For the lyrics you can click on a song name
To listen to a song just click the play button

All Songs written by John Hodian and Bet Williams

Design thanks:

Ararat Sarkissian for the underlying woodcut work and all of his wonderful art.
Ashot Avagyan for the cover interpretation of the petroglyphs.
Gohar Khachatryan for her beautiful handwriting in the Armenian pieces.
Arsineh Khachikian and Rostom Kouyoumdjian at Deem Communications for the incredible design.

Notes on this Recording

The idea for this record was born late one night after a spirited day of traveling through the northern Armenian countryside with our guide and good friend Zareh Tjeknavorian. A talented filmmaker who has documented rites and rituals of some of the world’s dying cultures (Zorastrians, Mandeans, etc.).

Zareh — who grew up in Tehran, Paris, Germany, South Dakota, and Brooklyn — is also a wealth of information about ancient history, especially as it relates to the Caucasus, and of esoteric information on what he calls "living antiquity". As we traveled through Armenia that day (and many after), we were awestruck by the raw beauty of the landscape and the profound historical perspective of its people, while Zareh unraveled tale after tale of the various cultures and their histories.

As fate would have it, this trip had also brought us in contact with the Armenian visual artist Ararat Sarkissian, whose work documents the vast variety of ancient languages, the earliest known written alphabets, and the codification of language. Ararat welcomed us into his home for an evening of uniquely Armenian hospitality and the opportunity to explore his work more in depth.

Before this trip we had been grappling with what the new Epiphany Project record would be. We knew we wanted to record in Armenia and work with some of the talented musicians there. We knew we were interested in things ancient and timeless, worldly and primitive. Now we knew where to begin.

The Music:

The actual songs were born out of improvisation. John created sketches with piano and percussion while Bet gathered words from various sacred texts and poems and experimented vocally. For the better part of a year we lived and worked in Armenia and with a variety of musicians there we recorded what we thought were rough tracks. Many of the initial raw instrumental performances and vocals became this album.


The Texts:

We have always been intrigued by dead (and dying) languages. While we continue digging into different religions and looking at ancient and not so ancient poetry, we have been discovering many common themes. A lot of the writings here seem as though they could have been written yesterday, the heart and mind of humankind being both ancient and ageless.

Anoush

John & Bet

Recorded at Naregatsi Art Institute, Yerevan, Armenia.

This CD is dedicated to all Armenians past and future, in particular John Charles Hodian III (our son) and Mariam Hodoian (John’s grandmother).

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This prayer from Khorda Avesta (the Sacred Book of the Zoroastrians), has a beautiful and hypnotic sound. It is meant to be spoken five times a day standing in the presence of fire, a lamp, the sun, or the moon. The way we first heard it was almost in a monotone, but when we started to experiment with it in the studio it took on another life.


ashem vohu vahishtem ashti
ushta asti ushta ahmai
hyat ashai vahishtai ashem.


Translation:

Righteousness (Truth, Asha) is good, it is best.
According to our wish it is, according to our wish it shall be.
Righteousness belongs to Asha Vahishta
(Best Righteousness, the Holy Immortal, or Yazata*)

* The word has a wide range of meaning but generally signifies a divinity and literally means "worthy of worship."

Ohannes Garabed Hodoyan - Santur
Adam Butler – Percussion
Armen Ayvazyan - Kamancha
Bet Williams - Vocals

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While living in Yerevan we fell in love with the beloved Armenian poet Yeghishe Charents (1897-1937). Late one night after hearing our good friend Nareg Hartunian's impromptu translation of this poem we knew we would set it to music. Charents' use of song is almost a religious experience. The translation was a group effort (there doesn't seem to be an English translation in existence) but doesn't have the impact that it does when spoken or read in Armenian.

An excerpt from

I am not that anymore

An answer to my enemies
by Feghishe Charents


Here I go
On the road
Alone

Only my song is with me
and I am singing,
Fearlessly singing
About my enlightened thoughts

My path shall now bear hardships
more hardships than ever before
And perhaps along the way
your snakelike fangs
will stain me with blood

But my soul is firm

And no evil can separate me
       from my ceaseless century
Just like no power can keep me
From my bright and incredible song.

