Finding time for new music.
When I was in my 20s (and a college student), I was really into music. At the time, I lived in Boston and at least a few times a week, I’d go to Tower Records and the Virgin Megastore and spend hours checking out bands at the listening stations. When artists started putting their music up on web sites, I’d buy a lot of music magazines so I could look them up online. Every time I moved I signed up for Columbia House. lol
With the help of the internet, I was no longer intimidated by genres like “industrial” and “punk” (not that I really listen to that kinda stuff, but not all of it is as annoying as I thought it would be. lol). I also learned the distinctions between “house”, “trance” and “techno.” So for those of you that think that all that type of music sounds the same, I swear there’s a difference! I also finally understood why some bands are considered sell-outs. I remember the first time I heard some demos online from a band before they were signed to a major. They were unrecognizable. It was crazy!
Now that I’m a full-time working 30something, I don’t have as much time to browse music, however I find the following methods useful:
Pandora (http://www.pandora.com). This is an internet radio station that is divided into genres, but you can also create your own station by entering a song or artist you like and it will try to come up with songs and artists that are similar. I believe everyone should have an open-mind and hear new styles (and you still can on here of course), but since most of us have a pretty good idea of what we like and what we don’t like, I like using their recommendations.
All Music (http://www.allmusic.com) This is a very informative music database which covers all musical styles including classical. Again, very useful for finding similar artists which is a nice short-cut.
Magazines, Blogs. Paste Magazine (http://www.pastemagazine.com). This mag covers mostly altish stuff but I love them because they include a free cd with some of the artists they’ve reviewed. Urb (http://www.urb.com) is another great magazine but I believe they’re going all-digital. They cover electronica and hiphop. I like to listen to their podcasts. I wouldn’t know where to begin with covering blogs. To be honest, I haven’t been reading any lately but I suggest starting with Stereogum (http://stereogum.com) because they have a lot of videos and mp3s.
Music Conferences & Festivals. I confess. I’ve only gone to one music festival and it was like 4 years ago. I can’t deal with sitting out in the heat or peeing in a port-potty! Ew! (However, if I could find someone to go with me to another one, maybe I’ll go, I did have a blast). Anyway, I think the most well-known conferences are SXSW (http://www.sxsw.com), the Winter Music Conference (http://www.wmcon.com) and I’m sure you all know Lollapalooza (http://www.lollapalooza.com). There’s dozens more, just Google them if you want more listings and by all means, go if you can! The purpose for me knowing these is so I can get the artist line-ups. There’s always a lot of up-and-coming bands as well as familiar ones which might be promoting something new.
If you have any other suggestions, please comment!
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How do you write about music?
I haven’t done anything with this music blog because I’ve realized I have no idea how in the h*ll to write about music. I’m not a musician (although I’ve dabbled in piano and Guitar Hero). I don’t think about the technique or quality of a production. I have no desire to be a critic. How do you say <insert popular band name> sucks without getting people pissed off? (I don’t like it when people are pissed off). Or how do you tell people you like someone who isn’t “cool” or is popular with the tweens (but you’re over 30) without getting sh*t for it? (lol I’m a little sensitive).
How do you decide what is good anyway?
I either like something or I don’t and I don’t always know why I like it or don’t like it and frankly, I don’t think my opinion should matter. Any kind of art you’re into is an expression of yourself, your moods, your thoughts, maybe even your soul, so listen to whatever you want, whatever you connect with and then tell me about it. I love going through people’s cds cuz I always think I can predict what they’ve got and I haven’t been right once. I like that no 2 cd collections are alike. What can I say? Crap like that is fascinating to me. lol
Anyway, who knows where this music blog is going to go. Tonight I felt like writing in it. So here’s my first post.
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