Listen To The Music!

I love music! It is the foundation of who I am. It is part of my earliest memories and it is an important part of my daily routine. It is why I chose to become a musician. When I think back to all the major milestones in my life, I may not remember every detail, but I can tell you all about the music. Some of the worst movies I’ve seen had some of the best music, which is why I will watch them over and over again. I know, I could just listen to the soundtrack and not subject myself to the movie, but it’s not the same. You need to hear the cheesy dialogue over the music.

It has been a constant companion in my life and has a way of calming me down like nothing else. When I need clarity, I listen to music. When I need a good cry, I listen to music. When I need a pick me up, I listen to music. When I write, I listen to music. You get the picture.

When I was younger, my love of music made traveling difficult. We didn’t have ipods. There was no such thing as downloading music. You had to bring a Walkman or a boombox and your cassettes. Wait, back up, I started with a portable record player and 45’s, then a Walkman and cassettes and then a Discman and CD’s. It was so difficult to decide what to bring with me. What if I needed to hear Donna Summer, but only had Billy Joel with me? Sometimes it comes down to whether you needed to hear “Bad Girls” or “Big Shot.” Thus began the mix tape.

I asked my parents for a dual cassette player and blank cassette tapes so I could begin making my mixes. I would spend hours creating the perfect mix tape. It had to have the right blend of groups and each tape had to have the same style. You couldn’t mix Boston with Village People or an 80’s love song with AC/DC. I had a tape for every occasion. I still have many of these tapes today, but I think my favorite mix tape is the one my brother made for me with a mix of his favorite music of the 90’s. I have since made a playlist on my phone and listen to it often.

What would be on your mix tape?