My favorite things....

If you haven't already noticed, I listen to a lot of musicians that are not on the top charts.  Won't lie, I have a lot of friends that like to make fun of me for listening to such obscure music.  I'm good with that fact.  I have a hard time putting into words the type of music that I love.  Basically.  Good music.  I have discovered that I have an easier time describing why I love smaller artists.

When you see artists at smaller venues, there is something magical that happens.  You get to experience something that you never see at large venues.  Don't get me wrong, there is a high that you can get in arenas.  An adrenaline rush that is found thanks to being part of such a large crowd.  But it doesn't compare to small shows.

When you are at a small place and the artists get going, there is conversation.  There is engagement that you can't get in a large place.  The artists listen to what you want to hear, they play things that they haven't performed before.  I was at a show and once the artist got used to the whole listening room vibe, we got to hear partial songs.  Now some people may not be a big fan of this - but I loved it.  To hear the process start, to know that one day we will get to hear the finished product - it's amazing.

Even better.  When you have artists sharing a stage, there is another piece of magic that happens.  This was emphasized for me when we were at Down the Hatch.  Many of the artists there were good friends and collaborate regularly on music.  So when one was performing and another got a hankering for it, they would run up and join them on stage.  No practice, no choreography, just magic.  The harmonies, the joy, the beautiful music.  It was amazing.

This is what we get to experience when we go to small venues and see artists who maybe haven't hit it huge yet.  To buy their merch and know that you are actually helping launch someone who has such talent and passion is wonderful.  I wouldn't trade listening rooms and other small venues for anything.  If you haven't been to show like this, I encourage you to seek one out.

At DTH I had the pleasure of seeing a lot of amazing artists.  Two of them were Keaton Simons (who I had seen before) and Tony Lucca (who I had tickets to see later in the summer).  They were both awesome at what I described above.  Interaction with the crowd and with other musicians.  Here is a video of them performing together.  It really doesn't get better.

(the group shot at DTH)

For the Love of Music

For the Love of Music.

Such a simple sentence.  Such a beautiful statement.  Such a powerful thought.

It actually comes from Hunter Hayes.  It is the name of his video blog.  I may have to steal it from time to time.

The love of music is something that I have a hard time putting into words.  I have a hard time describing the feelings that come over me when the right song comes on at just the right time.  For me, it is like describing the feeling on your wedding day, the feeling of a perfect sunset, the feeling of reaching a goal that you never thought you would.  It is almost impossible.

Music can touch us in crazy ways.  Music can make us angry, sad, happy, calm, anxious - you name it.  And you can play the exact same song, in the exact same setting for every person - and no two people will experience the exact same thing.  We bring our backgrounds, our emotions, our thoughts into everything we hear.  I would expect no different.

I grew up with music. My house had music playing, my father would make up songs, my mother played the flute.  I learned to play brass (mainly trumpet and euphonium) and piano.  I don't play any of it with great skill, but I do enjoy it.  I also sing and now play in a bell choir.  Once again, no great talent, but enjoyable.

When you have the right combination of words, lyrics, and setting - there isn't much better.  No easier way to sooth a troubled soul, no better way to express your heart.

A lot of people that I know think that I am a bit crazy and a bit obsessive - after all I am going to every concert that I can get to, and buying new music all the time - but music is just something amazing.  A thing of beauty that I can't find in many other places.  Others find this feeling in great art, in nature, in hobbies - for me - it's music.  Truly, it's that simple.

So - after much hunting - I think I found it.  The song to describe my love of music.  The song that helps put all of this rambling into words.  "Read My Mind" by Keaton Simons.

Lots of Hugs...NBD

I know, random start. :)

So, Saturday night.  Epic.  Simply epic.

Lainie and I headed out to see an artist that I started listening to sometime in the past year, and an artist that I first saw in 2007.  We met up with a new friend, Beth, that we met through other concerts we have attended.

The venue - unmatched.
Keaton Simons - unrivaled guitar work.
Pat McGee - remarkable band

We were at Seven Steps Up.  It is billed as a listening room.  After a series of concerts in venues that include hearing other acts through the walls, annoying people yelling throughout, and more - it was an extremely nice change in pace.

