Listening Live

Let me start by saying I'm in the middle of a move so apologies for large gaps in time between postings...but I'm going to try really hard.

Moving on, I was walking around and stumbled on a congregation of guys sitting around playing their guitars and singing. It was surprising because despite the rather spontaneous nature of their gathering, they sounded really good. I couldn't help but think how great that was, what a terrific excuse to hang out and, as always, rock out. Of, course this kind of thing is nothing new and I'm raving like I just discovered sno cones, but in the past I have not been that exposed to that kind of pure, just sing-it type music. It's never been so accessible, it's always been a rare find for me. No one was worried about sounding stupid or hitting the wrong note because they were so wrapped up in the sheer momentum of the music itself and the approval of the crowd. Beautiful.

Later on I checked out a little music festival of sorts, showcasing several bands and singers, mostly college kids. I believe that some would have blown it off, thinking back to the crappy talent shows in high school, manned by a bunch of inexperienced students, but I figured maybe this would be different. It was terrific. Partly because the acts were good and fresh but also because the whole street was lit up and the music was loud. Makes a person want to swear off anything recorded. The other really nice thing, it was free. That definitely helps too attract a crowd of willing listeners who might just check out the band the following night for five dollars at a local whole in the wall. Sampler CDs, flyers, it was a lot of fun and the performers were so unjaded, it wasn't like listening to the crowd banter of someone who has been on the road fifteen years. They're either really good or burnt out. "Anybody from Cleveland?" Good energy, good crowd, good music, good ambiance. It was electric, guitar saturating the very air we were breathing. So once my friends and I decided to head home, it made it really hard to do. There were a couple acts left and even though they were going to be more country possibly fused with something else, oh was it hard to walk away from the music. So very, very hard to leave.