Andrew Schwab is a notable author, journalist and lead vocalist for the rock band Project 86. He has written for magazine publications including: Relevant, AP, CCM and HM. He is a published author with 4 available books, including his latest FAME IS INFAMY, available now on the store button above!
I was watching one of my all-time favorite films the other day (High Fidelity) and there was a scene that hit me hard.* It was the scene when, in the midst of his life spiraling into chaos, the main protagonist decides to reorganize his record collection.
Rob (played by John Cusack), having just broken up with his longtime girlfriend, begins to put these thousands of vinyl records not in alphabetical or chronological order, but in autobiographical order. When asked by one of his friends why he was doing this, he simply replied because it was…comforting.
I pushed stop on the film immediately. For some reason, the idea of reorganizing my music did sound very comforting to me at that moment. Not because my life was in any way chaotic, or anything remotely tragic had happened, but, to be honest, I wanted to take on this project because I was…bored.
So I started taking cds off the shelves in my office and going through each one, updating my digital archive in iTunes. And as I did, something curious began to happen…
Now, before I go further I need to tell you a few things about my music collecting philosophy. First, I am not the typical music snob that acquires records just because someone tells me this band or that record is cool to own. In my opinion those types are not music fans, but people who like using music a means to sound intelligent and elitist. No, I am the type of music snob that only listens to music that I connect with deeply. I am what you would call an emotional music purist. I like what I like, and I have an intense personal connection with the music I choose to acquire. I prefer quality over quantity. What this means is that not only do I have a more difficult time finding music I love than most people, but I have a smaller collection because of it.
This also means I am prone to having droughts where I do not find records I love for weeks, or even months, at a time. And this particular chapter in my life has been one of the most dry yet. Perhaps my subconscious was pushing me to the great music reorganization of 2010 for this reason.
Now, if you know anything about me you know that I don’t do many things half-way. If I am into something I am really into it. And if I decide I am passionate about an activity I give it my all, or I don’t do it at all.
My wife calls this obsession.
I call it being awesome.
So, naturally, about three hours into my reorganization, I began shutting myself off from the rest of the natural world. I quickly forgot about things like food, water, and human contact in my catharsis. Stacks of cds surrounded me in all directions as my mind raced and catalogued. I was creating a master digital archive on my external hard drive so that in the event of loss, crash, or natural disaster I would have all of my music backed up…every last song, every last note. The more seconds passed, the more I became consumed and convinced that I was partaking on a mission of utmost significance.
It was about this time my wife asked me if I was feeling ok. Apparently, she had been trying to speak to me for the better part of an hour and I had been ignoring her. I just looked at her like she, not I, was the one who was nuts. Frustrated and confused, she asked me a second question–one that proved to be profound:
“Why are you doing this?” she asked.
I didn’t have an answer immediately. I didn’t say anything, in fact. Instead, I just kept pouring myself completely into the task before me. So she left me to my compulsion. But her words kept playing in my head.
Why AM I doing this?
That was when I found a dusty cd on the shelf that I had neither listened to nor glanced at for years, Aimee Mann’s Lost In Space. The packaging is unbelievable. And the lyrics are astounding. How had I forgotten about this one? Then I found Super Black Market Clash. It has deep cuts from my favorite band of all time, and stories behind the songs in the liner notes. Stoked!
And then the flood gates opened. I began rediscovering tons of music–genius music–that I had not delved into for ages. My reorganization quickly evolved into a listening party, a celebration of all these great creations that had been sitting next to me for years, collecting dust. It was beautiful. It was inspiring. And it was highly educational.
I felt more alive, more in love with music than I had been for as long as I can remember.
But then, all of a sudden, I heard a still, small voice in my head, speaking to me about a more profound truth:
Sometimes the key to passion doesn’t lie in finding new truths but in reminders of old ones.
And somehow the trivial activity before me had become a spiritual metaphor.
Do you ever feel bored and stale spiritually? Of course you do. We all do. Many of you reading this probably feel that way at this very moment.
