Music thoughts

Again, this is quite the informal blog. But, I felt a little bold today and decided to try to explain how much music means to me. I'm going to name a few artists and genres and explain how they make me feel when I listen to them

-Blues: Now I know I may be a white boy from the suburbs but it's something that speaks to me when I listen to blues. Artists like Muddy Waters, Stevie Ray Vaughn, BB King, Jeff Beck, and many others just make me feel like I'm there in the words. It's inspiring to here the slide guitar and listen to that slow drum beat play a sound that is smooth and full of soul but also rough and ragged at the same time.

-80's Rock: Not a whole lot for me to discuss here since I am not usually a fan of some of the other big bands from then but I do love some Journey, REO Speedwagon, Styx, Aerosmith, and many more. The one thing I love are the outrageous solos that help to make the song seem like it's something that was released only yesterday

-R&B/Soul: Now when I say R&B I don't mean anything by Keyshia Cole or Mary J. Blige (no offense to them, but they are not what I call R&B...they are hip-hop). I mean the Temptations, Four Tops, Smokey Robinson, and many more. Motown is something that I consider the most epic movement in all of music history. A small blue house in Detroit helped to harbor probably some of the greatest artists ever. I can play a song by the Temptations and just be able to sing along to their songs and feel the emotion behind them. You can be sad, happy, and all in a few lines with Motown era music

-Rock (post 2000): Not a big fan of 90's rock so I put that thing in parentheses. But I love rock, and love it so much it's pretty much my favorite genre. I do enjoy listening to a bunch of stuff I can bang my head to while driving but once in a while will find an acoustic track I can dig on for a long time. My favorite bands for now would be All Time Low and Paramore. Well, maybe a little Mayday Parade and We the Kings but mainly the first two. I love to sit there and feel the waves of the different sounds hit me and make me feel what the artist is trying to say

I don't refer to people who play/sing as musicians or singers. I refer to them as artists because they "paint" on our ears and hearts when they play/sing. When Jeff Beck lights up a guitar, he may not say a word but you hear his heart being poured out over an electric guitar. You hear his grief, his joy, his pure emotion over notes that fly out from his guitar. When you listen to rock you can bang your head and vent but two seconds later you can find an acoustic song and just feel your emotions of anger just go away and feel the serenity that such a song can give. Motown era music gives us chances to feel what the people back then went through.

Before I go, here's a small piece of the lyrical prowess that Motown gave us years ago

What Becomes of the Broken-hearted-Jimmy Ruffin
As I walk this land with broken dreams
I have visions of many things
Love's happiness is just an illusion
Filled with sadness and confusion,

What becomes of the broken hearted
Who had love that's now departed?
I know I've got to find
Some kind of peace of mind
Maybe.

The fruits of love grow all around
But for me they come a tumblin' down.
Every day heartaches grow a little stronger
I can't stand this pain much longer
I walk in shadows
Searching for light
Cold and alone
No comfort in sight,
Hoping and praying for someone to care
Always moving and goin to where

What becomes of the broken hearted
Who had love that's now departed?
I know I've got to find
Some kind of peace of mind
Maybe.

I'm searching though I don't succeed,
But someone look, there's a growing need.
Oh, he is lost, there's no place for beginning,
All that's left is an unhappy ending.
Now what's become of the broken-hearted
Who had love that's now departed?
I know I've got to find
Some kind of peace of mind

I'll be searching everywhere
Just to find someone to care.
I'll be looking everyday
I know I'm gonna find a way
Nothings gonna stop me now
I'll find a way somehow
I'll be searching everywhere