Current Neighborhood: Edgehill, Edgehill Café
For years and years I have listened to music as an avid listener and critically. I feel that I have a pretty good ear for what trembles the heart, makes the soul shout and what is pure crap. If you don’t believe me then for a week listen to an album a day. Listen to the lyrics and see the pictures they paint, feel the emotion in the music and then decide for yourself whether it is good or not. To this day I listen to a record a day covering all genres. I started to project with one goal in mind, to smile for a song at least once a day.
Now there are four ways to listen to songs; fully produced record, stripped down record, full band live or stripped down live. I love sitting at resting my legs up on my desk while I take in the sounds of a fully produced record. Keep in mind, I am listening through high quality studio monitors. The creativity of the producer really shines through when you listen to a record. You are able to feel the layering, space and musical intricacies. Take a listen to this track off Nick Jonas’ new album (it's clickable Nick Jonas – Push). It’s got really great depth and the layering is awesome. You really feel the emotion of the song through the arc of the song.
Being in Nashville I felt that it was necessary to attend a writers round. I found a free round at a little dive bar on 8th Avenue called The Basement. I walked in and wasn’t quite sure what to expect. A carpeted square raised about a foot off the floor was considered a stage. Three musicians tuned up and sound checked while a full house gathered around them with beers and glasses in hand. The space was filled with so many people I could barely hear myself to order a beer at the bar.
As soon as the host for the night grabbed the mic and introduced each songwriter you could hear a pin drop. These people love their songs and really want to hear them. Everyone wanted to hear great stories. It’s true about country music but great songs are an extension of storytelling. These songwriters painted a picture of a glimpse in their lives or a figment of their imagination.
I could sit in my room for hours on end with my legs up on my desk underneath a blanket and a coffee in hand, just to listen to an album or two. But I would rip the blanket off and dump the coffee for a beer in a second to hear and see songs from their most vulnerable and stripped down state. Why? Because there is an added element in the room when a songwriter sings their own song. A face, a story, and emotion attached to the story. There are so many reasons why I love live music but at its core I love listening to a song at its barest state because the songwriter or singer invites you to really listen to the story.
Nashville is a town that is built on the song but I encourage you to get out and hear live music. If not for yourself then for your sister or a hot date.
#supportthesongwriter
I am the Neighborhood Writer, suburban “city-wannabee”, currently in Nashville, TN.