So… what’s happening on Tuesday? Let me tell you a story.
In October of 2022, after several years of battling a genetic illness, I found myself in the emergency ICU, barely functioning. I now had a new battle – a rare, aggressive case of The Thing Nobody Wants To Get. Each day became a fight to hold on.
Struggling in the ICU, I readied myself for unbeing. If it was time, it was time. There was pain, but also zen and love.
A phrase from Kafka embedded in my mind, glowing endlessly with perspective both personal and historical: “The meaning of life is that it ends.”
But, unraveled as I was, it was not yet my time. I’m now in a bonus round. I’m still here because of my superhero wife, incredible luck (like rolling three sixes in a row), and the Da Vinci Xi surgical robot.
Months later, while I recovered, Cynthia started instigating, as she does. She reconnected the members of Splashdown and suggested we create something. Somehow, enough time had passed, and the planets were aligned. It happened.
“Metamorphosis” is a brand new song, written for these events. The chord progression appeared in my fingers in one sitting (the only other time that happened was Mayan Pilot). I had a conversation with Melissa about my experience, and she conjured lyrics that captured it perfectly.
You can read the song as a dialogue between us. There are thoughts about the vastness of the human experience and our tiny place within it (first verse). Marveling at survival (second verse). I believe that after death there is nothing, and Melissa responded with the idea that energy can’t be destroyed, only changed (that’s the bridge). And so on.
I hope Splashdown listeners find as much meaning in the song as I do.
The gate is ajar, and we are working on more songs. I make no promises there, excited though I am. I’m astounded we even got to this point. Let’s see!
We are also addressing some other unfinished business: “Nomadic.” We played this song live a few times, but never released a studio version. The backing tracks are from 2000, but the sitar-ish guitar, the vocals, and the bass were done this year. It only says “demo” after the title because the backing tracks were embedded onto the tape, and there are some arrangement choices we’d make differently now. It’s a hybrid of our past selves and our present.
Clif at Stoltze Design Group, who was our partner all through the Castle von Buhler years and whose team designed the Splashdown visuals, joined in to create the new cover art. And while we were at it, we decided to make a limited run of posters.
Shout out to Jason Sakos, who played drums on “Metamorphosis.”
So that’s the story. Two new songs, more in the works.
Let’s see what happens next.
a field from sight
a picogram in the mighty infinite
keeps on messing with my head OH
the butterfly that moves its wings
in the minute intricate
causes hurricanes on the other side of the world
when you’re facing the wall
at the edge of it all
the meaning of life’s that it ends
Kafka said
transformation, changes
the black and white
the in between
in the law of opposites
keeps things spinning in the arms of a milky whirl
hello goodbye
yeah I’m still here
as a thread of confluence
in the infinite emptiness that’s fuller than we know
when you’re nothing at all
you’ll be everything OH
the meaning of life’s that it ends
Kafka says
I don’t think it ends
it’s just metamorphosis
(my friend)
Can’t destroy it
can’t create it
energy energy energy I am energy energy energy OH
its just transforming
to new creations
energy energy energy I am energy energy energy OH
OH it’s metamorphosis, it’s just metamorphosis, it’s metamorphosis
(sending light, love, and peace to you my friend)
(wish you didn’t have to leave so soon)
p.s. Blueshift, if you haven’t found it already.
p.p.s. If you’re blood type O positive, and feel like you have too many healthy kidneys, let me know…
Adam von Buhler 