PRESS ROOM

 LEVEL 1 = PEACE OF MIND is American Zen's first album on Shaolin Records.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tujunga, California – April 4, 2005 – American Zen, America's first Buddhist rock band, is releasing their first album in 2005, Level 1 = Peace Of Mind.

This debut album is comprised of 11 songs plus 11 poems. The songs, lyrics, and poetry were all written by The Coyote, who fronts the band as lead singer, acoustic guitarist, flutist and kazoo player. With poetry like Jim Morrison of The Doors, and lyrics like John Lennon of The Beatles, Coyote sometimes sings like Tim Currey of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

All songs were written in Utah, where Coyote had pursued a girl and discovered that the Rocky Mountains were full of Mormons. This didn't bother Coyote, but they bothered him. Mormons banded together to protest his Buddhist beliefs. They wrote letters to magazines where Coyote published articles demanding the publishers 'boycott' his writings. They stuck knives in his door and petitioned employers to fire him.

Coyote found friends among the 'disenfranchised Mormons.' "That's what they called themselves," explains Coyote. "Actually, many of them were excommunicated. According to the Mormons, they have the authority to decide who gets into heaven and who doesn't. That's what the song, "Whose Heaven Is This?" is about."

"I wrote the songs in the order they're on the album," continues Coyote. "The album's not really a story in itself. It's many stories put together. Don't get me wrong, I had a good time in Utah, but a lot of Mormons tried to make me as uncomfortable as possible."

American Zen is being labeled FOLK ROCK. Some songs, like "Free The Change," are hard rock. Other songs like "In The Darkness," resemble the classical music Coyote was trained on. Throughout all the songs on this album, Coyote leads the band on acoustic guitar. This acoustic guitar, being the leader of the band, led us to the label of Folk Rock.

The title song, "Peace Of Mind #2," is the second version of the song, "Peace Of Mind." Coyote claimed that after performing the song in the Utah nightclubs, he desired to remove himself from the original storyline which was very bleak and haunting. "This led me to rewrite the song with a happier, more inspirational flavor. I took a train to San Diego to visit my friends and when I got back to Utah--well, I decided to tell that story instead."

LEVEL 1 is the first of 8 levels of Buddhist enlightenment. This is just the beginning, and what a great beginning it is. With this record as a starting point, American Zen is ready to achieve great accomplishments and inspire people worldwide.

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Copyright 2005 Shaolin Communications.
All rights reserved.

The PR_AmZen is the official PRESS RELEASE of American Zen, "America's First Buddhist Rock Band."
This is intended for magazine, news, radio, and distributors.

The AmZen_eNEWS is published monthly and sent to fans, friends,
and anyone wanting more information on the FOLK ROCK band, American Zen:
     Featuring:
        The Coyote - Flute, Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Songwriting
        Steve Hixon - Drums
        Rory G - Electric Guitar, Slide Guitar, Ukulele, Synthesizer
        Tom Calder - Bass, Vox Organ

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