Creationism, Academy Style

How do we become fully human? There must be as many answers to that question as there are questioners. That’s why the Academy of New Paltz, a secondary school for humans, doesn’t try to fit its students into a rigid curriculum. Instead, the school emphasizes creation. The Academy’s new CD, Smile, Lotus, is the creation of Josh Clark, one facet of an encompassing senior project that will announce Clark’s graduation. It also features the voices, poems, and music of about half the Academy’s students, as well as a teacher and a parent—a collaborative effort produced by Clark and teacher/musician David Perry.

Smile, Lotus blends spoken and sung poetry with simple yet fascinating musical settings. Highlights include "What It Seems," a tale of awakening; "Hipop," an ambitious, funky groove that should be two or three times as long; the jazzy "Back To Life," with its journalistic observations from another plane; and "Smile, Lotus," an infectious, innocent tune that, with a bit more production, would be at home in an alternative rock radio format. The eleven pieces on this CD veer from Grateful Dead-ishness to intense spoken word/noiseisms to mantra-like chants, each a collaborative expression of young minds encountering themselves in the world.

According to Academy founder and director Margaret Hartford, there’s a reason for the hard-to-pin-downness of exactly who did what on this album. "We don’t put many names on things," says Hartford. "It’s like buying Shaker furniture. We tone down the ego crap around here."

Smile, Lotus is available in area record stores, and there will be a CD release party in July. And Hartford says work has already begun on a second album. Where there’s enthusiasm, the Academy feeds it. Look for more outgushings soon. n

The Academy of New Paltz will present a CD Release Party for Smile, Lotus with performances of spoken word , music and video at Le Soleil-Lune Café, South Chestnut Street, New Paltz, Friday, July 31 at 7p.m. For more information call Sun vs. Moon Studio at (914)255-4847 or email sunvmoon@bestweb.net.