In continuing my interview with Artist Isadar (part 1 can be found here), we talk further about his music and beliefs in the supernatural.
Alexandra Holzer: You are quite the intuitive as I picked up on that when we met. You run pretty deep. Where do you stand in terms of spirituality, mediumship and the supernatural whether it be ghosts to UFO's?
Isadar: I was born into the Catholic faith and participated in the religion up through college. At that time, I began to transition both musically and spiritually into my own realm and the ritual of the mass had less of an impact or role of importance to me as an individual. I also began an interest in C.G. Jung's analytical psychology. That actually broadened my faith and my spirituality. It was more profound and spoke to me intellectually. I began to see patterns of synchronicity and how the mysteries of God impact our journey and relations to one another. Over the years, I've come full circle -- and focus more on basic faith in God. I see through all the Jung stuff and it no longer has the answers for me it once had. I've also become an avid conspiracy theorist recently and have uncovered so much disturbing information about the world, society, religion, technology, and the workings of everything from the government to secret societies and their impact on everyday life. My basic faith in God is what has kept me sane and from going over the deep end with access to this information. I believe UFOs play into this conspiracy scheme in one way or another -- however; I have had my share of personal experiences with both UFOs and ghosts.
Back in 2000, I was back home visiting a friend. As I was leaving his residence, I noticed this gigantic "thing" above my head with recessed lighting underneath traveling at a snail's pace. I could see that it was so large I couldn't see the edges and couldn't understand how it was suspended in this manner. It was just above the pine trees and I could see what looked like smoke or clouds bend in shape as it was moving. It made no sound at all. The odd thing is that it wasn't until about three or four years later that I remembered and could recall the incident. I remember getting into my truck un-phased and unalarmed at what I was witnessing. I had absolutely no desire to report the incident nor desire to tell anyone or talk about it. It's like it didn't even stick into my short-term memory.
My only ghost encounter happened when I was in college. I was sleeping over at my brother's home when I awoke in the middle of the night. I opened my eyes and there was a woman standing on the side of the bed just looking at me! At first, I didn't believe what I was seeing and I was really tired so I just closed my eyes. I opened them again and she was still standing there looking at me. Unnerving to me I became super conscious and wide awake but then she was gone. She looked American Indian and was illuminated to some degree which is why I could make out these details in pitch darkness of the room. She had a look of "what are you doing here?" and it wasn't friendly. The closet door in the room was open and I've always had a hunch, an intuition, that this was the portal from where she came and arrived. My reasoning is that subsequent nights I was awakened by thuds coming from the closet. Of course, I never left that door open again when I stayed over in the room! Down in South Louisiana, there is common knowledge and belief that we have a little Cajun saint. Her name is Charlene Richard. She has yet to be canonized, but there has been much documentation, a TV episode, and publications written about her life and her death for this specific purpose. She died at the age of 12 due to leukemia. But she had many disturbing visions prior to her illness. While she was dying, one of the nurses in charge of her care allegedly was an addict and was keeping the pain medication for herself while Charlene endured tremendous pain and suffering with no relief. A priest that visited her daily while she was dying recounted that Charlene would ask him, "for whom should I offer up my suffering for today, Father?" My aunt was her Godmother and was also her aunt. She is buried not far from where I grew up and I've visited her tomb often -- and still do, even though she died long before I was ever born. I'm also friends and went to school with her nieces. From all I've read and the stories I was told by my aunt, I'm totally convinced myself, no doubt.
Concert Venue at the Grand Opera House of The South, Crowley, Louisiana
AH: You've released your new album entitled, ISADAR -- Reconstructed (solo piano) this month from Mainya Music. Congratulations! Can you tell me about it, the music company and your upcoming performances dates? What's next on the horizon for you after this album?
Isadar: Thank you! The new solo piano album was produced by Grammy winning guitarist and founder of Windham Hill Records, Will Ackerman. The piano music sounds like the very early days of Windham Hill Records -- long before Will Ackerman sold the company and it went in a different "lifestyle" generic direction. It is a re-working and re-visiting of tracks that Will thought was my best material I had released over the past 20 years independently on my own label, Mainya Music. Originally, he sought out to produce a new record with me, but I was too deep in working on a new album on my own. It just didn't feel right abandoning all of that work and starting over. I came up with this alternative project because I really wanted Will to produce a piano record for me and I thought it would be a great project and opportunity to heavily promote in order to launch my new piano album next year. I just performed a showcase down in South Louisiana to promote the new CD's release. It was filmed and is currently being edited. With that final package, the plan is to approach Carnegie Hall for a New York City performance - that which Will Ackerman (and select other musicians) will join me. Preliminary discussions have already started to that end, but nothing is definite at this time. I'll have a new piano Christmas album coming out in November as well as a new solo piano record, entitled Red, in early 2013. Beyond that, I still have a three-disc project from 2005 that I'm in the process of remixing. That project was made very quickly and with inferior recording technology. I'm remixing and re-mastering it so that it's more consistent and in-line with my other albums. With regard to my company name, Mainya Music, Mainya is the name I used to refer to myself as a toddler. I couldn't pronounce my first name Fabian, so Mainya was what I would say and use instead when referring to myself. As an adult while researching the trademark use for Mainya with the idea to name my company Mainya Music, I did my own research and to my surprise found out that Mainya is a Greek God whose name loosely translates to mean, "the holy spirit!"
Images courtesy of Isadar.
Isadar currently resides in New York City as he continues to write, record and make music videos to accompany his work. His music is globally distributed through iTunes. To learn more about Isadar, free samplers, concerts and to purchase his music please visit: http://www.isadar.com/