Wolf Distributing Music Design

NAPRA ReView Liner Notes Katin's Comments

WIRED Magazine The Decatur Daily 8/17/90

The Decatur Daily 5/5/95 The Huntsville News

Korova Multimedia "Stuff" Magazine Track Listing

About the Artist Ordering Info

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WATER CIRCLE, as its subject suggests, is primarily gentle and flowing, but at times also powerful and unyielding. Do not assume that this music is cold and unemotional simply because it is realized on computers and electronic instruments. It has a rather remarkably acoustic feel, relying heavily on such sampled instruments as harp, piano, acoustic guitar, and choral and symphonic textures.

Water (as well as the chalice imagery) has long been considered (in esoteric circles, anyway) as a primary symbol of the emotional nature of Man. It is my clear intent that this album resonantly taps that emotional well. Here is a listing of the titles of each track:

Ancient Ritual Sirens Song Dance of the Mermaids
Bayside Ballad Walden Pond Night River Reflections
New Growth Choreographic

Wolf Distributing

by Christine Cosenza

Shawn E. Donahoo, a 28-year-old from Alabama, has effectively meshed a water theme with the Aquarian age, thereby creating sounds ultimately soothing to the soul. ³Speaking with a voice larger than his own,² Donahoo allows his musical expressions to flow like a tributary endlessly gushing into the mouth of a green sea. Recalling ancient visions of a planet heavily populated with vegetation and roaming packs of animals quenching their thirst at that same swollen river, WATER CIRCLE is a feast for the acoustic senses.

Dreams trickle into the forefront of one’s consciousness, fanciful and precognitive in nature, while one listens to ³Ancient Ritual² and ³Sirens Song.² For ten years Donahoo, a Berklee College of Music graduate, has been industriously experimenting and making music with MIDI/Music Synthesis workstations comprised of various keyboards, sound modules, and effects processors networked through a Macintosh computer. However, ignore whatever frigid images spontaneously crack the surface of your mind; this music is pristine, perfect, and WARM. ³Night River Reflections² is especially indicative of such a statement. Think of how the ocean eventually fells like a big woolen blanket after you’ve remained under the waves for a while -- you could bask in its arms for hours, couldn’t you? This is an apt description of Donahoo’s first musical venture as well.

In a previous column, I had intimated that the New Age genre was currently dominated by stagnant ³wallpaper² music. Luckily, however, there’s enough music of depth and quality to discuss, that which resounds with honesty and sweetness: WATER CIRCLE hoards both qualities in abundance. An interlocking element which suggests a certain precision of accomplishment and a prodigious affinity for the careful placement of notes and motifs is the prelude/interlude that unifies all of the tracks into a smooth, emotive whole. Such a gift hearkens to the natural progression of the selections -- the flow, ³Which is the whole concept of the album² (as Donahoo has rightfully claimed).

What I also like about this disc is the crystalline composition; it doesn’t have the sloppy ³battle of the synthesizers² feel of a New Age jam session, or an album by ________________ (fill in the blank with your least favorite New Age artist). Instead it emanates a peaceful, spatial character within its parameters, structured by unconfined. My final opinion is: Pure aural alchemy for the discerning listener! Whatever your usual musical tastes, you should find a slot in your collection for Donahoo’s very enjoyable endeavor.

--Carol Wright, Music Editor

Since the dawn of time, our story has been inextricably bound to water. Food, travel, commerce, inspiration, exploration, innovation, and also sadly, exploitation (just to name a few) show some of the applications of water which entwine Man's journey around its own. Even our physical bodies, as we all know, are predominantly composed of this most essential component.

Relatively simple in its chemical structure and infinitely mysterious in its diverse contributions to the forms and functions of our world and its life, water continues to paradoxically lead us forward into an unknown future while simultaneously beckoning us back into the forgotten, primal roots of our past.

