Ishmael's songs are inspired by selfless acts of kindness and people treating each other in a way that respects their individuality. Musically, he's inspired by people who write great songs. And the best songs, according to Ishmael, are written from a place where the songwriter lives.Ishmael started writing songs at the age of 17 and found it to be completely natural to him. His first song was �Little Deaf Boy� which told the story of a boy who could not hear the prejudices that people spoke about the different races. These themes of universality, kindness and equality have continued as Ishmael has matured as a songwriter. He has added satire, both political and social. His social satire has including songs on Massage, Channeling, Saturated Fat (listen to MP3), Caffeine (MP3) and Feng
Sui. He writes in any style including folk, country, rock , blues and ragtime and covers a wide variety of subjects from romance to mysticism.
He has recently begun writing music to the 14th
Century Sufi Poet, Hafiz based on Daniel Ladinsky�s translation "The Gift".
Ishmael can write songs for any occasion and welcomes commissions to write a custom song. If someone in your life is having a birthday, anniversary, retiring from a job, or another special event consider giving them a totally original gift...a song about them. Ishmael can meet with you to get some details
on the person and event, then create a song for them. The song could be performed for them
at the special occasion and recorded on CD for them to keep. Or if you prefer, you can choose the recorded song on a CD without the performance.
"I don't separate creativity from the general, everyday joy of life," says Ishmael. His advice to those who encounter writer's block is to change your environment, get away and detach a little. Focus on others. His latest endeavor, on these web pages, is his newest CD, entitled K STREET.
