My Blog

saQi @ EmergNsee

lukesolman — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:00:53 GMT

come check me in the dome, sunday night, 10:30, after Welder... I'm also doing a special performance with the fabulous vocal wizardress Lesley Kernochan. She's releasing her new album!!! annnnd, I'm working for an awesome non-profit music studio for teens, Old Library studio, and i'm bringing out 3 talented kids from the program to perform with the EmergNsee Orchestra on sunday evening @ 6. see you there friends.

Wall-E!

lukesolman — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:51:19 GMT

hey guys, go see the new animated adventure Wall-E. It's pretty much an impeccable film. The animation, sound and plot are all spot on. It's cute, funny, sad, heart-wrenching and uplifting. i'm a picky mofo as far as movies, especially when they're 10 fuggin bucks but this'n is well worth it. it rekindled my life-long desire to be a rogue robot and overthrow the powers that be and save the world!!! here's a site for trailers http://www.apple.com/trailers/disney/walle/

saQi shows in S.F.!

lukesolman — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 19:30:40 GMT

Come check me in the bay this week... Thurs. 6/12 Basura Sagrada Temple Fundraiser @ DNA Lounge Live set w/ Anahata Sound on vocals I'll also be playing horn with edIT for a live downtempo set! Friday the 13th VENUS CHRIST: A radical rock opera for the masses Opening Night ExtraVaganza & Afterparty Featuring...Anahata Sound, saQi, Cohen, Soul Salaam and more! 1015 Folsom St.

M4/saQi tour!!!

lukesolman — Wed, 21 May 2008 07:21:11 GMT

Hitting the road tomorrow for LIB. Rockin some shows along the way, checkit... 5/21 Inner Child Cafe ashland, OR. 7:30 p.m. March Fourth 9:30 p.m. saQi 5/22 Rickshaw Stop S.F. 7:30 pmLloyd Family players 9 Kid Beyond 10:30 M4 12 saQi 5/23 Temple Bar Santa Monica 9:15 pm M4 5/ 24 + 5/25 LIB!

Pdx doctor?

lukesolman — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:55:14 GMT

can anyone recommend a good physician in portland?

Freedom

lukesolman — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 14:40:20 GMT

spent my last night in Rishakesh at the Freedom cafe. strange and lame that i cringed at the name. the spot is a shanti space on the river with plenty of room and a big round spot in the center for chillaxin. several musicians had gathered including a sarod player, clarinet, drummer, guitars and a spanish dude with a hang drum. the thing is like two steel drums from the future fused together to make a futureprimitive orb. anyways, the vibe was a bit tenative but i was feeling like a firecracker and anchored myself in the center of things and started making trouble. i kept feeling levels of blockage as more people gathered around. the jam got going and within 10 minutes there were maybe 70 people from a dozen or more different countries hangin, watching, fidgeting, wanting to play to. i began to question myself as i felt so many faces and perspective tastes present. i said fuck that though and opened the heart let the sweat begin to flow and i played and clapped and led the whole place into a massive and beautiful crescendo over the course of an hour. people clapped and banged on things and sang and danced and i swear the hang drum levitated and danced with my horn. the spanish man's arm flew while he laughed and looked at me like i was crazy. he was right on. i let out a shreek, the universal cry of victory or death and everyone joined. it was cool. i've been watching my ego trudge along with me through this whole trip and there's been certain times when the thing just decides to take a break and have a chai or something. this night at the freedom cafe was one such time and it felt good, it felt like freedom. i saw a chance to use my energy to create a beautiful experience with beautiful beings and i'm really glad i could get out of my own way enough to allow it to happen. i hope it happens again soon. i realize how much freakin energy we can wield when we open up and let the guard rest. now i'm at the base of the himalayas where the dali lama lives , mcleod ganj. can't even describe the beauty. trying to do my part to put good energy out for the tibetans with music and prayer.

Rishakesh

lukesolman — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 16:55:42 GMT

Lightening pierced the sky and the thunder cracked and rumbled as the storm overtook the majestic mountains of Rishakesh. A penetrating rain freshened the air above the mighty Ganges. By candlelight i sat on the edge of a canopied, roof-top restaurant over looking the valley and played gypsy melodies like a concerto with the storm as my symphony; a humble offering to this village, it's people and the breath-taking land it's built upon. i feel like i could stay here forever and play my horn, read, drink chai, watch the babas and strange tourists and monkeys make their way over the massive foot bridge that spans the valley. I suppose i am here forever right now and it feels good. Nothing left to say but namaste ;)

