There was no place for divinity in creation of this nation. Each member of convention was free to pray each day as he saw fit. The deadlock would be broken by compromise. The Constitution was all about compromise thereafter.

Knowing state legislatures would never ratify a document that usurped so much sovereignty from states and their citizens, conventioners did an end run around legislatures to get document ratified by sympathetic, hand-picked committees. We got a secular framework by which sovereignty of citizen and state would slowly transfer to national government. This was a process and it took War Against States to complete power grab, intended from beginning.

Though its deficiencies are legion, my attention was recently called to supremacy clause. Whenever state law opposes national law, national law will be held to be supreme law of land. That is, an arrogant group of nation builders decided that all wisdom was vested in their work and wisdom of any state opposing theirs was null and void. That should tell us a little about attitudes of ambitious, who know what is best for everyone else, in all cases. The nation these men created has conformed to this spirit and this is why it is universally hated and despised around world.

In 1954, words, under God, were added to Pledge of Allegiance. It only took a week or two to remember them each day in classroom. But then, what is a pledge? What is allegiance? Why pledge it to an object such as a flag? What is a republic? What is difference between a nation under God and one not under God? How does one put a nation under God or remove it? Twelve years of government approved education never answered these questions and pledge seemed a silly thing to me, all those years. I had to join military to see how pledge prepared my mind for Oath of Allegiance I was now required to swear. That oath was more confusing still. It spelled out my duty to defend Constitution from all enemies and left me without a clue as to how that is done.

It was with great confusion that I would next need to learn that we could no longer recite Lord's Prayer in "government" school, just eight years after adding under God to pledge. This was not even a Christian prayer. It made sense for anyone who believed their relationship to God was father and child. I did not know about how offensive that was to atheists and agnostics because I did not know any. Even today, my mind is troubled that an atheist or agnostic would not want blessings that could come from this prayer, whether they believe in a Father God or not. If they could possibly be wrong, rest of us would cover their bases.

The next year, after all America's public school children ceased praying for nation every school day, J.F.K. was assassinated. J.F.K., I would later learn, was threatening to issue currency instead of borrowing from banks at interest, as Lincoln had also proposed. He also wanted to stay out of Vietnam, so now it's obvious why he had to die, as did Lincoln; who had just fought war money power wanted. So much for money power loyalty!

The Bard of Ely carries listeners through various paradigms that range from earthy and humorous musings of "You're A Liar, Nicky Wire" and bravado spoof "Superhero" to "other- worldly" expositions like "For Peter & for Paul" and "Priest of Venusians".

Perhaps true heart, soul and conscience of The Bard Of Ely find clearest expression in "commentary" songs like "The Hundredth Monkey v The Beast" and "Insect Inside" or philosophical proclamation "Sound of One".

As you read Steve's responses to CreatorsWeb Interview questions below you will see that he sites influences of songwriters like Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens and Neil Young. You will recognize their musical and spiritual presence in The Bard of Ely tracks as you listen.

Check it out for free at: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/2/bardofelymusic.htm

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Music Style And Audience

How do you classify your music? I don't! If asked I say I write songs. I am always fascinated finding out what other people make of my songs but for me I feel that a song is basically a set of words, lyrics, and a tune. I write my words first and then find a tune on guitar and that is basic song but how it turns out later is another matter. All songs are open to being arranged differently and can be given different production. They all start out as words and music and in my own creative process I write lyrics first, so in beginning was word! Do you target a specific audience? If so, who?

Not really, I just sing my songs and if people like them then I consider that to that degree I have been successful as an artist. I do find I get a better reaction from rock fans rather than 'folkies' though. What performance venues are you currently exploring? Mainly festivals. I have been compere for Avalon Stage at Glastonbury Festival for last 2 years, as well as playing there, and followed this with doing same at It's Jo and Danny's Green Man Festival in Brecon. Musical Instruments - Recording - Computer Hardware - Software

What musical instruments do you play? Guitar and harmonica, keyboards, penny whistle and Jew's harp enough to have used them on recordings. Kazoo too but that is so simple it doesn't really count as 'playing.' I regard my vocals as an instrument as well.

Do you record in a home studio?

I haven't got one, only Cool Edit and a microphone but I have used home-studios of friends.

What equipment and software do you use?

Various. It all depends on what is available. I have various guitars but I mainly use a semi-acoustic Fleetwood jumbo for practice and gigging. The only computer music software I have used myself is Cool Edit. I must confess that I don't know much about creating digital music and am much happier with a guitar and mic. This doesn't stop me collaborating with other musicians online who are skilled with this new technology, and in fact I have a song called 'Electric Bard,' which is a 3-way collaboration between myself and EXLectiX from America and Catherine Duc from Australia. I wrote words and did vocals and my collaborators created music and produced it. Also, highly talented musician, Ed Drury, has added his music and arrangements to a series of my poems. This sort of thing, to my mind, is one of wonderful things about world of music available online.

Musical Background -Influences

How did you get started playing music?