Here For You

Each person is an intricate piece of infinity - Eyedea

I have cried every day since hearing of Micheal EYEDEA Larsen's death.  

I am crying for many reasons.

  

For the loss of his talent - his sophisticated, musical brilliance and poetically genius, lyrics.  

For the loss of a son - knowing the sting, the sling, and the sorrow, too well.  

For the loss of a friend, a best friend.  

For the loss of his omni strong presence.  

I am crying because Micheal died alone despite the fact that he held out his hand and his heart to anyone in need.

I am crying because a mother found her son.  Lifeless

I am crying in a mirror of memories.

I remember watching Eyedea spit it out in Blaze battles when he was just a kid - confident, cocky, lyrically destroying his opponents.  He was a warrior.   

There was something about the way he spoke his truth.  He didn't stick to the conformities of hip-hop or rap, he fused genres - tossed in punk and rock, picked up a guitar and jammed.  

His voice was raspy and raw, an acquired taste (in a Dylan, Neil Young sort of way), but the moment you heard it you knew it was real - cause it hit you so, damn, hard. 

I grew up in a musically magical era.  Everything was rich, powerful and new.  Hendrix, Morrison, Joplin, were part of my preschool.  

Finding my way watching The Stones, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull and Pink Floyd take the stage. 

Thinking nirvana would last forever.... 

But it didn't.

I didn't connect with the hair bands of the 80's so for over 10 years I stopped listening to new music.  

There was one distinct exception...  

I remember standing in a neighbors living-room, with my toddler son balanced on my right hip and both my arms wrapped around his waste - jamming to Sugar Hill Gang's Rappers Delight and thinking...where the hell did this sound come from!

I raised my son on all my greats, and as he grew he developed his own taste.  Biggie, Tupac, Tribe Called Quest and the Fugees to name a few.  And thats how this lily white grandmother got her first taste for hip-hop and rap.  

Eyedea and Abilities first album, First Born, came out the same year my son's first child was born.  I remember Kerry showing me the cover - a picture of a fetus in utero.   

Eyedea connected the most with those that heard the message.  Those who needed to know they were not alone.

For fans in need, his lyrics kept hope alive.

I can't say I have a lot of respect for much of the main stream stuff thats out there now.  There are some notable exceptions and they earn my ears by keeping it real, following their truth, just as E & A did.  

Rap in Paradise Mikey, and please tell Big Pun, Dolla, Baatin, Tao, Aaliyah, Eazy-E, JMJ, Tupac and Biggie, we miss them...

and if you have time, tell Hendrix, Joplin, Morrison and Bob Marley, peace out, one love, and right on.  

 "Always remember that whereever you go and what ever you do, my love will always be with you. I knew before you were born that you were going to affect the world. I didn't know how or with what gift, but now I do. You have given me the most joy, trouble, happiness and pain. Now it's time for the rest of us to step up and be the humans you know we can be." 

Ross Raihala

HERE FOR YOU

We're all born into this river without knowing how to swim
And eventually we learn how to keep this water under our chin
Some times this river is so cold to be in
Freezing my soul, solidifying my skin
Regardless of how far I see, I never see my travels in
Were carried by the current, being driven by the wind
The scenery we pass, we'll never see again
So we store it up as memories and don't let go of them
Were under a spell thinking the river should go straight
He said, "(holds?) and desire to control our own fate"
But all the pain we experience as a result of our expectations
Because it's the rivers nature to twist and turn
The shit can burn
And I know it
I have the same conflict
But I try to sit and flow with this rivers natural process
And sometimes when I watch myself float downstream
I see the beauty of it all, and it feels like a dream
And at that time I appreciate the rivers course
Some part of God, reality, momentum, force
I stare up at the naked moon, and she stares down at me
(I'll cite false boundaries and all my powers to see)?
The universe is not something separate from yourself
I know you feel alone, but that's why I'm here to help
I know you feel alone, but just look up at the stars
And everything that is out there is what you really are

We gotta learn to see the beauty in each moment of life
Everyone has different pasts and we're seeking the light
The world is divided between peasants and kings
But the truth is everyone is looking for the same thing
Now I want you to know
The role you play is part of the whole
Without you it couldn't be, and I mean that with compassion
So if you need anything, I mean anything at all
I'm here for you; all you gotta do is ask man
I'm here for you, in the same way that you're here for me
Each person in an intricate piece of infinite
I feel that if you could see what I see
Then we as humanity could be free
I'm here for you, not for any self centered reasons
Because existence is interdependent and all related,
Connected in its different manifestations of one single mind
You ain't isolated from the world even though it feels like that sometimes

I see the hurt when I look into your eyes
How you struggle to hold it and keep in bundled inside
It drives a dull blade deep in my heart; it makes me want to cry
So I offer you a hand to help wash away the rainy skies
I'm running out of words, but I haven't yet made my message clear
So if none of this makes sense, I just want you to know I'm here
As a musician, as a friend, as a teacher, as a student
To grow and realize everything is in constant movement
Each problem that we face is just a part of this movement
It seems helpless, but if we stick together we'll get through it
And return to the essence from which we've been uprooted
And wake humanity from these illusions
The second you can look into the sky and see your own reflection
You know your head is in the right direction
The river riding always moves, but with it I live
And everything is perfect, just the way it is

We gotta learn to see the beauty in each moment of life
Everyone has different pasts and we're seeking the light
The world is divided between peasants and kings
But the truth is everyone is looking for the same thing
Now I want you to know
The role you play is part of the whole
Without you it couldn't be, and I mean that with compassion
So if you need anything, I mean anything at all
I'm here for you; all you gotta do is ask man
I'm here for you; all you gotta do is ask man
I'm here for you; all you gotta do is ask man 

I'm Here For YOU!

Micheal Larsen EYEDEA Memorial Fundraiser

pictures courtesy of google image