Lawrence Peryer
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(He/Him)
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Covers:
Music, culture, art, entertainment, business, technology, creativity, paranormal
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Life coaches
Father. Business & Creative Professional.
Articles by Lawrence Peryer
The Form Outlasts the Instrument
Hazrat Inayat Khan spent his youth mastering an instrument at royal courts, then spent the rest of his life speaking in its grammar without ever picking it up again. Composer and pianist Michael Harrison, who made his professional and artistic mark as a second-generation Minimalist, was also known by the Sufi name Sarmad. He had been an initiate of that mystical path, specifically the Inayati Order, since the 1970s.
Green Is Their Color
Across the traditions touched on here, green is consistently attached to the same cluster of meanings: the boundary between life and death, the force that survives or overcomes death, hidden or esoteric knowledge, direct experiential knowing as opposed to doctrinal or rational knowledge, the liminal figure who operates between worlds, and the vital energy that animates living things from within.
Spend Time with People You Want to Become
I didn't have anything like a mentor until I was around thirty. Then I got one I didn't choose. We were thrust together on a project that was exciting and high profile, a dream gig by any measure, and for about a year I mostly resented him and the assignment. His boss was demanding and, shall we say, lacking in social skills, and the mentor was often pushing hard on me without giving any context for why.
Stay Curious About What You Think You Know
Spend time with someone who knows a lot about a given topic. A scientist, historian, surgeon, master musician. They hedge far more than an amateur does. "I'm not sure" comes up constantly. They will spend twenty minutes on a question that someone with three months of experience answers in thirty seconds. The person who read one book about economics has a complete theory of how everything works. The person who has spent thirty years studying it knows how many things economists still don't understand.
Some of the Most Important Things Can't Be Measured — Lawrence Peryer
A few years ago, I was unhappy in my job. My solution was to push for a higher salary and a bigger mandate. Within six months of successfully getting what I wanted, I was miserable in ways I had not anticipated and could not quite quantify. The work itself was challenging. Technically, everything was fine.
On Contact, Secrecy, and Ancient Mysteries — Lawrence Peryer
There is a cluster of features in human experience that recurs across cultures, millennia, and traditions that had no contact with each other. Once you start cataloguing the elements of that cluster, the consistency is oddly specific. Luminosity or overwhelming light. An initial response of terror transitioning to calm. Time behaving abnormally. Information arriving as reception rather than deduction, more download than derivation.
The Patchwork Quilt of American Jazz Journalism — Lawrence Peryer
Hannah Edgar and Rayna Mathis have taken very different routes into the field. Edgar is a Chicago-based freelance critic who writes for the Chicago Tribune, WBEZ, and Musical America; she studied musicology at the University of Chicago before earning a library science degree focused on archives. Mathis edits Earshot Jazz, Seattle's monthly jazz publication, while working full-time as The Creative Advantage Project Manager for Seattle Public Schools, overseeing an arts education program.
Are video podcasts just talk shows with non-union labor? — Lawrence Peryer
The video podcast format is often identical to television talk shows: host(s) at a desk or table, guest conversation, segmented for clips, distributed on a schedule. The production pipeline — lighting, camera ops, audio, editing, graphics — maps directly onto what a talk show crew does. The difference is the labor model, not the product. by Lawrence Peryer, 23 Media Ventures Traditional talk shows operate under SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, WGA, and sometimes DGA agreements.
Fabiano do Nascimento's Quiet Guitar
2-Tier Leilani Patao New York City Indie Pop
Miguel Zenón: The Art of the Long Game
Hermán Olivera and Orquesta Taíno at the 35th San Jose Jazz Summer Fest 2025. Photo: Brooks Geiken There is an inherent problem with the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, it is impossible to see all of the artists one wants to see. So, what I tried to do was check out as many groups as possible during the three days. There were an abundance of excellent musicians and unfortunately I could not be in two places at the same time.
Bridget Ferrill Finds Beauty in Tension
1-Tier JJJJJerome Ellis Virginia Experimental
The Cinematic Snowdrops of Christine Ott and Mathieu Gabry
1-Tier Miguel Zenón Jazz Village Vanguard Puerto Rico Saxophonists
Imagination and Material Creation — Lawrence Peryer
Esoteric teachings frame imagination as creative technology, not mere fantasy. Through concentration, visualization and sensory detail, high imagination transforms invisible potential into material reality. The sixteenth-century alchemist Paracelsus offers us this metaphor: "Imagination is like the Sun.
David Byrne's Revival Meeting for the Not-Yet-Joyful
2-Tier David Byrne Road Notes Seattle 2-Tier Robert Callender Chaim O'Brien-Blumenthal Psychedelia Music History 3-Tier Tiberius Boston Indie Rock
Gunther Schuller's Centennial at NEC
2-Tier Gunther Schuller Third Stream Music History Jazz Neoclassical Education 1-Tier Linda May Han Oh Jazz Bassists
High Concept - Bill Kopp Tackles the Big Idea
2-Tier Authors Music Journalism Prog-Rock Music History 2-Tier Drummers Geoff Mann Herbie Mann Flutists Jazz Los Angeles 1-Tier Okkyung Lee Cellists Ambient Berlin Artists Experimental
Understand Who Gets an Opinion and Who Gets a Vote — Lawrence Peryer
I've become allergic to the word 'should'. When someone uses it on me, I recoil. The certainty behind it reveals something: the speaker has confused their opinion with my reality. Everyone has thoughts about your life choices. Your family thinks you should call home more often. Your co-worker has strong opinions on how you should handle your disagreement with the sales manager. Your friend knows exactly how you should handle your relationship problems.
