Let Peter Silberman’s “Ahimsa” Calm Your Afternoon

The Antlers’ Peter Silberman’s forthcoming solo debut Impermanence promises to be great self-care music—previously released single “New York” dealt with Silberman’s sensory overload, while “Ahimsa” touches on emotional overload. Behind an ambient guitar and bird songs, Silberman echoes the mantra, “No violence today.” Silberman explains the song’s meaning and value in a statement, saying:

Ahimsa usually translates from Sanskrit as “non-harming”, which I take to mean practicing a non-violent attitude toward others and myself.

I wrote the song as a personal encouragement to cultivate that awareness whenever possible, to be less knee-jerk reactive, to snap to fewer judgments, and above all, to be patient. I need this reminder often.

“Ahimsa” is also my ridiculous wish: for a unanimous period of calm and safety, for one whole day of peace. I mostly think this is an impossible goal.

But I hold on to some small hope that it can be reached by an incredibly long road,walked with microscopic steps, by creating harmonious moments and stringing them together, one-by-one, over the course of many lifetimes.

The album, in its non-violence, is shaping up to be a great spark for meditation, perhaps paired with a warm Oolong tea. Impermanence will be released by Anti Records on Feb. 24—find more information here. Listen to “Ahimsa” below, find “New York” and Paste Cloud audio from The Antlers’ 2011 Daytrotter session beneath that, and even further down, check out Silberman’s upcoming tour dates.

Peter Silberman Tour Dates:

March
22 – Boston, Mass. @ Living Room show
23 – North Adams, Mass. @ Living Room show
25 – Toronto, Ontario @ Living Room show
26 – Ann Arbor, Mich. @ Living Room show
28 – Chicago, Ill. @ Living Room show
29 – Madison, Wis. @ Living Room show

April
01 – Skokie, Ill. @ Living Room show
02 – Columbus, Ohio @ Living Room show
03 – Cleveland, Ohio @ Living Room show
04 – Pittsburgh, Pa. @ Living Room show
05 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Living Room show
06 – Washington, DC @ Living Room show
08 – Brooklyn, N.Y. @The Park Church Co-Op
18 – London, United Kingdom @ St. John’s Church
19 – Leeds, United Kingdom @ Headrow House
20 – Glasgow, United Kingdom @ The Glad Cafe
21 – Dublin, Ireland @ Dublin Unitarian Church
23 – Brussels, Belgium @ Rotonde Botanique
24 – Paris, France @ Le Pop Up du Label
25 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Het Zonnehuis