True North

I was lucky enough to spend this weekend in Chicago.  The goal was to see Wakey!Wakey! perform.  More on that will be coming soon enough.  But there was a part  of the evening that got me thinking - in fact, got me blogging while I was still standing at the show.  Jillette Johnson opened for Wakey!Wakey! and performed a song that really struck a chord.  These are my thoughts.

 

I don't know if it is a regional, national, or human thing, but people put a ton of emphasis on where we are "from."  That question is a very tough one for me. In fact my sister texted me one day asking how I respond to that question. I was born in Iowa, spent several years in South Carolina, then most of growing up was in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, then since high school I have been in the lower peninsula. 

 

So when someone asks where I'm from, it is not easy to answer. 

 

And really, why does it matter? I understand that where you are raised can have a significant impact on who you are, but too often people make incorrect assumptions based on it. 

 

More often than not, when people hear where I grew up, they assume that I hunt, camp, and know very little of the world. I have never hunted, almost never camped, and while I may not be an expert, I have traveled and been exposed to enough to understand more than people expect. 

 

Maybe we focus on where people are from in an attempt to connect. A chance to find a common ground. Although, aren't there better things to connect about? Where we are from is out of our control and doesn't actually say anything about a person - though we assume it does. Why don't we focus on how we care for those around us, on what is important to us, or on where we sees our future's leading? Those ideas can provide common grounds that can actually provide a basis for a truthful conversation and a relationship based on respect and love rather than geography. 

 

And despite these rantings-home is important. For many people where we are from is less about the city or region and more about the feeling of comfort and safety that comes from remembering or returning to this place. I get this. Even though I will never move back to any of the places I lived before graduating high school, even though I don't even care to visit but every 5-10 years, there is something special about home. Our memories like to play with us and hold on to the best moments. Anyone who knows me well knows that I never really fit in growing up. And that's okay. It has made me who I am. I have many acquaintances, but only one true friend left in that region, and yet. And yet I still feel that occasional pull to go home. To try and recreate what my memory tells me I had there. 

I actually took my husband up there for the first time, after more than 7 years together. And while logically I know that there is nothing for me in that whole peninsula, my heart still pulls. I know I will never live there again, I know that I may not even visit ever again, but nostalgia is a powerful emotion. And that's okay. As long as we go in with open eyes and an open heart. As long as we remember that the place it is now may not be the same as it was, it may not feel the same, we can still take comfort in the memories. 

True North. The path towards home. A path I hope everyone can feel and follow when needed. Whether home is where you were born, where you were raised, where your parents live, or where your current home is - it is important to know where you can find that feeling of safety and peace. Because there are times that it can fix everything, when nothing else could.

So thank you Jillette, for the start of an amazing show, and for the beautiful words on home.

Dark and Cold

Winter has hit.  And hit hard.  And honestly, it has almost nothing to do with the weather.  Those in this area know exactly how lousy the weather has been - which is pretty terrible.  But for me - the winter blues have little to do with snow and ice.  Once Christmas is over, the excitement has disappeared.  The darkness has descended.  And there really isn't much to do.  Those who have tracked me know how busy I stay.  It is rare that I am home (and awake) for more than a few hours a week.  But in winter that changes.  I am home all the time - and very happy to be so.  So odd.

It is so dark out.  And so cold out.  And really - there is only one thing that I enjoy in the winter - and that is downhill skiing.  Not a hobby that I can afford to enjoy very often.

And to make matters worse - there is almost no good live music around.  Seriously.  I haven't been to a non-online concert since Black Friday.  And I haven't really had another one in the horizons until May.  Yep - like 6 months out! 

Thank heavens for Facebook.  I received an invite from a local DJ to a local charity concert.  Honestly - I hadn't heard of the main act, but the opening act is a local musician (Mark Sala) that is amazing.  So I have invited my best concert buddy and we are going to that next week.

Also in amazing news, I got an email from our favorite venue (Pin Drop Concerts) and it says that the musician (Pat McGee) who puts together the festival that we are going to in May is going to be back in town the beginning of that month.  I know that this is crazy far out, but it is nice to have something to look forward to.

So what am I saying?  Who knows.  Winter is hard.  It is cold, it is painful, it is a time for staying in and staying warm.  But it is also a time for reconnecting with loved ones, for organizing your home and your mind.

I am very thankful that I can make it through this winter with warmth all around me - especially when so many others aren't able to say the same.  So I will simply keep my eye on the end of winter, and enjoy the highlights that appear.  Thank heavens for good music!!!

So on this cold and dark night - I offer you a favorite.  I have been on more of a rock kick lately, and loving it.  Something to help with energy on the dark, cold days/nights. 

"Miss Jackson" by Panic! At the Disco

Merry Christmas To All....

Wow.  It's been a month.  A month since I have blogged.

