I want to share a very special experience I was fortunate to have today.  I was walking in Santa Monica and went to the Apple Store to pick up a a fire-wire cable for one of my office hard drives.  As I walked in, I noticed there was an event in the back of the store.  There was a band, called elevaters.  This was different.  A band was playing this deep, thick, funky soul infused with a distinct multi-cultural feel.  This was different music.  Something was added to this music?  I moved my self closer, through the crowd (the store was full of people, all gyrating happily to the music by the way), and was slowly infected with the insatiable desire to move to the thick funk coming out of the bass guitar.  But then the visual came into view.  Sam and Ben singing so genuinely, from the heart that you connect with the artist at a visceral level.  The venue was perfect, small enough to capture the energy of the small crowd who was now transformed into a small community of human beings loving the experience of dancing together and singing together.  At one point Sam (one of the lead singers), after having already involved the audience with dance, asks them to give their neighbor a hug, and the result was something that would never happen on its own, 150 random adults giving each other hugs with smiles and joy exuding from their bodies.  It really was a sight.

What a beautiful and ancient tradition you elicited tonight guys.  My deepest kudos and thanks to the band of six incredible young men who have created something remarkable.

This was a treat for me.  To see the movement of people waking up to the calling of cultural and human connection.  This band truly represents that.  Not only are they comprised of a mish-mash of unlikely cultures all celebrating beauty and happiness in the form of music; but they also sing about these topics, and engage the audience in the experience of the message.  Something very, very unique to a music band.

I recommend you recreate this experience for yourself, buy their album.  Listen to it with your family, on the stereo you have.  Dance together and sing with their song “Patience” and see what it does to you.  Elevaters have harnessed the trigger for release of endorphins and will move you from resting heart rate to excitement in 60 seconds.

The irony was revealed when I met the band after the show to ask their permission to write an article about this phenomenon. When I met the guys, it turned out that Sam was Iranian.  There are band mates who South American and African American.  The band is truly diverse and they create happiness, despite the political issues that plague their governments.

Most of my friends have heard me complain recently how I feel that music and entertainment have failed their viewers.  Instead of fostering the intelligent, positive and good message (ethical message), they foster destructive messages.  It’s truly refreshing to see a band that has a happy and positive message with honest, real, and original music.  Not old riffs stolen with a new twist.  These guys ACTUALLY play their instruments.  No production here… the singing sounds exactly like the album (I know, I heard them live, and then immediately downloaded it onto my iPhone). 

Pop music fails to create artists that sing about the environment, culture, race, humanity or any other morally valuable tenet.  We have eliminated these values and replaced them with sex, status and money.  Every song is about boys and girls hooking up.  Nothing of substance, even when love is portrayed, the poetic metaphors are gone, for easier material representations like vacations in St. Tropez, Ferraris and Diamond Rings.

Simple, Honest, Happy, Funky, Timeless, and just down right good; thank you Sam, Ben, Miles, Andre, David, and Itai.  You dudes are the real deal… keep up the good work, the world needs you.

Watch their video… it will put you in a very good mood in 6 minutes and 30 seconds.