There's just something about live music . . .
There's just something about live music that makes you feel . . . happy.
I've been to a number of concerts in short amount of time (first concert was a Susanna Hoffs show in Pontiac, Michigan, June of 1997. Pictures and concert report can be found here). Not nearly as many as I'd like but I still like to think of it as a quite a bit. ;)
By nature, I am a music lover. I can honestly say that I've been listening to music since before I was born (my parents have told me stories). Music has always been one of the constants in my life. (Writing stories started at age 9 for me.) Whenever I've felt down in the dumps or just needed something to calm me down, I've always been able to turn on something. Radio, record player (yes, kids, I do remember vinyl records), cassette deck, CD player, computer . . . didn't matter. As long as there was something on that I could listen to.
However, live music is different from a recording. Vastly different. When I drove to Champaigne, Illinois, for a Continental Drifters concert (October, 1999), I learned just how different they could be. (By this point, I'd seen Susanna Hoffs and Alabama live . . . Susanna definitely sounded more rock than her albums but Alabama is country . . . how different can country sound, really? Yes, accoustics are different but . . . well . . . you get the gist. I hope.)
The Continental Drifters happened to be a very different sort of band. They started out in Los Angeles with a rotating musician guest list. By the time they settled into a certain line-up, the members consisted of Peter Holsapple, Susan Cowsill, Mark Walton, Carlos Nuccio, and Vicki Peterson, and nearly everyone had relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana (Peter wrote in a song called Drifters this line: "From L.A. to LA). When I'd discovered their music, the line up had changed somewhat. Carlos had left the band and they were seeking a new drummer. Enter Russ Broussard, who played drums on both Vermillion and Better Day. The Vermillion tour was when I caught them and I must say I was quite floored.
Vermillion itself displays the Louisiana influence on the band, especially in songs like Watermark. However, live, the band was pure rock'n roll. Given the small venue, the music could be felt through the floorboards. (Pictures for this concert can be found here with a link to the concert review.)
It was different, it was energetic, and the sound was raw . . . the vocals were portrayed in a way no recording could ever capture.
And that really does go for nearly any artist, I've found. Since the C. Drifters concert in 1999, I would catch a few more. Neil McCoy twice, Joe Diffie, Weird Al three times, and the Bangles twice.
There's just something about hearing your favourite artists live. Nothing can compare.
Of course, it's been a few years since I've been to a concert of any kind (try 3-4 years. last concert was either the Bangles in New York or Weird Al in Kalamazoo). However, that doesn't mean I don't remember what it was like.
Because I do.
I remember it very well and how . . . happy I felt.
It's strange but true.
Now if only the Bangles would come back to the east coast . . . or Gackt came to America. Both would be a dream come true.
This rambling, out-of-the-blue post has been brought to you by the following:
Ford
Built Ford Tough
Coca-Cola
Always Coca-Cola
The Letter B
(for Bangles)
The Number 5
The colour Blue
The Letter G
(for Gackt)
and the LJ owner.
Have a great day.
I've been to a number of concerts in short amount of time (first concert was a Susanna Hoffs show in Pontiac, Michigan, June of 1997. Pictures and concert report can be found here). Not nearly as many as I'd like but I still like to think of it as a quite a bit. ;)
By nature, I am a music lover. I can honestly say that I've been listening to music since before I was born (my parents have told me stories). Music has always been one of the constants in my life. (Writing stories started at age 9 for me.) Whenever I've felt down in the dumps or just needed something to calm me down, I've always been able to turn on something. Radio, record player (yes, kids, I do remember vinyl records), cassette deck, CD player, computer . . . didn't matter. As long as there was something on that I could listen to.
However, live music is different from a recording. Vastly different. When I drove to Champaigne, Illinois, for a Continental Drifters concert (October, 1999), I learned just how different they could be. (By this point, I'd seen Susanna Hoffs and Alabama live . . . Susanna definitely sounded more rock than her albums but Alabama is country . . . how different can country sound, really? Yes, accoustics are different but . . . well . . . you get the gist. I hope.)
The Continental Drifters happened to be a very different sort of band. They started out in Los Angeles with a rotating musician guest list. By the time they settled into a certain line-up, the members consisted of Peter Holsapple, Susan Cowsill, Mark Walton, Carlos Nuccio, and Vicki Peterson, and nearly everyone had relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana (Peter wrote in a song called Drifters this line: "From L.A. to LA). When I'd discovered their music, the line up had changed somewhat. Carlos had left the band and they were seeking a new drummer. Enter Russ Broussard, who played drums on both Vermillion and Better Day. The Vermillion tour was when I caught them and I must say I was quite floored.
Vermillion itself displays the Louisiana influence on the band, especially in songs like Watermark. However, live, the band was pure rock'n roll. Given the small venue, the music could be felt through the floorboards. (Pictures for this concert can be found here with a link to the concert review.)
It was different, it was energetic, and the sound was raw . . . the vocals were portrayed in a way no recording could ever capture.
And that really does go for nearly any artist, I've found. Since the C. Drifters concert in 1999, I would catch a few more. Neil McCoy twice, Joe Diffie, Weird Al three times, and the Bangles twice.
There's just something about hearing your favourite artists live. Nothing can compare.
Of course, it's been a few years since I've been to a concert of any kind (try 3-4 years. last concert was either the Bangles in New York or Weird Al in Kalamazoo). However, that doesn't mean I don't remember what it was like.
Because I do.
I remember it very well and how . . . happy I felt.
It's strange but true.
Now if only the Bangles would come back to the east coast . . . or Gackt came to America. Both would be a dream come true.
This rambling, out-of-the-blue post has been brought to you by the following:
Ford
Built Ford Tough
Coca-Cola
Always Coca-Cola
The Letter B
(for Bangles)
The Number 5
The colour Blue
The Letter G
(for Gackt)
and the LJ owner.
Have a great day.