Musicians Survival was Truly a Miracle: Singer Songwriter Fights for his Life

Every morning when singer-songwriter Michael Alan looks into the mirror and sees the surgical scar across his chest he is reminded of how lucky he is to be alive. Three years ago he suffered a major heart attack and a year after the episode he was required to have open-heart surgery. The heart attack caused physical disability and the onset of severe depression. In perspective his life evolved around a course of different therapeutic modalities for several years.

Looking back in time, it was the musical sounds in Michael's head that helped to keep him internally calm during the 911 emergency run to the hospital. He closed his eyes and concentrated on beautiful music and calming images to offset the immense pain and fear. In Michael's words, "When one experiences an event which threatens your life, leaves you disabled, or takes from you a loved one, the soul inside of you searches for understanding and it yearns for compassion from others. My wounded heart led me to the one thing which always nurtured my spirit".

Michael's efforts to improve his emotional state led him back to singing and writing songs, a passion he had put on hold while making other commitments to develop a business career. The result of Michael's rebirth in writing and recording is the making of a new album release titled "Michael Alan ? Searching for the Heartland."

The recorded song tracks on the CD are a compilation of different time periods in Michael's song writing, performing and recording career. They include his works as a staff writer for a major music publisher in Los Angeles, his performance touring in Europe with the Esquires, and his most recent music projects since relocating to Seattle, WA. Several of the songs on the album have received grandiose broadcast results on regional College radio in the US. The songs "Rosary" and "Candy" have been placed onto "air-play rotation" schedules with several European commercial stations for weekly broadcasts.

Michael Alan, who records with the label "Global Fish Records," is a rare artist who creates without a prescribed musical formula. His approach to writing is straight from the heart, lyrically poetic and honest, and void of any sound-alike comparisons. His songs create a myriad of lyrical expressions and images that move the listener through a musical experience of excitement, tenderness, passion, and sadness. His ability to write songs in a variety of musical styles reveals the fact that he is an avid listener of all types of music.

Michael approaches the art of song writing with full emotional conviction. He expresses himself in a personal way sharing his deepest thoughts and feelings through his music. In a recent conversation he commented, "Sometimes on a rare occasion the music and words come together like shadows of light creating a warm sense around me. It's a feeling that you are not alone in the rhythm of life. It's in this moment that you know the hearts and souls of all people around the world are truly connected."

Music and Healing: Michael has been blessed with a second chance at life. It is his desire to share his personal story in hopes that he might encourage people to become educated about heart disease. Cardiovascular disease is the leading killer of Americans today affecting people of all ages. The American Heart Association website, www.heart.org, offers a wealth of health information and discusses many options to make healthy lifestyle choices.

Global Fish Records and Michael Alan are a registered third-party fundraiser for the American Heart Association. A portion of the revenue from the music CD sales is donated to the American Heart Association affiliate office in Seattle, Washington. To learn about the association's resources and programs call 1-800-562-6718.

Michael spends his Saturday mornings handing-out educational literature about heart disease to people at shopping malls and grocery stores in Lynnwood. He is comfortable in sharing his experience with folks and he feels a responsibility to inform the public about the growing health crisis in America.

As Michael puts it; a lot of people walk by and look at me with a silly grin on their faces while I'm standing in the rain and the cold in my efforts to chat and offer life-saving information. The highlight of my efforts is when a person calmly approaches me with a smile and says "I read the literature you gave me last week and I visited the website of the American Heart Association and now I am prepared to discuss my health concerns with my doctor in an informed manner."

The music CD, Michael Alan - Searching for the Heartland, is available at the website: www.MichaelAlanMusic.com

The website offers mp3 audio samples for all 12 songs along with insights and lyrics. The album's promotional song release "Rosary" can be downloaded for free. Additionally, the site includes links to several nationally recognized health-information websites.

Michael Alan is a published singer songwriter, with album & movie credits, who has lived and toured in the US and Europe. Website: http://www.MichaelAlanMusic.com

He is also an active member of the American Heart Association.

In The News:

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Israeli soldiers, are seen during a patrol at the Lebanese-Israeli border, near the Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, south of Lebanon, Monday Jan. 5, 2009. The hilltop Israeli outpost towers over this south Lebanon village along the two countries' border, its fortifications shielded by a metal anti-rocket net and marked by its high antennas. Both Hezbollah and Israel this time are saying they're not looking for a fight but both sides are on alert, watching each other. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)AP - Israel resumed its Gaza offensive Wednesday, bombing heavily around suspected smuggling tunnels near the border with Egypt after a three-hour lull to allow in humanitarian aid. Hamas responded with a rocket barrage.



People looks for jobs in front of computer screens at the California Employment Development Department in Sunnyvale, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009. The country lost nearly 2 million jobs through November and more bad news is expected this week when the government releases data on weekly jobless claims and December unemployment. No matter how bad those numbers are, and economists expect at least another 500,000 jobs were lost last month, the pain is stretching into 2009. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)AP - Pink slips are piling higher as companies scramble to cut costs even deeper to survive the country's economic and financial storms.



President-elect Barack Obama gestures during a news conference at his transition office in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009, where he introduced Nancy Killefer, right, to the newly created position of chief performance officer. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)AP - Pointing with concern to "red ink as far as the eye can see," President-elect Barack Obama pledged Wednesday to tackle out-of-control Social Security and Medicare spending and named a special watchdog to clamp down on other federal programs — even as he campaigned anew to spend the largest pile of taxpayer money in history to revive the sinking economy.



