2011. Day One.

And so it begins.  Yesterday, I was kidnapped.  Unshowered, unbelted, and unprepared, I went to brunch with one thing on my mind: food.  10 hours later, after 3 mimosas, an endless supply of Amstel Lights, and some random whiskey that was at my seat when I came back from the pool table, I was persuaded to finally start a blog.  Asked why I had never done so before, I simply replied, “I don’t want people to know that I am THAT self-indulgent.”  But honestly, when it comes to music, I am.

my new music buddies

We spent ten hours engulfed in music conversation.  I argued why pop music is the Renaissance of the Renaissance, then rambled about playing Mozart better than Debussy on the piano.  Janet pumped Lionel Richie through the jukebox, and I had to admit that I was too young to recognize the song.  I met my future partner for life… Ted.  We share the same love for Ryan Adams, No Depression, and painstakingly, gut-wrenching, hopelessly romantic, unrequited love, confessional singer-songwriter, alternative country music.  Yes, that’s a new genre that you can find on iTunes.  Someone else actually cared when I got excited about the Norah Jones / Ryan Adams interview about the “Dear John” writing experience!  When Ryan Adams was high as a kite, he could write 5 songs in his sleep.  He thinks it’s easy.  When I wake up, I don’t immediately think, “Hmm.  I’m going to personify Chicago and New York and put the two characters in a tragically beautiful song.”  Case in point:

         But this brings me to the point of the blog.  With an MA in Musicology, I wanted to continue my studies at the PhD level.  Apparently, the 6 schools I applied to didn’t like my ideas.  I wanted to rip apart the “History of Women in Music” books and figure out why the current chapters talk about Annie Lennox (for shaving her head) and not Norah Jones (for not shaving her head).  Academia told me to shove it.  Classical studies, jazz studies, or ethnomusicology… these are my routes.  I want to know who the current bands are, and what they’re doing to further the music trends.  We can make fun of pop music all we want, but Rihanna’s writers aren’t stupid.  They’re well-versed in their craft and highly influenced from the “classics.”  They’ve adapted to what the people want and are obviously succeeding.  So let’s not hate.

            This blog is open for community input.  Music is a media source that everyone shares.  And that’s why I was told to blog… because two people told me they’d read it.  And maybe because we were a little buzzed.  Don’t worry, I remember the project we’re starting:  Silence in pop music.  I challenge anyone to write a pop song that incorporates 15-30 seconds of silence.  Remember though, there is no actual silence in silence, hence the beautiful music that comes with silence.  Imagine being on a dance floor, fist-pumping, hands in the air, and all of a sudden you hear, “Silencio por favor.”  The music stops.  The dance freezes.  We hear the sound of sweat dripping to the floor.  30 seconds later… the dance resumes.  

Here's your influence: