Every song has a story

Howdy doody!

This year, I've managed to see a heck of a lot of concerts. I am not going to list them all and remind myself how much money I've spent and beer I have drank, however. Ever since my first concert, when I was ten or eleven (the Moffats!) I've just really loved going to shows. First, it was pop and then I moved onto punk rock (lol) and now I'm mostly about the country. But of course, when a big star like Lady Gaga or Beyonce comes to town, I'm there. I don't discriminate against genres, that's for sure.

There is no high like that of live music. Being able to hear old favourites, new songs, covers and even songs you didn't really think you liked - live- is one of the greatest feelings. You get to be there in the moment with the artist or artists and really feel all of the blood, sweat and tears that they put into the music. Sometimes I like to close my eyes and just listen to the music, which is probably kind of weird, but I like to just hear it without all the bells and whistles. Strip it down - no lights, no back up dancers, nothing flashy taking away from the reason you're there: to hear the music. Zac Brown Band at Prairie Jam this year was perfect for this. So many instruments and band members and lights flashing around but when I closed my eyes, I could just feel it in my bones, in my soul: they were there for the music too. This is what I love most about festivals, you get this feeling for days.

When I was in grade nine, I took music class (learned to play the trumpet, which is hilarious since I couldn't even play the recorder in elementary school) and we had a project where we had to watch a movie and basically keep track of the music. We had to write down the scenes where there was music, what the mood was, if a song was repeated and what that might mean etc. Ever since then, I've really paid close attention to the sounds and music in movies and now I can usually pick a movie to match a song I'm listening to on the radio. For example, I just watched Bring It On cause it's on at least once a week on some TV channel and 'Hey Mickey' definitely reminds me of that movie when I hear it. Multiple times a day I hear a song on the radio that I can say "Oh, this is in such and such a movie" .. I'm sure my co-workers are sick of it.

This just kind of goes to show how big of an impact something so seemingly small can have on of our lives. Certain songs bring back certain memories whether good or bad, happy or sad.. they can bring on an array of emotions. I saw Dierks Bentley a couple of days after I found out my mom had cancer - he sang "I Hold On" and now that song has a very special meaning to me. I can think of some songs I used to listen to before soccer to pump me up or mellow me out before games. I had playlists for riding in Fernie. Playlists for strength training and playlists for running. There are songs that remind me of a certain grade in school; driving to school with Lauren, Alana and Jessica in the shagon-wagon; driving to my camp (NOT cabin); road trips with my mom to shop in Minneapolis; listening to Shred Kelly brings me back to Fernie; there are tons of songs that remind me of Ian (so cheesy, I know).. I could go on and on. Name a situation and I'll name you a song, artist or album.

I'm sure we all remember our personal music playing devices we grew up with too. First, I had a blue Walkman; next the gold Sony Discman; after I dropped that one too many times (plus, it was way too bulky to go for runs) I got a Creative Micro Zen MP3 player, which I still to this day will say was better than an iPod. Next came the iPod Nano, which I had for seven years until recently, it bit the dust. It is no more. But I certainly am going to have a difficult time throwing it away (anyone know where I can bring it to dispose it?). I got it the first week Apple released it, and the first music I put on it was Kanye West's "Graduation" (seriously great album) and it has been to a heck of a lot of soccer fields, on a ton of road trips, school bus trips, hill runs at camp and of course, laps on the mountain. I'm gonna miss Ol' Blue. But tonight, after I press Publish on this little post (lol 'Publish' makes it sound so official, but that's legit what the button says) I get to take out my fancy new iPod Nano donated to me by my uncle Tony. You see, this iPod is very, very special. For the past year or so, my uncle has been writing songs down that he hears and enjoys, that he wanted to put on the iPod..... it still has no music on it and I think it was taking up too much room on his desk. I am definitely grateful to have this little guy. Not to mention the actually hilarious joke that accompanied the iPod...... (I just typed it out and it sounded like you really had to be there, so I'll just laugh on my own, as will my aunt and uncle)

Music can shape a moment or even a whole day; it sets the mood and enhances your memories of these events. I hope this post has made you think of some songs in your life that bring back memories, good and of course bad too, cause we need them all to make the world go round.

Time to fill up the new tune machine!

Stay classy.