Source Family

***A cult with a cult following? Well... when the original cult was a proto new-age/wellness organization led by a dude with a great big hippie-god grey beard whose interests included fresh organic food, yoga, tantra, chakra, gita and all the rest of that good ol’ spiritual stuff rolled into one new kind of belief often expounded upon in performances of home-made rock music, it’s no wonder that a new group of enthusiasts would turn up in the years following the diaspora of the original believers. Such is the case with FATHER YOD and THE SOURCE FAMILY. For at least the last couple decades, the cult around The Source Family cult has enjoyed the music of YA HO WA 13, whose nine albums with Father were a major part of the story. Recorded during an eleven-month span during 1973 and ‘74, pressed on their own Higher Key label and sold in The Source Restaurant for $10 apiece at that time, these recordings continue to fascinate listeners to this day, and have been reprinted multiple times, including a massive box-set version of the whole catalog made in Japan in the mid-1990s. In 2007, the release of ISIS AQUARIAN’s book The Source: The Untold Story of Father Yod, Ya Ho Wa 13 and The Source Family, opened the doors on the mysterious and influential doings of The Source Family—and now the Spring of 2013 sees a definitive documentary film on the subject, entitled The Source Family. For the soundtrack to The Source Family documentary, a selection of material was chosen to include the widest variety of Source Family members, showcasing the talents of many not previously showcased. And so, in addition to Ya Ho Wa 13 members DJIN, SUNFLOWER and OCTAVIUS, we also hear the contributions of CINDERELLA, AHOM, AQUARIANA, ANASTASIA, RHYTHM, HORN, ELECTRON, ZOROASTER, VIBRATION, PYTHIAS, DAMIAN and ZINARU—as well as the omnipotent Yahowa himself, Father Yod. Their music ranges from soulful to spiritual to shamanistic, with Father fronting the band on journeys through inner and outer psychosis and bliss. These recordings were intended to further the teachings of Yahowa, and while they certainly do so, what the listener is left with some forty years on, aside from a deeply compelling curiosity, is... It’s about Vibration. (STREET DATE - 5/21/2013)