A short piece of fiction written about 2014.
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We knew the night was destined for something to happen, we just didn't know what.
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It was 1994. I was watching 120 Minutes on MTV and they played “Ultra Twist” by The Cramps. I cannot be certain of the time of year – if it was the end of middle school, the beginning of high school or the summer in between. All I know is this video blew my mind.
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There was a brief period of time in early 2003 that I practically lived at The Red Lion in Eagle Rock. I had always liked the place, good hearty German food with attractive waitresses dressed like they were working in a pub in Bavaria rather than Los Angeles. A lot of them even had the accent to go with it, which is kind of sexy in that cold, high school teacher sort of way. However, what brought me back there almost every Friday and Saturday night was Olivia.
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One thread of the punk rock fabric I touched on was DIY – Do It Yourself. Looking back I don't know if those of us with an entrepreneurial spirit were attracted to punk rock or if punk rock necessitated an entrepreneurial spirit. Either way, if you wanted anything to happen, you had to do it yourself.
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Finding punk rock was the single most influential moment in my life.
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Many people consider tragedy to be romantic. We idolize those who died young and tragically, such as: James Dean, Kurt Cobain, and John Lennon to name but a few. When you die young, you leave a small body of work to be judged and any indiscretions can be blamed on youth. Perhaps no musical genre benefits from this more than rock music and no subculture is more known for it than punk rock. And there are two reasons for that – Darby Crash and Sid Vicious.
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Rock music fans have long insisted their favorite artists live up to an incredibly high set of standards (if not morals). The primary demand that fans have on their music is that the music or the artist is “authentic”.
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Professional songwriters may have written “Wildwood Flower”, but it has since become not only a country classic, but also redefined as a “Carter Family Song” . It has been selected by National Public Radio as one of the 100 most important songs of the 20th century and is “the closest thing country music has to a true anthem”. This is largely due to the guitar playing of Maybelle Carter and her influence over several generations of musicians.
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If there was a single song that gave birth to country music as we know it, it would be “Single Girl, Married Girl”. The song was one that Ralph Peer specifically requested the Carter Family sing in their first recording session, and it was the song that convinced him that the Carter Family was worth signing to a record contract. However, as in the case of many famous incidents, it is a song that almost did not get recorded.
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The Carter Family first recorded what would be their signature song in Camden, New Jersey in June 1933. RCA Victor, their record company, never released this version and the song sat until 1935 when the Carters, once again, recorded “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”, a song about a mother’s funeral. This song would go on to be one of their most famous songs and inspire the title of an album that would re-introduce the Carters to a different audience 40 years later.
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If it had not been for the wandering work of A.P., the Carter Family might not have been able to achieve the success and lasting legacy they hold in American music.
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The influence of Jimmie Rodgers on American music cannot be understated. He has been called the “father of modern country music” and he has influenced everyone from Hank Williams and Merle Haggard to Lynyrd Skynyrd. While he only recorded 111 songs in his career, they left a lasting impression.
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At the end of the day, how we influence those around us isn’t by what take, but by what we make. It’s less by our words and more by our actions.
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Because of advancements in technologies, the things we did, at least how we did them, will never happen again.
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The point of all of this isn’t just to tell you what I’m up to, but to say to my fellow artists, don’t be afraid to throw yourself a curveball. I’ve gotten comfortable working alone, but am I reaching my potential as an artist being comfortable and alone?
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Before we begin, let me make myself crystal clear: this is not a top nine list. These songs are not ranked. I chose nine because I needed a limit and the number made making a collage of covers easy. While I would put a few of these on my all-time list, the point of this is to illustrate what makes songs great. I tried to put in a few familiar favorites, a few things a bit lesser known, songs that were complicated and songs that were simple. Ultimately, it is about illuminating what makes for a great song.
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It’s the difference between seeing an animal at the zoo, or in the wild. Yes, you can appreciate the majestic nature of a lion at the zoo. Especially if that’s your only opportunity to see it, but there’s nothing like being in the wild and experiencing a wonderful animal in it’s natural environment. You can forget the animal at the zoo, you will never forget the experience you had in the wild.
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Well, it’s that time again. I’ve never made resolutions, but the turning of the calendar is as good a reason as any to look back on the progress of the previous year and to reassess your goals for the coming year.
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