SAINT BOWIE: Dedicated to the Orlando victims and their families.

I was planning to release my Elegy for David Bowie today, which I feared would be too late, but I see that the timing is actually just right. This sad week of the massacre in Orlando is a good time to celebrate Bowie, to be consoled by his bravery. Nobody did more to open the pathways to sexual and gender freedom than David. Please share this video.

In this piece of original music for cello, I'm joined by the wonderful Wells Hanley on piano. The recording was mixed by Mark Plati, Bowie's longtime co-producer, music director and friend. 

David was a messenger from another realm. The Man Who Fell to Earth wasn't just a movie role. He came from another planet, another space and time in which Freedom is just another part of life. Where being a sexually diverse being is normal and why wouldn't everyone appreciate that? He shared that vision with a planet just beginning to rotate into sexual freedom- when Space Oddity hit the airwaves in 1969, mainstream America was just figuring out that you don't have to be married to have intercourse. David’s being was so far beyond that envelope, somehow representing the entire spectrum of sexual possibility and gender identification, a single flash of his physicality sufficient to convey a huge throb of freedom. As the tweets of the Arab Spring called dissidents to mass demonstrations, David’s body language sent climactic shudders down the spine of Western sexuality, calling us to throw off the tyranny of the heteronormative and gender binary. In his music, he gave the bird to the monolithic shame which obscures our complex sexuality- helping millions to shine a light into previously darkened corners of existence.

What a service he did his adopted planet. Whether we identify as LGBTQ or identify with them, empathizing with their path of freedom, we can appreciate the changes Bowie brought with him to Earth. To live under the dumbed-down version of sexuality and gender provided by the mainstream is to accept a lesser view of ourselves as humans. Without the much deeper, complete view of who we are as sexual beings, we’re forced to settle for a broken mirror. Seeing ourselves through the shards of this pane damages our ability to fully know ourselves. And if the Oracle’s imperative, ‘Know thyself,’ is the key to our well-being, we can never truly be well.

As a teenager silently struggling to recover from sexual abuse and to understand my own place in the sexiverse, David held up a looking glass that was fully whole. I’ve said many times that he saved my life, and I say it again because it’s true. No one in my life was so able to reflect to me the alright-ness of my experience and inner world. And I think this was true for so many hundreds of thousands, largely because of the enforced code of silence and shame around sexual and gender diversity. David penetrated those private places without us even needing to speak of our struggles. Flying his UFO of radio and record, he came right into our worlds and healed us, lightening our burdens and removing our grief. If you want to assess his impact on our culture, just imagine if he hadn't been here; imagine the breadth of personal devastation had he not descended to Earth. Massive worldwide mourning at his death and ascension reflect the impact he had not just on the world of sound, but on the inner world. And to address his impact on sexuality is to address only one facet of his complex and radical impact on society.

So with these words, I bow down to Saint Bowie and I give thanks for his tremendous impact on my life, knowing that his influence will remain forever. The Changes he brought us can never be undone.

Thrilled about this new review from Music Existence!

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Here's an excerpt from the article.  Play Human is now available on iTunes…..

"The diversity of tracks on Play Human, plays an interesting role in the overall feel of the album. The first track that really stands out is “Hello Silverbird” which provides an 80’s rock feel with a little bit of edge. The lyrics, although simple and straight to the point, are conveyed on a very personal level with rich emotionality.

Coming at a completely different change of pace, is “Prayer for the World.” The meditative and foreign nature creates a sense of mysticism, which is an unusual characteristic for an American rock song. Hoffeld’s performance comes across as a siren crying for global scale peace, while still being introspective and ornately beautiful, even without words.

Overall, Play Human is a masterfully executed work of art. Each and every note on the album comes from a place of complete passion and is crafted perfectly to deliver Noah’s message."

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So thrilled that the great website Baeble Music has premiered my record Play Human and given it a glowing review entitled "Noah Hoffeld reshapes Classical Rock" this week. Baeble says "On his new LP, Noah Hoffeld brings the best of classical music and modern rock to bear to gorgeous effect."  Baeble managing editor Don Saas writes, 

"We have the premiere of Play Human, and it's a record that defies simple categorization though familiar sonic touchstones are there for those willing to dive into the rich textures of the record. There's a little bit of David Bowie's 'Berlin' Trilogy (particularly Low) in the sweeping, cinematic use of strings as a counterpoint to the wall of sound production (though I use that phrase in an intentionally minimalist sense). There are hints of the avant-garde 70s rock of Electric Light Orchestra in the twisting and churning of Hoffeld's vocal melodies. Hoffeld utilizes modern production flourishes to create a rich sonic soundscape to lose yourself in. 

But that guessing game of "where does Noah's unique sound come from" is meaningless if the songs aren't good. Fortunately, they're very good. "Role of Rock" is the most propulsive track on the record and it's also where Noah's background as a classical musician shows itself the most. It is a track with genuine movements and a sense of the building and releasing of tension. Other tracks like album opener "Play Human" turn Hoffeld's strings into futuristic reverbed buzzes of sound without sacrificing tightness of melody and composition."

Read the full review and listen to the album HERE