SP MAGAZINE August 2010, "Books", Page 30 Book Review by Luke Oram Website: www.spmagazine.org

DOWNLOAD REVIEW

"THAT GRAND OLD CATCH 22"
"The spiritual significance of music is a subject so deep and full of subjective sinkholes it would require a book." - Gerald Casale, Devo

The concept behind The Spiritual Significance of Music is simple enough; an array of artists, musicians and professionals brought together to provide commentary on the question “What do you believe is the spiritual significance of music?”

Most of them have at it. Anyone who has had experience with a musician or creative will know that they have opinions in spades – a good thing, considering they are some of the world’s foremost voices.

One of editor Justin St. Vincent’s masterstrokes was in taking steps to avoid TSSOM being some kind of one-sided homily from the Christian Music Scene. To this end, the artists interviewed are from a wide spectrum of believers, atheists and cynics, with a few Satanists thrown in for good measure. The leading question too, is deceptively brilliant. St. Vincent gets no objections for leading the witness. It’s genius in it’s vagueness; there’s no mention of God, instead leaving the subject to come to their own conclusions on the meaning of spirituality itself, and introducing the question within a question.

Many of the artists start there. “First of all, what is spirituality?” asks Sander Gommans of After Forever. The views of the artists are fascinating in their diversity; some discount the term in favour of a Powerful Emotional Response, others give names; whether that name be God, Allah, Yahweh, Satan, or some kind of universal force, “something substantial in the universe”.

As far as the link between spirit and music, the dialogue descends further into the rabbit-hole. Daniel Beddingfield refers to the sound of the “Deep hum behind reality...particle and wave...the excitement of electrons”, singer-songwriter Victor Crowl pays tribute to the “energy between the notes”, while composer Peter Davison brings the big bang into play.

Of course, there is plenty of standard Protestant argument when it comes to God and music – “Music was created by God, as was every instrument to be used to bring Him glory” says Sonic Flood’s Rick Heil.

Again, St. Vincent’s great masterstroke is at show here. The book is treated with great objectivity; every opinion gets its own weighting, and the reader is left with a challenging depth of opinion.

One thing that becomes clear within TSSOM is the chasm between the language used by the overtly Christian artists and the others. The Christian artists seem to be bound by a form of their own language, where ‘spirituality’ becomes ‘God’, ‘spiritual music’ becomes ‘Worship’. They argue over semantics (Petra’s John Schlitt – “I don’t believe there is spiritual significance in music, but I do believe music is a powerful tool for a spiritual end”).

To a certain extent, this makes their view come off as a little narrow. As a person with spiritual beliefs myself, I stop short of advocating some kind of universalism , but I definitely think that our language needs to change when we’re exploring a matter so wide and expansive, otherwise we miss out on a powerful opportunity to grow our outlook. It remains however, that the dialogue within TSSOM is important."

SCOOP.CO.NZ April 28th 2010 Press Release by Xtreme Music  Website: www.scoop.co.nz

DOWNLOAD FEATURE

"XTREME MUSIC CELEBRATES NZ MUSIC MONTH"
For May 2010, Xtreme Music celebrates New Zealand Music Month with a FREE online portfolio featuring thoughts and musings with 40 of New Zealand's most visionary musicians and writers. Justin St. Vincent, Managing Editor of Xtreme Music, has interviewed over 1000 people to explore the deeper meanings of music, and has hand-picked 40 Kiwi contributors to share their thoughts on music and spirituality for music-makers and music-lovers during New Zealand Music Month.

Contributors include members of Hamilton punk-rock band All Left Out, Christchurch-based death-metal band Human, Napier's progressive post-rock band Jakob, singer-songwriter Nathan King, author and physician Robin Kelly, keynote speaker and spiritual entrepreneur Mike Handcock. Online readers are able to explore these exclusive interviews for free, download layout previews as PDFs, and forward any of the artists' responses to fellow fans and friends. To access this free Online Edition with 40 Kiwi artists for New Zealand Music Month, together with their brief biographies and exclusive interviews, click onto Xtreme Music: www.xtrememusic.org
 
