Music That Goes On...

I (Judy) got a thoughtful post from a friend about the state of songwriting today. He said he rarely turns on the radio except for stations that play old classics. I know what he means, there is music that I can mark my life by... CSN&Y, James Taylor, Carol King, America, 5th Dimension, Brazil 66, Beatles, Stones, Loretta, Aretha, Fleetwood Mac, Eagles, Hank Williams Sr, Chaka Khan, Elton John mark milestones and will remain important for me forever. But my easy boredom factor doesn't let me park in oldie stations for long, either. John and I have been asking ourselves why we like music, and how we can make the kind that goes on to mark milestones for others.

Some songs pull us out of our complacency and make us listen again. A song we listen to more than once is either a masterful musical and lyrical tapestry... or at least quirky enough to make us go "did I really just hear that?!"

The music I want to hear is honest, excellent art. I find treasures currently in all genres... from the simple, eternally relevant bluegrass yearnings of Union Station to time signature-changing jazz of Bob James and David Sanborn to hip hop street wisdom (yep, even that!) of Timberlake (and he's got a great voice, too:) R&B and me will never part ways... Gladys Knight could sing the telephone book and I'd find fresh love for the genre. Andre Bocelli demonstrates that I don't have to understand the language of the lyrics to be moved. Country? Vince Gill's voice and guitar playing still stand the test of time. The harmony of Little Big Town and the texture of their vocal blend make my ears happy. me. And John has his favorites, too- from tons of classical music (he was a symphony percussionist at one time) to great grooves, fluent musicianship and smart songwriting in all kinds of genres.

OK so John and I want to do this. Make honest and excellent music - and nothing else. Please feel free to kick our butts if you hear us straying from the mission!