Lately work and life has been crazy and I've been reminiscing back to the days of my youth when things were simple. The days when all I had to worry about was learning my lines while playing Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream and if my best friend was going to stay mad at me for whatever silly reason.
But what I miss the most, is the music. The way I could get completely lost in a song. Late nights laying on the floor with headphones, listening to the same album over and over again. Really listening and feeling the music until I was sure whoever wrote it had taken the lyrics straight from my thoughts. Dying for school to be over so I could rush home and listen to my favorite songs. I'll admit I haven't felt that way about music since I discovered Pearl Jam in high school and I miss the feeling like crazy.
Now, back in the day I was all about the pop bands. There were varying amounts of spice girls, backstreet boys, and other manufactured groups running through my CD player at any given time. Yeah, I'll claim it. That was the music I identified with then. It made me want to sing along and dance around my room like a fool and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I think it is safe to say that after seeing the video for "Jeremy" late on night on tv, Pearl Jam blew away the sugary pop groups and opened up a whole new world for me.
And I write all of this because I finally have that desperate, must listen right now feeling again. I've found music that has reawakened this creative, deeper thinking, dreamer that was pushed down and silenced by numerous years of time consuming course work and a crazy ass busy career.
I owe this reawakening of sorts to two very different artists.
The first, an amazing song writer named Spencer Bell. Spencer died a few years back from Adrenal Cancer and left behind an amazing legacy of music and friendship. Through him I have met a group of gals who I consider my sisters in every way that counts, we even have a brother as well. Spencer was a master lyricist and had a fresh way of putting words together that I had never heard before. I relate to so many of his songs and many have helped me stay sane during a particularly horrible time at work. For more info on Spencer and to hear some pretty damn amazing music check out the link.
http://spencerbellmemorial.ning.com/
The second, and most recent, is a group that has me in damn awe, Mumford and Sons. A few months back I had been flipping channels late at night and came across their video for, "Little Lion Man." They were unlike anything I had been listening to and I was hooked. So I listened to their singles for a while and then last week I watched them kick ass on The Grammy's. I wondered why I had waited so long to get their album and hightailed it to iTunes. I have had them on repeat since. The amazing musicality, raw emotion, and turns of phrase have me truly thrilled about music again. I also think they tend to use quite an old fashioned way of speech that isn't heard in the U.S. anymore. I dig this because when I do write fiction, I do the same. I could go on and on about Mumford and Sons, but the truth is, you won't really get it unless you give them a listen. Check it.
http://www.myspace.com/mumfordandsons
So here I am again, reliving my youth, headphones on, laid back on the floor, jamming to some music that rocks my damn socks. Of course, on occasion, I'll get up and dance like a fool too. :)
MQ
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