"Fire Pond" song release

Bridging divides in a time of polarization

Over the past few years I’ve experienced divisions between people in a way I never had before. I found myself thinking very differently about things than some of the people I’m close to, and I started seeing this happening all around me — between family members, friends, colleagues. This song is about trying to stay in loving relationship with someone whose opinions were painfully different from my own. It’s about discovering in myself something deeper than my own opinions and judgements, and seeing that something new became possible when I was able to take interest in someone else’s experience — when I was able to listen and really stay open to their story, and when they were able to do the same for me.

A friend of mine once told me that taking interest in someone is a form of love. I’ve found this to be really true in this process, and it’s been an incredible opportunity to deepen my understanding of love. It’s been difficult in many ways, but it’s also been one of the most significant growth experiences of my life, and I’m very grateful for it.

I’m also grateful for the musicians who helped bring this song to life. At some point in the process I had a long conversation with my friend Rick Ellis who co-produced, mixed and played multiple instruments on the song. He said he was also experiencing these divides between people and shared about his experience with it. That conversation helped me understand more deeply what was going on collectively in relation to all of this, and it helped to shape the concepts and lyrics of the song. When I eventually finished a demo of “Fire Pond” and sent it to Rick months later, I felt like I was sending him pieces of our earlier conversation in song form.

Rick and I embarked on a journey to bring this song-conversation into a recording we could share with others. His inspiration helped open the landscape of sound and feeling that carries the story. He took my demo and added beautiful guitar parts, then reached out to the musicians he felt would be most inspiring to help us create the recording — bassist James “Hutch” Hutchinson (who has collaborated with many great artists from Bonnie Raitt to Elton John and B.B. King), and drummer Dave Allen (whose collaborations include Leonard Cohen and Avril Lavigne). The song also features my dear friend Lesley Kernochan whose beautiful, soulful singing helps give the track its power and depth of feel. It’s invaluable to be able to work with a singer who’s so heartfelt in approach and who also feels a personal connection with the message and spirit of the songs. Lesley has been a huge part of making this Love Bravely project possible, and is also featured on several other upcoming releases. My brother Miguel Sawaya — bassist and composer, and one of the people who has most deeply influenced my music — also helped the song come together, helping to write and craft parts that defined the overall sound and feel. I’m very grateful to all of these awesome musicians for helping me bring the original vision to life in such a beautiful way.

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To listen to “Fire Pond” on Spotify click here. Apple Music click here.

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Painting by Laura Summer inspired by “Fire Pond”

So after all this creative work, we find ourselves with a piece of music — a song that we want to share. As independent artists, how do we do this? How do we get it out for folks to hear? And how do we support this work?

Over the years, together with a lot of friends and colleagues, I’ve had the opportunity to try many different ways of releasing music — learning what feels right, what works well, what feels aligned with the original inspiration of the music.

Most recently we’ve worked with a form called “Gift Release.” Some of you may remember it from past releases. The basic idea for me is that I experience music as something I’m inspired to give. This song, for example, came to me, and then the feeling I have is that it wants to be offered out to the world. So the first step of the Gift Release is simply to share the song and make it accessible, so that anyone who wants to can connect with it. No pay walls. These days that’s not hard, because channels like YouTube already allow music to be experienced free of charge.

But then the question comes, how do we support ourselves as artists? Through experience I’ve learned that art can be beautifully and effectively supported through direct contributions from those who value it. So the next step is to invite all of you to contribute whatever you feel inspired to, and are able to. If you feel like this song, and this work, is something you’d like to support we welcome you to join our community of supporters on Patreon with a monthly contribution, or to make a one-time contribution via Pay Pal.

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So here’s the Gift Release in three steps:

1. Listen — Check out the song

2. Share — Who would you be inspired to share this with? Help us spread the word!

3. Support — Contribute to help this work flourish!

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Your support will truly help make this project possible. We’re excited that we can invite you all into this process as collaborators rather than customers — a really different kind of relationship that gives us a chance to build much more together.

Thank you so much for listening to “Fire Pond,” and for all your support and shared inspiration. Special thanks to my good friends Laura Summer (whose artwork you see on the “Fire Pond” cover, and throughout this post!) and Seth Jordan who have helped me make this new project — Love Bravely — a reality. We hope you enjoy the song…

Painting by Laura Summer inspired by “Fire Pond”

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Love Bravely is a cross-genre music project and creative community founded by rapper / singer-songwriter, Matre, in collaboration with a wide network of musicians, artists and creatives. For more information visit us on Substack.

Our work is made possible by a community of supporters. To join this community and help this work flourish, you can become a monthly contributor on Patreon or make a one time donation here. Thank you!

Rick Ellis is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer continually creating and producing music.

Lesley Kernochan is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with many inspiring releases you can listen to here.

Laura Summer is a painter and co-founder of the arts and arts education nonprofit, Free Columbia. She’s also the creator of “Art Dispersal” — an innovative way of supporting visual artists and making original artwork accessible for all without paywalls.

Seth Jordan is a writer and educator, and founder of The Whole Social — a project exploring social well-being, with a focus on the deeper dynamics behind current events.