“Performing and songwriting were endemic to my persona,” Petty says. “I was still pretty young and an ominous learning curve was ahead, but fortunately at that time there was good music out there to continue to fuel my aspirations as an emerging songwriter.”

He credits the release of two “landmark progressive rock albums,” Rush’s Hold Your Fire and Blue Oyster Cult’s Imaginos, with fueling his interest in songwriting and compositional components.

By 1991, having discovered the efficacy of the synthesizer as a compositional tool, he released a five-track demo into circulation, garnering attention from producers in the U.S. He then launched a foray into the European market, producing a second demo. Neither demo led to a commercial deal; however, both solidified Petty’s resolve to finish The Kirlian Effect during a three-year period between 2002 and 2005. The rapidly-advancing technology available to him gave the work a polish that would have been unattainable just a few years earlier. “The availability of next generation digital recording technology ensured pristine quality throughout,” he says, “and resulted in a product with vastly superior specifications over the original all analog masters.”

Today, Petty continues to push conventional assumptions about the use of synthesizers as a driving force in rock music. “Initially, there was a great deal of debate about the whole ‘synthesizer’ aspect of my songwriting,” Petty says. “There was skepticism, based purely on a stereotype that only guitar players can blister, about whether pulling off the rock and roll aspect would even work. I think the new CD puts this issue to rest once and for all.”

He leads with melody, pointing out that doing so provides a template onto which lyrics can be applied. “It’s really give and take,” he says, “a lyricist and songwriter will reach a point of synergy and if things click just right, it’s magic.” Kirlian Aura is all about “emotional constructs,” Petty adds, noting that the movements within his music connects with listeners when they are sad, happy, angry, etc. That desire for emotional connection drives his yearning for a return to the era of arena rock.

“My interest in arena rock is more for the vibe than the genre,” he says. “In those days it was a big deal to play packed indoor shows with programs, tee-shirts, memorabilia, etc. It was a place to socialize with like minded fans, there was a great sense of camaraderie, and for the most part pretty good music. There was a sense of what I’d call ‘depth perception’.”

Petty’s artistry springs forth from his work in the studio, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want an intense connection with every person who listens to his CD. “I want my listener to feel emotionally drained and intellectually challenged,” he says. “My songs are more closely related to epic stories than your average ‘radio-friendly’ song where an artist gets 3 to 4 minutes to get the job done.

He says that he’s providing “the right music for the right parts; it’s up to the listeners to take charge and write their screenplays according to their own model.”

Considering that there’s a vast audience that will be availing themselves of that life-score very soon, it’s likely there will be many listener screenplays written.

For more information about Kirlian Aura, or to purchase the new CD, visit www.kirlianaura.com.