By “Mamma Coal” Stasney
A wise woman once told me, “Examine your beliefs, and change any that aren’t serving you.” It’s so easy to travel through life applying beliefs that you have never even realized you had. One that I’ve held about music, almost subconsciously, is this: Older music is better than newer music. I can almost pinpoint the day that I developed this belief. It was around the age of 16. I found a songbook from my parents’ younger days, filled with the beautiful lyrics of Bob Dylan, Peter Paul and Mary, and John Denver. From then on, I was hooked. I spent the rest of my teens and on, diving deep into the music of the past, sitting humbly at the knee of the greats, paying respect to their enduring legacies.
Recently I decided to intentionally listen to new music every day. I chose to acknowledge an obvious fact: All old music was new at some point. What was I missing out on? Surely there must be something happening now that will eventually stand the test of time. And even if it doesn’t, perhaps it will speak to my current experience of life in a way that is cathartic, ecstatic, and maybe even life-changing.
Out on a walk, driving my car, standing in my kitchen – I cue up something new and open my ears. It turns out, there is amazing music out there! And even when it’s not my favorite, I still have the connective feeling of being present with these brave artists in their struggle as they boldly add a new creation to the world. I wholeheartedly encourage you to try this.
You may be thinking, “So little time, so much new music. How do you find what’s good quickly?” I’ve recently been finding titles off the Americana Radio Albums Chart. I follow the astoundingly knowledgeable music critic Tom Moon on Twitter. And there are still independent DJs out there. They have shows on small radio stations and great taste in new music. Listen live, in a podcast, or just view their playlists to get ideas. Drop me a line and let me know what you discover.
