Tori is my absolute favorite musician. For Robert.
https://www.kcrw.com/music/shows/morning-becomes-eclectic/tori-amos-1
If I Could Give the World a Hug...
It seems like almost everyone I know (myself included) is going through some major and challenging life changes right now: breakups, foreclosures, job losses, moving, legal battles, money trouble, restlessness, scandals, loss of loved ones, losing homes in fires... the list goes on and on. I am just beginning to clear my mind of a little of my own funk. I have found that two things help me get through a rough time more than anything else: A. Doing things that I love and B. Sharing those things with the people I love.
Luckily for me, there are many things that satisfy "A." (Truth be told, there are probably too many things that do, but that's a post for another day.) One thing that has been there for me 27 of my 31 years on this planet, however, is music. I've mostly played the piano, though I love to sing and have experimented with the violin and the flute (no, not in a "this one time at band camp" sort of way...)
I have always been reluctant to share my music. It is my sanctuary when things go wrong in my life. I had always feared that if I played and people didn't like it, it would somehow lose its healing power. That and the fact that I was teased about it pretty ruthlessly in school, which pretty much makes anyone reluctant to revisit anything...
This past year has been pretty eye-opening to me, however. I have learned to be a lot more open to new people, new ideas and to trying new things. So, in an attempt to share the love, I offer two of my very favorite Satie songs to play on the piano when I am feeling blue:
I recorded myself playing these using my digital piano (Yamaha S90ES- best digital piano ever), some fancy gadgets that hook up to my computer, and Cubase recording software. I'm hoping to continue recording more music, perhaps a bit with some vocals if I can figure out how to use my microphone properly and either work around its presence in front of my keyboard or work on my ability to record the vocals and instruments separately (not an easy task when you are used to doing both simultaneously). And maybe, just maybe, I will include some of my own compositions in time.
Anyway, that's my little virtual hug. Go do something you love and share a little with someone else. Passion and compassion are great healers.
My Musical Soulmate
Every few years, I discover a musician whose music goes to the core of my heart... or the heart of my core.... hmm... Being something of a musician myself (one who has always been afraid to write her own music), I always think that this is because our musical and lyrical cadences are in step with one another. "If I wrote songs," I imagine, "they would be just like this."
My latest musical BFF is Sia. Her child-like sense of humor and adventure mixed with wisdom and "serious" emotion is something that I've felt is hard to find in other people. So many of her songs are really encapsulating what I feel right now- on both the silly and the serious sides of life. Below are music videos from my favorite songs of hers (where I am allowed):
My absolute favorite Sia song is Breathe Me. The music video also feels like something I would make.
Second favorite (bonus for the great lyrics) is Academia:
Soon We'll be Found (again- just the kind of music video I would want to make and I can't embed it here).
Enjoy! I certainly do...