The Beginnings of My Musical Journey: A Personal Exploration of Music's Power and Beauty

Music affects us in a variety of ways. We are drawn to music for various reasons, at different times, and in different moods. We enjoy different styles, genres, and singers, nevertheless, music is a significant and profound part of every one of our lives. Music can affect how we feel about ourselves and others, it influences our perspectives in everyday life since when we are watching movies and television; music animates our spirituality. 

Music is a reflection of ourselves that we might otherwise never relate to or share if it didn't feel like our favorite musicians weren’t sometimes singing directly to us, influencing our lives. Music is the closest we come to knowing that we might all think and feel similarly.

          Throughout my life, my musical interests have varied greatly, and to establish some credibility in the way of taking on the pressure of writing a music blog, I believe that it is important for my readers to know the following:

• My childhood was spent listening to the Rolling Stones, Van Halen, the Doobie Brothers, the Guess Who, the Beatles, Eric Clapton, Simon and Garfunkel, Pink Floyd, Kenny Loggins, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Jimmy Buffett, (and others).
• The 90's for me was a compilation of the Smashing Pumpkins, Tim McGraw, Blink 182, John Michael Montgomery, Jeff Buckley, Third Eye Blind, Merle Haggard, Nirvana, Alison Krauss, the Eagles, R.E.M., Bush, Dinosaur Jr., Weezer, Willie Nelson, the Beach Boys, Trisha Yearwood, Matchbox 20, Metallica, Reba McEntire, Elliot Smith, Garth Brooks, (and others).
• My millennium was an exploration of Hardcore Punk (of the late 80's and early 90's, there are just too many to name), Indie Rock, and Indie Folk.
• The last decade reinforces the most important songs in my life spread throughout genres and the ages, it has taught me about the music that resonates with me the most and has allowed all others to slip away.

          I’ve been lucky to have several amazing opportunities, attending Ray Lamontagne and Brandi Carlisle's performance at Big Sky Brewing Co., outside Missoula, Montana. Making that show was nothing short of a miracle because it required flying from the Santa Fe airport to LAX and then to Seattle-Tacoma International where I boarded a twinjet plane that made an emergency landing in Spokane, before finally landing in Missoula at who knows what time of morning. I happened upon Andrew Bird playing at the Guggenheim while aimlessly wandering on one of my days off of work while living in New York City. I experienced a crowd rushing the stage at a Black Flag concert in San Antonio, at the last Warped Tour I attended.

I sipped on a Happy Camper IPA while Xavier Rudd and Jenny Lewis And The Watson Twins performed at the Santa Fe Brewing Co. Danced as Neko Case, the Roots, Josh Ritter, Crooked Fingers, and Broken Social Scene performed at the Twilight Concert Series in downtown Salt Lake City. I was moved nearly to tears while Beirut performed on a small stage in a giant warehouse in New Mexico. I listened in awe, while Cat Stevens and Ozzy Osbourne performed a dueling Peace and Crazy Trains intermittently on the lawn of the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. I knew every word to every song at Garth Brooks' concert in San Antonio after an 18-year hiatus. Witnessed Sufjan Stevens perform at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas, dressed as a Majestic Snowbird. I watched Hawk and a Hacksaw perform on the deck of Meow Wolf's "Due Return." And I discovered, what would become a lifelong obsession, for Brown Bird while in concert at a recording studio in northern New Mexico.

         Music has been one of the most influential factors in my life, I cannot imagine a life without the harmony that music has created for me, and the clarity it’s afforded. I had a musical upbringing, my mom can pick up any instrument and within a few hours can play it proficiently and by ear, while my father is a classically trained pianist; I play the guitar, the banjo, the piano, the saxophone, and the drums and although I don't play much for anyone anymore, making music will remain a form of expression when nothing else will do.

I wrote a music column for the Hill Country Weekly Newspaper in Boerne, Texas, because the music scene in Boerne used to be remarkable, at the time the small Hill Country town was losing that edge; I also wrote the column because of the impact that music has on me is profound, sharing that feeling with the world, the incredible musicians and songs that have influenced me, the shows I attend, and the new music I discover. That’s why I wanted to write this collection of music essays and publish them here, on my website. One of the last great, honest communities has its foundations in music, that’s too beautiful a thing not to explore at Communitea Books.