those actions will reverberate throughout their surroundings and ripple through their family, their community, their nation, and their world. In this sense, we are all the same. We all begin as a blank page, and end as a story.

As this new year begins, we are reminded that once again, on some level, our story begins anew. Our story is a collection of decisions that we work through every day. Those days connect and become years. Those years connect and become a life. Those lives connect and become a generation. Those generations connect and become history. We create and change the course of history with every decision. That is the power you hold in every one of your choices. That is the scope of your significance. You are a writer of history. It is not an option, it is a certainty. You may think that your voice is insignificant, but we invite you to come with us for one year, and we will show you over the course of that year exactly how significant your voice truly is.

Every month in 2009 we will be bringing you a new song that is part of a bigger story. These songs are like the hours that make up the day. These songs are like the months that make up the year. These songs are like years that make up a life. They are about the tiny choices we make that lead to large results. Sometimes these results are wonderful; sometimes they are terrible. We learn from both.

Three times during 2009 we will put these songs together and give you an EP. As we search to understand the meaning of our own stories we can shift our perspectives to see things under a different light. We expand our understanding in these moments. This is like finishing one chapter and moving to the next part of the story. These EPs represent the broad chapters of our life. They will be called:

(M)orning
(A)fternoon
(E)vening

(M)orning represents the beginning of the day, the beginning of the year, and the beginning of a life. It is our childhood. It is our fresh start. It is our new hope. It is the empty canvas of our minds and the beginning of our story.

(A)fternoon represents the middle of the day, summer turning into autumn, adulthood, parenthood, and the time in life to take control and write the story we want to leave behind.

(E)vening represents the end of the day, the return of winter, looking back at the end of our life, and preparing for death. This is the one time in our lives where our perspective is clearest and we see the arc of our story as a whole.

Here is the invitation and the promise. When you come to back to whatismae.com you will be able to hear all of the music for free. And we will make every song available as a digital download for a minimum donation of $1. Our promise to you is to commit every dollar earned through these digital downloads towards making the world a better place. We will be asking you to help us choose projects to focus on. The power of community is the strength of numbers. As we tie our voices, our resources, our minds, and most importantly our actions together, we will see the world change for the better over the course of this year.

Progress requires focus. In each of these chapters we will focus on certain issues and ask you to help us choose the best way to make a difference. We want to approach this in a way that aligns with the greater narrative. Here is how we will break it down:

(M)orning: [January - April] This is the season to focus on youth and help instill appreciation for music and the arts. Music is the world's language. It has the ability to bridge nations and to connect people. We have been changed by the power of music. That is a gift we want to share. Art goes hand in hand with music as a powerful voice of expression. Art shows us the world from the people's point of view. Art is the vessel of the human experience and it is a powerful weapon in the hands of truth. This is also the time to focus on education. Learning is what opens the doors to a better future. What aspects of the education system need our help? How do we educate ourselves to face the world's problems as they become ours to solve? These are the issues of Morning:

(M)usic
(A)rt
(E)ducation

(A)fternoon: [May - August] This is the season to consider the challenges we face as adults. The world is shrinking. We are connected through technology, economy, and destiny. No matter how diverse we are, we share a common humanity. Our unique cultural legacies should be respected and celebrated. Our wealth and prosperity inevitably rises and falls together. Who among us can truly celebrate our own prosperity when our neighbor starves to death? When we experience the world's poverty, it changes our priorities. Yet this economic progress must come with respect for the fragile and dynamic nature of our planet. We are building a future for our children and their great great grandchildren. What will their world look like? The choice is ours and we must consider this big picture with great respect for those who will come after us. These are the issues of Afternoon:

(M)ulti-Culturalism
(A)nti-Poverty
(E)nvironment

(E)vening: [September - December] This is the season to step back and see the bigger picture. We work and then we check our progress. This is how progress is made. When we make mistakes, we correct our mistake and resume the journey. We all make mistakes. What sets us apart is how we react to them and move beyond them. One day the students will become the teachers. One day the children will become the parents. Think about how we will inspire those who come after us to continue on the path to hope for everyone. What is the story we want to leave behind? Are we writing it with our actions? What do we want to world to be like? How do we get there? These are the issues of Evening.

