Download Shadows FREE: https://gum.co/shadows/free Listen To My Music Here: http://www.johnzay.com Lyrics & Music by John Zay (c) 2014 Velvet Juice Music BMI I see the pain in all the world it burns my heart inside Children hurt lives destroyed I can't make sense of why As healing means within in our reach are hidden from us all the time -- Frozen - with all your dreams a shadow falls on the soul Taken - away from your home and left out in the cold -- As one gets hurt another knows we've stepped into a new game But all this means is transparency will give our shadows their say – Frozen - with all your dreams a shadow falls on the soul Taken - away from your home and left out in the cold -- When will this end... as sickness breathes and fear runs high There's no one left to offend... A battles yet to come What have we done? -- Frozen - with all your dreams a shadow falls on the soul Taken - away from your home and left out in the cold Breaking - from all your ties you're running out of breath A measured move - complete with the news you've had enough of all this senseless death.. a shadow falls on the soul... Follow my music at the following places: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/johnzaymusic Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/johnzay Soundcloud: http://www.soundcloud.com/johnzay Bandcamp: http://johnzay.bandcamp.com Noisetrade: http://noisetrade.com/johnzay Listen to/download music here: http://johnzay.com A Little Bit About The Inspiration For “Shadows”: “Shadows” is visceral. From the video’s opening frame my stare is meant to have you locked in. My face proceeds to transform into a host of Shadow figures representing the parts of ourselves we want to deny, the parts that are hard to love within ourselves our friends and our family. The soul which hasn’t been nurtured that can lead to turmoil within and chaos without. The unanswered dreams that leave many disenfranchised and sometimes worse. Shadows is an anthem for the unseen within ourselves and the ones that are let down by a society trying to pin them into a mold. These are the ones for whom a Shadow falls on the soul… Again you can download “Shadows” FREE Here: https://gum.co/shadows/free Thanks! About the Song & Video: Shadows was written and conceived while I was living abroad in Hamburg, Germany in the midst of playing late night gigs while he was struggling with my own dark period. When I was living in Europe reading the news back home it was depressing. It seemed like there was shooting after shooting and all I could think of was what drives people to this level of insanity. There was some personal loss going on for me at the same time that it all seemed to be compounding in the dark winter of Germany. The American culture can be so all consuming that it is hard to be objective about what is going on. But when I stepped out of it I found myself feeling sad for so many on a hamster wheel as the hand of greed keeps them in their place. So many souls are not seen for who and what they are but condemned to be thrown into the cookie cutter of the modern world. So many gifts people are born with are left by the wayside in lieu of a financial system that strangles their creativity and keeps them tied in just enough so they don’t have time to raise their voice. Also knowing first hand that there are a host of natural remedies suppressed by our governments that have profound effects on a person’s emotional and spiritual well being pushed my anger to another level. I had to surrender to what I couldn’t control and Shadows was the expression of that choice… The video was shot in NY by my longtime friend and director Alex Engel. We wanted the power of the message in the song to be as equally powerful in the video. After discussing it for most of one day it all came together organically that evening with an idea Alex and art director Phoebe Doran came up with and a trip to the art store. We just blasted the song and I sang it over and over at full volume while staring straight into the camera. I wanted to make sure the listener had my attention while I paid no attention to what was going on to my face. We weren’t planning on using Phoebe’s hands but it worked so well Alex put it in. It’s there to represent the hidden feminine energy, the energy of creation that is trying to emerge from the Shadows and be heard. Alex also had some b-roll footage he shot from a personal project of Actor Ray Karl that blended into the story line perfectly. Thanks for Watching The Video! Equipment Used: 2001 PRS Custom 24 through Line 6 Flextone Modified Groove Tubes Vocal Mic Through a Focusrite Saffire Pro 24 DSP Rico used a Fender Jazz 5 string Bass Jan Ole used Yamaha Drums Recorded by John Zay using Logic Pro & Reason rewired in Hamburg, Germany & Sagres, Portugal Drums Recorded by Jan Ole in Hamburg, Germany Final Mixing & Mastering by John Zay in New York