Art of any sort is intensely personal, but I think of all the arts… music  holds the most passion for the majority of people.
Music is such a HUGE topic to try to capture in a photo, much less to then talk about… But I’ve written about it many times in this blog so I’ll give it another shot. Heck, its my life, when you get right down to it.
Music is intensely personal, and we all have different tastes and expectations of our music.
For me, I’ve always been a country music fan. A HUGE country music fan. And, as such, I have my expectations of what is and isn’t “good” country music. The biggest thing that I always felt that set country apart from other popular genres was the fact that what you heard on the album could be replicated live — with or without electricity. Past that, it was more about the lyrics than anything else.
Over the last 15 years or so, the use of tracks has become more accepted in the country genre. (What you hear on the album may be replicated in concert, sure, but its not happening LIVE in front of you. Its been pre-recorded or created totally digitally.) As has auto tune, and heavy use of post production to slick up the sound. Steering it in a more pop direction (and don’t get me wrong, I LIKE pop music… on pop radio stations), only making sure to mention trucks, beer, bonfires, girls and throw in a banjo or steel guitar here and there.
Over the last, ohhhh… three to five years? I’ve grown to, frankly, despise 85% of what hits radio. And I’m being generous implying I’ve liked 15%. It has not been, by MY definition, country music. Â I’ve jokingly said I was going to put a bullet in my radio some day if I heard one more drum loop.
But here’s the thing. Its on radio because there are people who like it. There are people buying those albums and making requests to radio stations. Its what record executives have determined people buying records want. It’s what those music fans are passionate about.
And you know what? THAT’S OKAY. But its also equally okay for me to be royally pissed off about it. Â (And yes, yes I did flip out over Chris Stapleton winning and that incredible performance last night.)
Music means something to each individual. And it doesn’t have to mean the same thing to all of us. That, my dear friends, is exactly what makes it so special, and exactly why its something I love so much.
Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.
Berthold Auerbach