Illinois U.S. Senate Appointee Roland Burris, left, meets with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)AP - Senate Democrats beat a hasty retreat Wednesday from their rejection of Roland Burris as President-elect Barack Obama's successor, yielding to pressure from Obama himself and from senators irked that the standoff was draining attention and putting them in a bad light. Burris said with a smile he expected to join them "very shortly."



Protesters yell during a demonstration against the shooting death of Oscar Grant at the Fruitvale BART station in Oakland, Calif., Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009. Grant was shot and killed by a police officer after an altercation on a BART train station platform in Oakland on New Year's Day.  (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)AP - Protests over the fatal shooting of an unarmed man by a Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer turned violent Wednesday night with windows broken, fires set and train stations closed.



President-elect Barack Obama is welcomed by President George W. Bush for a meeting at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009, with former presidents, from left, George H.W. Bush, Bill  Clinton, and Jimmy Carter.  (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)AP - Confronting a grim economy and a Middle East on fire, Barack Obama turned Wednesday to perhaps the only people on the planet who understand what he's in for: the four living members of the U.S. presidents' club.



In this photo provided by the Washington State Department of Transportation, water rushes past a washed out road near Blewett Pass on U.S. highway 97 in Washington State on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009 in Washington State. (AP Photo/Washington State Department of Transportation)AP - Rain and high winds lashed Washington state Wednesday, causing widespread avalanches, mudslides, flooding and road closures as the heavy snowfall that has buried parts of the state began to rapidly melt.



Christian Bale accepts the favorite action movie award for 'The Dark Knight' at the 35th Annual People's Choice Awards on Wednesday Jan. 7, 2009 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)AP - Holy People's Choice Awards, Batman!



Workers put bulletproof glass on President-elect Barack Obama's Inaugural Reviewing Stand on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)AP - The upcoming inauguration of Barack Obama is an attractive target for international and domestic terrorists, but U.S. intelligence officials have no information about specific threats to the Jan. 20 event.



Harvard's Jeremy Lin (4) drives for the basket in front of Boston College's Rakim Sanders in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)AP - Jeremy Lin scored 27 points to lead Harvard to an 82-70 upset over No. 17 Boston College on Wednesday night, three days after the Eagles upset previously top-ranked North Carolina.



Israelis take cover before a rocket fired by Palestinians in Gaza lands in Beersheba, after they attended the funeral of Israeli soldier Alex Mashavisky at a cemetery, January 7, 2009. (Eric Gaillard/Reuters)Reuters - At least four rockets fired from Lebanon exploded in northern Israel on Thursday, wounding two people, police and medics said, in an attack likely linked to Israel's offensive against Hamas Islamists in the Gaza Strip.



President-elect Barack Obama listens to a question from the media following a meeting with members of his future cabinet and economic advisors at his transition office in Washington, January 6, 2009. (Jason Reed/Reuters)Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama will call for quick action on a fiscal stimulus package in a speech on Thursday aimed at reassuring Americans that he is determined to stem the economic crisis.



A share trader reacts while checking share prices in front of the German share price index DAX board at the German stock exchange in Frankfurt, December 18, 2008. (Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters)Reuters - A fresh wave of profit warnings and job cuts soured investor sentiment on Thursday after an employment report suggested U.S. job losses in December could be the worst in almost 60 years.



Senate-designate Roland Burris talks with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Reid's office on Capitol Hill, January 7, 2009. (Larry Downing/Reuters)Reuters - In an abrupt switch, Democratic leaders began talks on Wednesday to swear in Roland Burris, appointed by embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate.



A customer looks at listings on display outside a Brown Harris Stevens offices in New York, June 4, 2008. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)Reuters - It took war, the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression and the collapse of some of New York's famed investment banks, but Manhattan apartment prices are finally falling.



Reuters - U.S. cities are vulnerable to an attack like the gun-and-grenade assault that terrorized Mumbai for three days and killed 179 people, the White House homeland security adviser said on Wednesday.

Reuters - Citigroup Inc is leading other lenders in advanced talks with key U.S. senators on legislation that would allow judges to set new repayment terms for millions of mortgage holders who wind up in bankruptcy court, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people involved in the talks.

Ali al-Marri, who has been held for 5-1/2 years at a U.S. military prison in South Carolina, is seen in this undated photograph released to Reuters on January 6, 2008. An early test for President-elect Barack Obama will be the case of suspected al Qaeda 'sleeper' agent Marri, which will force Obama to take a position on his predecessor's claim that anyone the president deems a national security threat can be imprisoned indefinitely without charges in the United States. (Handout/Reuters)Reuters - The case of Ali al-Marri, accused of being an al Qaeda "sleeper" agent and held for 5-1/2 years at a U.S. military prison in South Carolina, will be an early test for President-elect Barack Obama.



Israeli soldiers patrol the Israeli-Lebanese border. The Israeli army fired into northern Lebanon on Thursday after rockets were fired at the Jewish state, an army spokeswoman told AFP.(AFP/Mahmoud Zayat)AFP - The Israeli army fired into northern Lebanon on Thursday after rockets were fired at the Jewish state, an army spokeswoman told AFP.



A Palestinian protestor flashes the V for 'victory' sign in front of an Israeli soldier near Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's old city. Israeli warplanes bombed suspected arms-smuggling tunnels in southern Gaza early Thursday, as diplomats worked to secure a ceasefire in an offensive that has killed 700 Palestinians.(AFP/Ahmad Gharabli)AFP - Israeli warplanes bombed suspected arms-smuggling tunnels in southern Gaza early Thursday, as diplomats worked to secure a ceasefire in an offensive that has killed 700 Palestinians.




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