Varanasi

lukesolman — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:16:42 GMT

arrived to the cultural capital of india yesterday. the saying here is "full power" and this place is just that. people, motorcycles, cows, waterbuffalo, rabid dogs and plenty of other interesting and pungent things crowd their way through the alley-like streets that zigzag in most unpredictable ways. the smells of cow shit and the most delicious spices ever blend together to create scents i've never known. as i arrived i noticed a smell that was not common, the smell of wood burning. as you lace your way down to the ghats, massive stairways that descend into the Ganges, one notices massive piles of logs. these are the burning ghats. in this holi place fires are kept burning 24/7 to cremate the dead and scatter them into the river. it is staggering to think about how many people have joined the river in this one spot. all the fires supposedly originated from one central flame that is protected by shiva. this fire has been alive for over 3000 years. so many things beyond my comprehension here. such immense suffering and ugliness coupled with an indescribable spirit and joy. and........delhi belly, which i am in midst of a lovely bout with right now so i must cut my entry short. my good russian comrade constantly quotes Pulp fiction, at the beginning of the trip it was "you here me talking to you hill billy boy", the phrase quickly evolved into "you here me talking to you delhi belly boy?" he'll get his, commie. namast....oh shit

My Dad

lukesolman — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 01:53:08 GMT

So, my dad has had cancer for over two years now. He was diagnosed with a tumor in his neck and an inoperable spot behind his tongue. Since his diagnosis he has never gone back to see a doctor. He maintains a very strong spiritual practice which he has commited to following to the end whenever or however that may be. The tumor in his neck has grown bigger and bigger and in the past few months another has began to grow in his cheek. This new tumor is beginning to impede his speech and make it difficult to eat. I spoke with him last night and he told me that he has decided to continue eating as long as he is able and, if or when it becomes impossible, stop. He said that he has no doubts or fears about the decision, i wish i could say the same. I am about to leave for india and i am scared. My father is the most important person in my life and i don't want to lose him. I'd like to ask for a prayer if you have one to offer. I would be very grateful :)

Variety Nite w- Vibesquad & SaQi @ Crown Room!

lukesolman — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 02:44:28 GMT

If you don't know about Vibesquad, best learn. One of the illest producers around is coming to town and we're going to rock it tomorrow night at the Crown Room. Come early for the Teraclipse dubstep duo, stay for Vibesquad and SaQi. werrrrd. 9:30-11pm Terraclipse/ Pete & Victor of Abstract Earth Project's Dubstep Project 11pm-12:30ish saQi/ folks... Homeboy always does it right... 12:30ish Vibesquad 10pm SHARP NW 4th & Davis $8-$10 sliding after 10pm SPECIALS:

Glimpse after Glimpse

lukesolman — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:06:32 GMT

This is from my readings of daily reflections on living and dying. Feels so appropriate for today. February 17 As we follow the teachings and as we practice we will inevitably discover certain truths about ourselves that stand out prominently: There are places where we always get stuck; they are habitual patterns and strategies that are the legacy of negative karma, which we continuously repeat and reinforce; there are particular ways of seeing things, those tired old explanations of ourselves and the world around us that are quite mistaken yet which we hold on to as authentic, and so distort our whole view of reality. When we persevere on the spiritual path, and examine ourselves honestly, it begins to dawn on us more and more that our perceptions are nothing more than a web of illusions. Simply to acknowledge our confusion, even though we cannot accept it completely, can bring some light of understanding and spark off in us a new process, a process of healing. -Sogyal Rinpoche

Portland Dentist?

lukesolman — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 21:10:29 GMT

anyone know of a good dentist in pdx?

Bowl of SaQi offering for the New Year

lukesolman — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 19:52:48 GMT

The following is from daily readings titled "Bowl of SaQi". They have served to help me continue to empty my own bowl so that it may be filled anew and so that i may use my blessings to help fill those of others. Tonight i will be offering music from my heart to welcome the new year. Come fill your bowl with me :) Man is always seeking for beauty, and yet he is unaware of the treasure of beauty that is hidden in his own heart. He strives after it throughout his whole life. It is as if he was in pursuit of the horizon: the further he proceeds, the further the horizon seems to have moved away. For there are two aims: the one is real, and the other false. That which is false is momentary, transitory, and unreliable - wealth, power, fame, and position are all snatched from one hand by the other. ... Man wants something in life upon which he can rely; and this shows, whether he believes in a deity or not, that he is constantly seeking for God. He seeks for Him not knowing that he is seeking for God. Nevertheless, every soul is pursuing some reality, something to hold on to; trying to grasp something which will prove dependable, a beauty that cannot change and that one can always look upon as one's own, a beauty that one feels will last forever. And where can one find it? Within one's own heart. And it is the art of finding that beauty, of developing, improving, and spreading that beauty through life, allowing it to manifest before the inner and outer view, which one calls the art of the mystic. Bowl of SaQi by Hazrat Inayat Khan

talking to myself again...

