The Hyperdimensional Gong

    By Bob Morris

Richard Grossman is an acupuncturist in Santa Monica CA, who has, for some time now, been exploring the transformational and healing properties of music and sound. What he does is really quite extraordinary. Using indigenous instruments and the like, he performs once a month in the back of a store in Topanga, creating amazing shamanistic soundscapes. This isn't New Age; it's something way more intense and powerful than that. Think Steve Roach. These are the realms Richard is exploring.

He has this gong. Hand-crafted in Germany I believe. But, it's more than a gong. Oh yes, he starts out doing a traditional gong sound. Then he strokes the surface of the gong and higher pitched vibrato sounds emerge and begin melding, merging, and playing off against the deep low gongs. It becomes louder, more intense; suddenly there's many more higher voices and lower tones, while the power and force of the sound continues building.

It just puts me Someplace Else. I find it transformational, and afterwards, am more centered, with new ideas and paths to follow.

These soundscapes go on for an hour or so, starting slowly with indigenous instruments, before moving into the gong, and Richard seems as amazed as anyone by the sounds that emerge from it. When it's over, you find yourself staring at the gong thinking maybe Portals really do exist.