The following is a post from my website Chrissy…In Her Sixties, which I am currently working on shutting down. The website you are now looking at, That Hobbit Lady, has been with me since November 2004 (nearly 20 years) and contains over 500 posts. In Her Sixties only goes back to 2017, with less than 40 posts. So, you see…in the interest of consolidating, I could either send 500+ posts from That Hobbit Lady to In Her Sixties, or 30+ posts from In Her Sixties to That Hobbit Lady. In addition to the math of that first option not making much sense, it also happens that the term “In Her Sixties” will only to apply to me for a few more years. But I will be a Hobbit Lady forever. So: no-brainer.
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November 11, 2017
The other night after I put my first item on my Bucket List, Russ pointed out that my category Try Something New had nothing in it: . I guess when I created the category, my thought is that I would probably fill it with descriptions of all kinds of new and delicious foods I’ve never tried before (because, amazingly, even as long as I’ve been alive, it turns out there are tons of foods I have not yet tried). But before I could think of even one new food I’ve tried recently, a better idea struck me. Like a bolt of lightning. The simplest and truest example of some of my most enjoyable new experiences, something even more defining for me than food, is Music. Specifically, my love of discovering New Music.
First, a bit of background: I’m an amateur musician, having learned to play the violin when I was ten, and I’ve also dabbled on guitar and piano, but with much less impressive results. But my interest in music does not spring from playing it so much as merely listening. If there were such a job as a Professional Music Listener, I would be immensely qualified, and first in line at the employment agency. Of course no such job exists, but one of the things I love about my desk job is that most of the time I’ve got Windows Media Player going, providing everything from Strauss waltzes to Steam Powered Giraffe. In fact, I’ve often said there are only two types of music I don’t like: Rap, and Country. But under the right circumstances, if a bit of either is combined with any other musical genre, I will make an exception.
Every other musical genre is fair game, but I would have to say my heart belongs to Rock & Roll. Or maybe Pop. Or, more exactly, Alternative. Alternative Rock…or Alternative Pop? I’m not always good with labels. As one of my favorite bands, Blue October, puts it on my of my favorite songs, Inner Glow:
Call it rock, or pop, or Bach, or–f**k!
Goddamn! Where did we go wrong?
Now there’s a category for every song
But I think my love of music began with Pop, Summer of 1969, when I was eleven years old and discovered… RADIO! Amazing! Turn it on, and there are all the same great songs, over and over again, which become favorites simply through repetition.
I particularly recall Sugar, by “The Archies,” (not a real band, apparently, just a group of studio musicians providing voice talent for a cartoon), and Lay Lady Lay, by the great Bob Dylan. I ask you, could there be two songs any more different? But I loved them both. I suppose this is where my eclectic taste in music began to take form. And remember, at this time I’m also learning violin, so I’m slowly being introduced to Classical music. Also, my family owns an 8-track, and what I mostly remember about that are the show tunes, from the likes of Gypsy and Fiddler on the Roof. All in all, I had a pretty diverse musical education. I was like a baby learning a language, absorbing it all in absolute glee! Not to mention, I was actually in the Glee Club at school around this time, where we sang not only The Battle Hymn of the Republic, but also the theme from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. And of course, I can never forget all the fabulous boy bands: Beatles, Monkees, Cowsills. Music was not only good for the soul, it was also a doorway to Romance.
I won’t go into detail about how my musical tastes have evolved through the decades (that would be a very long story), but let’s fast-forward to the early 2000’s. I’m a big fan of the X-Files TV show, and some time after seeing the first movie, while in my local library, I find the soundtrack and bring it home. Blown away! So many good songs! In particular, I love the dark, sad sound of One More Murder by the strangely-named Better Than Ezra (“Hey, have you heard that new band, Ezra? Yea, but this band is BETTER Than Ezra!”) From there, somehow (I don’t remember exactly how), I begin to collect and listen to all the music of Better Than Ezra. I now have my first official experience of Discovering New Music, and BTE is now officially My Favorite New Band.
Until the next one comes along. Who was it? I don’t precisely recall the order, but since then, there have been many. To name a few: the aforementioned Blue October, Placebo, Stereophonics, OK Go, the Decemberists, the Bravery, Panic at the Disco, Fall Out Boy (wpreviously mentioned in an earlier post), and let’s not forget Abney Park. And We the Kings, also previously featured.
Each, in turn, has been, at one timeor another, “My Favorite Band,” and all continue to be among my favorite bands, probably for the rest of my life. And at any time, any of these bands may easily float back up to the #1 position. Because, as much as I love discovering New Music, I’m also always happy to go back to the old favorites, and in fact, another thing I’m often fond of saying is “The best music is the music I’m listening to RIGHT NOW.”
So how did I discover all these bands (and others I haven’t even listed here)? Sometimes by paying attention to movie or TV soundtracks, and sometimes quite by accident. But sometimes it’s not accidental at all. My kids know the kind of music I like, and some bands have come to me by way of their recommendation. I distinctly remember Joey leading me to Blue October, and Mary suggested Placebo. Mary and I also share an interest in steampunk, so I know for certain she told me about Abney Park. But I remember stumbling upon Steam Powered Giraffe on my own, and giving her a heads up about their unique sound and “schtick.”
Sometimes, one band leads to another band. Once you’ve been introduced to Fall Out Boy on You Tube, you’re only a few clicks away from Panic at the Disco. And if you like Radiohead, why not try Muse?
My point here is that I live in a world full of music, much of which is still out there to be discovered. So every day, and every moment, is full of the possibility of Discovering New Music in one way or another. I only need to keep my ears open.
Now, having said all this, sadly, one area of my life in which music is sorely lacking is in my Christian walk. In the past, I tuned into (and still love) Glad, and certain songs by the 80’s Christian rock band Petra, and of course everything by the quiet, folksy Chris Rice, but in general, for me, a lot of Christian music tends to sound…hokey. Boring. Predictable. Way too “church-y.”
But then…
Okay, once again, a little background: In July, Russ and I bought a new car, and it came with three free months of Sirius XM, and an offer for another six months for $20. No-brainer. So we are now up to our eyeballs (or should I say “eardrums”?) in new and creative samplings of some very highly specialized channels. In general, we tend to stick to news and sports, but Russ has found a 1970’s music channel, I’ve saved the New Wave 80’s, and also some classical Jazz. But just the other day, I decided to try one of the “Christian” offerings.
I was not surprised that most of it ended up as forgettable background music for me. Disappointed, but not surprised, that I was not terribly impressed. Until yesterday morning, when I wasn’t really paying that close attention at all, but slowly the music pierced my consciousness and I found myself thinking, “Hey! These guys are GOOD!”
The band was Building 429, the song was We Won’t Be Shaken. Not bad. I came into my office, turned on my computer, then You Tube, and found the song and played it again. At this point I’m thinking “Eureka! I’ve actually found some Christian music I like!”
So I started working, pulling open all my usual programs, and the music continues to play in the background. Now it’s a new song, a really cool song, and I’m thinking it’s still Building 429, but when I go back to You Tube, I find out I’m listening to MercyMe. So I watch the video as I listen to their song Flawless, and if you take the time to watch and listen as I did yesterday morning, you will see here the perfect marriage of Music and the Christian message:
So there you have it. It is always exciting to Discover New Music. Some discoveries are more exciting than others. And the most amazing thing of all is that there is NO END to the music, or the discoveries, or the excitement. This is one of the very best things about the world we live in.
