SoundThread: Music stiches us together

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"What does that mean?" you might ask. I'll try to explain.

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Blogging about music is something I've always wanted to do. It's been a long time coming. And there's no time like the present. So, here we are. 

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This represents my public forum to share the thoughts and musings about music that are spinning around in my head. I don't know where it will lead you and me. Maybe someone out there might find this interesting.

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My hope is that this will bring inspiration and little bits of knowledge to you about music – posts that might inspire you to discover a new artist, a new song, or go see a live performance – one that might be around the corner, or one that is a road trip or flight away.

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I'm not a musician (although I do play acoustic guitar), but I consider myself a true music lover – it's not about the popularity or what's new or "in."  It's about good songwriting, killer vocals, simplicity, mood and the "catchiness" of a song. Listening to music is an emotional experience – a great song can brighten up the worst of days, get you through a rainy afternoon, and transport you somewhere else: past, present, or elsewhere.

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The majority of the music I listen to comes from accidental or random discovery. Here's how it works. 

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You might like a particular band, do an internet search, and learn that the guy who plays lead guitar is the member who’s responsible for composing pretty much all the “music” for the band’s songs. You head over to Wikipedia, and it tells you about all the other artists he’s worked with, produced and written songs with and for. You check out their albums, and find that you can "hear" that same style of songwriting prevalent in that artist – either because the songwriting was collaborative, or the guitarist guy was responsible for the production and final sound of the album. And now you're a fan of another artist.

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Or you might like listening to dance music, but learn that most of the vocalists who bring these songs to life are talented artists in their own right, often responsible for writing the original lyrics and music that's now been layered with electronic percussion, synths and a thumping beat. They are solo artists, members of other proper bands. When you strip the songs down to the bare vocals and music, you realize that these little gems would sound amazing with nothing more than vocals and an acoustic guitar. And when you find the solo or band albums they’ve released under their own names, you discover how talented they are. You might even come to the realization that this is what you really liked all along – their own unique songwriting and vocals.

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Or you might read the liner notes for an album (yes, I am one of those people who buys CD's and Vinyl for the artwork, lyrics and liner notes), and find that the band’s label mates assisted with some of the songwriting, vocals or production.  A few listens to their own work on SoundCloud, Spotify, YouTube, or Tidal, and you might find yourself a fan.

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This is me. I can't even count the number of artists I regularly listen to and learn about that are a result of the sound threads that I follow.

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So I am here to share some of those sound threads with you – to inspire you to discover, learn about and listen to music that you might not have otherwise heard about. Music that's new, and as well as some that isn't.

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And who knows… my postings might inspire you to follow and weave your own sound threads.

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Hope you enjoy the blog.