The Thing About Music Is...
The Thing About Music Is…
I have been asking folks this prompt since the start of our 2024 concert season. It’s a question I ponder often, not because the answers aren’t obvious, but because they are as fleeting as the emotions in between songs. There is no right answer to the prompt, “The thing about music is…” I bet your first thought was, “When it hits you feel no pain, right?” Thank you, Bob Marley. He’s not wrong, but what else?
When it comes to life, music is the answer. Sometimes I geek out about how from the moment we are conceived, we’re enveloped in a rhythm. We are comforted by the beat of our mother’s heart, and then eventually we are embraced by our own beat. Our own rhythm. Sound creates vibration which changes the frequency of everything in, and around us. It influences us. And also, who are we to say that someone else’s rhythm is wrong, or their music is bad or that it’s not real art? The beat is just different. And then think about how many different types of beats, different types of rhythms you gravitate towards given different situations, different environments, different life circumstances, different friend groups. Seemingly different, but the music always has a way of bringing us together. Before there was written word, people were sharing history and sharing stories through spoken word. Is that not poetry? Not song? Our voices are instruments…we are the music.
I was fortunate to attend a Phish concert with some folks this summer including my dad and one of my brothers. My dad wanted to, “see what all this Phish business is about and get a window into our world.” Right on, Pops. Throughout the duration of “Harry Hood” I was consumed by how incredible that moment was. Being at a concert with my dad who took me to my first concert at age 11 (it was KISS), and my brother, who took me to my first Phish show when I was 22, and all the lives we have lived in between. All of the laughter, the tears, the struggles, the successes, the dancing on beaches and hollering from mountain tops… I know you might be thinking, “you said you’re at a Phish concert, right? This kind of sounds like some hippie bullsh**.” To which I would say, “yeah, maybe,” except that these thoughts and feelings flooded me when standing on the hill here at Hayden Homes Amphitheater this summer watching LCD Soundsystem, and SLASH, and Primus, and St. Vincent, and Tyler Childers, and The Beach Boys, and 311, and Chromeo, and Anderson .Paak, and even Dwight Yoakam. Absorbing the music, observing the crowd, reflecting on the moments – a visceral experience and reminder of what it is to be alive. Even more, to have someone on stage sing the words your heart is yearning to speak, and to be reminded of our collective humanity and how brave it is to share that. All the beauty in that vulnerability. Not only of the artist on stage, but in ourselves when we’re willing to allow ourselves to feel, and to be seen by others in all our states of being. We’re more alike than we are different.
What about the folks I’ve asked this prompt to this season, you ask? Well, take a deep breath in and then let a long exhale out. I’m serious, breathe in deeply…..exhale completely….and then let these responses sink in:
The thing about music is:
“It’s a universal language. There is something for everyone, something primal and deeply impactful – shared and yet very personal.”
“It creates community. People seek out connection and meaning in what they do. A task which becomes difficult when the focus seems to increasingly be how we are different from others instead of the same. Creating experiences which can be as simple as loving the same song or attending the same concert creates a commonality which is undeniable and begets community and kindness.”
“It’s always there when you need it.”
“It’s there for all occasions and all emotions. When we are happy, sad, celebrating, discovering ourselves, remembering when, and nostalgia. It’s the heart of us all.”
“Listening to music is a time to get lost… or found. It’s therapy for the mind, body and soul at any time, any place, for any one at any age!”
“It always makes me feel better. And more connected. And a little more curious.”
“It’s this constant companion that either wipes your mind clean or brings everything rushing back. It’s that magical force that clears your head, stitches up your heart, and gives your spirit a little lift. Music has this incredible power to make you smile, bring you to tears, transport you to another time, or just make you groove right where you stand. Whether you’re on cloud nine or feeling low, music is always there, keeping you company.”
“Music gets many of us through some of the darkest of days. I can’t imagine this lifetime without out positive vibrations, that can be shared and felt by all.”
“It unites us, brings hope and joy, and releases emotions through a shared experience. It might not be what we expected to see, hear or feel, but it’s always exactly what we need in that moment.”
“Music is as critical to our lives as food. It’s a part of our DNA. Music nourishes. Music unites. Music defines a culture, welcomes the unfamiliar, and inspires and electrifies to create new feasts. I’m always excited to see how music will feed me tomorrow.”
“Music is as critical to our lives as food.” Indeed, my friend. If the attendance at our concerts this summer says anything about our greater community’s’ hunger for music, its unifying force and electrifying connection, then we know we’re not alone in these thoughts. Now I’d like to touch upon the words “unity” and “connection” and direct the spotlight to a couple humans who curated both this summer simply by showing up as themselves and subtly inviting others to do the same. If you attended any concert at the venue this summer, and I mean ANY concert, then you no doubt cracked a smile when your eyes caught Steve dancing. I hope you took a moment to say hello to him to hear how when the music starts, it hits him directly in the heart, and he can’t help but boogie, unabashedly, until the show is over. And then there is Seatonn. A man whose presence and outfits are so vibrant and dialed it stops folks in their tracks inciting a conversation, a connection, and the exchange of joy, or maybe even one of his original handmade domino necklaces. I know I speak for everyone when I say it’s an honor to call them both friends.
Although our 2024 season is over, we’re already prepping the menu for next summer. We gotta eat, we gotta breathe, we gotta create, we gotta move, we gotta share. Remember our voices are instruments, we are the music, and the music nourishes us all. Who’s hungry?
Much Love,
Beezy