Many times we think the solution to the dryness is usually to inject some sort of “new” into our routine–a Rob Bell book purchase, a visit to that happening church every one is talking about, a new small group, or a ticket to a men’s retreat. We are convinced that the key to keeping our passion alive is to continually ensure that there is enough fresh, contemporary spiritual stimuli flowing through the veins of our souls.
But rediscovering my old Clash and Quicksand records taught me something: Many times we think we need something brand new to re-awaken our first love, when perhaps all we need is a reminder. Maybe we just need to stop forgetting what we already know to be true.
Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. – 1 John 2:7
So, here are a few reminders that will bring life to you if you are feeling dead:
*God’s love is unconditional, and his forgiveness is larger than any crime you have ever committed.
*If you will stand up for Him before men, Jesus will stand of up for you before the father in heaven.
*Eternal life is real and available at this moment.
*The past is dead, but you are alive in faith.
*There is no greater peace to be found in life than intimacy with your creator.
I am not yet finished with my record reorganization, so I am going to get back to it. I just wanted to take a little break and give you a blog…
Do you feel just a little more alive now?
*Incidentally, as good as this movie is, the book is many times better. I guess this is true for most films based on books. But trust me, this is one book you must read, if you even remotely enjoyed the flick. Just my opinion.
Think back to the first time you heard your favorite band.
Remember where you were. Think back to the smells, the colors of your surroundings. Recall the feelings it conjured up, the chills on the back of your neck, running all the way down your spine. Revisit how the melody, the guitar lines, the beats infiltrated your entire being. And finally, recapture what the words meant to you, how they completed and colored the emotional picture the music traced in your heart.
The sound, the words came together to connect with you. It was first love.
And soon after this first listen, this music became a soundtrack to vivid memories. You sang along in your room, in your car, in the shower, wailing with all your voice into the universe. Those songs acompanied you to school dances, sporting events, the beginning (and sometimes the ending) of relationships, weekend parties with friends.
It was passionate, this love you had discovered. And it was from the depths of you that this music spoke in, for, and through you. It changed you. It shaped you. It was a part of you. And it touched places inside of you that were deeper than you knew existed.
Listening to music is, was, and forever shall be..spiritual. It is more than just sound. It is a part of your soul.
And it is for me, too.
When I recall the first time I heard my favorite bands, I have specific emotions attached to specific memories as well, and they take me to a warm place that always brings a smile to my face.
I frequently tell people that loving music isn’t something I do, it’s something that I am.
But I know I am not the only one who would describe my relationship with sound this way…
All of us have this mythical connection to it.
Have you ever met someone who doesn’t love music? Probably not. It is a universal language. It transcends cultural differences, language barriers, and stereotypes. It is perhaps the most powerful medium that exists. It goes beyond the physical realm into the metaphysical. It has the power to transform nations and pierce the most hardened of hearts. At its best, it can heal, inspire, and conjure up the miraculous.
But have you ever wondered why music is such a powerful, universal medium? Have you ever wondered why we love it so much, why we are so drawn to both listening to it and creating it?
It is because we were made to hear, sing, and make music.
God created us for worship.
Just think about this the next time you are bobbing your head to your favorite song in your car, your room, or your kitchen. Think about this the next time you are listening to your iPod while you vacuum or run at the gym. Think about that the next time you just have to sing along to that amazing song you hear on the radio. And think about it the next time you are fooling around with Garageband or playing your chosen instrument or performing with your band.
You were created to make music. We all were.
And every time a note comes out of your mouth, out of your soul, you are displaying evidence that God made you. Every time you appreciate a song you hear, you are displaying the thumbprint of a creator. And this creator enjoys music, too. So much so, that he wants to hear it coming from us forever. He is the inventor of music itself.
And therefore, music itself is a gift to be celebrated.
I reflect on this because I so easily forget the reason why I do what I do. I so easily fall into the trappings of an industry (and a culture) that has reduced songs to mere products to be bought and sold. I so often forget that the value of this gift that has been placed in each of us.
