When is music more than rhythmic passion? Three years after committing suicide, a young musician’s work is being heard worldwide for the first time.
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It’s said that passion drives a man’s soul. It’s what that drives him to protect the things and people he loves–the microcosm of his very existence. Some might even say that passion is the music of a man’s heart.
History has taught us a lot about passion, and how it’s linked to some of the most ambitious, brave ventures known to humankind. In fact, it can be argued that passion is the reason why we live in the world that we do. By the same token, history has also shown us what can happen when passion goes astray–the destruction that can be left behind when it’s mixed with drugs and suicide.
The deadly combination knows no prejudice, and has made an undeniable mark on the music industry–as the Borzestowski family discovered this past summer.
Australian songwriter Szymon Borzestowski was set to sign a long-term record deal with industry professionals Mark Holland and Craig Hawker four years ago. The news came when his father sent a demo of Szymon’s work to EMI, a nationally renowned record label. Szymon was in the process of writing and recording songs for his album, “Tigersapp”, but took a hiatus in 2012 to address his struggles with depression and mental illness.
The album was never finished, however, as the 23-year-old musician took his own life later that year. In August 2015–three years after his death–Upworthy.com posted the news that “Tigersapp” was completed by his two brothers, Kubush and Dom, and released with the help of his managers at EMI. Even more inspiring, the CD has received five-star reviews around the world since its release this past summer.
In the video above, Dom describes the recording process as an extension of his talented brother, and how he had a natural gift to play the guitar.
“Szymon’s primary instrument was the saxophone, but he came home one day and started playing a guitar [He had] never been taught.”
Kubush recalls his emotions when listening to the album as well.
“Hearing the music is difficult sometimes because we miss [Szymon] so much,” Kubush said in an interview with Australia’s Daily Telegraph upon the album’s release. “We hope it encourages other people, listening to the love and hope in it. Despite the battles and struggles we all face, music was a release for Szymon and out of this tragedy, hopefully it can inspire someone else.”
This trend of using music as a healer in the midst of tragedy is nothing new, as the likes of Kirk Cobain and Tupac Shukur’s music lives on. More recently, however, Travis Barker, best known as the drummer for punk rock band Blink-182, opened up about contemplating suicide following the deadly plane crash in 2008 that nearly killed him.
It’s a travesty that Szymon and other musicians who came before him didn’t live to tell their stories, nor see the beauty they’ve created through their craft. Even so, it seems the powerful connections between men and music have not died. They live on through drum beats, guitar riffs, and carefully crafted words as a reminder to the common man that it’s never too late to carve a path or work out a rhythm for others to follow.
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Eloper Music/Youtube