lukesolman — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 02:48:32 GMT

i finally came swirling to a stop after a long day of battling around the city to take care of a bunch of menial tasks. as i sat down in my studio to do a bit of work i found myself to be in that "what am i doing/who am i" space where every gesture feels ambiguous and each thought confused. in the moment i decided to use a tool which i find to be useful in coaching myself out this muck. i began to talk to myself. when i do this i speak from outside perspective where i can reflect how i am feeling, what i am thinking, etc. in i a similar way to writing i find that vocalizing in this way can help halt the mind chatter and add a bit of clarity to the situation. a more practical and wise me emerges as a i assess my position and give my self advice and encouragement. this positive conscience personality i take on helps me to observe and express many truths to myself that my thoughts often slither around and avoid in the abyss of my mind. i realize that all the answers truly do exist inside, all you have to do as a human is find ways to gain access to them. i feel much better after having a good sit down with myself. it's amazing what spaces our crazy mind can carry us into.

give peas a chance

lukesolman — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 22:37:14 GMT

droppin' my favorite enya track "sail away" for gypsys as the caravan slithers out of the big apple like a fat n' happy little worm. on his birthday J. Lennon woulda been proud of us. after 4 fantabulous weeks of delivering our raunchy love sounds to places big and small from oaktown to beantown we saddled up and rocked the knitting factory. never woulda thunk i'd help pack that joint on a monday night and then tear it down. after 3 days in the city, or 5 if you factor in the dawn patrols, i'm hung......emotionally. rolling deep with a crew of 30 o my favorite peeps into the city that never sleeps, epic evolutions. saw dear old friendlies and made some loverly new'ns. drank of the finest beverages, too many perhaps, and ate of the finest bagels and pizza slices, way too many perhaps. ahhhhnyways, i'm fuckin happy to be alive makin music that i love in places strange and amazing for the good people of these united stizzies. look out d.c., atlanta, n'oleans, houston, austin, the M4 gypsy caravan is givin peas a chance.

Blissed in Taos

lukesolman — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 04:16:52 GMT

i'm on a southwesterly journey with my dad and today our travels brought us to the town where my parents first met. i have faint memories of visiting taos as a kid but somehow those old images could not contain the tremendous beauty that i have seen here already. with rain still fresh on the sage covered landscape the sun breaks through the clouds to illuminate the gorgeous adobe homes and massive mountain to the west. a complete spectrum of of the warmest colors i've ever seen expands in all directions. the spirit is so strong here and i feel at home. today i am blessed to be in a beautiful place with beautiful people. i give many thanks. tomorrow we will visit the pueblo where the indian people still live in their traditional way. my good friend and brother jasper will be our guide. he always shares little bits of wisdom which he gained from his grandpas who were sorcerers and medicine men, but more importantly we laugh and laugh, can't wait...

saQi on the playa

lukesolman — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 18:29:15 GMT

i'm out door, find me down there rockin sets at these times and coordinates... Tuesday-sundown teaparty @ Tasseograph, then 10:30 @ False Profit Wednesday- DivaBootCamp 11pm Thursday-Midnight @ Freeedom Community

SaQi???

lukesolman — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 07:34:08 GMT

so, after 6 months of strife and struggle i finally decided on a moniker for my solo electronic music project. I made the choice just in time to release a 4 track EP and live disc. The initial launch of the name and music was going well until i was recently notified by my label that there is another band in the UK that uses the name and that there could be possible legal recourse taken by them to force me to stop using the title. feck. so, i'm not sure what to do. change the name completely and start over? alter the name? stick with it and hope for the best? any advice friends? i am but a humble muse trying to make his way.... oh, and anyone with any legal smarts or connects, that'd be very helpful. i'd like to figure out all legal implications of the situation before i make any drastic moves. oh, and buy my EP at nativestatedigital.com. you know the friggin name.

the manner of opening the heart

lukesolman — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 18:41:44 GMT

some loving words on this day of rebirth and resurrection... Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan: Every name and every form speaks constantly, constantly makes signs for you to hear, for you to respond to, for you to interpret, that you may become a friend of God. The whole purpose of your life is to make yourself ready to understand what God is, what your fellow man is, what the nature of man is, what life is. Now coming to a still greater secret of life I want to answer the question: how can we grow to read and understand the message that life speaks through all its names and forms? The answer is that, as by the opening of the eyes you can see things, so by the opening of the heart you can understand things. As long as the heart is closed you cannot understand things. The secret is that, when the ears and eyes of the heart are open, all planes of the world are open, all names are open, all secrets, all mysteries are unfolded. The question arises: what is the manner of opening the heart? The way to it is a natural life, the life of the child, smiling with the smiling one, praying with the praying one, ready to learn from everyone, ready to love. The child has enmity against no one, he has no hatred, no malice, his heart is open. It is in the child that you can see the smiles of angels; he can see through life. When the grown-up person is made ready, when he has acquired the attributes of the child, then he creates heaven within himself, he understands. The child with his innocence does not understand, but when a man with understanding develops the childlike loving tendency, the purity of heart of the child with the desire to be friendly to all -- that is the opening of the heart, and it is by that blessing that he can receive all the privileges of human life.

