Cave In The Sky. The name conjures up beautiful imagery doesn’t it? Of a soft, warm place of sanctuary amongst the clouds.
That place of sanctuary is probably where you’ll find yourself at the end of a Cave In The Sky performance. If you’re like me, you won’t want to leave your cave to step outside to reality.
The Cye Wood Fan Club
Cave In The Sky is a new project of gifted Australian musician and composer Cye Wood.
He’s an artist so far unknown to too many people in the world – but respected and admired for his artistry and musicianship by everyone who’s ever had the pleasure to come across his music or his playing.
Putting Cye Wood’s other musical talents aside for a moment, he’s a very special artist in my world of music for one very important reason: the sounds of his violin (which he picked up and learned to play by ear at the ripe old age of 3 ) move me more intensely and profoundly than any other musical sound in the world has ever moved me.
Cye Wood
Since picking up that violin at 3 years old, Cye Wood has clocked up a long list of solo music projects and collaborations with other talented artists. You can read about those collaborative projects here and check out sample tracks from his past projects below.
Cave In The Sky Live
Cye Wood recently formed Cave In The Sky with renowned Australian percussionist Tunji Beier and vocalist (and sister) Purdie Wood.
I caught Cave In The Sky’s first ever live public performance at Byron Theatre. There I found myself deeply moved by this delicate and beautiful music of a totally unique kind in this world.
Cave In The Sky live @ Byron Theatre
Layer Upon Layer
Piece by piece, layer upon layer, loop upon loop, Cave In The Sky compositions are put together live right before your eyes and ears – with no use of playbacks.
All three artists utilise a variety of instruments to create the sound layers which make up those compositions:
Cye Wood on piano, guitarlele, loop pedal, effects pedals, vocals, bass viola – and of course violin.
Tunji Beier on an exotic range of percussive instruments including, tavil, zarb, ghatam, drum kit, bells and stones.
Purdie Wood on unique vocals of an exquisite kind as well as a number of percussive and wind instruments including shakapa, rattles, drone flute, melodica and singing bowl.
Feeling Intensely
In each Cave In The Sky composition, the sounds of Cye Wood’s improvised violin parts come later.
If you’re like me, those sounds will penetrate and awaken every cell of your being, and stir up every emotion inside of you until they want to burst out of your body. They will bring a crazily-delicious kind of pain that feels so good, and so so right. Whatever it is those sounds make you feel, you will feel them, intensely.
And feeling anything intensely is a healthy thing yes? Isn’t that what we want from all the music we listen to?
Awaking Alive & Well
By the end of the Cave In The Sky performance the audience is left in a state of calm and quiet. It’s like waking up from a beautiful dream and wanting to go back to sleep so you can be in it again. You can’t, because Cave In The Sky have finished playing. But you’ve been moved inside, deeply. And you leave with a knowing, and a feeling, that every single cell inside of you is alive and well.
Take a break from your busy life to watch these short videos from Cave In The Sky performing live at Byron Theatre – and get a small glimpse of what you can only truly experience by finding your own live Cave In The Sky show…
‘The Gift’ ‘Sola’
Cye Wood Projects Past
The Trail of Genghis Khan
Cye Wood’s most recent studio release was a soundtrack to Tim Cope’s documentary The Trail of Genghis Khan. That album was made in collaboration with none other than the incredibly talented and ethereal sounding Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance.
Check out this sample track from the The Trail of Genghis Khan – keeping in mind, as always, it’s just an mp3. You can buy the real CD and hear all the sounds of the music made, plus enjoy its stunning album art, direct from the artist here…
The Trail of Genghis Khan (2010) – Cye Wood & Lisa Gerrard
‘Sukhe’ – The Trail of Genghis Khan – Cye Wood & Lisa Gerard
Araya
Before The Trail of Genghis Khan came Cye Wood’s solo EP Araya.
Listen to a sample track from Araya here (which can also be bought in CD format, direct from the artist here)…
Araya (2009) – Cye Wood
‘Storm Boy’ – Araya – Cye Wood
Your Own Personal Cave In The Sky
This is just the beginning for Cave In The Sky. Cye Wood will soon head off to Iceland to finish the album – and in the meantime and afterwards, Cave In The Sky will be touring in Australia and Europe.
Keep your eyes open to find your own personal Cave In The Sky experience amongst the clouds.
The music and dance that affected me the most during all of the Island Vibe festival, was what I heard and saw during the Opening Ceremony on Saturday.
