PRESS ROOM

  LEVEL 1 = PEACE OF MIND is American Zen's first album of their 8-level spiritual journey
produced by Richard Del Connor on Shaolin Records.

AmZen eNEWS March 2006
Official newsletter of American Zen

Coyote Radio Tujunga

American Zen

The Coyote (one-man band?)

The Coyote Clan

Richard O'Connor "The Coyote"

Rory O'Connor.

Caitlin O'Connor.

The Coyote Clan, me The Coyote, plus my little pups, Caitlin and Rory.

I wanted us to be like The Partridge Family. Sheesh. How'd things go wrong? I ended up with the Dodo Family.

I supported Caitlin's dreams of her teenage rock band...and then marching band...now she won't play at all.

I helped Rory sing the octave song from the musical movie THE SOUND OF MUSIC, "Doe a deer..." I wanted each of my kids to be a star, and then all of us be stars together...and...

Erase The Past and Record The Future?

There hasn't been much video in my life, despite graduating UCLA Film School in 1987.

I think back to what I wrote about, "destiny." I feel like I have destinies. I am compelled to do many things, and I do many things I don't want to do just because I think they will help me accomplish what I am compelled to do.

I have a path. I have a path in life.

Really. I can see it and feel it. I can tell when I'm off my path. I can tell when I'm going backwards. Mostly, I can tell when I am going forwards, and sometimes that means, "swimming against the stream," but I can tell it's in the right direction.

What is this skill of recognizing or acknowledging destiny?

My kids haven't learned it. Despite my setting this example of the hard working artist--they are not hard working artists.

I don't get it. Well maybe I do.

My kids are like any kids: wild animals. Training and raising domesticated humans is still a very difficult pet raising project.

My mistake seems to be expecting my kids to "think" the way I do. They may "act" like me when required, but the real success in my world comes from knowing where you're going and my kids won't get on my artistic destiny path.

I love them and have made music and art fun for them.

I care for them and desire the best for them so I have pushed them and criticized their music and art, which isn't fun to hear, but makes the next project more fun IF YOU IMPROVE.

My kids have stopped improving.

So I've been studying the lives and stories of other artistic families. I have called my Shifu, Douglas Wong and spoken with him and his wife Carrie Ogawa Wong about raising AND TRAINING children in Kung Fu. Then there's the Michael Jackson family story. Michael and his siblings didn't become talented and famous because they had the opportunity to develop their talents (otherwise they would have refused like all kids who'd rather play games than practice homework), the Michael Jackson family became talented and famous thanks to the efforts of their father, Joseph Jackson. Joe Jackson has been criticized for being harsh with his children, and I know absolutely nothing of the facts about that, HOWEVER, I must point out that without the harshness of a drill sargent, most soldiers would not pass boot camp in the military. How could anyone expect kids to graduate an even tougher bootcamp of being a successful and talented artist? That boot camp takes years, not weeks. And how could any expect children to be more obedient and cooperative than young adults?

So, without harsh authority, no team can succeed.

I was harsher until last year when Michelle packed up the kids to move in with her fiancee. She pulled them out of my afternoon music classes. Every day at 4:00 we'd practice drums. Then 4:30 keyboards and vocals. 5:00 has been dinnertime since 1989.

Both Caitlin and Rory were raised by me, a "Mr. Mom." But when Michelle pulled them out of my programs, then changed her mind and didn't move to Las Vegas with her fiancee, well, the kids never got back into my Kung Fu classes or music programs.

So I formed The Coyote Clan. I hoped this would give us a band name and goal to all work for.

They don't care. My kids don't care at all about my Shaolin Records record company.

My family and children don't care about my music publishing company, Shaolin Music.

My family doesn't want to have anything to do with Shaolin Chi Mantis or Tai Chi Youth.

My family doesn't care about my musical career or my band, American Zen.

Of course, my parents haven't been interested in any of my business activities since the early eighties. Hold it. They've NEVER been interested in any of my business activities. They were happier knowing that I had an hourly job than having to worry about my careers. No encouragement for ANY of my enterprises.

I have only had brief business dealings with my brothers, and those were tense and warnings not to pursue further business relationships with them...

I wanted a family business. I didn't want just a family of bodies. Anyone can reproduce, spit out kids, feed them and turn them loose. I wanted to accomplish more than that.

I am heartbroken, but pushing forward.

Before, we, The Coyote Clan, were holding hands and bouncing along together.

Now, we are The Coyote Clan, and I feel like I'm pushing big heavy marshmallows uphill...

Sincerely,

The Coyote Clan Leader

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TOWERrecords.com
Shaolin Records doesn't have distribution yet, so our records aren't in every record store -- yet.
However, you can order our record from their ONLINE TOWER RECORDS STORE:
http://www.towerrecords.com...(editor: Tower Records Stores closed operations and no longer exist.)
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HOT LINKS

The LEVEL 1 website begins here:
http://www.americanZEN.org...
(click the "FORWARD" buttons to proceed from page to page of the story.)

The LEVEL 2 website begins here:
http://www.americanZEN.org...
(click the "FORWARD" buttons to proceed from page to page of the story.)

Album website of LEVEL 1 = Peace of Mind:
LEVEL1peaceOFmind

Album website of LEVEL 2 = Christ Killer:
LEVEL2christKILLER

To order American Zen's first album, "LEVEL 1 = Peace Of Mind" go to our shopping cart:
http://www.shaolincom.com...

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Enjoy your journeys elsewhere and here.

Sincerely,
Richard Connor
Producer, Shaolin Records

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“AmZen_eNEWS”
is the official newsletter of American Zen, "America's First Buddhist Rock Band.™"

The AmZen_eNEWS is published monthly and sent to
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featuring:

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