Just like the street protest of the 60′s and 70′s, music was also the key to bring out a message to those people who refuses to listen to the cries of the people suffering. The likes of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez who marched down with the great Martin Luther King Jr., the famous group Peter, Paul and Mary and many others deemed to dedicate songs to send out messages. And as I was nourishing myself to the genre of Folk/ Country music which I grew up with but had not totally immersed myself until now had been making the headlines in the past and during those times where oppression, racism and war were the major issues back then. As I was listening to thier music, I came across the song composed by Paul McCartney which he made in 1968, “Blackbird” was a song that he composed at that time where there was racial oppression in America. 

Everybody knows and continually love the songs which the Beatles had made and from generation to generation their song has lasted. Timeless. It is by some form that we use symbol to represent something or someone. A Lion may be seen as bravery, royalty; whereas snakes be for deceit or lies. A dove is by far a common link to peace. A symbol that even the scriptures refers to with the same notion including purity. But the turbulent times of the 60′s sees none of tha, as the street movement and the situation doesn’t follow and with that McCartney used a Blackbird.  More oftemtimes, when a person sees a blackbird, they usually connotes it with bad luck, with a bad omen. And in 1968, the longing of peace was far from happening, and so he said “You are only waiting for this moment to arrive.”

Waiting for things to happen seems futile, the situation of racial oppression was destroying the image of what’s purity and peace means and meant to be. A blackbird symbolizes “death” and that is why he said, “black bird singing in the dead of night. A white bird such as a dove pictures an image of hope of chance, oftentimes it is seen in the morning but is blind at night. Whereas, a Blackbird sings it way at night. It sees no hope of light because night time is where it does its work. Reality presents that ,It is impossible to move without light, light gives us a clear path of  things and ways without it we will be at lost. And this is perhaps what McCartney was trying to say, when one seize its right to fly, to have its freedom things become bleak and dark. The hope of soaring to the horizon is merely presented as a dream not a reality. Oppression is one dark movement that diminishes freedom and equality , with freedom and equality there is a sense of confidence that allows a person to move and see the way with clarity. But with oppression it cuts that confidence and replaces them with fear. Thus it disables the person to move with confidence and become part of something or someone. As McCartney pens “take this sunken eyes and learn to see….”

A sunken eyes is similar to blindness. An impairnedness that can be innate/inborn or by an incurred physical disability. Noone can see anything with a sunken eyes, eyes that may had seen the bad days of time and that light goes out with such disabilty disenabling someone to take steps, to cause movements. And in life, we have our own sort of blindness. Being immobile is not something that anyone would want but in a way, we are more oftentimes pushed to a situation or circumstances that makes us immobile. When we close our eyes to the truth and believe all the lies. I daresay, I applaud all who are truly physically impaired because they compensate the loss through their senses that works best for them. Christ has also challenges us our own social blindness as he cured Barthemus, the blindman on the street, he believes and so thus Christ touched him in his eyes and said “Emphata!”  which translates “open your eyes.” So you see it is a lifelong challenge that has always been existing. It is never gone out of style nor a fad but it is an impending cause that we failed to recognize because each one of us has our own sort of blindness.

Freedom is like a bird taking flight, but a clipped wing can never be for it entraps the wings to spread into the sky. Birds belong to the sky, it is by nature that birds after the time of their nesting period should take up the challenge of being up in the air. But what if  the wings are broken, it cannot be a part of something that it should be. Pain caused a man to back off and retreat. Sufferings can create an element of fear that destroys courage within our hearts and thus creates doubt and mistrust.  McCartney, for me may have the image of a black woman in his song. Still, the message is timeless that endures until today. The image may present of  a black night with the Blackbird singing in the dead of the night with broken wings as he states in the first stanza of his song, but I have to say, but it never just see the evilness of oppression during those times.

The message that comes across at the last part of his song brings us closer to this movement of “not giving up”, of  the idea of ” if it wants that moment to be free- the word he uses was to  arise. As he repeatedly states “Blackbird fly- take up that broken wings and fly.” Like what Christ said, “take up your cross and follow me.” So the test is not just to overcome oppression of races or social blindness but it also brings us to the point of taking action. If it want to achieve something “take this broken wing and fly”. The test starts within our own social blindness, our own social incapacities, our overcome our own fears by carrying this burned and doing something about it to achieve peace, hope and most of all love.

Blackbird (written by Paul McCartney)
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free.

Blackbird fly Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.

Blackbird fly Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.

October last year was a big surprise for Sam Bradley fans for he announced his first Asian tour and he has chosen the Philippines to do some series of mall show tours and at the same time shoot for his first documetary about his musical journey. The 23 year old packed his bag to an unknown country and arrived with the country having been ravaged by Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana).