Justin St. Vincent's latest book "The Spiritual Significance of Music" includes New Zealand-born singer-songwriter Daniel Bedingfield sharing his thoughts on why "music is the deep hum behind reality, part of the thread that ties the universe together", and Rigel Walshe from Auckland's death-metal band Dawn Of Azazel discusses how "few things in the modern world can rival the significance of music". Simon Moore, former guitarist of Parachute Band from Parachute Festival, also shares how "loving and needing music seems to be woven into the fabric of who we are and how God created us". All contributors offer insightful views that celebrate the beauty and diversity of music. Xtreme Music has a special offer for New Zealand Music Month on First Editions of the new book, now available for only $20 plus P&P (RRP $29.95).
 
A complete list of all 40 Kiwi contributors for New Zealand Music Month is available here:
http://www.xtrememusic.org/nzmusicmonth.html

CITY SCENE April 11th 2010, "It's All Happening In Auckland" Author Talk feature by Rochelle Cunningham Website: www.aucklandcity.govt.nz

DOWNLOAD FEATURE

"AUTHOR TALK"
"Kiwi author Justin St. Vincent discusses his music anthology, The Spiritual Significance of Music, which includes interviews with world-famous musicians such as Guns N' Roses. 6pm. Central City Library, CBD. Ph: 377 0206. www.aucklandcitylibraries.com FREE"

PONSONBY NEWS April 2010, "Living, Thinking + Being", Page 87 Book Interview by Deirdre Roelants Website: www.ponsonbynews.co.nz

DOWNLOAD INTERVIEW

"THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF MUSIC"
"Justin St. Vincent has had an interesting life. He was born in New Zealand but spent his formative years in Hong Kong. His childhood there exposed him to all sorts of music and his friends came from a diverse range of cultures and creeds. Music became his passion and stayed with him into adulthood. This passion has inspired him to explore the spiritual significance of music through interviews with over a thousand musicians and composers from around the world. After time spent in the United Kingdom and New York he returned to New Zealand and has been busy forming his own publishing company Xtreme Music and producing his first book which is a compilation of 160 interviews he has conducted. "The Spiritual Significance of Music?" is the first in a series of three.

Justin has approached this work without any religious agenda. Every major religion in the world embraces music's relevance in our lives. His task has been to capture a snapshot of what spirituality means to musicians. His exploration has covered music in its entirety from composers to performers and includes all genres. He has been totally objective in his selection and leaves it up to readers to arrive at their own discernment. Music is a great leveller in our lives. Justin describes it as a mutual friend. You might strike up a conversation with a stranger and find you appreciate the same sort of music. There is an instant connection. He also notes that when a composer births a song it can be several months in gestation but there's no knowing of how the child will grow up. As the song takes a life of its own through concerts, and media exposure there comes the time of waiting to see how the wider audience embraces it. This must be a pretty nail biting experience hopefully followed by the euphoria of acceptance!

We all realise there is a good and dark side to music. How it can be a rallying force for both good and evil. How the oppressed have used it to vent their rage against oppression. Who cannot be moved by Paul Robeson's rendering of "Old Man River" or "The Song of the Volga Boatmen" which laments the suffering of the barge-haulers in Tsarist Russia? Let's not even go to how Hitler appropriated Wagner's operas for his Nazi propaganda! I'm sure music aficionados will enjoy Justin's book. It also has appeal for a wider readership who are intrigued about what makes musicians "tick". Justin gives a valid insight into their thoughts about the vexed subject of spirituality and his interviewees talk from the heart.

How to access this book? By clicking on Justin's own website www.musicandspirituality.com. Other online options are Amazon, TradeMe, FishPond.co.nz, and AbeBooks.com. The book retailers stocking it are Pathfinder Book Shop, Pinnacle Books, Manna Christian Stores, and Marbecks. Justin says he has enough material for nine books, but in the meantime we have to be content with one, and two to come."

HM : THE HARD MUSIC MAGAZINE March - April 2010, Issue 142 Book Review by Doug Van Pelt Website: www.hmmagazine.com

DOWNLOAD REVIEW

"THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF MUSIC"
"This somewhat scholastic book collects dozens of interviews from a wide variety of sources (professional musicians, teachers and the like) - from Bolt Thrower to Eyehategod to Demon Hunter and Mortification throw in their two cent's worth on the unique subject of music and its curious properties."

