The obvious response here is simply to say that I am greatful that music exists, but that is too cliche, and I can’t honestly say that I’m thankful to all artists currently dominating the charts. I can’t say that I’m greatful for NOW 312 (or whatever number they’re on now) or the fact that rock radio has taken cutback after cutback after cutback, and at this rate, won’t exist in 15 years. I can’t say that I’m thankful for the declining importance in album sequencing, as this is one of my favorite elements of creativity shown by great artists.

I can, however, say that I am thankful for a great deal of things in music today. First, I am thankful that there are still artists willing to take risks without concern for financial gain or increased publicity. For example, thank you Coldplay for making an album that doesn’t sound like your others. Thank you to Kanye and Jay-Z for making a rap record without a single club hit on it. Thank you Umphrey’s McGee for staying true to the ideal that great musicianship is always the most important element in music. Thank you to all music consumers who are willing to tune into alternative radio stations, whether that be NPR or your local college radio station, in hopes of finding the next great new talent, or at least one that no one had previously heard of. Thank you to the local used record store who carries on the tradition of vinyl (or CD), even in the age of the mp3 and dominance of iTunes.

On a personal note, I must also give thanks to those who introduce me to new music. Thank you to Chris Pike, one of my best friends and concert buddy, who continually pushes me to check out new stuff. Thank you to John Lincer for introducing me to countless obscure acts that would have never made my radar (and for introducing me to Ryan Adams). Thank you to my wife for making sure I still find fun in music, even if it is to a song with the most trivial lyrics imaginable.

Really, I guess there is a lot to be musically thankful for. I hope that, with the coming new year, the true artists will continue to be true artists and that everything else will fall by the wayside.

1. My first live show was The Verve Pipe at the State Theater in Kalamazoo in 1995. I remember going with my sister and our neighbor, Katie Dalzell. My favorite show, however, has to be the first time I saw Our Lady Peace in Detroit, at the State Theater, in 2002. I was five feet from the stage and I remember being so entrenched in the show that I forgot about everything else. Though this was my favorite show, I would probably have to give credit to the two best shows I’ve ever seen, which were the Dave Matthews Band and Tool in the same summer of 2006 (I think) at the DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston. In regards to bands I’d like to see before I die (that I haven’t already seen), the list includes Foo Fighters, Ryan Adams, and Radiohead.

2. “New Shoes” by Paolo Nutini; “Naive” by The Kooks; “Mr. Brightsides” by The Killers; “September” by Earth, Wind, and Fire

3. The song that describes our current era is “The Time’s They Are a Changin’” by Bob Dylan. The song that describes me in my current state is “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen.

4. My favorite album of all time is Sam’s Town by The Killers. There is just something about that record that resonates with me. My favorite song off the album is really dependant on my mood, but in general, I would have to say “This River is Wild”. The album I am listening to a lot recently is Easy Tiger by Ryan Adams. My favorite song on this album is, undoubtably, “The Sun Also Sets”.

5. It’s hard to say “favorite song”, but if forced to select one, I would go with “Let It Be”. I believe it to be the best song every written. Large nods of approval must also go to “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen/Jeff Buckley and “Stop” by Ryan Adams. My favorite song of right now is “Wildfire” by SBTRKT.

When I was young (elementary school), music was pure enjoyment. It’s purpose was to entertain me and give me joy and happiness. I was 8 years old, so I didn’t really have that many problems that required a songwriter to identify with me. I had not yet been exposed to music that might be considered aggressive or “hard rock”. My upbringing was predominantly Billy Joel, Franki Valli & The Four Seasons, and Whitney Houston, with some country (the real stuff) sprinkled in whenever I visited my grandparents. I distinctly remember road trips down to Florida in a Ford Econoline van with the back seats laying flat, listening to “Too Good To Be True”, “Piano Man”, or “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”. Those were the days.

