life in music

I have been thinking back to a far away time frame in my life. When I was really young I would sit in front of my Parent's big stereo and GIANT speakers and go through their albums. I know a lot of kids that did this. But I remember it like it was yesterday. Really. I hold these days as some of my favorite times as a kid playing by myself. I often played alone, I didn't have any brothers and sisters so I made myself happy, and this is one thing I did.

I would get in the crate and pull out EVERY one of their albums and put them in piles. One pile was for the album that had the BEST picture on the front. These were my favorites. One pile was for ones that I thought were "too weird" and that scared me too. And the last pile was for the ones I didn't LOVE, but didn't get scared by, they were just there. I see very clearly right now in my memory the ones that were in my "favorite" pile. I was really young when I did this so I didn't listen to these albums until a few years later... The favorite pile consisted of Led Zeppelin, "Houses of the Holy". It's funny if you know me, my favorite band ever is Led Zeppelin.... Crazy!! I also added Pink Floyd to the pile, remember these were favorites all based on the album covers only... Next was Peter Gabriel, and also this is funny, Pat Benatar. I don't really love Pat these days, sorry, but not for me! I also liked a Deep Purple album. The other one that was in this pile for ONLY the reason that I liked the album cover was Phil Collins... The Beatles, Abbey Road was a favorite. I wish I could remember the names of some of the albums but I can just see the pictures in my mind. 

Now for the "too weird" pile. The ones I remember putting in here were "The Police". And KISS, it scared me actually. There was also The Grateful Dead, it had a skull on it! I was a little girl! Lita Ford, she had huge hair, and looked a bit wierd to me.I think I am remembering The Scorpions, and Black Sabbath as well. The bat on the front did it for me. 

I also put the cassettes in piles too along with the various other music stuff they had, easy for me to reach. I loved the "little records" as I called  the 45's. And I would try to use the 8-tracks but I had no idea what I was doing. So I would just make stacks of them like blocks and that made me happy.

When I got older like 4th, 5th and 6th grade. I started listening to music that I heard on MTV and on the radio. I loved Madonna. A lot of kids weren't allowed to listen to her, but thankfully my Mom liked her too. So my first tape I bought myself was Madonna, Like a Virgin. I was in the 5th or 6th grade. Then I started liking Poison, and Def Leppard. THEN I got smart again, and pulled out The Beatles, The Grateful Dead, and Led Zeppelin albums and started LISTENING to them. That right there started me on my musical journey. I recorded tons of Beatles and Pink Floyd "The Wall" and shared it with friends, they loved it! I became the one with cool tunes, my parents also became cool. I loved their albums, over and over again. I heard Bob Marley and that was a huge turning point for me. I began singing that everyday.

Then I heard Metallica. I still to this day remember where I was when I heard them. My mom then went out and bought their new cassette, "Enter Sandman" as a single and we would drive around in her station wagon, rocking out to Metallica!

I realized in high school what punk rock really was. I became a huge Punk! In all sense of the word. I sucked, now I can say that! I also became a fan of Nirvana. I also remember the first time I saw and heard their music. I then was on the road to being a total Kurt Cobain look alike! I wore sweaters like him and even got a boyfriend who looked just like Mr. Cobain! He was a dishwasher at the place where I had my first job! And later he started wearing a bright green, big mohawk. My parents thought I was nuts. In came another punk revolution The Descendents, Gas Huffer, Dead Kennedy's, OLD Green Day, Black Flag... I was a total punk through and through I would go to punk shows in Southern Idaho and get thrown around, mosh and try to act big and tough.... Then I heard Techno, and that was it! I became a raver kid! Dancing in Raves in the middle of nowhere, or at giant parties or at house party's. Dancing at small "clubs", getting in which way I could just to dance and listen to a friend DJ. My grandma loved to dance, so it's in my blood!

Then I mellowed a bit... I began on a new path. The Grateful Dead and Bob Marley made their way back into my life. Along with th Beatles again and this is what lead me to be the person I am today. I changed when I started listening to live shows. To full on "jams". To Bongos wailing in the background. Bob's lyrics changed something in me. I couldn't help but move and groove. I loved the way he made me feel!

Thanks to Bob Marley and The Grateful Dead, I would never have listened to Widespread Panic. Oh and my friend whom is like a brother to me, Farmer. He started me on the journey that I am still on today. Thanks Farmer! Panic is the hole left in me from not feeling the music like I did when I was like 15 or 16. Widespread Panic is a family, a movement, an amazing touring group that, in my opinion is only rivaled by Led Zeppelin. No one else can make me feel like they do. Really! Period.

I love a whole slew of bands these days. But Panic and Led Zeppelin have my heart. That's just the way it is. There is one DJ that makes me feel like 16 again, that would be Bassnectar. He has powers in him that only a few people can dream about. I thank him everytime I hear what he has to "say". Check him out if you haven't already. He's worth a listen.

I can't wait to see Panic again,and now I KNOW I need to do it some time soon.. I had a friens just call and tell me to "rearrange my life a little" so we can go see some Panic together like we used to. I love this family!

I couldn't ask for anything more!!

~dance, bliss, light, and love~

Melissa Magic