NEXUS MAGAZINE : NEW TIMES February - March 2010, Vol. 17, No. 2, Page 64 Book Review by Duncan Roads Website: www.nexusmagazine.com

DOWNLOAD REVIEW

"THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF MUSIC"
"Open this book at any page and you'll find snippets of wisdom from diverse people in the world of music. This is an inspiring collection of material that explores the relationship between music and spirituality, and there are some surprising contributions. Amongst the pearls: "True spirituality seeks to re-unite a thread that connects all of us to the rest of life and, thus, brings us together", and "there is really a music of the spheres and a rhythm and pulse coming from the heart of the universe that harmonizes…"

This collection is compiled by New Zealander Justin St. Vincent, founder of Xtreme Music. There are contributions from vocalist Sheila Chandra and sitar master Ravi Shankar, sound healers Sharry Edwards and Jonathan Goldman, jazz keyboardist George Duke, GAIAM composer Peter Davison and a host more. It strikes home how music can be explored and lived from a variety of perspectives. It is people who bring significance to music, says St Vincent in the encore to his book which rings a harmonious chord."

CHALLENGE WEEKLY February 22nd 2010, Vol. 68, Iss. 6 Book Review by Mary Bateman Website: www.challengeweekly.co.nz

DOWNLOAD REVIEW

"FASCINATING READING"
"AND now for something completely different. This is a collection of 100 interviews, culled from over 1000 interviews with musicians of all types and stripes, on the topic of music and spirituality. Most interviewees agree that music is inextricably linked with, or even composed of, spirituality.  Every type of music seems to be represented, running the spiritual and stylistic gamut, from Satanist death metal to a cappella Christian gospel music. If you want to check out a band or group, look in this book. Alternatively, there is a website, www.musicandspirituality.com to check out. The interviews clearly show each musician’s sense of spirituality or lack thereof.

For example, Mike Zachary, author of A song in Your heart: Music’s role in the Christian life, begins with a beautiful quote from Zephaniah 3:17 which concludes "he [the Lord] will joy over thee with singing...", whereas Paul Speckman, a Black Metal bassist and vocalist, claims, “I would say there is a spirit in metal, but no real spiritual significance whatsoever”. Yet Gorgoroth, another musician from a Metal band, states that what they are best at is satanic manipulation through music, culture, and psychodrama.
To me, many of the photos of each musician speak as much as the words do in revealing the driving force or spiritual basis motivating each one. There is New Age, punk, hip-hop, pop-rock, classical and more — every form and style represented. This is a fascinating read for anyone interested in the subject of music and spirituality."

CHALLENGE WEEKLY February 2nd 2010, Vol. 68, Iss. 3 Book Interview by Andrew Killick Website: www.challengeweekly.co.nz

DOWNLOAD INTERVIEW

"EMBRACING DIVERSITY"
"Andrew Killick recently chatted to the author of The Spiritual Significance of Music, Justin St. Vincent, about his ground breaking music and spirituality project.

What can people expect to find on the website and in your new book?
The book and website embrace the diversity of music and spirituality. It may be challenging to Christian readers. We desperately need to be introduced to worldviews different from our own, in order to know the culture, know the Gospel, then translate. That's what makes the book so dynamic in its content and powerful in its message. I couldn't imagine a more pointless project than to feed a Christian marketplace with responses that all agreed with one-another, and essentailly was "preaching to the choir".

Throughout this project what would be the number one thing you have learnt about music and spirituality?
There is more to music than meets the ear. I’ve learnt something new from every interview. Each response has illuminated a unique voice sharing an intimate view of what they believe, and what they create. Their wonderful words are extremely personal, and I deeply cherish, honour, and respect each of the musicians and writers that have contributed to this epic anthology. My hope is that every reader will also learn something new from every interview. I've been blessed by the new perspectives included within the book, and my hope is that people will be challenged and inspired. The interviews that particularly stand out in my mind are the ones I've shared with "non-Christian" bands Dawn Of Azazel, Faith No More, Guns N' Roses, and The Locust because they are highly supportive of this project, and have shared remarkable insights in their responses.