Love

lukesolman — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 15:26:06 GMT

My dad and i were discussing Love last week. We talked about it in relation to one's self and others, and how all the crazy things we experience such as attachment and attraction can really confuse the thing. The "thing" hmmm...at the end of the conversation that's what i really wanted to know. Is love really something or just a collage of others. My pa quickly warned me not to think that love is not real. (was that a double negative?) anyways, He said he believed that it is the only thing. If you break down everything in the universe that Love is the fundumental element. Wow, that gave me something to smile about. Hope it does for you too :) break it down! Love, Luke

The Way of Resolve

lukesolman — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 05:16:30 GMT

Resolve: firmness of purpose or intent; determination -Core Lesson- Standing up for what you believe in and for those you love -Goal- Take up any challenge and don't back down -Release- Caring what others think -Reward- Joy of a strong sense of self -Balance point- Giving up/Standing firm The Way of Resolve is my way for the new year. Perhaps you share it? If not i hope you find yours. Blessings in the days to come friends. Love and Respect, Luke

The Pickaxe

lukesolman — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 04:13:03 GMT

tear down this house a hundred new houses can be built from the transparent yellow carnelian buried beneath it, and the only way to get to that is to do the work of demolishing and then digging under the foundations. with that value in hand all the new construction will be done without effort. and anyway, sooner or later this house will fall on its own. The jewel treasure will be uncovered, but it won't be yours then. The buried wealth is your pay for doing the demolition, the pick and shovel work. If you wait and just let it happen, you'd bite your hand and say, "I didn't do as i knew i should have." This is a rented house, you don't own the deed. you have a lease and you've set up a little shop where you barely make a living sewing patches on torn clothing. Yet only a few feet underneath are two veins, pure red and bright gold carnelian. Quick! Take the pickaxe and pry the foundation, you've got to quit this seamstress work. What does the patch sewing mean, you ask. Eating and drinking, the heavy cloak of the body is always getting torn. You patch it with food, and other restless ego-satisfactions. Rip up one board from the shop floor and look into the basement. You'll see two glints in the dirt.

Givin' yourself to Love

lukesolman — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 06:53:23 GMT

I work with a classic redneck. Despite his drawl and talk of powertools and rifles he's also very ecclectic and wise. I've been going through many intense issues of the heart of late and today this fellar shared something with me that was real nice. He spoke of his journey as a youngin with big dreams and never enough time, his relationship with a nice girl and eventually a wife and baby daughter. He said that of all the big dreams and projects he has thought of or pursued his wife and baby have been the most important and fulfilling. He also said that letting some of those dreams go to devote himself to a relationship tore him up for a long time but that he finally realized that there was no more important thing in the world to do but give yourself to love. I've heard this so many times before from many different sources but today the message really hit me. It's gosh darn simple, down right beautiful and i wanted to share it with y'all :)

The Secret

lukesolman — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 21:23:12 GMT

Watched a movie called The Secret last night. The thing is a super cheesy, new age, how-to-change-your-life, pop documentary that is probably best suited for those that have little or no spiritual background. However, the messages are universal, powerful and true and even though we may have heard or read these concepts in a million other times and places, living them is the key. Concepts i carry with me from the Secret into this day of giving thanks are positive thinking, visualization and gratitude. In the film they say that making changes in your life, projecting positivity and learning how to live in abundance all begins with being grateful for what you have. They recommend the process of visualization as an effective tool for living these concepts. The power of thought is a very important part of visualization however, feeling is crucial. Connecting the mind, emotions, head and heart to really experience what you want to be or see rather than just thinking it. This is the where true faith and belief transcend hope and wishing. When we allow our inner alchemist to perform this process, then there is nothing that we can't have or be. So, to all you out there that i know and love, i am sitting with my gratitude for you. Feeling all the blessings bestowed and visualizing those to come. Happy Thanksgiving :)

you have to trust it

lukesolman — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 05:52:04 GMT

you'll be given love you'll be taken care of you'll be given love you have to trust it maybe not from the sources you have poured yours maybe not from the directions you are staring at trust your head around it's all around you all is full of love all around you all is full of love you just aint receiving all is full of love your phone is off the hook all is full of love your doors are all shut all is full of love! all is full of love all is full of love all is full of love all is full of love all is full of love ... i wipe the tears from my face and feel my aching heart swell. i am grateful for the love i have been given, eternally. i pray that i may one day be able to trust it. Give the key to my heart and let the door open.