Music | Tracks In The Dust

Archive for the tag “Music”

18 Jul 2012

The Music and the Album Experience

I have always loved music. From as far back as I can remember I had something in my life that would play music. A portable radio (they called them “transistor” radios for a while), a record player, a boombox, a Walkman, a CD Walkman, an I Pod and a smartphone. I always loved my stereo system ( because at one time they had mono systems I guess). There was always music playing around me. In the background, in the foreground 🙂 in the car, at the beach near our house, at friends houses, parties, late night on the back porch.

There was one thing that really changed how I listened to music and made the difference on what I listen to today. I will show my age by saying this but for a while in time the “record album” was part of a renaissance of modern music that made listening to an artist or group different from before. It wasn’t just about one song (although that may be one of the reasons to listen to the album), it was about the complete experience of understanding the artists and their music and the atmosphere it brought when you would play several songs in a row by the same artists. Sort of why they called it an “LP” – long play record.

Since it was hard to skip through/scan through songs on a record without picking up the needle (amazing a sharp little thing that scraped along a groove in plastic), it was easier just to let the “side” play. One half of the album would play out its 4 or 5 selections and you would listen. And somewhere along that time you would get to know the artist better, and actually appreciate the songs that weren’t likely the hit-single playing on the radio. In some cases they all folded together into something that felt more like a drawing or painting of a mood.

And even now, as I scan through songs on the Internet or program selections or shuffle a playlist I still stop to wonder about those “other” songs. The one or two I missed because they were part of a more complete picture in sound. I could even get nostalgic about how the album cover and art were part of the experience. Don’t get me started about those albums that would include the words to the songs, or “liner” notes from fellow musicians who wanted to speak to the listener about their heroes and peers.

I am too much in a hurry now to sit through a whole album (or at least one side). Sometimes when a song doesn’t grab me in the first 10 seconds I hit the forward button and go on. Letting songs pass by without a passing thought.

Don’t get me wrong. Theres something to be said for technology allowing us to experience new and different artists online, streaming or downloading musicians you may never have heard before – when record companies had to pick and choose for you. But that album from the artist that fought their way to the label had character as a “physical thing” to be collected, and replayed and shared with friends as an experience.

26 May 2012

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Summer Begins

In the US this weekend is special, it is Memorial Day weekend. On Monday we are to observe a holiday that is dedicated to pausing to recall our veterans of the military who have fought for our freedom. It is one of the most important holidays we have as as a federal holiday, as there are so many fallen men and women who have blazed the trail for our country. They should not be forgotten.

It is also the unofficial beginning of summer. Even though summer solstice isn’t until June – this holiday weekend seems to be the launch of summer, and for all things that it means. My memories of this Memorial Day weekend have always been steeped in tradition and anticipation. Over the years it came to signify the end of the school season and the beginning of some serious length of days off. Of course once you are out of school it’s different. But the ghost of that feeling is still there.

Other summer memories of smells, sound and sun kick in as well. Barbeque on the grill meant that smell of lighter fluid and briquets that had a pungent petroleum smell that always ended up in good eats! The sun-tan lotion that smelled like coconut. The cold brew taste of beer and the music that was pure-pop, originally on some little tinny radio on AM but later blasting thru the latest size of boombox. The Beach Boys begat the psychedelic pop of the late sixties, that brought on the dancing music of the seventies and the punk of the eighties and grunge rock of the nineties, but there was always something that would wrap the sounds of the summer in a package.

So for me the summer begins, not so idyllic as it once was, but summer none the less. Some promise of some “summer vacation” where there could be some “summer fun” (cue the Grease song). Some days when it will be too hot to go out but we will anyway to take in the summer. Nites on the patio with a cold sweating drink, time around the pools or at the beach. Perhaps some time onboard a boat on the cool water of the ocean or lake of your choice. What ever it is, summer is here.

The bookend to that will be that weekend at the end of summer. The unofficial end on Labor Day weekend in the US when we all begin our journey to the fall season. Bring out the warmer clothes in anticipation of those crisp autumn days where we can enjoy trees changing colors and fire pits with a warm glow. But until then, it is time to soak up the sun. May it be a wonderful summer.

Posted in Learning Lessons Along the Journey Of Life, Life's Sound Track (Music) and tagged Joy, life is precious, Memorial Day, Memories, Music, Slow Down, Summer

23 May 2012

Kindness

Another one of my life’s songs along with my previous post “Compassion” is this one from my favorite artist Todd Rundgren. It is called “Kindness”. It is an attitude and characteristic that seems so lost these days in some circles. There are people who show you kindness, and you have to remember what that feels like and share it back.

