My Top 5 Bands

I have held myself back from blogging for a while. A lot of my friends are doing it and finding joy in the whole process. I personally didn't feel like I had anything valuable to say, or anything that anyone else but myself would care about. However, on St. Patrick's Day a group of friends asked me a very important question: What are your top 5 favorite bands of all time? Wow, good question (Thanks Courtney and Davey!). The short answer is: #1 The Beatles, then in no particular order Led Zeppelin, Tool, Nirvana, and Cake. Why you ask? Well I will tell you.

The Beatles have always been and will always be the closest to my heart. I was introduced to their music at a pretty young age by my parents (of course). Over the years, I not only grew to love their music more and more, I also learned to follow their message of love, hope, and respect for all people and cultures. My passion for travel and philanthropy reflect this message. Their music has influenced generations of musicians and people. It lives on as some of the greatest music ever created. The amazing thing to me is that every semester I meet someone else who has been truly touched by this band. Those of us who never had a chance to see them live or even to mourn the untimely passing of the great John Lennon because we were too young or not even born yet still know every word to their songs and dance to them as if we were standing in their concert. When I listen to The Beatles, happiness just fills me up inside. A warm feeling I only get from this music. Call it childhood nostalgia, I call it genius. A genius of masterpiece after masterpiece and genius of reinventing not only their image, but also their music. Music that has no limits in time and space. Music and a message that will live on forever.

So after The Beatles, I really have no particular order for the rest. They are all important to me at different points in my life. Let's start with Led Zeppelin. They are the composers of my favorite song of all time: Stairway to Heaven. Say what you will about it being old school, you cannot deny it is an incredible piece of Rock! I was introduced to this song as well as the band at a much later stage in my life, Jr. High School (thanks Chris and Matt). Growing up with Daddy, I used to listen to blues on a consistent basis. Not only did he sing and compose blues music, he had grown up in the middle of the blues movement in the South. Therefore, needless to say, Led Zeppelin really appealed to my childhood love of music with a twist of pure rock n roll.

I was introduced to Cake later in Jr. High and listen to them almost as much as I listen to The Beatles. Their music melded together old country with jazz and many other eclectic forms. Daddy used to listen to all the old country/rockabilly favorites including Hank Williams, Roy Acuff, Merle Haggard, Patsy Cline, Jimmie Rodgers, Elvis Presley, etc. Though he was not as crazy about Jazz music, he and momma did like going to the jazz shows she says (though I was named after a jazz musician - Dory Previn - he and momma saw in NYC), he loved the standards (Foggy Day in London Town being his favorite). Again, I am always drawn to what I know and understand, but with a different perspective. I never like a copy cat. Oh and I finally get to see Cake live the day before I leave for Italy in Fayetteville (YAY). This is very exciting for me since I was not able to see any of my other top 5 in concert.

Nirvana was also a Jr. High school favorite but continues to be a favorite to this day. This music was my first step into my own personal opinions of music with hardly any ties to my childhood. The only tie I have ever been able to link is the lyrics. Daddy was a poet and fantastic lyricist. I felt this way about Kurt Cobain. It was the first time I had heard music like this with so much passion and lyrics so inventive and beautiful. I grew up in a middle class neighborhood where the only thing kids knew was music from their parents' library or what was on the radio. I never explored past that until High School and College. I never really thought about it. Needless to say, when I heard Nirvana, I thought I had hit the jackpot. Even today when I hear Nirvana, it reminds me of a time when the face of music changed for me.

Finally, Tool.... what can I say. I didn't find my taste for Tool until late in High School. Then, I listened, and in my opinion, that is all you have to do. After studying music in College, I realized how smart Tool's music actually is and I fell more in love with it. Crazy layers of meters and haunting melodies. Though Daddy would not agree with my last two choices (he couldn't see past the hard stuff), I had finally found music that spoke to a deeper part of me that I previously did not know existed.

My final thought:
We are all influenced by our childhood, anything we grew up knowing, seeing, and hearing. But, it is just as important to recognize and respect the times in our lives when you change; when you start to see yourself in a different way. All of these times in my life have been reflected in music. That is why music is my life.

*This being my first blog entry I have to say thank you to Melissa, Mary, and Rachel for being blogsters and getting me into this in the first place. It feels really good to have something to share.