 Yep, there are couches.  That's where we happened to be sitting.

It is only 110 seats, drink service during the show, amazing acoustics, great prices, what more can you ask for?!?

So we get there early, not sure of what to expect, as none of us have been there before, order drinks, and just hang out.  We got to visit with the owners, as well.

It gets to be time for the show to start, so we take our seats.  Then we see Keaton Simons head out towards the stage.  Then he heads back towards us.  Turns out he knows the table sitting directly in front of us, and takes the time to greet us.  Yep, we got hugs from Keaton Simons...no big deal. ;)

So, side note.  I hate live cd's.  Really, truly hate them.  I find that live cd's have too much crowd noise, no way to appreciate the music, all together a lousy quality about them.  Remember that.

Back to what I was saying.....

Then the show starts.  Having never see Keaton live before, it was amazing.  Check out the pics and videos...trust me....the videos are worth your time.

Isn't his guitar playing just amazing!!!!

All too soon, Keaton was done.  But wait...he was to be back....

And yep, we got more hugs after the set.  N.B.D.

After that set, I knew I needed more Keaton Simons music.  I already owned Beautiful Pain - which is amazing.  For sale was also his live cd.  Now I have told you how I feel about live music.  This was another story.  I now knew just how amazing his guitar playing was, and how much more goes into the live version versus the recorded.  The live cd had to happen.  And it did not disappoint.

Below is the live version of Ordinary Words.  It is worth a listen.  If nothing else, put it on in the background.  If you aren't amazed, I am sorry....  I could not have EVER asked for more out of this show...except for maybe another couple of hours :)

I vs Me vs We

Yep, I've been absent again.  Sorry bout that.

Lots of thoughts running through my head lately.  To the point that I have been struggling to actually make a coherent sentence with them.  Let alone music to match my mood.  Nothing is more frustrating for me than when I can't find a song to express what I am feeling and thinking.

But here goes an attempt.

I have been thinking about the word "I" a lot.

First.  Have you ever noticed that we are quite the conceited beings?  No matter the situation, no matter the questions, the first thing that everyone thinks is - How is this going to affect me?  We then will turn to our family, our friends, our world, strangers, and everyone else.  But our instinct is always to worry about ourselves first.

Second.  For those who don't know me well, a little background is necessary here.  I have a Masters degree in Social Work.  So I have had quite a bit of education on counseling, communication, etc.  Because of this, my brain tends to work a little differently.  As I was thinking about how we are always concerned with ourselves first, I turned to the other side of using "I".  When in an honest conversation, it is really important to us "I" statements.  That way, you aren't accusing the person you are talking to of having feelings, thoughts, etc., that maybe they aren't experiencing.  For example, saying I felt angry versus you made me mad.

So here I am, trying to merge these two very different ideas.  One where I feel like we need to cut back on thinking about ourselves and one where we need to use I more often.  And yep, didn't get too far.  I think it boils down to the intention behind it.  Is the intention to help those around us, or to care only about ourselves?

I'm not saying that we can't ever think about ourselves, I'm not saying that we don't have a right to worry about what happens to our immediate life amongst everything else.  I'm just saying that maybe we need to try and move outside of ourselves.  Maybe we need to think about others first, then take our preference into account.  Or...maybe we just need to try it once in a while.  It is not exactly an easy change to make.  Each day, choose one decision, one situation, one opportunity to think outside of ourselves and maybe we can be just a little better.

Wow.  Sorry for the ramblings.

In other news, it has been a crazy couple of weeks.  Spent some time on the other side of the state to celebrate a friends birthday, and lots of time busy getting back into the fall swing of things.  Even though I am not in school, the school year always has tons more stuff going on.  And for fun we have also had Oktoberfest and Art Prize.  Oh, yeah, and last night was an AMAZING show.  Pics and video are coming.

 The birthday boy :)

 What birthday party is complete without a little 8 vs 1 Trivial Pursuit?!?

 Chocolate cake for breakfast

 Mmmm....Oktoberfest

ArtPrize time!!!

The winning quilt

And so, with all the crazy thoughts, all the busyness, all the randomness, I have a phenomenal song for you.  And it works well since the artist is one that I saw last night.

I give you - "Beautiful Pain" by Keaton Simons