Brainwave Research Center – Bird’s Eye
I have known Chase Smith for a while, having both worked with labels like WT and Argot. He always took the art of composition seriously, but I never imagined the lengths he might go to write a song until he met Christa Majoras. When I approached them about a song for Somnambulant Drift, they suggested an endeavor to compose a piece from a bird’s point of view.
Humans can’t fly, but that wasn’t going to stop Chase and Christa. They researched free flight until settling upon paragliding as the closest thing to being a bird. Through some creative accounting and form fudging, they secured a grant for their Brainwave Research Center under the pretenses of examining the neurological responses of flight on human brains compared to those of raptors.
Next was planning their paragliding excursion. They looked at many destinations and settled on Mont Gros in the French Alps for takeoff, soaring to the tip of the peninsula at Cap Martin. With unbelievable views of Monaco’s Mediterranean shore and a pedigree from the famous X-Alps race, it looked like an ideal location.
After securing flights, lodging, and equipment, Chase and Christa set off for their launch. A magnificent journey ensued, capturing through GoPros the thrill of circling the magnificent estates along the western cliffs of the peninsula as an eagle would do before diving to ensnare its prey. Landing, the most dangerous part of paragliding, went off without a hitch. They returned home to encapsulate the experience in melody, and completed Bird’s Eye.
In an unexpected turn, NIH oversight discovered inconsistencies in their grant application. Within days of completing the song, their studio and home were raided simultaneously by armed federal officials, and the master tapes were confiscated. It appeared for a while that the experience would only live on in their memories rather than being immortalized through music. But thanks to a massive pro bono effort by a libertarian legal team, the asset seizure was deemed faulty by a court, and the tapes were returned. I’m proud to present their vision of a bird’s descent from a mountaintop on Source Foray.
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