It has not been a month since I discovered new music, there have not been concerts that I have been to and not written about, there have not been moments in my life where dreams and music (really - the same thing) have impacted me immensely.  But - it has been a month since I have blogged. 

The holiday season is one that is always extremely overwhelming for me.  The additional social commitments, the additional church services, the additional errands, the additional everything.  It is just exhausting.  I did add a little to my own issues this year - as I just returned from a nine day vacation.  While it was much needed, it added to the stress.  But that's okay.

So....  What am I babbling about here?  For me - it boils down to Christmas Eve.  While I still have family commitments and travel for holidays ahead, while New Years Eve is still coming, while Christmas itself isn't even here yet - tonight is the culmination for me.  The peak.  My strongest Christmas memories are really focused around Christmas Eve.  Around our family traditions, the church services, the music, and more.

For those that are actively involved in their church (and I mean ACTIVELY - i.e. sometimes way too involved), you know how exhausting Christmas Eve is.  It is a night where you have too much to do, too little time, and it is amazing.  The Eve of the celebration of Christ's birth is a night where we can focus on the reason for this season.  A time to remember that Christmas isn't about physical gifts - it is about the greatest gift of all time.  A gift that none of us deserve, that none of us can earn - the gift of Christ and the salvation that He brought.  Okay - done with my religious thoughts - I know that's not what you come here to read.

Tonight, for me, was as exhausting as ever.  I got wayyyy less sleep than I needed, worked longer than I expected, and got to church with lots to do.  I missed several practices for this service, as I was out of town - so I was a bit behind.  I had to practice my baritone, we had bell rehearsal, choir rehearsal, and there were several pieces for each that I had not tried before.  And then all the usual running around - prepping the sanctuary, making sure gifts are ready for friends, and lots of odds and ends.  By the time service hit, I was about to drop from exhaustion.

But then I felt the energy.

The energy of the congregation - the excitement, the joy, the bliss.  While I was busy for most of the service, we got to my favorite part.  Silent Night/Night of Silence sung with candlelight.  Beautiful.  I actually choked up at one point.  The point when the moment truly hit me, when I remembered the reason we were there, when I felt the happiness that flowed around everyone.

So while I am completely wiped out, while I am barely able to keep my eyes open, while I am still stressed out about how much is in front of us - I am also completely content.  Tonight is a magical night.

I hope that all of you experience the same.  I hope that you have a magical holiday season - no matter how you celebrate.

And, of course, I found more awesome music.  Some amazing Christmas music.  And there is a song that I wanted to share with all of you.

"Christmas at Home" by Tyrone Wells.  A beautiful song that captures much of the feeling that can be found during this time of the year.  I hope you enjoy!

A reading from the Gospel of Luke

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. ²This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³All went to their own towns to be registered. ⁴Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. ⁵He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. ⁶While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. ⁷And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
⁸In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: ¹¹to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹²This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” ¹⁵When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. ¹⁷When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; ¹⁸and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

 Merry Christmas to All - and to All - a good night!!!

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.

Unexpected

So, I am finally almost caught up with blogging about concerts.  I know, crazy, right?  I really enjoy trying to get to two concerts a month.  This balances me out pretty well.  They tend to be spaced enough that I have recovery time, and I don't have that long to wait to see another great show.  November changed that up a bit.  I had the Dan Godlin/Curtis Peoples/Todd Carey show the first Monday in November, and I have Straight No Chaser the last Friday of the month.  Quite a break in between, but that's okay, it's a crazy busy month.

Then a friend asked if I was interested in seeing Hunter Hayes with her. Honestly, didn't jump on the chance.  I knew 1 Hunter Hayes song.  Of course, it was Wanted. Now, I do love that song, I even bought it on iTunes.  However, I'm not a huge country fan, and the concert was two hours away.  But, I thought about, and decided to give it a shot.  So, on the second Sunday of November, we were off.  Headed out of town to see another live show.

Let me tell you.  If you get the chance to see Hunter Hayes in concert, please do.  He is a great musician.  His musical talent is just amazing.  However, you will have thousands of screaming girls to deal with - just fair warning.

Fox Theatre is absolutely beautiful!

So thank you Allison, thanks for the ticket and asking me to go along.  It was so worth it.

Now - the title of this blog.  Unexpected.  I love finding music in places I never expected.  I love being proved wrong about music (in the good sense).  Finding quality music is something that I will never tire of.  Finding quality anything is always a welcome surprise.  I did not expect to enjoy his music as much as I did.  I enjoyed it so much that we listened to it almost all of the way back to town.  And trust me, I never listen to that much country.  Ever.  So what does this mean?  For me, it means that I need to keep my mind open.  I need to keep my heart open.  I should always be aware that there could be something wonderful just around the corner, or even right in front of me, we just have to be open to the experience.  I strongly encourage the same for you.