When I was teenager, it was music that brought me through my most dark, lonely, and angry times. As a college student, it was being a music fan first that gave me the inspiration to make my own. And as an artist, it is listening to music that pushes to me to continue creating. And it is music, as an adult, that gives my life purpose while putting food on my table.
And while some would like to make us think that music is simply an ornament for our entertainment, our hearts tell us otherwise. We listen, sing, and create because it is a link between ourselves and the almighty.
I make and love music because it is in my soul to do so. And so do you.
It is a pointer to heaven, an evidence that we were created to worship forever.
Now go, make sounds that echo into eternity…
My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul. Psalm 108:1
For added reading:
http://www.lightbridgemusic.com/power.htm
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/05/11/music.heart/index.html
First off, it’s been a little while since I posted, so for that I apologize. Second, forgive a musician for addressing a music topic. This is one blog where the responses are more important than the blog itself, so please respond below…
So, this may be a bit of a trite topic, but something tells me it cannot be spoken of enough, especially right here, right now. As someone who has been a part of this industry for some time, I have watched the evolution ofâ€?pretty much everything that has to do with music in the last few years. And one thing I am noticing is that not only are things changing and changing fast, but they are changing at a faster rate. And never has there been such opposing poles in the music industry. On one side, there are fans–consumers–who have benefitted so much from recent trends. And by “benefitsâ€? I mean with the digital medium becoming more and more prominent, music listeners have increasingly cheaper and easier access to whatever music they want, whenever they want. It seems like there is nothing but upside on the surface in the current context of iTunes, MyZune, Torrents etc.
You really can get music nowadays for next to nothing, and basically as much as you want. And we have so many cool toys these days to play it on!
On the other side of the fence is the industry itself-the labels, the press, the producers, the publishers, the distributers, the radio stations, and of course, the bands. And everyone on that side of the fence has been whistling a different tune for quite some time. As music becomes cheaper, and as attention spans shorten with the accessibility to music, less and less revenue flows through the industry. This means less and less resources for developing new bands, for keeping bands afloat, and for keeping jobs in the industry. Plainly put, the whole thing is shrinking massively in a very short period of time, and it is becoming harder and hard for bands to do this for a living. It is becoming harder and harder for labels to sell music. And labels are executing worse and worse record deals for bands.
People are finding it harder and harder to be a part of this beautiful medium because there just isn’t enough resources to make it possible.
I myself am torn over the issue. On one side, I think this “implosion” (which will continue to feed on itself) will result in a desaturation of everything (less bands = a higher percentage of good bands, and FINALLY METALCORE/SCREAMO/CHUG/SQUEEL/BLASTBEAT/COOKIE MONSTER SCREAM/MONOTONE-SAME-NOTE-AS-EVERY-OTHER-BAND-CHORUS WILL END). I also love getting music at a cheap price as a consumer. But I also love packaging. I love holding artwork in my hands and reading lyrics. And it saddens me that physical albums are “slowly going the way of the buffalo?” And finally, I do this thing for a living, and all of this threatens the industry that feeds me and gives me life in my day.
I was having a conversation about this very topic with some friends recently at Maggiano’s in Costa Mesa (A great Italian restaurant at South Coast Plaza in SoCal), and here are the questions that popped up in my head, ones to answer in your responses:
How many of you really care that physical albums will be a thing of the past someday soon? Does it even matter to you?
How many of you support the artists you love by going to shows, buying CDs, merchandise, etc.? Do you realize the impact and influence you have by your support?
How many of you aspire to work in the music industry in some form? Do you realize how significant these trends are and how they affect your future?
Do you realize that if you start a band NOW, or have started a band recently, your chances of meeting death from starvation and poverty are VERY HIGH?
Now, more than ever before, the power is directly in the hands of YOU. Music is a powerful force, and I for one do not want to see it go away in any way, shape, or form. I want to always have the opportunity to find new bands as a music fan, to be inspired by new songs. I want to do my part to inspire and to keep this medium alive and thriving. And I really want to know what all you think about all this.
Do you care?