Arto Tuncboyaciyan - Dumbek, Frame Drum, Tambourine, Shakers
Scott Bricklin – Bass
John Hodian - Piano and all other instruments
Bet Williams - Vocals

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We are always inspired by the musical genius, free spirit and unique philosophical outlook of mystic song man, Arto Tuncboyaciyan. It’s his voice in the intro and again at the end of the piece. This was written spontaneously after recording percussion tracks with him. The song is a response to Arto’s song "Here’s To You Ararat" which you can now hear people singing all over Yerevan. Just miles across the closed border in Turkey, the presence of Mount Ararat is huge and beautiful in Armenia.


There you go
There you go flying high
Past the mountain that nothing can hide
You’ve been close all your life you could hear her sighing

Saw you there
as you danced in the snow
You and your Dadiki* on the road
You were waving your arms and she was crying

Ararat
You say
Tell us all
You move right through me

Arto-jan
You sing the song
And we all
Feel her beauty

All the sons every faith, every side
All were born from her hips open wide
Born to laugh and to love
Not for killing and dying

Sing your song in your own mystic tongue
From the seeds that you sow, change will come
and we all sing along on and on ... li le li

Ararat
You say
Tell us all
Move right through me

Arto-jan
You sing
And we all
Feel her
Beauty ...

* grandmother

Arto Tuncboyaciyan - Vocal intro
Ohannes Garabed Hodoyan - Santoor
Scott Bricklin – Bass
David Nalchajyan - Alto Sax
Tigran Suchyan - Trumpet
Ashot Harutiunyan -Trombone
Armen Hyusnynts - Saxophone
John Hodian -Piano, Udu, Dumbek and all other percussion
Bet Williams -Vocal

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On the first epiphany record we wrote the song "Tubwahun" using ancient Aramaic text for an interpretation of the Beatitudes. The sound of the language has always been haunting to us and is beautiful to sing. While researching for this record, we came upon "The Lord’s Prayer" also in Aramaic. We find a direct translation translation of the original Aramaic very interesting and quite different from the version most of us know. Avvon d’Bishmaiya


Avvon d’bishmaiya,
Nith qaddash shimukh
Tihteh mal chootukh
Nihweh çiwyanukh,
eichana d'bishmaiya
ap b'arah
Haw lan lakhma
d'soonqanan yoomana.
O'shwooq lan khobein:
eichana d'ap kh'nan
shwiqan l'khayaween.
Oo'la tellan l'nissyoona.
illa paççan min beesha.
Midtil dedilukh
hai malchoota
oo khaila oo tushbookhta?
l'alam almein. Aameen.


O, Birther of the Cosmos, focus your light within us
Create your reign of unity now
Your one desire then acts with ours,
As in all light, So in all forms,
Grant us what we need each day in bread and insight:
Loose the cords of mistakes binding us,
As we release the strands we hold of other's guilt.
Don't let surface things delude us,
But free us from what holds us back.
From you is born all ruling will,
The power and the life to do,
The song that beautifies all,
From age to age it renews.
I affirm this with my whole being.

Translation directly from Aramaic by Neil Douglas-Klotz


Raffi Dimoian - French Horn
John Hodian - Piano and all other instruments
Bet Williams - Vocals

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Another friend, Nareg Sefarian, who was raised in Dehli, gave us an interesting book "Sarmad: His Life and Rubais" by Lakhpat Rai. Nareg’s grandfather worked on translating this book into Armenian many years ago. We had never heard of the mystic Sarmad, who was perhaps Armenian or Jewish (noone seems to know), but when we read his rubais we were captivated. Our favorite excerpts became this song.

From Verses 155 - 157


You are not in the least wise, O abstinent, by God,
Abandon hypocrisy and abstinence,
Drink the Wine of the Love of God
The cup and the flask are both brim-full with Reality –
Sparkling in them are both the unmanifested and the manifested forms of God.

O mind! With ambition and avarice worry yourself not
with this heavy load burden your shoulders not,
Remember your life will not be as long as the chain of your desires,
Just for a few days therefore undergo long suffering not.

