Breathing Through the Pain is an album of instrumental poems. Feeling dually inspired by my painterly friends & the sacred patterns of the land, I set off on recording ideas upon winds, strings, reeds, & keys to create palettes of tones & phrases. Recording with a stereo pair of condenser microphones meant that a few creaks & crickets could sneak into the picture, and re-improvising my performances with digital samplers & sequencers allowed delicate moments to be rebuilt into structures or evaporated into haze. By the end of the recording process, some melodies had evolved into narrative arrangements, and a handful of improv takes had found their way in nearly untouched. I hope that the flow of these pieces may bring you somewhere meditative & mysterious...

As a dedication to these inspiring wildernesses & the people who care for them, all proceeds from purchases of this album are being donated to the Tewa Women’s United, Hopi Foundation, and New Mexico Wildlife Center non-profits. All donations made to these 501c3 organizations will directly support programs that serve the lands & communities of New Mexico, Arizona, and the greater southwestern region.

6/10 Update: I send my deep thanks to all that have supported this project thus far! Starting today, I will be matching all donations made to the above NM/AZ charities via digital purchases of this album with equivalent donations to the 'Act Blue: Racism and Police Brutality Funds' of up to $500 total. Learn more at secure.actblue.com/donate/ab_mn

Thanks so much for listening. Be well,
-Mikey