Crystal Ball of Reflection

It’s been a few days since I have posted anything.  Mostly because I have been pondering a lot of life’s little mysteries; things like the direction I want to take this.  Is that the right direction?  Why do I have so many grammatical errors?  English was one of my better subjects in school, but I really didn’t pay attention much (obviously).  After spending the better part of two days really looking into a crystal ball of reflection, I finally came to a conclusion. I am going to roll in the direction of the wind; wherever the hell I want and without a care.  That means I will post topics (as they come to me), shows I have seen, and artists/bands that I think you should know.  Whether you like it or not. 

I have been accused over the years of being a music snob, which isn’t far from the truth.  I don’t like most songs played on the radio. Unless you have the radio set to KNBT, than it’s a safe bet I probably will.  I will not say my music taste is perfect. Good music is in the opinion of the listener. I haven’t always had to good music sense. There was the unfortunate NSync period in high school.  Don’t judge me! It was high school.  To redeem myself for that fall from grace I will say that during this period I also discovered The Great Divide.  This was way before I realized how much their music would mean to me. 

The only true mission I have with Hurricane Highway is to introduce people to the music and venues that mean something to me. It is with the hope that you will see what they mean to you.  I don’t want to talk too much about the big names you would normally hear about.  They already have their own people fighting for them.  I will only highlight the smaller guys that are out there every day giving you their heart and soul in the form of a song.  I do hope that you will take the time to support these artists as well as the venues that host them.  This isn’t an easy job that these people have when they are up on that stage.  There are no booking agents, promoters, assistants, road crews, and drivers taking care of these people.  Often times they are all of those things; some with day jobs on the side to keep these dreams alive.  It may seem like I am repeating myself from the very first blog.  I am reiterating my mission not only for you the reader but, for myself as well.  I almost considered packing up and calling it quits on this blog.  I was having a bad day and there were a lot of doubts and fear plaguing my heart.  I found myself questioning if it was good enough.  I have gotten lots of positive feedback and great advice.  The problem was with the belief in myself. Do I have what it takes to really showcase these people in the best way possible? Fear and doubt in oneself is a tricky obstacle to overcome.  To tell you the truth I am not sure how musicians do it.  Maybe that’s why I believe as strongly in them as I do.  If they can get up there on that stage give it all they have than I feel like I owe it to them to fight for their craft.  Inspiration comes in many different forms. It appears mine was found today.  Thank you for reading this.  I have some articles to work on in the next few days.  I will post them soon.   I will also try to make it out to as many shows as I can but obviously I can’t be in twenty places at once.  It’s just not possible.  I encourage you to go to smaller shows as much as you go to the big shows. Go out there and support the live music in your area!

To close out here are some songs that inspired me today. Thanks Walt Wilkins.