"I actually cried during your song 'Transcend' which is not something I would have let myself do if I knew that people could see me. But knowing that I was invisible, it was much easier to let my emotions flow and that felt SO healthy! It was also nice to end on a higher emotional note with everyone singing and standing together. Our table was all holding hands and swaying too! I walked out of there with such a happy full heart!"
~ Katie, Seattle Blind Cafe
"It dawned on me that I most likely hadn’t listened to music in the dark like this since I was a young teenager. It was so liberating to allow my mind and ears to focus on instrumentation with no visual input. I couldn’t tell if Rosh was on some shockingly coveted Martin guitar, or some $200 Korean-made junker. It must have been something of decent caliber, as it sounded wonderful, but was that because I was only listening that it sounded that good?"
- Brian Johnson | The Marquee
~ Katie, Seattle Blind Cafe
"It dawned on me that I most likely hadn’t listened to music in the dark like this since I was a young teenager. It was so liberating to allow my mind and ears to focus on instrumentation with no visual input. I couldn’t tell if Rosh was on some shockingly coveted Martin guitar, or some $200 Korean-made junker. It must have been something of decent caliber, as it sounded wonderful, but was that because I was only listening that it sounded that good?"
- Brian Johnson | The Marquee
Listen & download Music...
You are welcome to download any of the songs here for free!!! And, if you feel inspired... we suggest you make a donation of $1.00 a song. Your choice! To download: Choose a song and press the 'Download' button. Be sure to use the SHARE BUTTONS and send this music to your friends!
Rosh & One Eye Glass Broken (self-titled)
Released July 2012 ~ Recorded and Produced by Tira Neal @ UI Sound Studios in Boulder, CO
rosh ~ Live from Maui
Released January 2013 ~ Recorded live in the jungles of Hana, Maui
About the band...
Band Members:
Rosh (Guitar/Vocals) & Phil Norman (Cello)
Additional Strings Players & Musicians: Kristen Demaree (Violin), Kelsey Batson (Viola), Brightin Schlumpf (Viola), Laura Poyzer (Violin), Sophia Acheson (Viola), Lani Hamilton (Violin), Kristin McClean (Female Vocals), Jon Sousa (Lead Guitar)
Rosh (Guitar/Vocals) & Phil Norman (Cello)
Additional Strings Players & Musicians: Kristen Demaree (Violin), Kelsey Batson (Viola), Brightin Schlumpf (Viola), Laura Poyzer (Violin), Sophia Acheson (Viola), Lani Hamilton (Violin), Kristin McClean (Female Vocals), Jon Sousa (Lead Guitar)
About the band: Write up by Chris McGovern from his blog 'The Glass'
Rosh & One Eye Glass Broken (a string ensemble lead by singer/songwriter Rosh that hails from Boulder, CO) are quite a great-sounding group to begin with, but they have also got a very interesting performance angle in their corner: They almost exclusively perform their music in complete darkness at a venue known as The Blind Cafe.
The band had their start in the stairwell at Naropa University in 2007. The lovely sounds of the folk/chamber group playing and being carried by the acoustics of the stairwell had many people becoming fans and ardent supporters. After several years of gigs at local places like The Burnt Toast and The Laughing Goat, The Blind Cafe was born in February 2010.
There are in fact several locations of The Blind Cafe (Besides the one in hometown Boulder, they also opened in other cities like Austin, TX and Portland, OR), but the original one was experienced by Rosh while he was visiting Iceland. Here he explains its impact and what led him to bring it to the US.
“I was inspired by how people’s usual social barriers were broken down by the darkness and I’ve always cared about people connecting and relating with each other more authentically. The darkness does this. It interrupts our usual habitual patterns in social situations and creates an opportunity to experience ourselves and others in a new way. ‘Beginner Mind’ sort of. Each person’s experience is very different and I’m still paying attention and learning how this works on people. I think it takes people out of the past and future while putting them in the present moment”.
The Icelandic Cafe unfortunately was missing something. “Their event was only a dark coffee and pastry dark cafe experience. I wish there was music.”
Rosh & One Eye Glass Broken (a string ensemble lead by singer/songwriter Rosh that hails from Boulder, CO) are quite a great-sounding group to begin with, but they have also got a very interesting performance angle in their corner: They almost exclusively perform their music in complete darkness at a venue known as The Blind Cafe.
