January 2015 sees the official launch of “Gumbo”: an online, audio exhibition space and archive. It is hosted at the Internet Archive using their Netlabels format. All content is free to stream and download under the terms of a Creative Commons License.

The first collection to be hosted is “On Truth and Renewal” by the music collective leere. Founder and frontman Simon Monaghan of leere explains:

‘On Truth And Renewal’ is a collection of songs recorded in the moment: on one guitar, with one vocal, using one microphone, outside of a studio setting. It reflects on how people might arrive at a sense of meaning and ‘truth’ through interaction with the natural world.

Throughout the recordings, the quote below from the Jewish philosopher, Martin Buber (1878-1965), helped shape some of the themes and the lyrical direction:

‘I do not accept any absolute formulas for living. No preconceived code can see ahead to everything that can happen in a man’s life. As we live, we grow and our beliefs change. They must change. So I think we should live with this constant discovery. We should be open to this adventure in heightened awareness of living. We should stake our whole existence on our willingness to explore and experience.’ (Martin Buber)