Thursday, February 16, 2012

Mashup

What do you get when you combine this hardcore fan of classic rock, underground rap, blues, and jazz ...



With this girl ... who'd happily spend her last $5 bill on iTunes ... who lovey, love, loves alt-folk, country, and today's Top 40?




You get Kid Rock. The best of both worlds



Seriously, this little girl dances to be the beat of her own drummer, as she should. Here she is, all the world a stage, in a customized ensemble, handpicked by herself. New Nikes. A Twins cheerleaders dress. Fuzzy sweater. Beauty & the Beast crown. Dance, dance, dancing like no one's watching.



I love her fiercely.



I bought a new (bigger!) iPod last month, and finally went through my old one to gift it to the lil' dude. I added all her playlists I've made her this far, cleaned out all the explicit lyrics songs, and loaded it up to its 8gb gills.

I've written before about my obsession with music, that it stems from my Dad, and how happily, I'd passed the gene onto my daughter. Some people's sense of smell triggers the most powerful memories; for me it's my sense of hearing. I am transported anytime I hear a particular song. I think of songs when I think of my besties, each of them has a particular song or overall artist that plays in my background when they're on my mind. The summer the Dad and I began dating is an entire playlist burned into my soul. I remember the first CD I bought: Green Day's Dookie. The first song I ever requested to be played on repeat, as I am prone to still do, was Dan Seals and Marie Osmond's Meet Me in Montana in the summer of 1985. My older cousin nannied for my brother and I, and she had that record. We played it all summer long. I fell in love with country music when I was just 5 years old.

Won't you meet me in Montana,
I wanna see the mountains in your eyes.
Woah, woah, I had all of this life I can handle,
Meet me underneath that big Montana sky.


My taste in music ranges from one end of the spectrum. The concerts I saw in 2011 are a true testament to my versatility: Backstreet Boys/New Kids on the Block, The Band Perry, Train, Maroon 5, and my all-time favorite artist, Matt Nathanson.

Country is my roots, but alt-folk is probably my desert island genre of choice. Some of my favorite are:

Matt Nathanson (obviously)
Matt Kearney
Matt Hires
Matt White
James Morrison
Brett Dennen
Peter Bradley Adams
The Civil Wars
Wakey! Wakey!
Scars on 45
Joshua James
Ingrid Michaelson
Michael Logen
The National
Elenowen
Calhoun
Trent Dabbs
Young the Giant
Joshua Radin
Joe Purdy
Gregory Alan Isakov
Missy Higgins
Erin McCarley
The Script
Lifehouse
The Fray
OneRepublic

I could go on and on.

There are TV shows I credit for finding some of my favorite artists. Hands down, and I am not embarrassed to admit, the CW's One Tree Hill probably deserves most of my credit (and gratitude!) for exposing the very best musical talent anywhere. I have watched the show since its pilot, nearly 10 year ago, and each season, I race to its website and then iTunes to find the music I just hear and now, desperately need in my life. Bands like The Avett Brothers, The Barr Brothers, Rosi Golan, Belle & Sebastian, Calexico, Citizen Cope, Dawes, Aimee Mann, Trespassers William, Tyler Hilton, Bethany Joy Lenz ... seriously, The. Best. Music. Ever.

Grey's Anatomy is another show with fabulous musical stylings. ABC's entire Music Lounge online is pretty fabulous, actually. I'm constantly memorizing lyrics or the hooks of songs I heard for the first time, trying to find out what I just heard. There's just that MOMENT when you hear a song for the first time and you KNOW you need it. Like, at the end of the The Warrior and Tommy and Brendan are fighting for the title, and The National's About Today is playing. Tears running down my face for what was the best scene of the best movie I'd seen in a long time, plus that song! That song!

I watch Glee. For the music.
I watch The Voice. For the music. (and a little for Adam Levine)
I'll watch the first season of anything that debuts on the CW. For the music.

Just writing this post about music makes me insanely happy.
Give me a roadtrip with customized playlists and Starbucks, and I'll drive for days.

Despite our stark musical differences, there are artists and bands the Dad and I can listen to simultaneously.

Johnny Cash
John Legend
Eminem
Jay-Z
The White Stripes
Foo Fighters
Alicia Keys
Paolo Nutini
Gnarls Barkley
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Tom Petty

On our bucket list is seeing any live performance at Red Rocks.

That brings me back to this diva, our musical love child. She shares both of our style and preferences when it comes to music. Her favorite bands?

Lady Gaga
Beyonce
Sugarland
Lady Antebellum
Luke Bryan
The Black Keys
Atmosphere
Jason Aldean
Train
OneRepublic
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Taylor Swift
Katy Perry

But her faaaaavorite?



Still the same, after all these years!

No comments: