This post will be here for a while so you can take the time to read my long ass essay. Come out and support local music:
February 11th
Topton Fire Hall, Topton, PA
$7, doors at 6:30pm
Seconds from the end
I want to kill you
Dressed to Kill
The Aurora
The Beautiful Odium
February 12th
Jewish Comm. Center, Lancaster
$5, doors at 5:30pm
Dressed to Kill
The Scarlet Affair
The Beautiful Odium
TBA
February 18th
American Legion, Lancaster
$8, doors at 6:00, bands at 6:30
Dim the Lights
Last Day Dying
Dressed to Kill
Dead Helix
Here Between
February 19th, The Fireplace
$5, doors at 4:30, bands at 5:00
Fares Well Without
The Dead Season
Dressed To Kill
Dead Helix
The Collapse of Autumn
Dim The Lights
Nine Orders of Angels
My Life, Enriched by Music
Music is a way to help me escape from the routine turmoil of my mundane stressful life. Listening to artists express themselves through verse helps me to realize that I am alone in neither the world nor the emotions that are created by the everyday anxieties of being a college student, a US Army soldier, an older brother, and a food service employee. Specific genres of music relieve constant worry about the day’s events, and at the same time the music promotes a desirable mind-set. I have a deep appreciation for numerous different tunes created by countless composers. The decision on which specific artist to select at any given time to listen to is often difficult, but whatever group I chose to listen to, depending on the genre, will satisfy my desire for a musical piece. My life is enriched by music because I surround myself with its crucial presence.
When I have a long day at work or school, I feel both physically and psychologically drained. The best way to resolve both of these is to relax with the stereo, or to fall asleep listening to some of my favorite tracks. Allowing my mind to take in every lyric and every beat as my body rests leaves me feeling rested and built back up to finish the day’s responsibilities. The calming qualities of certain compositions are unparalleled by anything else I’ve experienced.
On the other hand, music can be used as a tool to motivate and to create certain aggressive behaviors. When I go to a gym to lift weights, I enjoy listening to angry, fast paced music to help give me a positive attitude for success. Lifting weights is not an easy thing and demands a focused mindset to get the results desired. Listening to a low tempo love song will not give me the aggression I need to push myself past limits which I need to do to have success.
What is better than fine cuisine and lovely melody to accompany it? I can truly be pleased when there is romantic music playing at a fancy restaurant. It creates an atmosphere in which I can feel comfortable to talk about an attraction I have with the lovely lady I am sharing dinner with. The idea of having an artist play, seemingly just for the two who are sharing similar feelings and bright smiles, is appealing. Interweaving music and love is a grand idea and has been practiced by great romantics for centuries. Music helps to bind two people by their common appreciation of it.
Finally, when I drive places with friends I like to listen to fun music. Not as lyrically complex or musically complicated, I would not listen to this type of music by myself for leisure. Comprised of mostly bass beats, the music flows and creates an outstanding atmosphere for good times. Although generally repetitious, the music makes its audience a slave to its pulsating rhythm, and it demands that they gyrate their hips in accordance with the thumping speakers.
Although I listen to numerous different types of music, they all share similar characteristics. Every song I listen to influences my mood, behavior, and triggers thought processes. Music that I associate with certain people or experiences will also conjure up specific feelings, whether they are negative or positive. The influences are felt because music plays such a strong role in my life, and I can identify with the mood of the song and channel my viewpoint with it.
I am not going to play a slow acoustic lullaby while I am trying to lift weights, likewise I would not play death metal on my first date during a candle lit dinner for two. I don’t want music that involves aggressive lyrics to motivate me to bench press my exquisite date, I want calming amorous melodies which will help me sweep her off her feet. Both love songs and rock songs trigger very specific thought patterns but on two vastly different levels. The songs I listen to in the car with one group of friends are not the same songs I go to concerts to see with other groups of friends. Depending on the people I am with, the mood, and the setting I appreciate different styles of music. The music I surround myself with is totally dependant on the current background I am in and if I am satisfied with the current mood I am in.
I lift weights because I like to stay in shape. I go see bands play because I am in a band, and I am inspired by other bands. I take girls to nice restaurants because it is what my parents have taught me to do. I listen to music in the car because it allows me to relate with the people I am driving with. None of these ideas are new nor could I take credit for being the first one to come up with them.
I am fortunate to have been brought up by a family with a strong appreciation for music who allowed me to experiment and find my own way of expressing myself. As a child, my parents would sing me to sleep, and my father would play records for me to enjoy while I was playing on the floor. As an adolescent, I learned how to play the guitar which broadened my musical horizons. I contribute a lot of the love I have for music to my fascination with the guitar. I have a much deeper admiration for music that is created with a great deal of skill, because I am constantly honing mine. Finally, as a young adult I am appreciative of the way music plays a role in my life today, and I find comfort in the music I have listened to in the past. I also look to the future and to a career in music. “Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.”
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