Life without a lenscap

Anyone who knows me in the slightest knows that this question is particularly daunting to me.

Here's a GENERAL idea of how much music I listen to. Since September 13, 2006, I have listened to 162,160 tracks. NOT counting tracks listened to on my ipod, via youtube or streaming sites, or while not on my home or work computer. Which means this doesn't count all studying time, time in my car, etc.

162,160 tracks over 1,486 days. That comes out to just about 109 tracks a day. If we assume that the average song length is 3 minutes and 20 seconds, that comes out to just over 6 hours a day. Over 4 years. Guys. This is a lot of music. Keep in mind for 2 of these years I did not work in an office 8 hours a day. Ask my roommates. There are very few minutes during any day that I don't have music on.

[by the way I know the data about how many tracks thanks to the amazing website last.fm: http://www.last.fm/user/todderick I use it to track what I listen to. It's pretty damn cool.]

I grew up with a lot of music going on around me. My mom listened to oldies, classical music, and musicals. My father listened to country, folk, and marches, with a little rock mixed in. My sister listened to classic rock, the top 40's list, and pretty much every hippie band out there. [Whatever, I'm allowed to call them hippie bands.]

I took this list and aquired tastes for all of it. In addition I began branching out and finding my own genres. Metal, Punk, many varieties of rock, pop, and others were mixed in. As I grew, I branched out more and more. In high school I discovered jazz, and my world exploded. I listened to jazz non-stop for a good year. Soon after I discovered ska, and as this was rock and / or punk, with horns, I was deeply sated.

In college I continued to branch out, and I discovered the indie scene. Again, a whole world was opened. There's so much frigging music in this world, and I just need to LISTEN TO ALL OF IT. I found the hardcore scene in between rock and metal. I found prog rock. I found all the mini genres being discovered

Whenever I'm describing my music tastes to someone I don't know, I like to explain it like this: "You know, how you meet someone, and you say 'Oh, what kind of music are you into?', and they answer 'Everything!' but they're totally full of shit? Because if you were to, for example say 'What about country?' they'd be all 'well not country, country sucks.' or 'what about opera?' 'super lamesauce'. Well. I ACTUALLY like everything. No horse-shit."

Yes, there are very specific artists I dislike. But I don't dislike their genres, and I can usually find something worthwhile in most music. You won't find me listening to Madonna anytime soon, for example. Or U2. But they both have songs that are enjoyable, and I understand why they got popular.

I don't have a singular favorite band. That is too difficult. The things I'm grooving to change too often and wildly. But there are some staples that tend to be in my rotation almost always. [I have a PLETHORA of music, as you may imagine. And an 8 gig ipod. So. Things tended to be rotated in and out.]

The three bands that I usually list as my three favorites when queried are, in no order: Streetlight Manifesto, State Radio, and Flogging Molly. But they are not always my number one bands. I do tend to always be able to listen to them.

I love live music. I go to a LOT of concerts. In fact, the combined number of concerts I've been to *JUST* of the three artists listed above is about 38. I love the community of music. I love that when you're in the pit, dancing with everyone else, they're there with you. And I love the way music gets into my pulse.

I have been known to kind've black out when listening to music. Especially at live shows. With no alchohol or drugs involved. I get lost in the music. When it's played correctly and felt correctly, it gets deep inside me, and it's like... this glorious feeling, and I just let go, and all I can feel is the depth of the beat and the lyrics. I can cry from simply listening to a song.

Music is probably the most powerful force in my life. I cannot imagine a day without it. It would be miserable. Fortunately, I can always sing it in my head. Oh. P.S. I often get distracted while listening to music at work and accidentally sing along. My coworkers, god bless them, have come to enjoy this. Mostly for amusement factor. [I'm not a great singer. There is a youtube channel which heartily proves this [todderick42]]

I haven't even gotten to the fact that I play music and this is an ESSAY. I have played trombone since 5th grade, and currently play in a brass/second line band in Somerville, called the Dirty Water Brass Band. In fact [SHAMELESS PLUG] we'll be playing at honk! this saturday at 2:00 and 6:00. COME! 6:00 will be better, but both will be fun. I've played guitar since junior year of high school, and I can also play trumpet, violin, and a little piano. I'm working on learning drums and banjo.

