Music – ” Singing to the Steering Wheel”
All of my life music has played a very important role. I am one of those people. Very limited skills but are completely deluded in their belief that they have something musical to give. Like a fairy in the mist, I have chased my love of music throughout my entire life. You will see me at a traffic light singing my heart out with the music on the radio. In my delusion, I think this is completely normal to behave this way and find it puzzling that most people do not. I am completely oblivious as to how silly it looks and maybe sounds. I just can’t help myself. If the music is right I have to join in the band. Sometimes I feel unspeakable joy listening and singing along and sometimes, I will cry.
People like me have no choice. It’s in the genetic makeup. We connect to these collections of sounds in a way that only people who can really make music can feel. Like those who are gifted musicians, we will do anything for the music that we love. Well, except for all the work that it takes to actually be able to play an instrument or work with a band! We have not dedicated hundreds of thousands of hours and taken the personal risk of honing our skills in front of peers and strangers at every chance. No, we just want the resulting sound and joy. Unreasonable? Perhaps.
So we sing with the radio in the car or with our iPod when we work out (Is there anything sillier than a full-grown man singing to a song that only he can hear on a treadmill or sitting on a bus?). We also sing at night when we are home alone dreaming of what might have been. We go to all the concerts we can. We buy books, records, CDs and DVDs. We buy the best guitars that we can afford and equipment. I once owned a $25 1961 Ford Falcon Station wagon but put in a $300 Criag 8 Track in the dash so I could drive it. Safety Equipment in 1973 before there were seatbelts.
Some of us try to play. We practice haphazardly. We find the joy and pain of moments of personally created music regularly every month or so. The rest of the time we live our musician’s existence vicariously through the music of others.
Make no mistake. This is love and it is sincere. The only thing I love more than the music in my life, are the hearts and minds of my children and my best friends. As I have aged, I have moved more towards using paint and words to sing my songs. My guitars are right here within reach. They are beautifully crafted and create the most wonderful sounds. One thing is for sure, I will die wishing I had more time to learn to play better and listen to the music that I love.
So with all that said, it only makes sense that I have a music page on my site. This is where I will share my love of music with anyone who cares to look. Stories, files, links, pictures, and who knows maybe even a song or two one day. 🙂
Here are my partners in crime so to speak:
LP Records – Just like iTunes except in vinyl and comes with all the sound
I have been lucky enough to have a number of very talented friends over the years. One of my oldest friends and perhaps the most musically talented guitar player on the planet, George Gomez has been delighting and amazing me for more years than I can remember easily. George is a rocket scientist who was made to play guitar. He has these amazing long thin fingers and such a delicate touch. He is still playing great.
My friend Randy is also a very talented guitar player. I am not sure how long Randy has been playing but he also finds and fixes guitars. He is also a very active supporter of Tidewater Arts Outreach. The TAO team is doing amazing things in Norfolk Va, via their annual Sealevel Singer/Songwriter Festival. Founded in 2003, the TAO brings music and arts to Hampton Roads area hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, homeless shelters, and other facilities. The people in these facilities would not enjoy the art and music that enriches so many lives without the TAO. They are a good group doing a good thing. You learn more and help out by visiting their website and making a donation. Follow this link to donate to Tidewater Arts Outreach.
Over the years I have become close personal friends with 1000s of musicians that I have not yet had the pleasure of actually meeting. Many of them have been in intimate gatherings of amphitheaters, football stadiums, and even one time a crater in the earth with me and tens of thousands of their other friends. Each week I will share a sample of their work with some annotations. You can play the sample on the site. I will also include links to other stuff that I think you might enjoy as well.
James
P.S. In this page title I paraphrased a lyric from a Nickelback song called, “Photograph”. The real lyric is, “We used to listen to the radio, sing along with every song we know. We said someday we would find out how it feels to sing to more than just a steering wheel” ..
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