The Liberation of Music

When it comes to music I’ve gone through major phases throughout my life, as most people have. My older sister was my first inspiration into the foray of new music. She used to carry her cassette tapes around in one of those fake-leather carrying cases, like a brief case. She had everything from Guns N’ Roses to Salt and Pepper in that thing (ok, it was the late 80s, early 90s, let’s cut her some slack).

I suppose just like every other generation, I truly believe I grew up during one of the best periods in mainstream music — Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, Cranberries, and I have to add this one, because I’m currently listening to Champagne Supernova, Oasis. These are the bands that first gave me that feeling that only really good music can — that sensation of being alive, of feeling as though the music itself has somehow managed to reach deep inside of you and take hold.

In any event, and I promise eventually leading to my point, I soon began veering away from the mainstream. This took me to all kinds of places, from my fave Heavenly to Velocity Girl to the Dead Milkmen to the Pixies to even jam bands like MOE.

Then came the rut. I cut off all connection to the musical world around me (as far anything new was considered). I happily played my same old CDs over and over again, clutching onto to those old tunes.  I blame this in part to what was going on in popular music. The late 90s, early 00s really ushered in the commercialism of music. Suddenly, bands were forming from want ads posted by producers and the appearance of a performer became infinitely more important than what they were performing. (Let’s just all be glad this didn’t happen decades prior or else Janis Joplin and Buddy Holly may not be the household names they are. God rest their souls). Now, to be fair, it wasn’t the first time a pretty face, with very little to back it up, was topping the charts. But it was, in my opinion, the first time it was saturating the markets. There were a lot more pretty faces than actual talent.

And then….ta dah, YouTube and MySpace. OK, so I’m skipping some time in between, but it’s late and I get up early. For the first time in a long time, I’m eagerly lapping up new music. There is so much out there and it is all so accessible. This new outlet is allowing newer, lesser-known bands the opportunity to reach millions of people, and in turn offering endless possibilities to listeners. I’ll add satellite radio to the whole equation as well. OK, so I know I might be late on the uptake, but, well, really I don’t have an excuse for that, I usually am.

And I know the radio is still the radio and MTV, well, can’t really tell you what’s going on there because I stopped watching it since every time I turn it on there’s some needle thin girl with bleached hair screaming on a cell phone. But my point, is we now have choice.

Never before have so many different types of music been so accessible,  so right there at your fingertips. As cheesy at it may sound, it’s incredibly liberating.

Oh I feel so alive.