So much more anger and frustration these days leads to violence and uncaring attitudes. We all need to take the lessons of kindness and pass them on.

I don’t mean to keep posting music (let alone my fave artist) – but it hit me again how fortunate it is to give and receive kindness in our lives, and how often it may be missing on our mission here on Earth.

Kindness by Todd Rundgren

The one that showed me kindness
Was the one that taught me kindness
Though I did not recognize it
Still I might have died without it
And when I awakened
It was too late to thank her
If I live someday I’ll make repayment
And show someone the kindness she showed me

When my voice grows strident
When I feel important
I’m reminded of that kindness
And where I’d be without it
I’m learning my lessons
It may take me a lifetime
Give me strength to justify my being
And show someone the kindness shown to me

Posted in Doing Things That Will Change Your Life, Learning Lessons Along the Journey Of Life, Life's Sound Track (Music) and tagged Acceptance, Compassion, Definitions, Grace, Kindness, Music, Self-Awareness, Sprituality, Todd Rundgren

08 May 2012

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Your Life’s Song

Can music come down to just 6 songs? Can it be that simple? What is your one most special song in your life?

I am reading “The World In Six Songs” by Daniel Levlin. It takes a small jump to understand that there are some fundamental ways that songs communicate: songs of friendship, joy, comfort, religion, knowledge, and love. There seems to be a pre-historic yet beautiful process at play when we sing and dance at weddings, cheer at a concert, or just emerge ourselves privately on headphones full of music.

Just the other day my wife had mentioned how emotional she would get at certain times in our lives when she would listen to music. Not just one particular song or artist, but music itself. Why can a song make you cry in a matter of seconds? Like all of our senses, we trigger emotions ( and memories) around songs that emit emotion and intensity.

With so much music in my life, I can tell you that there are a lot of emotions tied to those songs that make the journey like a soundtrack in my life. Even if I forget they exist, as soon as I hear them it paints a picture and derives and emotion that is unique.

My daughter once asked me that “if I had to pick a theme song” that would be the song for the start of the movie of my life, what would it be? Oh man, that is such a hard one.. is it for you? Do you have that significant song that says it all to capture the important emotions of your life? No, not that song you can’t get out of your head (earwig songs Stephen King called them). No, not just the song played at your wedding or graduation party. But the song that has meaning because it is therapeutic, or bonds you with a moment or a cause, or bridges the emotions that you struggle with.

What is your song?

Posted in Learning Lessons Along the Journey Of Life, Life's Sound Track (Music) and tagged Emotion, Favorite Song, Music, Personal Soundtrack, Theme music

16 Apr 2012

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A Famous Musical Moment In Time

Climb The Mountain [Remastered]

When I was younger, much younger than today. I dreamed of being a rock musician and being famous. Almost every guy I knew that was in “a band” in those days had an ambition to be famous. Oh sure, there was the pure satisfaction of being in a band and creating music, creating a sound that would make people come and listen to you when you played in public. But that was just a taste of what could be. Could we be someone who everyone would play on their car radios, or play loud at parties with a bunch of rockin’ people dancing away the night?

Not that any of my musician friends truly believed that we were on our way to stardom. We had some idea of what it could be like, one of the bands I was part of even “opened” for some bands back then that became pretty well-known. But that was a small thing really. The band will forever be grateful for the opportunity to create that time, to create that moment that would be musically connected to someone with music we wrote. Of course it wouldn’t be memorable enough to become the next gold record. But it was something captured by the five of us like a painting that someone would paint and hang on the wall.

So here it is decades later. Me with a family full of love and life and children. A career, a home, cats on the couch and dogs in the yard. No one will recall those days except a few musicians and the road crew that dragged our sorry souls around from place to place. There will be the basements and garages that still ring out the tones of bands we loved. The memory of those prime nights when every thing went well with the crowd, and we had visions of fandom and success (like some arena rock band waving to the crowd of teens). Echoes of Journey, Styx, Kansas, Boston or rockin with the old timers of the British Invasion or even farther back with the distant reverb of Buddy Holly or rocking at Sun Records.

A few years back we had a reunion that had taken decades to realize. Indeed with much less hair, many more responsibilities, and many more pounds. We still had a touch of that remembrance, of the creation of our original music that was so much just designed to honor our musical heroes. With a bit more sensibility, and some recording equipment we recaptured the music we wrote so long ago, so our kids could hear it just once. (Attached is one of our originals). So we could play it from time to time and say “that was us” – back then we had some fun, played for some people and made them cheer. Yup, we were famous, successful – at least in our minds eye.