Singled Out: Jason Karaban

Misplaced is about detachment... the kind of detachment one often experiences with profound self realization. The song was written during a pretty manic period during which I experienced a shift in consciousness. This shift enabled me to view the world in almost a child-like way. I was able to really experience things as they were happening and perceive them without labeling or judgement. Everything felt perfect to me - that things were just as they should be. However, the process of experiencing this shift actually resulted in quite a bit of turmoil. I was diagnosed with bi polar disorder and then just went away for a little while. So, the chorus of the song is quite literal and describes when I left my home and was taken to a place to rehabilitate... "the driver pulled away, and took me to a place, where the misplaced go... to try to figure out, what we're all about so we fit in and where to begin." However, while the main theme is detachment, the feeling of separateness and of feeling out of place, the experience did ultimately end on a more positive note... because even though some people look at it as a disorder, I realized that the experience for me really was quite spiritual and if looked at and treated as such it could be the catalyst to leading a more fulfilling and gratifying life. Watch the video here

Devil That I Know I actually wrote Devil That I know with Glen Phillps several years ago - it was recorded with the help of producer Ethan Allen and the vocal talents of Lucy Schwartz. I was never quite sure what I was going to do with it until I was assembling tracks for Shift and it seemed silly not to include it. As for the subject, the theme is not particularly uncharted territory for me. It has to do with the struggle between one's honest nature and their ego driven self and how whenever you are acting from your egoic self you will always miss the mark. I often find myself in that struggle and though I usually know what I should do, still there are times where my ego takes over. So, I guess ultimately, the song is about relenting and saying "f**k it" to all the spiritual and mystical searching and just going with the good old devil that you know!