For you as a Christian, what’s it like interviewing a musician whose views on spirituality are not Christian?
I feel absolute peace and pleasure when I do these interviews. It reminds me of the famous quotation from the film Chariots Of Fire when Eric Liddell, famous Olympian and missionary, said, "I feel God’s pleasure when I run". This project has continually reminded me of God's eternal grace, divine mercy, and abundant love.

What would you say is the overall message of your book?
The overall message of my book is that "we are the spiritual significance of music." Music and spirituality are universal languages with global appeal. Both have a direct influence and impact on the human spirit. I believe God has placed a spiritual seed within music that can point people back to Him."

The Spiritual Significance of Music is published by Xtreme Music, distributed by Castle Publishing, and available from Christian bookshops (RRP $29.95).

CHRISTIAN WOMAN Autumn 2010, Vol. 57, No. 1, Page 52 Book Review by Anne Hamilton Website: www.christianwoman.com.au

DOWNLOAD REVIEW

"THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF MUSIC"
"What if there was more to music than meets the ear? This new and exciting book provides some amazing answers to the question, ?What do you believe is the spiritual significance of music?? Over 100 interviews are captured in an epic anthology of musicians exploring their thoughts on music and spirituality. Music-makers and music-lovers will adore this inspirational book and cherish the wonderful words shared from musicians representing many communities, cultures and creeds.

Contributors include Kimba Arem (founder of Heartherapy™?), Sheila Chandra (lead vocalist of Monsoon), Sharry Edwards (founder of Human BioAcoustics), Florence LaRue (lead vocalist of The 5th Dimension), Chloë Goodchild (founder of The Naked Voice Foundation), Wendy Bartlett (director of Healing With Harmony), Ultra Naté (DJ and music producer) and Kathryn Toyama (composer and pianist)."

SUNDAY STAR TIMES February 28th 2010, "Roundup: Mind Boby Spirit" Book Review by Mike Alexander Website: www.star-times.co.nz

DOWNLOAD REVIEW

"THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF MUSIC"
"This collection of essays from artists as diverse as Arrested Development, Stryper, Ravi Shankar and Jonathan Goldman is a fascinating insight into what stirs the soul and finds expression through music. Justin St. Vincent's driftnet approach allows for some meaningful perspectives from unlikely sources. Ivar Bjornson, the guitarist in Norwegian dark metal band Enslaved, makes a valid point when he says "most music has a spiritual ingredient with varying depth and reach", which Aaron Stainthorpe, vocalist for doom metal band My Dying Bride, suggests that it's all in the eye, or should that be ear, of the beholder. And while these are admirable sentiments they shouldn't be taken to mean that all music resonates with spirit. You might feel the vibe but that doesn't mean you are resonating with spirit."

POPOLOGY.NET December 1st 2009 Book Review by Steve Bell Website: www.popology.net

DOWNLOAD REVIEW

"THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF MUSIC"
"It’s a very brave editor that collects comments from saints to satanists and everyone in between, and lets them co-habit a publication intended for evangelistic purposes... but yet is able to let the contributions stand on their own feet without having to force-fit them into an existing worldview. Just as Justin St. Vincent hopes, this book will draw people to God - and even better, in a manner that is compatible with the post-modern and (dare I say it?) the emergent mindset.

On a personal level, it has dramatically deepened my understanding of what God is, and what we are. It’s left me musing over what it means to be created in God’s likeness - not in terms of appearance, but of substance, and at a level lower than that even, what creation even amounts to; why exactly music has such power to reach us on an inmost level, and why - as one contributor says, “...music … has the power to shorten the road to [God]”.

But perhaps what surprised me the most, was that many of the “aaaaaah!” lightbulb moments of the book were while I was reading a contribution from people who many Christians would consider ‘unsaved’, or ‘new age’. In fact, I’m left thinking that many of the Christian contributors had less of a grasp on the depth and power inherent in sound and music than other ‘non-Christian’ contributors. And in an odd way, that fills me with hope that our God is indeed at work deep in the spirits everyone who hungers and thirsts for righteousness. Please, read this book. And if you want to read it for everything it’s worth, do so with Christian preconceptions bundled up and left aside. Thank you."

