Joe Bourdet – “Mantra”

This is the first post on Petal Motel about Joe Bourdet, but it won’t be the last.

Joe’s putting out an instant classic of an album, Meadow Rock, on June 18th and I’ve been waiting impatiently since the moment I heard a pair of singles he’d previously released, “Seamist” and “El Capitan.” The full album is an aural tour of California – shooting you from sprawling meadows, to the pristine beaches of northern Malibu, to the Sierra Nevada mountain range, the sparkling cities and back to the vast expanses of rolling meadows and super blooming wildflowers in between. Today, Joe shares “Mantra,” landing us right at the Lake Shrine in the swelling hills, glimpses of cerulean between the pine and palm trees, nestled in the heart of the Pacific Palisades. Although, of course, with Transcendental Meditation, we’re also nowhere and everywhere, right?

Joe says about the song,

A song about meditation, specifically my own practice of TM, which I learned at eighteen.  It’s also a bit of an homage to the Self-Realization Fellowship and their beautiful grounds here in Southern California.  The harmonized slide solo by myself and Jason Soda is a fun and always challenging feature live.  

Pre-order Meadow Rock on Bandcamp. Watch out for an interview with Joe coming up next week.

Photo: Leigh Newman