Houston-based singer-songwriter Nonviolenze, aka Shri Baratan, unveils the music video for “Mirror,” a song from his recently released debut album, Ghosts of War.
Nonviolenze explains, “The Cosmos is a Mirror that reflects the body (gross matter), mind (thought vibrations), and feelings (radiation). You cannot hide from the Cosmic Mirror for it knows your innermost feelings. Everything you perceive is a reflection of you. That which you exhibit ricochets right back to you. Give love and get love. Display fear and it returns as vampires. The Mirror continuously assorts the field of feelings bringing like-characters together. The happy hang out with the happy. The Angry gather and resent together. What a wonder this Cosmic Mirror. What’s inside’s Outside.”
Performing as Nonviolenze, Shri Baratan amalgamates elements of pop, jazz, rock, jazz fusion, eastern classical music, and blues into a complex, melodic sound informed by artists such as Pink Floyd, Al Jarreau, Yes, Jethro Tull, John McLaughlin, and Joni Mitchell.
Shri’s attraction to music started while he was still in his teens. He discovered music as creative energy arising from his inner being. As he probed into his creativity, he found himself dipping into manifold dimensions which he manifests through shared audio-visual experiences – each song is accompanied by a compelling painting.
Originally from India, where he fronted the band Down Sterling, followed by shifting to rock opera and releasing his wildly popular hit “Time Is Yours,” followed by concerts for world peace, Shri traveled to the U.S. to advance his education, taking a double masters in computer science and management.
Shri’s distinctive three-octave voice, together with his delicious mixture of stylistic textures, delivers captivating sonic compositions, both innovative and compelling.
“Mirror” opens on hypnotic echoes of falling rain flowing into the soft gleam of an acoustic guitar, reminiscent of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer’s fantastic soundscapes. At once psychedelic and translucent, the melody shifts, adding resonance and intensity as Shri’s voice assumes passionate coloration, infusing the lyrics with the reigning balance of the cosmos.
“Mirror Mirror; Cosmic Mirror / What do you see, when you look at me? / The field of feelings, congregating / Like characters hang out together.”
With “Mirror,” Nonviolenze demonstrates not only his gift for blending influences into imaginative music but also his striking voice.
