I play mostly solo--Guitar and Vocals. I play a 1977 Martin D-35S and a 2004 Martin 000-15S. I also have an Aria OS-45 that I occasionally record and perform with.
Influences
Lyrically--The inevitable Bob Dylan--especially mid 70's era. Guitar--Paul Simon, James Taylor and especially Pete Townsend's solo acoustic guitar work. Vocally--James Taylor, Paul Simon and John Martyn. And of course for all around "pop sensibilty" it's hard to under estimate the influence of The Beatles, especially the incredible melodies of Paul McCartney. I also owe a lot to Loudon Wainwright III whose example taught me that a song can be written about almost anything, not just love.
Sounds Like
I used to sound like all kinds of people: James Taylor, Paul Simon, John Martyn. But these days I tend to sound like me.
I am a T'ai-Chi teacher, singer/songwriter and poet living in Ashland, OR. I encourage you to visit my site: www.geneburnett.com for more information about me and my work.
In the T'ai-Chi portion of my site there's information about my background, approach and training.
In the Musical Recordings portion there are 17 albums listed and a Performance Calendar. You can play any of the songs from any of my albums or you can download them on a donation basis. That's right, you can download 17 albums of music and donate whatever you think they're worth to you. Including nothing.
In the Poetry section of the site you can find my first book of short poems for sale as well as some samples.
In my T'ai-Chi practice as well as in my music and poetry, I am seeking what I call "the unforced life," the life that comes most naturally and that feels most deeply right. I call myself a "free-style" Taoist. That is, I am interested in such Taoist principles as using less force in life, finding an unforced balance, and living in harmony with nature, but I am not affiliated with any Taoist churches or organizations. I just apply these principles as best I can to every area of my life. "Use less force" and "Do what feels most deeply right" are my mottos.
T'ai-Chi is a Taoist martial art based on finding the unforced balance of Yin and Yang energies, first in one's own body and then in relation to others. It is based on posture, alignment, relaxation, blending with your opponent's force and using as little of your own energy as possible to defend yourself. To do this effectively, in life as well as in "physical" situations, requires a certain state of mind/body unity, and presence. This "T'ai-Chi" mindset is the same one I write and sing from. In fact, when I perform it's as much to share this state of being as it is to share the notes and lyrics of the song itself.
My songs reflect and report on my search for an unforced life. Some are personal, literally true "letters" to myself, my friends, or my wife Samarra. Others express points of view within myself that are not strictly speaking, literally true. Such songs may take the form of a "character" who is not "me" singing the song. Some of my songs are topical and/or humorous and a very few are overtly political. I enjoy creating something that feels right, that I'm proud of and that expresses some essential personal truth. It's always exciting when someone else likes my music or buys a CD or sends me a donation, but the really satisfying thing is to create the piece and offer it on my site. It's the offering itself that's the most satisfying for me.
My poems are all short. My rule is they have to fit on a 4 X 6 card. This started from poetry dialogues that I would have with friends. We would send our poems to each other on postcards and I just found that I loved the format. My poems, like my songs, are about different aspects of my inner life especially my interest in life, love, nature and relationship. When I perform my poetry at public readings or poetry slams, I bring my whole stack of over 100 poems and read from cards pulled at random from the pile.
So there you have it. I am a free-style Taoist T'ai-Chi teacher, singer/songwriter and poet doing my best to live an unforced life, to stay true to what feels most deeply right to me, to connect with kindred spirits whenever I can, and to somehow make a living in the process. I like squirrels, anything made of teak, movies of all kinds, animation, nature studies, local live music, singing, dancing, writing and The Onion. I love my wife, I love my friends, I love my town, I love T'ai-Chi and I love my music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yge311sFhC8&feature=channel_page
Gene, your talent simply amazes me, as with your ability to write songs, play guitar, and sing.
Your new album sounds amazing, as with your older albums. I am listening to your music from your website and i am looking forward to hearing all of your older albums which i have not heard yet.
If i had to describe it id say it's a sense of excitement you don't experience often in regards to discovering music.
Thank you for enabling your work to be heard by the whole world!
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