Roland Barker Biography Page
★ Some things I am passionate about
Present Status:
I reside in Kapa'a, Hawai'i, on the island of Kaua'i with my marriage partner Lisa Parker. We live on a piece of land we call "Lokelani Ranch," a couple of acres originally purchased by my grandparents. When not doing web design work, I am gardening, composing music and preparing delicious healthy food of local organic ingredients. Lisa and I are presently sharing the land with our friends Patrick and Joanna and the cats: Kea and Wiki.
Drop me a line if you wish to be let in on my periodic updates from the field. I will also be maintaining a website documenting the creation of our humble paradise.
If you wish to contact me:
Some things I am passionate about:
· Spirit at the center of my life and all I do.
· Sound & music; how it's created and experienced.
· Food in all it's dimensions.
· Nature, plants, nature intelligences.
· Art: fine art, crafts, ancient art, modern art.
· Language, reading and writing.
· Travel: Foreign countries, road trips, camping, wild and desolate places.
· Technology, toys for the mind like computers and music synthesizers.
· Being.
Things I have done in approximate reverse order:
· Started a fair-trade eco-conscious buisness with my partner Lisa, working closely with friends in Bali, creating a local retail/wholesale business and an online catalog at 7thveil.com.
· Caring for our land here on Kauaʻi, slowly building a permaculture garden that provides food, beauty and sanctuary.
· Lived in remote Kipahulu for two years, learning much that is practical and indispensable to living close to Nature in Hawaiʻi. Learning to use what grows here, building things, living off the grid, and how to bake natural-leaven breads.
· Completed one-year residency program at Laulima Farm (Maui) getting practical and theoretical knowledge in Biodynamics, Permaculture, Agroforestry and hard work.
· Recently completed the production of a children's story CD, "...And You Will Fly!". My role was that of composer and audio producer.
· Started a small business, XnAu Web Design, as an outlet for my interests in graphic design, computers and writing.
· Lived for two years at the Findhorn Foundation, Scotland, a spirit-centered intentional community. I participated in workshops, conferences, rituals, performances and community activities of all kinds. My job while there was holding the technical post in the community's Universal Hall, a multipurpose venue and architectural wonder.
· Spent a July exploring eastern Utah, camping and hiking, letting the silence empty me.
· Worked for 4 years for a startup computer game company, Zombie, creating sound and music for computer entertainment software. A highly enjoyable and educational experience I feel no need to repeat.
· Spent 5 weeks in Egypt, immersing myself in the ancient Egyptian Mysteries embodied in the sacred temples and sites. Made an unforgettable pilgrimage to Mt. Sinai.
· Held a position as chef for a small, eclectic cafe in Seattle, the Cyclops Cafe. What an exhilarating and also highly educational job that was. I would even repeat that one.
· Put on a series of solo and collaborative electronic music performances in Seattle in such venues as the Center on Contemporary Art, Galleria Potatohead, the Seattle Public Library, Bumbershoot, and the Georgetown Steamplant.
· Produced a series of private-release recordings of my electronic music. See my page for samples of the work.
· Produced a series of guided meditation CDs with teacher and healer Nicki Scully from 1988 to the present.
· Played keyboards for my brother's band Ministry for Lollapalooza '92 and their world tour. A vast and varied experience I will never forget.
· Spent 5 weeks touring China with a "rock" band, The Vagaries, including a series of gala appearances at the Sichuan International Television Festival. We played a number of off-the-cuff last-minute gigs around southern China that took on the dimensions of a cultural mission. The food was an incredible experience in itself.
· Studied Lakota religion for two years with teacher Buck Ghosthorse, focusing on learning sacred songs for the inipi (sweatlodge) ceremony and others.
· Founded a punk-era (1979) band The Blackouts with Erich Werner, Mike Davidson, William Rieflin, and later with my brother, Paul Barker. The band was a moderately-successful experiment in eclectic and passionate noise, rhythms and melody.
· Designed and built an analog synthesizer (now owned by my friend William Rieflin).
· Founded a groundbreaking improvisational electronic music band called Young Scientist with James Husted and Mark Barreca. We staged a series of performances throughout the Seattle area from 1978 through 1981.
· Dropped out of art school (The California College of Arts and Crafts) to play electronic music.