Why Another Music Blog (about Rochester's music no less)?

Music has the power to bring you joy, ease your pain, help you cry through heartache and see you to the other side. Sometimes the same moment in the same piece of music (yes, T, I'm thinking of 3min 45sec into Why Don't You Ask) can bring me to the height of heart-busting joy or bring me to a puddle of tears depending on where I am in the continuum of my emotions.

Music has always been important to me from the days that my dad took me on walks and sang "Scarlet Ribbons," to the times when we gathered as extended family and the musicians of the group would bring out guitars, banjos and drums and we would all sing together, to the summers spent in my backyard swimming pool with my dad's Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass blaring from the speakers of his reel-to-reel and enveloping our yard (and the neighbors' yards) with the sounds of summer music--I can still see the cover art of my dad's (vinyl, of course) copy of Whipped Cream.

For all of us, certain songs or pieces of music evoke memories of certain people and/or times. I learned to dance to Earth, Wind & Fire, sang my heart out with Billy Joel, became a teenager with Genesis. I cried through (how many????) break ups with Elton John, and danced off my all angst to Queen. I sang through both pregnancies. After they were born, my babies knew the soothing sound of my voice singing songs they'd heard before. Guns 'n' Roses "Sweet Child o' Mine" was the number one song on Billboard the week my son was born. Mariah Carey's "I Don't Wanna Cry" was number one when my daughter was born, but she did not agree.

Sorry; I digress. We live in a city rich with musicians of incredible talent (in a wide variety of styles) and, sadly, dwindling places to play. And, unfortunately, we get so wrapped up in our busy lives that we just don't want to come out of our little cocoons and visit these places to hear the quality people we have playing in our midst. It blows my mind what's out there every week that people don't take the time to go see.

I admit, though I go out to see local music more than most people I know, I don't see everyone, everywhere. I will only be able to write about what I am able to go to myself. If anyone wants to talk about what/who they have seen and heard, I am happy to hear about it. I will also post any upcoming music events for which I write the press releases.

In my next post, I will talk about the incredible music I was witness to this weekend. When I am able to post my couple of photos, then I will write about it. Let me just say, rocking out is not just for the 20-somethings.

And . . .

support our local musicians and music venues,
Tracy