In honor of that night - in honor of being open - in honor of the power of music - I have a great song of the day for you.  It is (of course) by Hunter Hayes.  As he was on stage, he was talking about the power of music.  The fact that you can always find a song that speaks to you, that it shows that you are never truly alone, because someone else has felt what you are feeling.  He wrote a song about this.  It is entitled "In a Song."

Simple Joys

So, the headliner last Monday was Todd Carey.  I have already blogged about his songs After the Morning After and Nintendo here and then, very personally, about Gotta Be Next to You here.

There is a magic in Todd's music.  I have found songs of his which work for almost any situation.  And that is pretty darn impressive when I only have 18 songs.  I have found songs that will cheer me up when I am sad, songs that will express my anger and frustration, songs that make me long for the past while hoping for the future, and most importantly, songs that make me smile.

There is a lot of really good music that I listen to (at least I think so).  And yet, a lot of it is not able to bring a true, simple, full smile to my face.  When that is what I need, Todd Carey is one of the first musicians that I turn to.

Monday night was no exception.  He is an amazing performer.  His energy and talent just flow through the room.  It was great to get to hear a lot of his new album (and waiting till Spring or Summer of next year is going to kill me!).  I am anxiously waiting for another chance to see him in concert, whether it be on the computer or in person.

New music

More new music

Curtis joined Todd on stage at the end of the show

As I said, it was an awesome show.  Afterwards we got to hang out with Todd for a while.  We gently reminded him that he was supposed to dedicate a song to Beth, but he had gotten caught up on stage and forgot about it.  So, we got two songs played while we were hanging out in the merch area.

And of course, we ended the night with pics and autographs.

Ya know, it really was a kinda perfect night.  Good friends, good people, great music, awesome venue.  What more can you ask for?

So, while thinking about that night, about Todd's music, about happiness....it brings me back to my title.  Simple joys.  I really do love the simple things in life.  I love when a day can turn around from the simplest thing.  And for this, thank you Todd.  Thank you for bringing smiles to our days - even when we don't think we have one in us.

My song of the day is one that Todd performs - and performs so well - "Ain't Got Love"

Fears.....

I have a list.  As with the rest of my life, it is stored in my cell phone.  It is a list of songs.  Songs that when I hear them, I know that I need to write about them.  Unfortunately, this list just keeps getting longer.  Sometimes songs do not come off of there because it is not the right day for the song, sometimes because I am busy writing about other things, but sometimes it is because I struggle to put my thoughts into words.  The last reason is the one that bothers me the most.  I pride myself on being able to put things into words.  I can write about almost anything.  I can do it succinctly, but also with the needed emotion.  I think that the songs that I cannot write about are the ones that are the most personal.  It can be very hard to put your heart and your mind out there.....

Okay.  Back to last Monday night.

After Dan Godlin had finished (lots of sadness as I would have been happy to see him perform for hours), it was time for Curtis Peoples.  If I am remembering correctly, I found his music through Tyler Hilton.  I had gotten his album, The Fight, and fallen in love with it.  He was the reason that we were at this show.

As expected, his music is amazing.  His performance is amazing.  We enjoyed every second of it. I sang along with almost every minute of it.  One really cool fact was that Curtis had a ton of family there.  Turns out he spent almost every summer, while growing up, in this part of the country.  So lots of his family showed up to see him perform.  It's great to see that kind of support.

After the show, we gotta to talk to Curtis (yep, still really love Seven Steps Up).  While chatting with him, he talked about how he saw that I was singing along to most of the set.  I, of course, complimented his music - cause it really is awesome.  We talked about how some people don't ever know the music of the artists they are seeing, but that I really prefer to know the music prior to a show.  He told me that he really enjoys having people in the audience that clearly enjoy the music and are big supporters.

So of course, I then got him to sign his album.  :)

 
 Back to where I started.  I have had a song on my list for quite some time.  That song is "Afraid" by Curtis.  The second that I heard it, it was on my list.  It struck a chord with me.  I'm pretty sure it is because it speaks to the part of me that likes that hide.  Everyone has something that they are afraid of.  Everyone has fears.  I'm pretty sure that all of our real fears boil down to the same things.  Loss.  I mean, really, what are you afraid of?  Is it taking a leap for a change in career?  Is it telling someone that you love them?  Is it telling someone that you are scared for them and where they seem to be headed?  Is it of disappointing people?  Whatever it is, I believe it boils down to a fear of loss.  A fear that we will lose the person we love, a fear of losing our success, a fear of losing our safety net.  I know that is where my true fears are based.

This is why this song means so much to me.  So in honor of being pushed out of my comfort zone (which is always a good thing), in honor of an amazing show - I give you my song of the day.

"Afraid" by Curtis Peoples