"Path Illumined" by SACRED HAZE

PATH ILLUMINED by SACRED HAZE - usx9p1166036
From the archives of the SACRED HAZE collection, PATH ILLUMINED was written during the late 80’s, and recorded for one of the demo tapes released during that era. SACRED HAZE was a post-punk, psychedelic inspired rock band that created a wealth of material and played throughout Southern California between 1988 and 1989, featuring Rick Thornsly on bass guitar and vocals, David Driver on Drums & percussion, Carey Haze (Hayes) on guitar, and David Haze (Haycraft) on vocals and guitar. Original Demo Recording of PATH ILLUMINED available on iTunes, CDBaby.com, or other online services.
The lyrics and music for PATH ILLUMINED were first written and performed by SACRED HAZE in 1988, and the lyrical theme of the song was mainly cultivated from a combination of ideas from Rick Thornsly and David Driver, with a minor contribution from David Haze. Based on their experience from many travels throughout Mexico and Central America, Rick and Driver wrote these lyrics to reflect the oppression and repression of the indigenous people and their culture, which they saw as a result of the negative political influence and globalization from the US and countries abroad.

The song begins with a signature Carey Haze guitar riff. His own creation and interpretation of the amalgamation of 60’s and 70’s folk rock, inspired by the likes of The Who. The song evolves with percussive accompaniment, and the “sampled” sound of wind, creating a dreamy soundscape for the lyrical story to unfold. The first verse begins with David Haze singing, “A child’s tears on muddy street…”, and the basic elements of the guitar, percussion, and wind remain for almost the entire first half of the song, before the entire band joins into the mix with definite angst and power to relate, “They’re killing our brothers and our sisters again!” The song has many different elements and moods it goes through, evolving all the while towards a somewhat pessimistic conclusion. The PATH ILLUMINED recording features one of the few SACRED HAZE tracks with keyboards, performed by Aaron (last name unknown), who as a brief band member.

The original video was produced by ERICSUM PRODUCTIONS, with the collaboration of Eric Van Thillo, Tex Westman, and SACRED HAZE. One of the more politically charged productions from the collection, the video features footage of Central American children, random citizens walking the streets of San Clemente, and scenes of nature, interlaced with atomic bomb explosions, war scenes, and even some graphic footage of those deceased from political violence thrown in for dramatic effect. The video captures the underlying theme of the cold war, military industrial complex, and the potential destruction of humanity as a result of nuclear war, a valid discussion topic still relevant today. Albeit primitive production quality, ERICSUM used creativity and innovative editing to make the perfect video, to capture not only the song and its message, but the spirit of SACRED HAZE at that time and place in history.

Path Illumined (Lyrics)

A child’s tears on a muddy street
Tell you that this life is dear
Clapping hands at suns first light
Yet unheard by deafened ears

Pulseras and innocent eyes
Compre una para mi (buy one for me)
Black hair and battered lives
Compre una mas para mi (buy one more for me)

They say away la vida vieja (the old life)
Our homelands turned us away
They say away la vida nueva (the new life)
Our homelands gone astray

They’re killing our brothers and our sisters again
Through their governmental lies
These blackened crimes will be justified
In the courts of time

Sacred heart, you cannot kill!
They will rise again someday

They walk the Path Illumined
It will surely guide the way
They walk the Path Illumined
They will rise again someday

By and by the time will fly and life will surely die
By and by the time will fly but these lives cannot die

Path Illumined: Lyrics by Rick Thornsly/David Driver/David Haycraft; Music by Rick Thornsly/Carey Hayes/ David Driver/David Haycraft.

Copyright held by DemoniC HeaveN PublishinG (DHP)/ASCAP/ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Copyright DemoniC HeaveN PublishinG/ASCAP/All Rights Reserved

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PATH ILLUMINED by SACRED HAZE was primarily based on Rick Thornsly and David Driver’s experience from their many travels throughout Mexico and Central America, The lyrics reflect the oppression and repression of the indigenous people and their culture, which they saw as a result of the negative political influence and globalization from the US and countries abroad. Definitely a politically charged offering from SACRED HAZE and ERICSUM Productions, and just as relative today as it was in the late 80’s. All digital recordings from DHP recording artists including SACRED HAZE, THE HAZE, HEADCRAFT, & LUCIDIOM, are available on cdbaby.com, iTunes, YouTube, Spotify, etc. Please LIKE our video on here, feel free to share it!