EAST & BAYS COURIER November 25th 2009 Book Launch article by Sarah Moyes  Website: www.eastandbayscourier.co.nz

DOWNLOAD ARTICLE

"JUSTIN PURSUES MUSIC'S MEANING"
Justin St. Vincent remembers the exact moment music changed his life. At the age of 12, while sitting in history class at his school in Hong Kong, a soundtrack from a movie opened his eyes to the power and emotion of music. "The music passed through my mind and went directly to my soul. That moment, my life changed," he says. Now at the age of 26, Mr. St. Vincent’s passion for music is more alive than ever. The St. Heliers resident will be releasing his first book next week, and yes it’s about music.
 
"The Spiritual Significance of Music" is a collection of interviews with 100 of the world’s top musicians and writers. From Daniel Bedingfield to Devo and Guns n’ Roses to Faith No More, he asked all of them the same question: "What do you believe is the spiritual significance of music?" Mr. St. Vincent has interviewed more than 1000 musicians and writers, and continues to interview 20 a month. It took him four years to complete the book but "it felt like a lifetime of research". "It’s a passion of mine, it didn’t feel like work. "Music is almost like a mutual friend. You can make an instant connection with someone through it."
 
Although he was born in Auckland, Mr St Vincent has spent only four years in the country. The first 22 years of his life were split between Hong Kong and England. Mr. St. Vincent put the interviews online at the beginning of the year and within the first four days his website had 180,000 hits. "I was getting a lot of requests for a book. "Initially I wanted to do it all for free, but realised there was a market for a book." "The Spiritual Significance of Music" will be launched on Tuesday. For more information about the interviews or to order a book go to: www.xtrememusic.org

SCOOP.CO.NZ November 24th 2009 Press Release by Xtreme Music  Website: www.scoop.co.nz

DOWNLOAD ARTICLE

"NEW BOOK LAUNCH CELEBRATES MUSIC AND SPIRITUALITY"
"What do you believe is the spiritual significance of music? A new book edited by a New Zealand-born writer explores this thought-provoking question with personal contributions from many of the world's leading musicians and writers. Justin St. Vincent, Director and Founder of Xtreme Music, has interviewed more than 1000 people to explore the deeper meanings of music, choosing over 100 responses to produce a cutting-edge and ground-breaking project for our music-minded generation.

"The Spiritual Significance of Music" includes exclusive interviews with members of 1 Giant Leap, Devo, DragonForce, Faith No More, Gorgoroth, Guns N' Roses, and features rare insights from Daniel Bedingfield, Michael Franti, Bob Sinclar, and Ravi Shankar, among many others. His new book embraces the beauty and diversity in music, providing readers with an intricate tapestry of new thoughts on music and spirituality. In a recent interview, Justin St. Vincent shared that "each response has illuminated a unique voice sharing an intimate view on what they believe, and what they create. Their wonderful words are extremely personal, and I deeply cherish, honour, and respect each of the musicians and writers that have contributed to this epic anthology... My hope is that every reader will learn something new from every interview."

Justin is also the Managing Editor and pioneer of the highly acclaimed website - www.musicandspirituality.com - which has achieved over 100,000 monthly web hits since its launch in January 2009. When asked about the worldwide response already received, he admitted that "the feedback from this project has been positively overwhelming. Many people seem to resonate with the reoccurring themes that surface throughout the interviews in this book". He believes that "Like music, the book does not discriminate against spiritual background or religious beliefs, it’s just happy to have your attention… Music and spirituality are universal languages with global appeal. Both have a direct influence and impact on the human spirit".

The book launch for "The Spiritual Significance of Music" will be on Tuesday 1st December, from 7:30pm to 10:30pm, at the Ivory Lounge, 421 Parnell Road, Parnell, Auckland. Free entry and everyone welcome. "The Spiritual Significance of Music", Edited by Justin St. Vincent, Published by Xtreme Music, ISBN 978-0-473-15690-9, RRP NZ$29.95. Book orders are available online at: www.musicandspirituality.com