From Tik Tok to mainstream television, from Broadway to Hollywood films, we live in an age of constant visual stimulation. We crave entertainment, but even the simplest of stories gets lost when we don’t exercise our own power of directing. Being handed a full blown story on a silver platter — all the visual and auditory clues laid out at our feet — has dampened our sense of imagination.
On the other hand, listening to a story being read aloud — by someone in the same room or an audio book — activates our brains in amazing ways, stimulating a form of active rest. When we aren’t reading to cram for a midterm or listening to a professor’s lecture, our creative minds fill in the gaps tactfully left by authors and musicians.
Do you remember laying in bed as a child, listening to your favorite story being read to you? I do. For me and my brothers, it was “Summer of the Monkeys” by Wilson Rawls. Every night for 19 days, we would rush to our father, eagerly awaiting for him to read to us. I remember lying in bed, listening to his usually deep, serious voice capture the youthful, playful tones of a child, and transporting us to the woods of the Ozarks. With only the written word and my father’s voice, I was able to picture whoever, and whatever I wanted within the given parameters.
In the same way, Jorge Rivera-Herrans sends listeners on a treacherous journey back to Ithaca with a crew of 600 men. His musical adaptation of Homer’s “The Odyssey” gives the audience a fresh look at one of the most famous adventure tales of all time.
Beginning in his college dorm room in 2019, Rivera-Herrans wrote and rewrote countless songs and melodies. Using social media to share his process, he also shared easter eggs and previews of what was to come with his growing fan base. The first album of the nine album saga, titled “Epic: The Troy Saga”, released in December of 2021, followed closely by the second album, “Epic: The Cyclops Saga”.
Rivera-Herrans songs tell individual snapshots of the classic, using traditional concept album format to seamlessly blend between scenes and battles. Valuing the overall story, there are rarely times when one track on the record shadows the rest, achieving a single narrative, fluidly and continuously pulling audiences back to the story.
With only one sense at his disposal — hearing — Rivera-Herrans uses distinct musical techniques, instruments and voice to give listeners the cast, set and crew to direct their own musical in their minds.
Snippets from songs were used by many in Tik Toks by cosplayers, readers, and others – all who share a passion for Greek mythology. With social media boosting audience involvement, “Epic” quickly topped Spotify New release charts.
Because there was no solid visual representation of character design, listeners can imagine the characters in their own way. Want Athena to look like a warrior ready for battle? Or do you envision her as more of the strategist behind the scenes, owl sitting on her shoulder? The freedom to create a whole world in your mind through this retelling is an invigorating experience for listeners.
My first encounter with the musical hooked my mind. I just so happened to be doom scrolling on social media — as you do — and was instantly captured by the lyrical snark and fun instrumentals. With only two albums out, I needed more. Unfortunately, my schedule got packed, so remembering to check when the albums came out got put on the back burner.
My next encounter transported me back to my childhood bedroom, listening to my dad. Sitting on a three hour car ride, I sat, intentionally listening to all the moving pieces of the music. With added sounds, lyrical and vocal clues, I was no longer in our family hatchback, but on a Greek trireme. I was fighting a cyclops and bargaining with a sorceress.
As new album sagas have been released, I have come to deeply appreciate the lack of visual stimulation, allowing the music to be the guiding narrator of the story. Resting my left brain, my creative side is given a blank canvas every time I press play. New waves crash against the ship, details in Eurylochus’s armor get more intricate.
While Rivera-Herrans adaptation is just that — a creative translation — it gives audiences access to a story that is often turned away due to length, “oldness” or difficulty. Music is an easy access for many, opening doors to classics that might be traditionally more complex or long stories.
With two more sagas yet to release, one scheduled for the end of November, I feel very much like a child again, waiting hungrily for the next chapter. Maybe this new way of listening to stories can revive the classics for younger and future generations.
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