Since the country, particularly in Manila, the country’s capital city was badley affected by the typhoon, this could make anyone turn back on their heels and experience a much comfortable way of doing things. But Sam and his director, Zack Spiger, who also shot his first music video Sea Blue with his manager proceeded with their plans. Making it all an adventurous experience for each one of them and since it was also an opportunity to find connection to Sam’s entrance to the music industry fits all together in the process.

After a month of putting together what Sam and his team able to accomplish while he was in Manila, the result of thier hard labor has finally arrived. In Sam’s recent blogpost on his myspace site, he wrote about his important accomplishment as a musician and for 2009, the offering of not just one but two releases; one is the documentary that surprisingly enough was in cooperation with UNICEF for the benefit of those people affected by the Typhoon in the Philippines. While Sam was in Manila last year, he did composed a song which he entitled, “Manila” that he released in his Youtube account. Now all of which are posted and can be access to the different social sites that Sam has like Myspace, You Tube and Facebook.

Sam Bradley has been making a mark in the music industry starting with the song “Never Think” which he collaborated  with a good friend who starred also in the blockbuster film, Twilight. Since then he has been moving around in different cities and states in the US to do some shows and tour as much as he can to promote his music and very recently does some touring with his band too. Sam used to do open mic in London and has a mother (Lee Lindsey)  who is also a musician like himself and following the footsteps of his family, his sister (Grace Lindsey) has also entered the music scene too.  Coincidentally, Sam’s sister also helped out in the charitble cause “Basking for Change”  in Vancouver that was held December of last year. He and his family has been living in Canada.

His journey to discover and understand better his music lead him to far away places. He may be young, setting his eyes to make a path for himself to his music, but Sam does not shut his eyes to the world, he too drums another beat, another tune also. He goes beyond the notes and chords of his music to call out to many people across the world. He’s not just a young artist of today but also an  artist with a heart reaching out to the world through his songs.

Writing comes late with me. But I love reading books that’s for sure. My father used to buy lots of book and we have cabinets and bookcases of those from the big Britannica Encyclopedia, to How-to-do-it-Yourself books to the smallest one like the Reader’s Digest. He loves to tell stories and I love to listen to him, even my Grandfather. He’s the best storyteller I’ve ever known.  And all of us, my cousins and I when he comes home from work or wakes up after sleeping we would gather near him at the terrace of my granpa’s house and listen to all kinds of stories, from the funniest ones to the scarriest stories but the stories that we all like to hear and his personal favorite (with a little touch of  lie to add excitement to our little ears) was the story about their experiences during World War II.  My grandfather is a licensed Captain during the WWII and when he was still alive he would tell how those who were captured in the war suffered together with the Americans at the fall of Bataan. My grandmother too has her own story, but a lighter one about how during the  Japanese occupations, the Japanese soldiers would line up at the plaza every morning together with the men, women and children to do an early round of exercise. And she would recounts with the counting of one, two, three in Japanese: “itchi, san, si”… I don’t know if this is correct. I’ll check on my sister who is married to a Japanses national.

Music is the next big thing for me. Right now, I am so in love with the Folk, Country, Acoustic and Blues. My father, when my sibling and I were little bought a piano. I was taught to play. I only learned a few because it interrupted my time of playing.  I did learn one though, I learned how to play the guitar when I was in college. It was on my brother’s first guitar and he was also the one who taught me how to play. My sisters most of them knows the piano. It’s only my two brothers and my second sister who knows how to play the guitar. We all love to sing. But I think I have the nicest voice among the rest (hahahaha). I joined in the faculty choir when I was still teaching. My father knows how to play the piano even though he has no formal training just like my brother.

It was also in loving music that I discovered these great young folk musicians from London.  We have a group and we call ourselves LOD’ or Land of Dreamers. These three guys are new folk musicians, although they are not yet known like Bob Dylan, they have all the potentials in the making. They compose their own songs, one of which was used in the film “Twilight”.  I met one of them, his name is Sam Bradley and he is just one of the sweetest and talented guy I’ve ever met so far. I have yet to meet Marcus Foster and Bobby Long, who by the way, was the first one that I came to know among them. And since then I’ve been in touch to thier other followers and we have a website just like the Sam, Bobby and Marcus promoting them and making them known to the world.

Right now, I am currently teaching in a Korean Language Center as an ESL/EFL teacher for three years now. Although I did taught high school and elementary in my previous school for almost eleven years. I think the name of the game right now is about language so I pursued this job and would still be probably be here for some more months before I get the nod from the college that I am applying in Canada. I’d like to go back to study again, not in the masters degree course but another related course. I do hope to learn more especially in writing which I am beginning to love, I hope to write more and be able to publish one in the near future.

This is all for now I have lots of things to say but I think this is enough. Thanks! ——Sicily24