‘Listen’ new album by Wayne Bethanis in Peaceful Radio Show 1520
15 December 2022 Artists
Scroll down and click on photo for Wayne’s website.
Listen. A multi-track album from Wayne Bethanis containing eleven tracks of stirring,
captivating piano portraits of life: past, present, future, ETERNITY. Please explore this guide for
the inspirations underpinning each song, described by Wayne.
“Prepare to embark on a wondrous, exciting and deeply engaging musical journey with me!
Every one of these songs spoke to me from a channeled source and it was my privilege to
Listen.” Wayne Oct. 2022
Listen. 2022
All songs written and performed by Wayne Bethanis
Orchestral Arrangements: Jared Kraft & Marcus Sjowall
Engineer: Julian Shaw-Tayler
Recorded at Tardis Studios, Los Angeles, California
LEASE ENJOY SONG DESCRIPTION BEFORE LISTENING TO TRACK
Track 1. The Four Corners The Pineal Gland, or Seat of the Soul, is located at the
center of the four quadrants of the brain. Our intuition, clairvoyance and
other-dimensional talents are nestled here. The Four Corners is a meditation, using
only Far-Eastern accompaniment to awaken your pineal gland and stimulate your
eternal spirit. The sitar is featured prominently, and the long, winding melody invokes a
path for your psychic energy to explore as you awaken your true capabilities as a
multidimensional creator. Feel the shift.
Track2. Orville & Wilbur (The Right To Fly) My studio overlooks the skyscrapers of
Los Angeles Everyday I hear aircraft pass above me. Recently I channeled the Wright
Brothers and their dedication to transcending our natural three-dimensional world: fully
powered, suspended flight. The accomplishment of Orville & Wilbur is symbolic: finding
new modes; ascending higher on the dimensional plane through trial and error and the
joyous friction of the journey. I included a baroque ostinato for the engines, trills for the
propellers and a triumphant melody for the final victory flight. Let’s keep climbing higher
and higher. It’s your right to fly.
Track 3. Tender Years Oh, yes. Those tender years. This song is for that moment in life
when you realize you will always be the exploring child; even though you’re forced to
engage with the immediacy of life, you can always access the eternal, and rediscover
that your true identity is yours for the taking when you follow your passions and
curiosities. A simple, yet sophisticated melody takes us through a soft and sweet
procession to your eternal tenderness. Enjoy the gentle percussion and wonderful
Boy’s Choir echoing the melody in the coda.
Track 4. That Popular Boy In My English Class Having grown up as a boy who wore
thick glasses and played classical piano, I can tell you that popularity was not a priority
nor an option. I attended an experimental high school in Maine, and every day I found
myself sitting across from the handsomest, most popular boy in school. Day after day I
was subjected to a full-blown confrontation with everything I thought I wanted to be. I
wrote this song as a sort of perpetual motion machine to illustrate the daily uncertainty,
identity struggles and humor of those formative years here on Planet Earth. Don’t miss
the chromatic harmonies and the final bridge that brings in a fabulous pentatonic slide. I
was never a popular boy, but I could really play the piano….so things worked out after
all.
Track 5. Lonely Is The Normal Heart The normal heart seeks only to love. We often
wonder why this is so difficult to do. Once we realize that we can aim that high-powered
love inward we can never be lonely again. Attach the words of the title to the opening
melody and go from there. This is one of the most beautiful melodies I’ve ever
composed and I’m very proud of this one. Be proud of your normal heart.
Track 6. Marry Me I believe we marry many things: People, Beliefs. Nature. Patterns.
Yourself. Anything. I wrote this song to celebrate the marriage of you to your world.
The deeper you look the more you’ll find that everything you experience is a marriage of
you and your current state of awareness. I used a truly baroque sequence (more Vivaldi
than Pachelbel) that spins in and out of delightful instruments and a beautiful soprano
vocalise to allow you to contemplate your marriage to …. whatever you love!
Track 7. The Bexley Bop I’ve always sought refuge in Jazz when I’m feeling down.
This song is my anthem for anyone going through a broken heart and turning lemons
into lemonade…. hard, spiked lemonade if necessary. I couldn’t wallow in the blues; so
I wrote a contagiously affecting bop with a one-bar strut that will carry you right out of
your troubles. Julian plays lead guitar, and Marcus plays his virtuoso jazz flute to lift you
way above the lover who did you wrong….in this case the backdrop was the
picturesque town of Bexley, Ohio (a place I’ve never been). A rare departure for me into
light jazz, and oh, so sweet.
Track 8. Brick by Brick (Song for Jim) This is a dedication song to Jim Brickman
whose career greatly encouraged me to follow my passion as a contemporary
pianist/composer. Having already composed and released a tribute to David Lanz
(“Faraway Lanz” 2020), I knew it was time to write a song for Jim. I kept the musical
color palette similar to the acoustics of Brickman’s songs, especially the earlier work like
“Picture This” and recorded on a Yamaha studio grand to further invoke the tone. I love
this song. Thank you Jim, for carving a path and giving me a map to follow.
Track 9: Hadrian’s Dilemma Emperor Hadrian was widely considered one of the
greatest leaders of Rome. He also conducted the most legendary love affair of the
classical age, with a young man named Antenuous. Many accounts draw attention to
Hadrian’s obsessive passion for Antenuous, including making him into a god throughout
the empire after the young man mysteriously perishes in Egypt. This song tells the story
of Hadrian’s struggle to keep Rome as the center of the western world, while tackling
the emotional pain of losing the love of his life. You’ll hear the Warrior Theme, the Love
Theme and many other elements that portray the story of Hadrian’s Dilemma.
Track 10. Francesca’s Affair Here I created a character named Francesca who
receives a Tarot card called The Three of Wands, instructing her to travel to Spain and
experience deep passion and romance with a lover. I channeled a deeply stirring,
intimate melody contrasted by larger orchestral ideas that form the exciting cultural
background. One of my favorites and sure to evoke a profound sense of longing and
romance. I didn’t want this song to end…. enter Francesca’s world and stay forever.
Track 11. Egypt and the Sea People With unstoppable force, a mysterious culture
known only as the Sea People conquered several established nations during the fall of
the Bronze Age. Egypt was the only nation that, although weakened, withstood the Sea
People. There are many theories connecting the Sea People to various origins, yet
there is still no proof of their beginnings. This epic New Age work tells the story of
Egypt’s confrontation with the Sea People, the secret meeting in the Pharaoh’s
chambers, then the climactic decisive battle. I wrote out the entire story (upon request)
and I would envision an epic video to be made from this one. Piano pyrotechnics and
the relentless pounding of the sea through ancient instruments brings this apocryphal
mystery to our attention once again.
Benno Veugen listen, Peaceful Radio, Peaceful Radio Show, Wayne Bethanis