ABOUT THE MUSIC

…CONTINUATION

We begin by being picked up on the streets and taken to the facility where we enter into the various stages of institutionalization. We see the different faces and behaviors of mental illness, the treatment being given, how it is received and its outcome as expressed by staff and patients. Ultimately, it is the clients own perseverance and survival skills which will determine who can last the ordeal.

The characters are either composite of, or the actual people themselves. As we begin the man “On the Streets” is coming to the realization that he is out of control, hallucinating and the grim realities of this begin to set in. his homeless peers tell him they often pretend they are sick or create a disturbance in order to be arrested as criminally insane. They do this to gain admission to the hospital for the winter “where it is arm.” “Lost Island.” He does just that bust has second thoughts when he sees the surroundings. He is in denial but deep down realizes that he is sick. He wonders if “I will Ever Be Myself Again.” At the intake interview an explorative Doctor examines him. “Step into My Office.” He then overhears a treatment evaluation with long-term patient. “Because I’m Crazy.” Before being taken to his ward, he passes the lobby where two patients with passes (an ex-Broadway actor Born Again Gospel singer) are panhandling for money to obtain the lifeblood of the hospital “Cigarettes and Coffee.’ He finally does get to the ward and is befriended by an extremely depressed patient “down and out.”

At this point, we see the effect these conditions have had on others. We start with the staff describing their attitudes and what the main concerns at the hospital are! “Treat the Paper.” Two extremely wealthy parents reflecting on the promise and hope their son had before his illness: “The Little Boy Who Could.” A client who had privileges to go into the city finding that he contracted “AIDS” due to various indiscretions and drug abuse. We then observe a normally mild mannered patient go “off” and needing to be restrained “I Gotta Get Outta Here.” The hard working husband of a wife who is a “crack head,” “I Don’t Know What To Do.” A young father, who is constantly denied pass and requests to visit his family on holidays and continues to say he will be home soon, “Holidays Alone.” And finally, a kind of after all this “I’m still standing” expression from our client who although has seen and been through it all, still believes he will recover “With All My Heart.”

The backing tracks and arrangements for “Songs from the Island” are an integral part of the whole experience. It is the intent of the composer for the listener to feel the intense emotion of the subject in an empathetic manner. The harmonies are such that they have a profound effect on the composer’s emotions. It is hope that the listener feels this same effect. .