Sound is a Spiritual Technology — Lawrence Peryer
In the hidden chambers of ancient mystery schools, initiates discovered that sound possessed the power to transform consciousness. This understanding forms a consistent thread connecting diverse esoteric traditions across millennia. Musical vibration embodies the interplay of cosmic forces, serves as an alchemical agent of transformation, and facilitates distinct states of consciousness. Through these three aspects, we can trace music's central role in Western mystery traditions.
Gamelan Dreaming with Bill Brennan and Andy Mcneill
2-Tier Bill Brennan Andy McNeill Gamelan Cross-Cultural Read Next 2-Tier Bill Brennan Andy McNeill Gamelan Cross-Cultural 2-Tier Funeral Lakes Indie Rock Canada 1-Tier Jeff Parker Tortoise Chicago Artists Los Angeles Jazz Hip Hop
Harrison Argatoff Wrestles with the Spirit of the Saxophone
2-Tier Harrison Argatoff Toronto Artists Saxophonists Jazz Canada
Don't Make Plans That Require Miracles — Lawrence Peryer
Miracle-dependent planning feels good in the moment. It's optimistic. It makes us feel capable and confident. We tell ourselves we're being ambitious, not unrealistic. But we are confusing hope with strategy. Good plans account for normal human limitations. Bad plans assume everything will go perfectly. Build in extra time because things take longer than expected. Save extra money because emergencies happen. Have backup options because first choices sometimes fall through.
Sara Serpa and Jen Shyu Rewrite Creative Music With M³
1-Tier Donny McCaslin Saxophonists David Bowie
Borrowed Voices, Borrowed Time - SANAM's Infinite Fire
SANAM's second album Sametou Sawtan translates as "I Heard a Voice," which is an apt title for a record that captures the Lebanese band's ability to make sound itself feel like revelation. The six-piece builds their experimental rock from borrowed texts spanning centuries, from twelfth-century mathematician-poet Omar Khayyam to contemporary Lebanese writers. All of these voices are joined through improvised sessions that conjure the ancient in a very current, modern present.
The Physics of Creative Flow — Lawrence Peryer
The Western mystery traditions got something right about creativity that modern culture has mostly forgotten: vibration creates reality, not the other way around. Every time a musician enters flow state or a painter finds their groove, they're demonstrating principles that hermetic schools spent centuries mapping systematically. Matter vibrates at different rates. Consciousness vibrates at different rates. Sound sits between them as a bridge.
Speaking in Tongues - Jon Fadem's Guitar Language
2-Tier Jon Fadem Guitarists Pennsylvania Indie Rock 2-Tier Backspin Record Label Portland Indie Rock Psychedelia 1-Tier Robin Holcomb Pianists Cellists Seattle Vancouver Jazz
Chasing Flying Saucers Made Me A Better Thinker — Lawrence Peryer
As a child I would stay up all night, reading books like Chariots of the Gods, Erich von Däniken's book that popularized the "ancient astronaut" theory of extraterrestrials who meddled in paleo-human affairs. Later, I collected UFO books with names like The UFO Cover-Up, Above Top Secret, anything with a flying saucer on the cover. I videotaped documentaries about Area 51. I drew pictures of gray aliens during math class. I wasn't looking for entertainment.
Dancing to Brainwaves - Andrew Staniland's Mind Music
2-Tier Andrew Staniland Canada Newfoundland Composer Experimental Read Next 2-Tier Andrew Staniland Canada Newfoundland Composer Experimental 1-Tier Larry Tye Authors Jazz Music History 2-Tier Nate Smith Drummers Indie Pop R&B/Soul
Adam Weinert Choreographs a New Chapter at Hudson Hall
2-Tier Adam Weinert Hudson Valley New York Artists Dance Music Business 1-Tier Rico Jones Saxophonists Brooklyn Jazz 2-Tier Marko Ciciliani Austria Experimental Composer
Believe Everything But Don't Believe in Anything — Lawrence Peryer
I believe love is just chemistry and evolutionary programming and I believe it's the most real thing we experience. I believe the universe is meaningless matter following physical laws and I believe my choices matter profoundly. In a recent podcast interview with my longtime friend and colleague Jeremy Sirota I told him, "I like to say I don't believe anything.
A Drummer Darkly - Charlie Werber's Mystical Rhythm
1-Tier Aqeel Aadam Philadelphia Artists Ambient Electronic Synthesis Technology
The Resonant Path of Vibration, Receptivity, and Transformation — Lawrence Peryer
Sound holds a central position in esoteric traditions because it functions as both physical phenomenon and metaphysical principle. Ancient mystery schools understood that perception operates across multiple frequencies, many beyond ordinary sensory awareness. Vibration becomes the fundamental medium through which consciousness transcends material limitations. Sacred vocal work demonstrates how vibrational phenomena serve as bridges between material and spiritual realms.
