I’m not sure when it happened, but at a certain point in my life, I stopped caring about new music.
There was a period of time . . . I’d say almost the entirety of 2011 till mid-2012 . . . that I listened to the same three Sara Bareilles albums over and over and over and over and over again. I like to pretend that John Mayer stopped putting out albums afterContinuum, and I swear if I hear the name Mumford one more time, so help me . . .
That is definitely not what the Lauren of old was like. I now sound like a crotchety old spinster, yelling at kids to get their boomboxes and hip-hugger jeans off my lawn.
New music used to be a really big deal to me. I remember heading to Hastings Books and Music on Tuesdays (CD release day, you know) to pick up the latest album by the newest musical discovery I had made, and it was like Christmas. I used to wait around the electronics area in Wal-Mart before midnight just to get my hands on a CD the absolute first second that I could. Every once in a while (cough Maroon 5’s second album cough cough) I would be disappointed, but not usually.
Those days were some of my favorites. Working to pay for new music. Driving around with the windows down and my best friend busting her lungs out in the seat next to me. Feeling a genuine rush of excitement when I heard an amazing band I never knew existed.
Is there a point to all of this musical nostalgia? I think so. I think it’s important to understand why certain memories stick out in our head. One of my favorite memories happened in the commuter parking lot in front of my dorm. My friend (a friend who almost singlehandedly shaped my musical landscape in college) made me sit in her car and listen to this song. As soon as I heard it, my arms felt all tingly and I got this tight-chested holycrapIneedthismusicforever feeling around my heart. This moment is branded in my head, and I think it’s because, oh man, did I feel alive. It was just a tiny little moment that some might find trivial, but it’s my moment, and I experienced it because of a little taste of some new music.
It’s time to get back in the game, friends.
I’m starting my journey back to the Land of New Tunes by checking out a guy named Cameron Carpenter at the Orpheum on November 7th. Carpenter is an extremely talented young man, who was actually the first organist ever nominated for a Grammy for a solo album.
Yeah. Organist. As in pipe organ. This guy is amazing. I’ve been watching YouTube videos and have been utterly mesmerized by what he can do. When I think of an organ, I think of a little old lady playing church hymns on an organ that hasn’t been repaired in 30 years. This guy takes that mentality and throws it out the window . . . actually, he covers it in sequins, lights it on fire, and then throws it out the window. I can’t even explain well or do it justice, and I’d probably just say the word “awesome” about 500 times to get my point across, so do yourself a favor and check out a video.
The performance is put on by the Omaha Performing Arts Center, and will be held at the Orpheum (409 South 16th St.) on Thursday, November 7th at 7:30 PM. If you’re interested in going, grab some tickets here, and give me a high five when we see each other at the show!
This post was written for the Omaha Performing Arts Center in exchange for tickets to see the show. All thoughts and ideas are my own, and hopefully enjoyable to read.
(photo courtesy of aussiegal via flickr)