Water is the ultimate solvent and the ultimate building block. It can be fluidic and yielding, yet when amassed, nothing can withstand its force. The natural cycles and attributes of water help us to understand the world in which we live, and point to the the nature of cycles found beyond it, both to the inner worlds of the mind and to the outer worlds beyond the Earth. For as the sea is often associated with the Moon and other feminine symbols and archetypes in mythology, so is the Moon often considered as a symbol linked to the emotions and to the dark mystery of the inner world of the subconscious mind.

The ocean and the Moon certainly seem to both share their archetypal capacity for reflection as paradigms of polarity and unity--just as we observe that the Moon's phases are constantly changing as she circles, while always showing us the same face. So here, through analogy, do we find mirrored a subtle intimation which elusively defies conscious scrutiny, but of which on some primal level we all share a common awareness.

WATER CIRCLE is the first in Shawn's ELEMENTAL SERIES of original, electronic music inspired by the imagery of Nature. Subsequent albums will each be devoted to a different elemental energy such as Fire, Air, and Earth. These four "classical elements of antiquity" can be viewed as symbolic of the three states of matter (which we know today as solids, liquids, gases) plus radiation or energy.

Shawn -

"Water Circle" is excellent! It arrived yesterday and already I've listened to it several times. You know, I own a lot of 'new age' music CD's, and you can really tell the wheat from the chaff. You can tell the ones that were just thrown together, or created from someone just playing with patches on their new synthesizer.

But Water Circle simply shines quality and *real* composition. Great work! Excellent blending and use of sounds! Such a nice, complete coverage of the spectrum of sounds types and background sounds and instruments.

I'll need seven more at the $12 price right away. I'll mail off a check today for $84. I have several friends in the hypnotherapy or massage business, and Water Circle will function delightfully in either. This means it is a natural base of strong meditation--just listening to it transitions you to a place of calm and meditation.

I'll also be sending one of the seven to my favorite magazine, WIRED, which reviews CD's in every category of music regularly.

Finally, I'll be dropping off three of the seven at my favorite new age bookstores around the San Jose area, along with complete ordering information. It'll take them a few weeks to listen to it, play it in the store, and decide to carry it. I have no idea how many copies they might order--I just thought you should know that they are likely to.

Congratulations on completing a true work of quality! Don't put any less into your future work! The temptation will be strong to compose and record future works quickly in order to meet sales and publisher demands. Don't do it! Let each and every song mature and develop into the same quality as Water Circle, and you will only climb up in sales and achievement.

The light shines clearly through you, my friend. :)

Peace & Light
--Katin

Here's a copy of the WATER CIRCLE review Katin B. Imes submitted to WIRED Magazine:

Well, I have been looking for a well-produced, well-composed CD of mellow, new-age-type music for a while now. I've spent some dough exploring the no-names and the big-wigs. I've turned up a lot of junk, but here's one that is worthy of note. I thought I'd share it with fellow WIRED readers:

Shawn E. Donahoo
Water Circle
Ancient Fountain Music

It's hard to find mellow music of substance--an attribute of this new release. Listening to Water Circle is like taking a journey down a calm jungle river under green leaf-tinted sunlight, drifting into secret underground caves filled with glowing crystals, and then flowing out into the Pacific Ocean under a warm tropical breeze. This album holds strong composition and very subtle musical threads tying together each piece. In the headphones or in the background, this is a mellow trip worth taking.

--Katin Imes (May 14, 1995)

Contributor Blurb: Katin Imes (katin@aol.com) is a software engineer and hobby musician (keyboard & trombone) who wonders what a PGP-encrypted MIDI file of Vivaldi's Four Seasons might sound like if we could get it to play without decrypting it.

SUBTITLE: Composer uses synthesizers to embark on musical voyages.

Shawn Donahoo doesn't like to be called a whiz kid, but the term seems appropriate for the 23-year-old composer.

Blending imagination, keyboard prowess and technical expertise, the Decatur native weaves musical voyages through an array of equipment...

...After completing the pre-engineering program at Auburn University and working during the summers in various engineering co-op positions, Donahoo felt something was missing.

"The further I got into seeing myself as an (electrical) engineer, the more I started having trouble repressing my musical interests," he said.