Rogerio Boccato's Cardume Swims Against the Jazz Current
2-Tier Rogerio Boccato Percussionists Jazz Brazil Artists New York City 1-Tier Rez Abbasi Guitarists Jazz Pakistan New York City 2-Tier Coldcut Matt Black Robert Anton Wilson Music History
We Are Floating in Space - Jane Ira Bloom's Jazz Odyssey
2-Tier Jane Ira Bloom Saxophonists Connecticut Jazz
The Monster With Three Heads — KOMARA's New Direction
1-Tier Sean Imboden Indianapolis Saxophonists Composer Jazz Big Band Jazz
Heavy Tonal - Lingyuan Yang's Harmonic Friction
2-Tier Lingyuan Yang Microtonal Guitarists Jazz Experimental 1-Tier Bob Familiar Glenn Dickson Ambient Electronic Clarinetists Synthesis Boston 3-Tier Half Man Half Biscuit Liverpool Music History Indie Rock Britian
Aho Ssan and Resina Learn to Disappear Completely
2-Tier Aho Ssan Resina Warsaw Paris France 1-Tier Cellists Experimental Music 1-Tier Gustavo Cortiñas Drummers Chicago Artists Jazz Mexico 2-Tier Jamie Hamilton Modern Classical Experimental Music London Artists Britian Phaedra Ensemble
Joane Hétu: Building Territory in Québec’s Experimental Music Scene
How one composer spent four decades forging a distinctly Québécois path through the experimental music landscape When Joane Hétu picks up her alto saxophone, she claims territory. At sixty-six, the Montréal composer, vocalist, and saxophonist has spent forty years carving out space for experimental music in Québec, building institutions and communities that define the province’s musique actuelle scene.
Stephan Thelen Warms Up to Musical Mathematics
2-Tier Switzerland Stephan Thelen Guitarists Jazz + Electronics Read Next 2-Tier Switzerland Stephan Thelen Guitarists Jazz + Electronics 1-Tier Kim Perlak Guitarists Modern Classical Boston 2-Tier A.M. Boys Electronic Music Electro Pop
Four Decades of Québécois Experimental Music
2-Tier Joane Hétu Montreal Canada Experimental Music 1-Tier Locrian Terence Hannum Baltimore Heavy Music Noise 3-Tier Web Web Munich German Artists Jazz + Electronics Krautrock Roberto Di Gioia
Enlightenment Made Easy
3-Tier The Whimbrels Indie Rock Brooklyn
Alex “Apolo” Ayala Takes Puerto Rican Jazz Back to its African Roots
“Afro-Puerto Rican Jazz” maps how enslaved Congolese people preserved their musical heritage in Puerto Rico, establishing rhythmic connections that still influence jazz today In his Brooklyn apartment, bassist Alex “Apolo” Ayala speaks with quiet intensity about his mission: “I’m all about bridging the African diaspora. That’s really my passion.” For Ayala, this artistic philosophy is also a lived reality.
Buzzing with Zen - Steve Holtje's Improvisational Honeymoon
1-Tier The Black Watch Santa Barbara Indie Rock
Fragments of Revelation — Matthew Shipp & Ivo Perelman
2-Tier Matthew Shipp Ivo Perelman Jazz Saxophonists Pianists 1-Tier Ingrid Laubrock Saxophonists Brooklyn German Artists Poetry 2-Tier Kory Reeder Modern Classical
Going Gonzo - The Complicated Work of Hunter S. Thompson
1-Tier Kinan Azmeh Brooklyn Syria Middle East Clarinetists
Noise Deployed - Arthur Arsenne and the Art of Texture
2-Tier Arthur Arsenne Experimental Music Noise France Toru 1-Tier Tal Yahalom Guitarists Israel Jazz 2-Tier EZRA Jesse Jones Jacob Jolliff Bluegrass Mandolinists
For Stefan Hegerat the Song Never Remains the Same
2-Tier Stefan Hegerat stef.in Toronto Artists Canada Drummers Jazz Fusion Heavy Music 1-Tier Claire Cope Pianists Composer Modern Classical Jazz 2-Tier Red Snapper London Artists Britian Jazz Fusion
From Elaste to Compost — Michael Reinboth's Musical Method
2-Tier Michael Reinboth Compost Records Record Label Munich German Artists The Waterboys 1-Tier Rock Music Singer/Songwriter 2-Tier Chaz Underriner Florida Experimental Music
Jazz Drummer's Decades-Long Path to Debut
Professor Groove — Leon Anderson Takes the Lead 2-Tier Leon Anderson Drummers Jazz Florida New Orleans Read Next 2-Tier Leon Anderson Drummers Jazz Florida New Orleans 2-Tier Jerry David Decicca Texas Singer/Songwriter 1-Tier Craig Mod Authors Japan
Montreal's String Quartet Democracy
1-Tier Tamiko Thiel Artists Technology
Beautiful Debris
1-Tier Tamiko Thiel Innovators Technology
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