triangle by gfire

life, the universe, and everything) for herself. Initially a member of Austin's tight-knit DJ community, gfire soon found herself and her artistic abilities constrained by the lockstep BPM gridlock of electronica. So she did what any self-respecting fire goddess would do: She struck out on her own wavelength, splashing into a vast tidal pool of ideas and energy that ultimately resulted in the remarkably powerful "triangle" CD which you hold in your hands.

As in all creative journeys -- all the really good ones, we mean -- there were a few pit stops along the way for growth and learning, musical, spiritual and otherwise. A dedicated practitioner of Kundalini Yoga, gfire also teaches voice lessons utilizing the teachings of esteemed British scientist Ernest George White, author of the seminal musical manuscript "Science and Singing" and founder of the Guild of the Voice Beautiful. Says gfire:

"At the time, I was having a lot of trouble with regular singing teachers. Nothing made sense and it was difficult to understand the concepts behind the theory, you know? Then I read one of White's books and discovered his take on singing made total sense to me. He approached singing from an entirely scientific method, explaining the anatomy and the physics involved in the production of the human voice and then extrapolating the art of singing outward from the basic physiology. He taught people who, because of illness or injury, had their vocal cords removed to speak and in some cases even to sing again. I call it 'Yoga for the Voice.'"

That voice is the key to gfire's heady allure, be it past works like the ambient-electronic "Electric Sadhana," a collection of Yogi Bhajan's mantras recorded alongside Austin's eclectic Govinda [gulabi records, 2004] or her initial foray into singer-songwriting, the Arthur Brown-produced "Looking for Alex," which led directly to the creation of "triangle." And gfire's voice? It's ethereal without being wispy, passionate (but not enough to leave marks), and brazenly self-assured. Kate Bush notwithstanding, we like to think she may have the most remarkable three-and-one-half octave voice in the Lone Star State.

But how, we hear you ask, does she manage to reconcile the magick of the Goddess within with the rigors and hi-fi fuss of the recording studio?

"I'm a music geek," she admits. "I talk to a lot of musicians about this, and for us to spend hours in front of a computer and perfecting our licks, there's something geek about that, something intellectual, and something magical, too. I don't know how else to describe it but a lot of musicians will agree with me: We're all kind of geeks at heart."

Speaking of "triangle," gfire says, "I do a lot of yoga and the title came to me in a meditation. For me, the track 'less is more' really sums up the concept behind the CD. Even the little triangle in a mammoth orchestra plays a major part and ought not be overlooked simply because of its own innate, diminutive nature. What that translates to for me is that it's okay for people to follow their muse, even if it's only for just one note in the great orchestra of life, so to speak. 'For want of a nail...' as they say, right?"

Nail or not, triangle's thirteen tracks -- which span musical styles and subjects ranging from Celtic to pop to good old-fashioned stories of loves lost and found -- are hardly run of the mill singer/songwriter fluff, focusing instead on the intensely personal experiences we all share. (Yes, even you.) Here's an incomplete track-by-track rundown from the Goddess herself:

all the love -- "An old song about reconnecting with the Goddess at any point. It's definitely a spiritual song.”

rapid flow -- "This is one about trying to find the answers. It's about me going here, going there, going all over the place in search of something only to find that I'm not following anymore, I'm leading. That one's a favorite of mine."

blue light -- "This one came out of a one hundred and twenty-two day meditation I once did. This song actually came to me in the first week, so I guess I could have stopped there, right? The cool thing about the meditation was that I was supposed to envision all these points of light, all of them white with a bluish tint to them like an arc welder's torch, and then having them all shoot off to infinity. That's what I was doing every day and that's the essence of the song."

i wouldn't stop -- "This is actually a love song to my ex-boyfriend. It's the only love song on the CD."

de-fragment the soul -- "It's about coming from a dysfunctional background and being able to pick up the pieces and make something beautiful out of them."

no trouble tonight -- "This is all about just chillin', you know? Maybe you're out in the woods with your friends or sitting around the fire or just wherever you may be. No trouble tonight -- we're just chillin', we're cool."

every blade of grass -- "I was reading in The Artist's Way -- and this was originally taken from The Talmud, that what the spirit does is tell each and every blade of grass to grow and do it's own thing. And, of course, that applies to us, too. Express yourself!"

Produced by gfire, engineered by Stuart Sullivan (gold records with Butthole Surfers, Sublime, Willie Nelson, etc.), and featuring an ensemble cast of guest musicians including Small Faces' Ian McLagan and Storyville’s Malford Milligan, "triangle" is, like its namesake, edgy and shining and possessed of a rare gift: The gift of song.

Contact gfire at:

e-mail: gfire@earthlink.net

website: http://www.djgfire.com

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