Ostensibly, modern lyrical music is an emotional outlet for the creator. The writer hopes listeners will be empathetic with the messages and ideas transmitted. Of course, the stimulus behind the creation of the music will vary; a cursory listen to Top 40 will show that today, most popular songs are about a whole host of superficial inspirations.

I’m referencing Top 40 radio above, but on a deeper level, all lyrical music has the same ultimate goal: to get the listener to, on a fundamental level, pick up what they’re putting down.

But what happens when the interpretation of the music is much more open-ended? When the creator doesn’t force the listener to lyrically assign a meaning, the piece can ostensibly be about anything to anyone. Therein lies the beauty of modern instrumental music.

A few weeks ago, I was introduced to Portland-based East Forest and its creator Trevor Oswalt through a burned CD handed to me late one night. As I drove home, I found myself exactly where I needed to be. East Forest does not command that one follows, it doesn't cultivate direction for the listener; rather, the music seems to travel to predictable yet somehow surprising places.

Robin Hilton from NPR calls it “blissful” and that might just be the most apt description of the music. More technically, East Forest describes itself as “a unique electro-acoustic musical project that combines melodic-ambient soundscapes, ethereal vocals and 100 percent original field recordings to create a genre-bending visionary listening experience.”  

East Forest is able to maintain both a sonic familiarity that allows easy access to the listener yet holds a secret in its back pocket. The beauty in the music is in finding out what that secret is. To me, it lies somewhere between the oft indistinguishable vocals and the presence of ingeniously fulfilling field recordings. Both of these create a template for the listener to devise their own path tied to Oswalt’s inspiration yet free of lyrical interference.

Before playing this summer at the four Wanderlust music festivals where he will share the stage with Moby, Random Rab and Sarah Neufeld, Oswalt will perform in Omaha on Saturday night at the beautiful OM Center on 1216 Howard St. in the Old Market. The OM Center is a beautiful and inspiring place to witness live performances.

There are two options available to attend a performance by East Forest. First, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., Oswalt will be providing a soundtrack to a yoga class led by Omaha’s own Libba Harmon, the first Nebraska-based yoga instructor to be teaching at the prestigious Wanderlust Festivals.
And if bending and posing isn’t your thing, East Forest will take a short break and start a full performance at 8 p.m.

Ian Aeillo is a Hear Nebraska contributor. Reach him at ianaeillo@gmail.com.