A long time ago my favorite band of all time, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, coined a popular phrase that I still live by to this day: music is my aeroplane.
You might be thinking, “Yea I’ve heard that before, but how can someone live by it?” Well, to me it’s simple – I allow music to breathe life into my soul. I believe that music can inspire, empower and even change people’s actions. Only through music can you find a statement so simple, yet so profound. I’ve had many passions throughout my life, but it seems as if music has remained the only thing I can consistently rely on – an ever present force that can put a smile to my face or bring a tear to my eye in an instant, even if that emotion wasn’t there begin with.
My taste in music has changed dramatically over the years (I’ve had some great tastes and some not so great tastes). I was all about country in middle school; then came a love for punk followed by a taste for rap. Once I hit college I became obsessed with classic rock and heavy metal. I’ve bought albums from artists running the gambit of Celine Dion to Metallica because I wanted to explore new sounds and find out what inspired me. It’s almost as if the events in my life dictated what music I listened to – when I was young and impressionable I stuck to what was hot at the time (Brittney Spears, Christina Aguilara or the Backstreet boys). After my parents’ divorce made me want to be an angry and rebellious teen, I was attached to Linkin Park, then I turned to rap in high school because that’s all anyone ever listened to. As I got older and started to discover my personality, I began to love classic rock or anything with a badass guitar solo because I longed to be so exuberant.
Regardless of how my taste evolved, I have always made it a priority to explore different sounds and new artists – thus the inspiration for this post. The 10th anniversary of Austin City Limits is this weekend and it will be my fourth time going. To be honest, I’m not immediately thrilled about the lineup because I’ve probably only listened to 30% of the bands. Nevertheless, I am going to keep an open mind and will hopefully find a new genre I may not have paid attention to before. Ever heard of Ghostland Observatory? I hadn’t until attending ACL in 2007 and stumbling across their stage – now they are one of my favorite bands. That’s one of the best things about ACL and any other music festival, you don’t necessarily have to know every band when you go but you’ll probably wind up with a larger music arsenal than you came in with.
Austin City Limits is becoming one of the largest and most influential music festivals in the world. Check out this New York Times article that came out a few days ago. Pretty exciting to see your city highlighted in such a way! One of the reasons I wanted to move back to Austin was to be closer to live music. Houston has a very underground, big concert scene that may be great for some people – but I need access to unplugged performances, street artists and bands I whose names I can’t even pronounce. I love being able to walk around downtown aimlessly looking for a gig. Sometimes you find something great, sometimes you don’t, but it’s the adventure that matters. In fact, when Bryan and I went to New Orleans last year it was the music that dictated what restaurants or bars we went into. To me, that’d the best agenda anyone can have. If I could be anywhere in the world, it would be in the front row of a live show for my favorite band. I used to think something was wrong with me because I let music have so much power over me. I even had someone I was dating criticize me for loving music so much and for getting chills after hearing certain songs – but I came to realize that this is all part of who I am, a music fiend.
No matter what life throws my way, I can always rely on music. And it’s not just the sound that gets me, it’s the powerful lyrics and heartfelt screams of the lead singer. Whether it’s getting through a tough workout, allowing myself to cry even though I don’t want to be vulnerable or jumping from excitement, music is my fuel. It allows me to let go, express myself and find my center. I have an undying love for music that want to share with everyone around me. So don’t freak out if I send you a song that you HAVE to listen to, start randomly dancing or head banging to a song – I’m just letting the sound move me.
So with that, I leave you with some of the songs that I go to when I need help getting through the day. Enjoy!
“Otherside” – Red Hot Chili Peppers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn_YodiJO6k
“Break On Through” – The Doors
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dLAv0NklTg
“Into the Fire” – Thirteen Senses
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFroDCsVCeY&ob=av2n
“Rest My Chemistry” – Interpol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgROCTkVHJY
“Cigarettes and Wedding Bands” – Band of Horses
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrTa1gmV2qE
“Stop For a Minute” – Keane
insatiable curiosity 