The band had their start in the stairwell at Naropa University in 2007. The lovely sounds of the folk/chamber group playing and being carried by the acoustics of the stairwell had many people becoming fans and ardent supporters. After several years of gigs at local places like The Burnt Toast and The Laughing Goat, The Blind Cafe was born in February 2010.
There are in fact several locations of The Blind Cafe (Besides the one in hometown Boulder, they also opened in other cities like Austin, TX and Portland, OR), but the original one was experienced by Rosh while he was visiting Iceland. Here he explains its impact and what led him to bring it to the US.
“I was inspired by how people’s usual social barriers were broken down by the darkness and I’ve always cared about people connecting and relating with each other more authentically. The darkness does this. It interrupts our usual habitual patterns in social situations and creates an opportunity to experience ourselves and others in a new way. ‘Beginner Mind’ sort of. Each person’s experience is very different and I’m still paying attention and learning how this works on people. I think it takes people out of the past and future while putting them in the present moment”.
The Icelandic Cafe unfortunately was missing something. “Their event was only a dark coffee and pastry dark cafe experience. I wish there was music.”
Rosh & One Eye Glass Broken music video for song 'Love & Rainy Days'
Rosh, who, by the way has a B.A. in music from Tibetan Buddhist-inspired Naropa University in Boulder, has also stressed that there is another very strong objective here: Getting people to re-focus, reconnect and listen to music again at live shows without any outside distractions from other people or any kind of physically social things like texting or cell phones. Combining the intimate music gig with the Blind Cafe concept had to be a good way of making that happen.
When asked, 'Has this experience changed the perceptions of the musicians performing at the cafe?'
“Yes, I think the musicians just as the volunteers and the staff all go through some forms of transformation. Personally I’m less distracted by visual stimuli when performing in the dark and get in touch with it the music more through listening.”
Rosh is very interested in bringing more awareness of the event to even more places in the US and abroad: “The view at the moment is to establish ourselves in 10 + cities in the USA and visit them a couple times a year with some international tours thrown in.
I would like to create a cross – cultural blind cafe exchange event/happening, bring a documentary film maker and see what happens with The Blind Cafe internationally.
Rosh and Phil Norman, the main performers, bring in local string players (violin & viola) from the cities they visit. The musicians are challenged to memorize the music scores Phil arranges to Rosh's songs and perform them in complete darkness.
The Blind Cafe, a "works in progress" as Rosh would say, has developed into a philanthropy based project encompassing more than just blind awareness, culinary arts and music...but into a community building project...that helps people relate to one another in a more authentic and mindful way.
Rosh has slowly started to integrat a number of mindful - awareness practices and dicplines into the Blind Cafe experience on persoanl level and for the guests.
The music component of the evening offers audience members the opportunity to truly listen to music again and gives them an opportunity to feel and express their emotions in a public place without other seeing them. "Many people are able to cry, laugh or smile without the self-consciousness of their peers seeing them while in the dark at The Blind Cafe." ~Rosh
When asked, 'Has this experience changed the perceptions of the musicians performing at the cafe?'
“Yes, I think the musicians just as the volunteers and the staff all go through some forms of transformation. Personally I’m less distracted by visual stimuli when performing in the dark and get in touch with it the music more through listening.”
Rosh is very interested in bringing more awareness of the event to even more places in the US and abroad: “The view at the moment is to establish ourselves in 10 + cities in the USA and visit them a couple times a year with some international tours thrown in.
I would like to create a cross – cultural blind cafe exchange event/happening, bring a documentary film maker and see what happens with The Blind Cafe internationally.
Rosh and Phil Norman, the main performers, bring in local string players (violin & viola) from the cities they visit. The musicians are challenged to memorize the music scores Phil arranges to Rosh's songs and perform them in complete darkness.
The Blind Cafe, a "works in progress" as Rosh would say, has developed into a philanthropy based project encompassing more than just blind awareness, culinary arts and music...but into a community building project...that helps people relate to one another in a more authentic and mindful way.
Rosh has slowly started to integrat a number of mindful - awareness practices and dicplines into the Blind Cafe experience on persoanl level and for the guests.
The music component of the evening offers audience members the opportunity to truly listen to music again and gives them an opportunity to feel and express their emotions in a public place without other seeing them. "Many people are able to cry, laugh or smile without the self-consciousness of their peers seeing them while in the dark at The Blind Cafe." ~Rosh
Rosh & One Eye Glass Broken music video for song 'Window Pain'
