The idea for this story first came to me when I started my gig with the Cirque Du Soleil show Totem. It would be the first time in my musical career where I would be heard but not seen. I had never played on “Broadway” style shows where I was in the “pit” with the rest of the band. I am and have always been a rocker. Loud and proud on stage with the band. But for Totem I played my drums and sang from a booth behind the stage.
The music for Cirque shows is there to support for the amazing artists that literally put their lives on the line in the name of entertainment up to 10 shows a week. It ended up being a very special time for not only myself but for my family as well. I wasn’t in the drum booth the whole time either. I got to play guitar and sing a song right on center stage plus go out for a few other small parts. I also became assistant band leader which meant I conducted the band a couple of shows a week.
During down time in my booth I would write music and after a while I started to amass a bunch of riffs, melodies, song ideas, and more. The word “invisible” kept coming to mind. It got me thinking of people that truly have the hard jobs in our world. Or no job at all. The outliers. The ones we all take for granted. The ones we will never know but if they were not there then our lives would not be the nearly the same.
It was at that point I knew I wanted to write a concept record. Something I had never done before. I had the idea and knew it was a concept I wanted to peruse more. I studied, I asked questions, I watched, I listened and learned the best that I could. While this story is fiction, I did draw upon some of my own experiences and sprinkled them in throughout.
The main thing this record did for me is reaffirm my strong belief that we are all here for something. Whether it be small or huge. Whether everyone knows your name or not. We all have a purpose. Find yours.
NDV