Jill is truly an original vocal talent and is the voice behind Lotus in the Mudd.
She
possesses
a
quality
in
her voice that people connect with in a meaningful way. She has received mail
from
all
over the world written by everyday people expressing thanks and praise for her
unique voice.
Jill possesses many talents beyond singing
and song writing including sewing, painting, portrait drawing,
cooking, and herbal remedies.
Contact
.......................................................................................................................
Jeffrey is an artist at heart and is the music and vibe of Lotus in the Mudd.
He works as a contract Web Architect / Designer through his small businessJeffrey-Dalton.com
which can
be
found
online at: www.jeffrey-dalton.com
Jeffrey has many interests including deepening, music writing,
recording, cooking, and hiking.
Contact | Complete
Resume | Online
Portfolio
.......................................................................................................................
This CD is the fruit of six years of struggling against the part of ourselves
that was born and raised dependent upon material things. After six years of distraction,
in only one months time, we quit our jobs, mortgaged our house, bought a small
digital recording studio setup, recorded, and produced this CD!
Through much sacrifice and heartache we have recorded five of our
original songs, sustained only by the grace and mercy of God. We
offer this as a gift from our hearts and souls to yours. We pray
that through expressing our struggles in our music we can give strength
and inspiration to others who are struggling in the path of faith.
Because this is our first CD we do not know what kind of response
to expect so we offer our web site as a channel of dialogue for those
interested. We invite you to contact
us with your thoughts on this project. It is our earnest prayer
to meet other musicians and collaborate on future projects. We are
Baha'is in Hendersonville, TN.
All the beauty contained herein is from God the Most High. Only
the mistakes are our own.
Sallam,
Jeffrey & Jill Dalton
Lotus in the Mudd
This meaning and motivation behind this CD including the names,
lyrics, images, and titles are all very symbolic to us. We would
like to offer some
insight into these symbols below.
"Just as
the
pure fragrant lotus flower grows out of the mud of a swamp rather
than
out of the
clean
loam
of an
upland field, so from the muck of worldly passions springs the
pure Enlightenment. If a diver is to secure pearls he must descend
to
the bottom of the sea, braving all dangers of jagged coral & vicious
sharks. So man must face the perils of worldly passions if he is
to secure the precious pearl of Enlightenment.
He must first be
lost among the mountainous crags of egoism & selfishness, before
there will awaken in him the desire to find a path that will lead
him to
Enlightenment."
Buddhist Teachings
Visceral - Of, relating to, or arising from one’s mental or
spiritual being.
Melee - Confused, hand-to-hand fighting in a pitched battle. A violent
free-for-all.
We searched extensively to find an image that would convey the feelings
and struggles we were facing at the time we recorded this CD. We
usually like to say that the face on the cover is an image of our
souls. The grief and aged nature of this image seemed to show the
state we found ourselves in.
Looking back on this entire process we would have to say that this
project is a musical expression of the "Mental Tests" that the Western
Believers were told they would face as they put into
practice
the Baha'i Teachings.
It is these mental tests that are both fuel
for our fires and the cause of great heart ache. We offer this
CD as a gesture of love to other souls struggling to rise
up out of the mudd of man's world and reach towards the eternal
light of
salvation.
We created Undying Fire Productions as a 'Record Label' to market
our music and ideas. The inspiration for the name comes from the
writings of Baha'u'llah in the following passage:
"Let thy soul glow with the flame of this
undying Fire that burneth in the midmost heart of the world, in such
wise that the
waters of the universe shall be powerless to cool down its ardor."
Bahá'u'lláh
|
Jill
Ann Dalton
Jeffrey
Dalton