{"id":26522,"date":"2017-03-29T10:15:18","date_gmt":"2017-03-29T10:15:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=26522"},"modified":"2017-03-29T10:15:18","modified_gmt":"2017-03-29T10:15:18","slug":"mystery-loves-company-ponder-the-question-if-heaven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2017\/03\/mystery-loves-company-ponder-the-question-if-heaven\/","title":{"rendered":"Mystery Loves Company Ponder The Question ‘If Heaven’"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Carlos A Machado and Madeline Herdeman met back in 2012 in Houston Texas at an open mic session, where Carlos was testing out new material, and Maddy was performing with a friend – “as a lark”. Carlos was instantly taken by her incredible cello skills, and approached her with the aim to collaborate on original music. Soon they bonded over their deeply felt ideas about human struggle, safety, worth, and equality – and chamber rock duo Mystery Loves Company was born.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Maddy and Carlos come from vastly different backgrounds, with Maddy a conservatory-trained cellist, and Carlos a self-taught songwriter from Venezuela\u00a0who with his family moved to the US after his father escaped with his life during a carjacking.<\/p>\n

The duo\u00a0are set to release\u00a0‘Revolutions’, a 3 song EP which is an extension of their socially conscious work. Lead track, ‘If Heaven’, has so far elicited a fantastic response, Carlos says:<\/p>\n

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\u201cPeople from vastly different religious and non-religious backgrounds have told us we are capturing \u2018exactly how they feel.’<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are living in a time where human emotion is being mobilised and we are responding to this movement through song.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

‘If Heaven’ was inspired by the pair’s\u00a0respective experiences of Sunday school – both had interesting experiences of Sunday School and\u00a0came away terrified with\u00a0the idea that\u00a0being good meant they’d be sent to a place in the sky forever. In speaking of the lyrics, the duo say,<\/p>\n

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\u201cSome listeners have wondered if this is an anti-heaven song, which is an interesting concept in itself because it shows how we sometimes approach our spirituality as a pro or con proposition.”<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Rather than a pro or con, ‘If Heaven’ suggests we should rather not wait for our reward – but work towards heaven on earth. It’s a song of social conscience, with Maddy and Carlos’ vocals conveying the passion they feel about this subject. The\u00a0accompanying instrumentation is subtle and perfectly matched to the subject matter of the song, and entices the listener to listen more closely to the lyrics. With a choir also supporting the lead vocals, ‘If Heaven’ is a challenge to both churched and unchurched – to consider how we live and what we are living for.<\/div>\n
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Find out more about Mystery Loves Company online on Twitter<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, and their official website<\/a>.<\/div>\n
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