When he saw an ad for a degree in music synthesis at Berklee, he was off and running...

...Composing, Donahoo says, is the first and foremost reason he pursues a non-traditional way (electronic) of writing music.

"That's the force that has driven me to pursue all this technical knowledge, because it gives one person the ability to harness that potential," he said. "Also the fact that you can do things with it you can't do traditionally is where I feel the electronic medium really shines..."

...A college professor once gave Donahoo a definition of music that was to make a lasting impression. He said, "Music is a language of the soul--expressing inner truths which cannot be conveyed by mere words or symbols." My concept of what I strive for in my music is to communicate with that inner self, (thereby allowing me to "speak with a voice larger than my own" to paraphrase the same concept in the words of C. G. Jung.)

SUBTITLE: Making Waves: Decatur composer hopes release of first CD makes big splash in the music world.

Soundworks Recording Studio virtually swallowed Shawn Donahoo as he stood in the main chamber, listening to his new compact disc bounce off the black-and white-tile floors.

The usual hubbub of activity there, with bands and singers coming and going, was gone--replaced by Donahoo's music...

...Donahoo, 27, has been in the forefront of musical technology for almost ten years using MIDI/Music Synthesis workstations comprised of various keyboards, sound modules and effects processors networked through a Macintosh computer.

Although he has used this technology to create "Water Circle," the album has a very acoustic feel to it. This was accomplished through a strong use of Kurzweil samples ranging from grand piano to acoustic guitar.

"Primarily, it's an acoustic-sounding album," Donahoo said.

But he knows the term "New Age" can be scary. "I hate to use that category simply because there are so many different subcategories implied. (It doesn't give you a clear focus of what the music might be like.) Donahoo said, "If there is one word to describe this music, I guess it would have to be introspective--an extremely private (personal) kind of thing..."

"...I guess, in any artist's career, there are stepping stones," Donahoo said. "There comes a time when you say: OK, I've studied enough, I don't know everything, but you've got to draw the line somewhere and run with what you've got. I made the decision to pursue my music in the fall of 1986. It's taken almost ten years to get here, and I'm continuing to pursue that dream."

The concept of the disc, as the title implies, is water.

"They are really a collection of pieces I have worked on along the way, throughout my musical education--from Berklee onward," Donahoo said, referring to his education at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

With the disc playing in the background, Donahoo continued: "When the opportunity came to do a disc, I went back and basically reworked many of the pieces, but some were written as recently as last summer, specifically for this album."

Each of the eight works on the disc has a prelude that serves as a transition (or interlude, tying all the selections together into one unified whole). "They have a common thread," Donahoo said, "that way-in-the-background, subconsciously received thread. I've tried to connect each of the feature pieces so if you sit down and listen to the album from beginning to end, there is a natural progression--one piece flows into another, which is the whole concept of the album--water (fluidic, liquid, etc)."

According to Donahoo, he drew the titles, imagery and music from scenes in nature which revolve around water, whether it be an ocean, pond, bay, or river.

One tune, "Night River Reflections," was inspired by a visit to the banks of the Tennessee River one tranquil evening in June of 1990.

...Ms. Chandler-Pittman (co-owner of Soundworks Recording Studio, and director of artist development) said she "hated this kind of music" until Donahoo brought the project to them. "He had the overall concept and it made sense. And very few musicians make sense. He's definitely a contender."

"Water Circle" is the first of an intended four-volume series, according to Donahoo. After the water theme, there will be discs featuring the themes of Fire, Air, and Earth.

Donahoo said that the fire project will probably come next. "It will be the same in that it will be synthesized (instrumental, etc.), but it will be more upbeat (and driving in overall tone), whereas this one is more gentle and flowing."

The Huntsville News - 5/19/95

SUBTITLE: Decatur composer, Shawn Donahoo, has recently released "Water Circle," a collection of original compositions.

Decatur composer Shawn Donahoo uses technology to create music that has both an intellectual and emotional appeal.

