Interview:

Music is as mysterious as life itself. Life flows through myriad emotions and music flows along as a companion. Sometimes music is the guide that takes us on journeys through the heart; and opens us up to love. Music has the power to affect our moods in various ways: the beat of the drum has lead armies to war, the voices of a choir have sung requiems to commemorate the dead, distorted electric guitars have excited rebellious youth, and the chanting of sacred mantras has elevated seekers towards enlightenment. What is it about the plucking of a string that resonates above a box of wood or the sound of the breath blowing through a hollow piece of bamboo that touches us so deeply? Throughout history the rhythm of music has been reflected in every beat of the heart. It is a language that is universal. It is unseen but not unfelt – and that is its essence: that it brings us from the intellectual postulations of the mind and into the realm of feeling and sensing, awakening us to the beauty that resides within. The greatest miracle of music is its ability to heal and uplift. It does not necessarily function in this capacity in all cases, but when it does, it opens a gateway to one’s divine self. A melody can weave between the subtle levels of the body, the consciousness, and into the astral realms. Aligning music with one’s emotional state can heal a void much as a cherished lover can fill the void in her beloved’s heart.

“Music is as mysterious as life itself. Life flows through myriad emotions and music flows along as a companion.”
– Johannes Linstead, composer and guitarist