Phanta Morgana

Collection Contents

#		Title	Length
1		Adventures In The Foodchain	1:25	Play
2		Phanta Morgana	4:36	Play
3		Bottom Feeder (Babe!)	4:24	Play
4		Soul	3:55	Play
5		Predators (Digital you, Virtual Me)	5:14	Play
6		Life In A Fishbowl	4:23	Play
7		We're All Doomed! (A Comedy In One Act)	4:04	Play
8		Bellyup	2:33	Play
9		Can't Wake Up	4:17	Play
10		Fish Out Of Water	3:36	Play
11		Phanta Morgana Revisited	4:29	Play
12		Flow To The Sea	8:10	Play
13		What The Lord Has Done In Me	4:05	Play

Items may be purchased individually.

Contributors

Details

Royalties

See the payment distribution when this media is bought.

Description	Amount
Bitmunk Marketplace Service	USD $0.98
CD Baby Artist Royalty	USD $5.97
CD Baby 9% Digital Distribution Cost	USD $0.54
Bitmunk Download Service	USD $0.73
Bitmunk MicroPayment Service	USD $0.01
Total	USD $8.21

Bitmunk uses a micropayment system that is accurate to 7 monetary digits.
Mouse over an individual amount to see its exact value.

Description

Ken Dixon/Phanta Morgana

First of all, I'm 53 years old and I'm not about to start apologizing for that; it's not my fault. It just sort of happened when I wasn't paying proper attention. Starting out in San Diego, I was in front of the mirror playing Elvis's Teddy Bear on the broom (a sort of dusty air-guitar) in the 50's. I picked up my first real guitar at 11 or 12 (I wanted to fully master the broom first). I learned to play Wipe Out, Sleep Walk, Hound Dog and several other two-word titled songs well enough to form a group with some of my friends similarly infected with the lust to play. Three chords and we were on our way. We started booking house parties, school dances and large outdoor functions which, I shudder to say, were usually called Love-Ins, or Be-Ins, or Freak-Ins... If you've never heard of Alan Ginsberg, The Fugs, or owned an original copy of Frank Zappa with The Mothers of Invention's "Freak Out!", then these references might be lost on you (but to paraphrase my opening confession, "It's not YOUR fault"). After my first recording studio experience at about 14, I was locked-in for life. I usually played seven nights a week between two or three venues. The number in the bands ranged from one (guess who?) to seven or more. The venues varied from Southern California coffee houses, bars and dance clubs, through the L.A. Showcase Club sub-culture, to what may have actually been (now that I think about it) a bordello or three in Oklahoma and Texas. On warm summer afternoons I could often be found with two or three musician-friends playing acoustics for tips in front of the Botanical Gardens in San Diego's Balboa Park. Since we wanted the best spot (the footbridge over the reflecting pools), we had to arrive early and get our permit before the guy with the accordian and the spider monkey showed up. There's something about the music; between musicians, and between those who play and those who listen, that forges bonds lasting a lifetime. Proving my point, Craig Bartock and Lonnie Napier, two of the outstanding musicians you'll hear on the new album, Phanta Morgana, have been my friends (consistently) and band mates (off and on) for 35+(+) years. (Look them up! I already know who they are, and so should you!)

Steve Laskow in Recording Magazine once said of my music, "Oh I get it. It's art! And this isn't bad". People say they hear a lot of different influences in this music. Gee, I hope so! Or all that dough buying other people's records was a waste. You'll hear a little Pink Floyd, some Beatles, a dash of Stones, a splash of 10 c.c., something that smacks of Bluegrass, and even African tribal rhythms. My current heroes are Super Furry Animals, Fountains of Wayne and The Flaming Lips (something about the letter"F"?), and they're already starting to flavor the mix. But more importantly, you'll hear the blend of all the musicians, influences and experiences that did lead up to this album.

Which brings me to the question of whether or not this is a "Christian" album. H-m-m-m-m..., a very scary question for some people, it seems. If that means a Praise album then the answer is a resounding, "No Way!" This music (on the way to becoming the sound track for an animated film and a staged production) is so far from preaching-to-the-choir that I've actually gotten some flack from some of my Christian friends who dropped the hammer on me before making sure I was a legitimate heretic (That's OK, I forgive you). I can actually understand how some of the topics and lyrics might throw them. But deep down, if the question is really whether I am a Christian musician with a Christian message, then the answer is "Yes", even if it's not always instantly apparent. My objective is not to thump anybody over the head with a Gideon's Bible. What you'll find in Phanta Morgana, if you listen closely, is a road map that leads to a very desirable destination in the big scheme of things. If you're a Christian, share it with (notice I didn't say, "Burn a copy for...") a friend who isn't. If you're not, give it a listen (and a read--lots of clues in the 12 page insert) before you make up your mind. Feel free to E-mail me with your comments at the address on our website. The worst you can end up with is a really cool new CD (he said modestly). The best?...well, you check it out.