A Green Planet
Long has the planet, a blue and green planet, been filled with beautiful music. Cultures have, for centuries, used music in forms of worship as well as in preparation for battle. Music can be found in formal or relaxed settings, everything from soundtracks, coupling with visual entertainment to dance music at night clubs, or even at weddings. Music can also be used at somber occasions, to help grieve, such as wakes and funerals. And obviously, its gotta come from somewhere. One of the easiest ways to find many different styles of music is by going to an open mic night, where all levels of musicianship are welcomed. Performers are encouraged to express themselves and display their harnessed or innate level of skill.
For the past 7 years, I’ve played at various open mics throughout New Jersey and New York City, occasionally working out new, raw material, perfecting lyrics, melodies, rhythms, and chords.
At a Green Planet open mic is where I spent most of my time honing my craft. Here I played with local and traveling musicians alike, encountering and working with many styles of music, from acoustic guitar based songwriters, to indie rockers and jazz groups. Going through many phases, falling in love with dozens of records and artists from across genres, I took in as much material as I could handle, and sought several teachers to provide deeper insight into the mysticism that music provides for so many millions of people. Here there is something to be said about entertainment. Entertainment, at large, is a multifaceted process. Music has many levels to it’s entertainment process. Consider a rock n’roll show; I remember my first-there were pyrotechnics. Fire! Bursts of it! At exactly the right time! So these past few years, entranced and enthralled with chord changes and song structures, I wondered, how come there’s a need for all the pomp and circumstance? Whats the buzz about blowing things up? Isn’t there a way to give valuable material to listeners, without simultaneously singeing their eyebrows off? The secret seemed to live in the writing process, which is where I’ve found my focus. That’s not to discredit incredible performers who play behind their head, leap from balconies mid-song. or perform 3 costume changes in under 15 minutes. We would not have a world worth writing about if these acts didn’t exist and draw crowds.
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