His first compact disc, "Water Circle," is a series of original, electronic music (pieces) inspired by the imagery of nature...

...With water as its theme, "Water Circle" is a narration of water through time, said Donahoo.

The music moves from an "ancient or primal" feel to a "contemporary or jazz" feel. Subsequent albums in the four-volume series will focus on the remaining classical elements of antiquity: Fire, Air and Earth.

Listeners have described "Water Circle" as "relaxing" and "tranquil," said Donahoo.

"My most amazing review to date was from from a young man in California. He like it so much that he immediately order seven more copies. He felt that it instantly transported him to a place of calm."

Donahoo calls his music introspective. By evoking images, emotions and memories, Donahoo hopes his music will transport the listener to a world of escape (from the stressful demands of everyday life).

While a music student at Berklee College of Music (Boston), Donahoo was introduced to Jungian psychology (self-exploration through dream symbolism analysis) which he said inspired him. Donahoo borrows Jung's description of Art to explain the goal of his music:

"Jung describes Art as a bridge thrown out to an unseen shore," said Donahoo. "The unseen shore is that dream world of the unconscious. The unseen shore is the other side... It is the area to which all art aspires."

Through his music, Donahoo hopes to create something for others to enjoy. "A little voice told me: you need to do this-- to help bring some comfort, some joy, some elevated sense of life to others."

Date: Sun, Jun 11, 1995 4:54 PM EDT
From: DSpalding@aol.com
Subj: KMR5021
To: SEDonahoo

The following is a Korova Multimedia review or article that has been released for online and/or print publication.

~Dbs

Korova Multimedia
Post Office Box 2036
Novato, CA 94948

CompuServe: 70713,1440
America Online: DSpalding
The Microsoft Network: DSpalding

--D.B. Spalding

A self-described multicareerist, D.B. Spalding is a writer, musician, independent radio producer, computer consultant and online sysop; he writes frequently about music, film, computing and the mass- and multimedia.

The first New Age CD by this Berklee graduate, this disc is a true masterpiece! Part One of a four disc set, "Water Circle" is a visionary portrait of the energies, emotions, and influences of this all-powerful force of Nature. (CH001)

by Ken Shelton

Images, oh so sweet and real images come jumping out at you with a listen of the new CD release by Decatur's own Shawn Donahoo! Could it be that the expertise of training by world-renown Berklee College of Music led to this? Could it be Donahoo merely wanted to produce and experiment with an entirely different kind of sound--one which is truly unique and stands out on it's own? Well, probably a little of each rings true. Though, whatever the reason, one thing is very clear, Shawn Donahoo's "Water Circle" is completely awesome for its originality--its beating to a different drum. "

Water Circle" offers a complex though soothing highly-techno sound. One which seldom is heard from artists. After sampling a cut or two, no doubt exists that Donahoo is an artist to be reckoned with for years to come. If you hunger for hard rock, rap or country, this you won't get. Though, if you want to allow the ears to absorb one great soothing experience, one which carries you away seemingly to a different place, with its peaceful arrangements, I suggest checking out Shawn Donahoo's "Water Circle!"

Visual artistry is portrayed with such cuts as "Ancient Ritual," "Sirens' Song," along with the temptingly relaxing sounds of "Night River Reflections," "Walden Pond" and "Dance of the Mermaids." Water, and more water effects come to life with this recording in a thematic manner leading the listener to lean to future times, yet, back to past cultural eras as well. Only a most creative force such as obviously one Shawn Donahoo can bring forth such elements in recorded fashion. Donahoo has long been recognized as ahead of his time for his keyboard playing talents. Now his grand technology skills, through MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface), are carried out with the strong images that only someone like Donahoo could pull off convincingly. Get ready to take in all the soothing, water-like vibrations to your mind with Shawn Donahoo's new CD, "Water Circle."

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To order directly from me, just send your name and address (snail-mail) and a check (drawn on a US bank) or an international money order to:

Ancient Fountain Music
409 Canal Street, NE
Decatur, AL 35601