I was thinking a lot while cleaning…does that happen to anyone else? For some reason, cleaning usually helps me think about a lot of things: school, work, life, bucket list items…and music.
I realized that I depend on music a lot…for a variety of things/reasons…
Music helped me get through graduate school. I found a variety of music through personalized radio like Pandora and Spotify…where I could control what I listened to…and then the most glorious thing happened one day in my office in Faner Hall…
I heard Brandi Carlile playing from my friend Madelyn’s computer…
And my heart melted. Who was this Brandi person? Why was her music so captivating to me?
So, after a conversation with Madelyn, I immediately opened Spotify and found Brandi Carlile and followed…then I made a playlist. It was love at first listen.
If you’ve never heard of Brandi Carlile, turn to your friend Google and see what you get. A self-taught pianist and guitarist, Carlile is a little alternative/country/folk-rock singer (I may have just created a new genre there, not sure). I listen to the album “The Story” (2007) all the time, even though there’s more current music. This music, for some reason, just soothes my soul.
I’ve depended on music to help lift my spirits, to help write, lesson plan, clean…and just to put a smile on my face. Acoustic music, covers of “pop” songs, alternative (big Pearl Jam fan, right here), country—I will listen to just about anything…I have some limits with a few types of music (Octane on Sirius is Sam’s channel on my radio…and you have to go through 3 different Sirius presets to find it)…but I just love how some songs really resonate with me, and how some songs even get stuck in my head for days.
Another artist that I have counted on numerous times in my life is Harry Connick, Jr. Before he had a TV show, before he was a judge on American Idol, I HAD HARRY CONNICK, JR. CASSETTES. Did I just date myself? “Red Light, Blue Light” was a cassette that I had, then the big C.D. boom came…and well…I had several of his…
Music can help calm nerves and help with focus. I believe that. While it might be a stretch, or it may not make much sense, I’m fairly confident that my brain prefers certain musical properties (like those of certain artists, beats, rhythms).
Music tunes things out for me…when I am at work in my office I have to listen to music at times—being in a shared office space, I get distracted by an officemate with the sniffles, the copier running, the door opening and closing, a phone ringing—at times my brain does not enjoy some of those sounds. If I really need to buckle down and focus headphones come out, and that means business.
I’ve heard stories from Veterans of music they listened to while deployed…certain artists, songs, their music got them through some seriously rough times. Think about it, performers in the USO come to entertain troops and those artists and songs may always be with a Veteran…they may be some really good memories of deployment and their time in service.
When I find a new artist or song, I’m like a kid with a new toy—fascinated, amazed, and happy.
What are some songs or artists that soothe your soul? I’d love to know!
Sooo….Brandi will be at the RYMAN!!!! In APRIL!!!! TWO SHOWS!!! I feel that I really, really need to go to one of them….