Shepherds of the Apocalypse is in honour of those fighting on the frontline for the Covid pandemic.

All proceeds from this project go to those working on the frontline of Covid 19 - the wonderful team at Medicin Sans Frontiers .


I created this Shepherds of the Apocalypse Pie when we first weren’t into lock down with the global pandemic of the corona virus. It was comforting to be baking, mashing, soaking and playing piano. I recorded this improvisation when we were already 3 weeks into isolation

This music is made for the time - a time when it’s good to stay home.
It is a collaboration between myself and Paul Chenard on sax and flute, Konrad Ball on handpan and Andy Wilkie on vibes. I played piano, vibes, percussion, guitar and did the vocals, sound recording and production. This piece is totally acoustic, the only electronics comes from the audio production.

It originally began as a solo piano idea for the If Music be The food project, a project supporting Medecin Sans Frontier and their work during the pandemic. As we were in an isolation period , I wanted to explore a collaborative element.

Konrad was the first visitor I had hosted in a month as we had been in lockdown due to the virus and we usually always play music together so we just started improvising, and recorded it.

I am planning to make a short film to this piece based on the idea of Shepherds of the Apocalypse, guides in a time of turmoil.

I have whispered various prayers and chants into the fabric of this piece however I have intentionally left those words ambiguous to the listener – it is more to create the effect of listening to the whispers from beyond, without attaching any specific spiritual or religious context to it.

Musically this piece is based around repetition and drone. I created the drone with a bowed vibraphone and the simple chordal structure is intentional designed to enhance a trance like journey atmosphere.

Shepherds of the Apocalypse Pie



Ingredients

2 cups brown lentils

2 onions

3 potatoes

1 sweet potatoe

1 cup grated cheese

Cup of red wine

Tin tomotoes

2 zucchini

Olive oil

Garlic x 4 cloves

Yantra’s Bread crumbs

Herbs- Parsley, oregano, chives, basil

Pepitas or pine nuts

Fetta – 12 cups crumbled

Small cup currants

Pinch of cinnamon

Mince

Salt and pepper



3 Levels to this pie



Yantra’s Bread crumbs – top level

Mash – 2 nd level

Mince 3rd level

Lentils 4th level



Yantra’s bread crumbs-

Use old bread and chop up finely. Add fetta and handful of mixed fresh herbs.



Mash

Mash all potatoes with 3 desert spoons olive oil, grated cheese, and salt and pepper



Mince

Saute Onion, garlic zucchini, pepitas in olive oil. Then add mince to brown lightly. Add currants, cinnamon, oregano



Lentils

Soak lentils overnight

Fry onions and garlic in olive oil then add soaked lentils and cook slowly with tinned tomoatoes, red wine until lentils are soft



Layer all ingredients and cook in oven till golden brown.