When I abandoned voluntarily all my own plans,
I was bathed from top to bottom in the Reality’s radiance,
If thou too seeketh a similar experience, give up thy ego
So that thou canst see from head to foot the Lord’s absolute effulgence.

Artyom Manoukyan - Bass
Arto Tuncboyaciyan - Percussion
Ohannes Vardan Grigoryan - Zorna
Adam Butler - Tar, Frame Drums, Rik, Ocean Drum, Shakers
John Hodian - Piano, Percussion and all other instruments
Bet Williams - Vocals

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Taliesin was the ancient Welsh bard credited with creating the earliest surviving work in that language. Though little is known about his life, it is generally agreed that he was a high ranking poet (can you imagine a time when the world had high ranking poets?) and the court bard to several kings. These writings are excerpts from a variety of Taliesin’s works, "The Battle of the Trees" and "The Chair of the Sovereign" as well as others.

That rumbling you hear on this track is the sound of Taliesin rolling over in his grave as we smash together bits and pieces of his epic length poems. [Our apologies].


From The First Address of Taliesin

A primitive and ingenious address, when
thoroughly elucidated.
Which was first, is it darkness, is it light?
Or Adam, when he existed, on what day was he created?
Or under the earth's surface, what the foundation?
Whence come night and day?
Whence will the eagle become gray?
Whence is it that night is dark?

From The Chair of the Sovereign:

The declaration of a clear song
Of unbounded Awen (flowing energy)
High is the virtue of the course
High is the kine in the evening
High is the horn of traveling
High will be the gaiety of the old
High is truth when it shines
Higher when it speaks


From Battle of the Trees

I have been a sword
I have been a tear in the air
for a year and a half
I have been a continuing bridge
over three scores aber

Ohannes Vardan Grigoryan - Santur
Edo Harutunian - Frame Drum, Udu Drum, Shakers
John Hodian - Percussion and all other instruments
Bet Williams - Vocals

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Sometime during the height of the Armenian Genocide (1915-1918) John’s grandmother was forced to leave the homeland where she and her ancestors had lived for hundreds of years. Her husband and sons were murdered by Turks and she and her daughter were forced to walk across the desert into Syria. Her story is only one of many thousands told by the survivors of the events that gave birth to the term “genocide”.

This song tells the story of what she might have said as they left in the hurry of that horrid night.
"Havakveer" meaning “get ready” or “gather your things.”

HAVAKVEER


Gather your things
Hurry!
We must go ...
Maybe we’ll see Papa
along the way
I don’t know ...

Come, come

Take this picture
Keep it in your heart to see
Hide this gold in your coat
And give your hand to me

Come, come on

Look straight ahead
Those people lying there?
No, no,
They are only asleep
Don’t worry, it’s just a bad dream ...
I don’t know ...

If you are tired come in my arms
Cover your beautiful face
This is the road we must take
This borderless, endless road
Where it’s going
Who knows ...

Don’t cry my sweet baby
Carry on with me
Take your sadness
Make it strong
And sing along with me

Come, come

Jemma Abrahamyan - Violin
Lilit Mkhitaryan - Viola
Ashkhen Gasparyan – Cello
Armen Ayvazyan - Kamancha
Suzy Taslakian - End Vocal Lullaby
John Hodian – Piano & Percussion
Bet Williams - Vocals

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From the Bhagavad Gita "The Eternal Reality of the Soul’s Immortality".


Nainam chindtandti shusdrarni
Nainam duhhuhti pahvuhkuh
Na chaeenuhm kledehyanty-Apo
Na sosuhyuhti mah rutah

Vinashum uhvhuhyuhsyahsyuh
Na kashjit kartum arhuhti


Weapons cannot harm the soul
Fire cannot burn the soul
Water cannot wet and air cannot dry up the soul

No one (nothing) is able to cause the destruction
of the imperishable soul.