I guess that's a good lead-in to jazz. I get lost in the music while playing, too. It's amazing. Jazz is such an awesome force. I started it in high school, and I was like "why the hell would anyone play classical when they could play THIS!? It moves, and it takes you with it. That's a large amount of my music too.

Also, musical theater. I am currently in the process of listening to every musical which ever won, or was nominated for either best score or best musical. At the time of writing this, I have 8 gigs of musicals alone on my computer. And it is growing steadily. As a huge theatre geek, I was really into them growing up, obsessing over many as I've grown. Now I'm just as into them, and they are incorporated into my musical world.

I tend to listen to my music on shuffle. I just put it all in the player, and let it go where it wants, with me along for the journey. sometimes I listen to albums in order, especially cast recordings, but usually I'm just along for the ride.

I tend to obsess over very specific songs or albums and listen to them over and over. I also tend to learn lyrics REALLY quickly.

I could try and throw my favorite artists out there, but jesus, it's hard to isolate them.

I will tell you who-all is represented in the image above, in addition to the afore-mentioned three.

Artists:
Westbound Train, Hey Rosetta!, Death Cab For Cutie, Horse Feathers, Fucked Up

Musicals:
Spring Awakening, Next To Normal, In The Heights, [title of show]

I am resisting the strong urge to add more [Ben Folds! HAIR!] gah... because if I give in [Youngblood Brass Band! Assassins!] I WON'T BE ABLE TO STOP.

OMG. I need to end this post, now. This subject is just too dangerous.

[Full list of questions]

Band: State Radio
Venue: The Paradise, Boston, MA
Date of Concert: 09/29/09
First Opener: Laura Goldhamer & The Silvernail Band
     •This was literally one of the most painful things I have ever encountered. A dirty girl in a 1940s maternity dress with dreadlocks, screaming with no pitch while "playing" a banjo. Her two bandmates played guitar and keyboard with some to no semblance of skill. Behind them played frightening stop-motion videos she had made. I don't understand how someone would enjoy this while not on brain-altering chemicals. The video's showed some creativity, though.

Set List:
     •Mansin Humanity
     •Calling all Crows
     •Gang of Thieves*
     •Doctor Ron the Actor
     •Arsenic and Clover
     •Fall of the American Empire*
     •Right Me Up*
     •Knights of Bostonia
     •Bohemian Grove
     •Camilo*
     •NEW song. Like new new
     •Let it Go
     •Waitress*
     •Evolution
     •Held Up By The Wires
     •Blood Escaping Man
     •Time Served [Dispatch Cover [front-man chad was one of the members of Dispatch]]

Encore:
     •Still and Silent
     •CIA*

Main Act Thoughts:
     •This was the best concert I've attended in a long time. I don't know how exactly it works, but with no outside influence [read, no beer/drugs], at the right show, when the band is on and good, and the audience has the right attitude, at certain points, I very literally lose direct conciousness, and I am one with the music. The rhythm and sound takes control and I simply let my body dance and move to the beat. It sounds insane, I know, but my awareness very much leaves and it's like the music inhabits me. This happened at this concert. State Radio is in my trifecta of favorite bands, and while their albums are great, it's nothing compared with their live sound/feel. I lose my direct awareness, and have this lucid connection with the music and the moment. I keep trying to describe what it feels like, when everything just lets go and I have this intimate relationship with the music and those around me. It's like a lucid dream, I suppose. Regardless, the show was unreal. A great set. This concert was a release concert for their new album, let it go. So they played the new album in order, but put some old songs in the middle of them to split it up. I marked the old songs with an *. I wish they had played Revolutionaries or Guantanamo instead of Fall of the American Empire [I think fall... is one of their weaker songs] but overall I can't complain at all about the setlist. I don't think this is their strongest album to date, but it is really good, and all my friends think of it as their best to date.