(M)otivate
(A)ffect
(E)ngage

There will be countless opportunities for you to be involved during this process. We will be asking you to take photos throughout the year that tell us your story. We will use those photos in our art and in our live performances. We encourage you to share this music with everyone. Tell them what is going on. Invite them to be a part of this. We are your band and your community. This is a chance for you to take your love of music and make a difference in the world. You are the vital piece that completes this puzzle and we can not do it without you.

Our hope is that this music will inspire you to step back and look at the bigger picture we are all a part of. None of us are truly alone. Many times it feels like we are completely alone. In those moments, we hope that you find comfort in these sounds. We hope you remember that these words and melodies have been sung by many thousands of others, and their voices are tied to yours. We hope that your voice will sing along and find its place here in this community as we work together, as humble people, to make a difference in a world that needs our help.

To download "Somewhere," simply go here and use the password: thankyou. You can also read Dave's explanation about the origin of the song here.

Thank you,
Mae

P.S. Don't forget to check out our brand new "Destination: Beautiful" Five Year Anniversary DVD. Check out the trailer and order your copy here! When you order, you'll receive a free download of our new version of "Embers and Envelopes" recorded at Earthsound Studios in the fall of 2008!

Destination : Beautiful

destination demands action for actualization.
it requires movement.
and generates evolution.
our march has led us to see that we are but a small part.
we are all unique parts of a whole that is much more grand than we could have possibly imagined.
we are the individual droplets that lead into the streams of family and rivers of community.
everything we do affects everything else.
the current of our collective intention carves out the canyon of legacy we will leave behind.
that is all that matters.

a song, a painting, a poem, a film.
they are all just little pieces of someone else.
this sound recording is us.
wide eyed and full of wonder looking out the window, hoping it would be a long time before we return home.
believing that the world would be better for our trek through it.
bashing sound and light into the dark corners of large cities and quite towns.

these sounds were painted by imagination.
stories sculpted from moments.
moments carved into memory through words.
words married with notes.
notes married with rhythm.
resonant droplets that, through their dance, gave birth to streams of music which in turn gave birth to rivers of inspiration.
inspiration that rushed and spilled from person to person through conversation.
on long drives, and train rides.
through late nights and sun rises.
making its way into the ocean.
the light came on over and over again.
it still lives behind the eyes and in the chest of those who really hear.

:art is important because it is the vessel of the human experience:

all human beings are bundles of experience.
we are actions and reactions.
learning.
striving.
succeeding.
failing.
sometimes euphoric; sometimes broken.
capable of fear and capable of love.
born blind and ignorant, attempting with a lifetime, the treacherous climb into the light of understanding.
understanding our selves and those that surround us and give our lives meaning.
our tiny, completely insignificant, yet completely significant, piece of the puzzle that is the universe.

part of the beauty of life is the mystery of death.
we are not aware of our predetermined finish line.
we simply drive until we run out of gas.
with the time left in your tank, i hope you spend as much of it as possible immersed in the glory.
unearthing the beauty.
making the effort to show it to someone else.
that is the point of our band.
that is the point of my life.
it is that simple.
to show you beautiful.

http://gomerch.com/PRE-ORDER/MaeDVD/

I know that many people who read this simple blog are incredibly happy,
while others may be incredibly disappointed.
I would just like to acknowledge the historic nature of this moment and congratulate our President Elect Barack Obama.
We all come from different opinions, backgrounds, and views,
but can all agree that there are trying times ahead of us.
This will be an era that people look back on in the history books.
Will this change bring people together or keep us apart?
What are your thoughts and your observations?
What are your hopes and your fears?
How do you hope this story unfolds?
What do you hope America will be?