Arto Tuncboyacyan - Frame Drum, Tambourine
Adam Butler - Tar
The Armenian Mud Men - Subterranean Vocals
John Hodian - Piano, percussion and all other instruments
Bet Williams - Vocals

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The creation of this piece took a different path than the others. Again it is a poem of Yeghishe Charents and again it was inspired by a wondrous and spontaneous reading by Nareg Hartounian. We sketched out some music for it and asked Nareg to give another reading in a recording studio. To set the text we began by cutting up Nareg's version in the computer and laying it out against the music to see where we wanted different parts to be sung. As the music continued to take shape against this provisional reading they seemed to fit each other so well that any sung version seemed superfluous.

The Crazed Masses

by Yeghishe Charents


To faraway and nearby friends,
to the suns,
to the worlds,
To the fire-like spirits.

To all whose soul is fervently afire,
To all of their sun-blazed souls,
To those very souls being immolated
In this wrathful twilight of life and death —

To all of them
Hail! Hail!

Translation by Mher Karakashian and
Nareg Hartounian

Nareg Hartounian - Reading
Artyom Manoukyan - Bass
Arto Tuncboyaciyan - Saz
John Hodian - Percussion and Piano

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This is taken from a music theater piece we are working on called "Postcards From Beulah". The postcards in question were written by Bet’s great-grandmother. We discovered these years ago and were fascinated by how pleasant and nonchalant they are in contrast to her actual life working on a hardscrabble farm with a suicidal husband. Stayed tuned for the full length version of the piece. What is this doing on a recording of sacred texts set to new music? Shhh ... you ask too many questions.


Back door sways in the breeze it swings like a weather vane
The western wind blows in and calls me to come away
Pine trees bend and the night rolls in like a hurricane
Their roots are deep like mine and they tell me to stay

Changes are in the air, mystery in the wind


I stayed up half the night and watched our old letters burn
The ashes drift away and my mind starts to turn
There’s nothing left but a life bereft of the love we made
I’ll say a prayer a goodbye and never return

Changes are in the air, mystery in the wind


Stars are falling the world is calling it’s time for me
I’ve been here 20 years now I’m finally free
You’ll wake up turn over and shout out my name again
But I’ll be off in the night and gone with the wind.

Jemma Abrahamyan - Violin
Lilit Mkhitaryan - Viola
Ashkhen Gasparyan - Cello
Mher Manukyan - Electric Guitar
Scott Bricklin – Electric guitar
Armen Ayvazyan - Kamancha
John Hodian - Piano, Percussion and all other instruments
Bet Williams - Vocals

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Written in Swahili, this poem on old age by Sabaan Robert (actually called "Uzee") touches a deep human truth, "Alas, it does not last, my good friend youth." We loved the poem and the first and last verse became this song.

OLD AGE

Youth is a sweet thing, and it is so dear to us, here in my limbs
I too had it only yesterday, with plenty of blood, though today
no longer. Alas, it does not last, my good friend youth!

My hair is all grey, in my mouth there are no longer teeth,
I walk like a drunkard, my legs have no longer strength,
Now I see it, youth is like that, it goes and does not come back.
Alas, it does not last, my good friend youth!

My sun has set, and I can see the stars, when you look at
my head, you see no black hairs, as if they had been
wiped away, or pulled out roots and all
Alas, it does not last, my good friend youth!

I get confused in my words, I keep chewing on them,
I have collected wisdom, but my health is no good,
this life is a miserly thing, you get this but you don't get that.
Alas, it does not last, my good friend youth!

Kane Mathis - Kora
Edo Harutyunyan - Frame Drum, Shells
John Hodian - all other instruments
Bet Williams- Vocals

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Based on the strange poem by the same title found in the Nag Hammadi discoveries of 1945. The original Greek (then Coptic) version of this is quite long and scholars date its creation to well before 350 C.E. We thought it an interesting study in the paradoxes of reality concerning divine feminine nature. While experimenting with recording, most of the words morphed into simple sounds with the music feeling like the journey of the poem.


From Thunder Perfect Mind


For I am knowledge and ignorance.
I am shame and boldness.
I am shameless; I am ashamed.
I am strength and I am fear.
I am war and peace.

Artyom Manoukyan - Bass
Edo Harutyunyan - Djembe and Udu
Ohannes Garabed Hodoyan - Santur
Emmanuel Hovhannisian - Duduk
John Hodian - Piano
Bet Williams - Vocals

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