As I entered middle school, I was exposed to 103.3, the largest Top 40 radio station in the Greater Kalamazoo area. I would hear a combination of one-hit wonders, techno dance beats, and ballads about teenage lost love. As a typical middle school adolescent, I enjoyed it and kept coming back. This phase (I hesitate to call it a period because it didn’t last that long) was then interrupted by The Smashing Pumpkins.

I received Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness for Christmas in 1995. It was the biggest rock record on the radio and I had seen the video for “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” on MTV (yes, it blew my mind). This double disc of pure rock genius transformed the way that I thought about music. It was aggressive, pounding, primal, ugly, raw, but at times, very gentle and nuanced. I would listen to it in my basement every day. I can probably still sing the entire record if I had to.

During my sophomore year of high school, I started to feel that music might be my future profession. I starting listening to more art music and got heavy into the symphonies of Mahler, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and Berlioz. This became my largest devotion for three years of my life. I would buy album after album after album at the Barnes & Noble on Westnedge in Portage. I even applied for a job there solely to get the 10% discount (I didn’t even get an interview). I would take my paycheck from Big Apple Bagels, go to the credit union, deposit 90% of it into my savings and take the other 10% and go straight to the bookstore to buy music. This is not to say that I gave up rock ‘n roll. On the contrary, it was actually during this period that I was exposed to Led Zeppelin by a high school friend, a gesture I am still eternally grateful for.

When I went off to my freshman year at Michigan State, I was still listening to a combination of art music and modern rock. I had put Top 40 a long way behind me, but still had not ventured into the cliche realm of college indie rock. This would change with Charlie Crimando, my dorm neighbor. He exposed me to bands like the Get Up Kids (as emo as they get), Apples in Stereo, The White Stripes (before they hit it big), The Stereo, and Half Moon (Charlie’s own band). I was then caught up in a web of musical exploration. It didn’t hurt that I had a Napster account and that, for the time being, it was legal. Throughout college, I refined my musical tastes and came to find many new artists that simply spoke to me in different ways. I became entrenched in The Black Crowes, The Killers, had my first taste of Ryan Adams, and discovered the genius and technical virtuosity of Dream Theater.

Upon exiting college, music took on a different role; my occupation. It is now my “every day”. I am surrounded by music, both passively and actively, as I try to instill its benefits on a younger generation. When co-workers complain about getting a song stuck in their head because it was the last thing they heard, I simply smile and move on, knowing that this is an hourly occurrence for me. Professionally, music pays my bills, provides a home and food for my family, and allows me the chance to work with amazing students on a daily basis. Personally, music is still my crutch. It is still the force that I turn to in times of uncertainty, pain, and celebration. It is the accelerant when I am elated and joyous and the hand around the shoulder when I am somber and pensive. That much hasn’t changed. What has changed now is the connection it has built between me and others. Music is no longer solely personal in my life, it is far more communal. I rarely listen to music alone anymore; it’s either with my class, my wife, or sometimes singing to my son. It is now about the connection between people, whether that be me and someone else or me and the songwriter. While in high school, music was all about me and the emotions that I felt. Now, it’s about connecting to humanity in a greater sense with the hopes that these combinations of tones, words, and rhythms can somehow elevate the sense of living and increase the joy in the “every day”

After visiting rockhall.com, please answer the following questions (in complete sentences).

1. If you were to travel to the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame, what would be the first thing you would want to see? Why?

2. If you were to take your parents there, what do you think they would want to see first? Are they the same or different than you? Why?

3. By looking at the webpage, it looks like the Hall of Fame’s mission is more than just displaying old objects like a museum. What are some other things that the Hall of Fame does to benefit rock ‘n roll or music in general?

4. Under “The Inductees” select one of biography by clicking on the name. What are major points about this person or band? You do not need to read the whole biography, but give me a glimpse of why this person was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

5. How do you get inducted into the Hall of Fame? DO NOT COPY AND PASTE. There is a right and wrong answer for this question. Find the answer.

Please reply answering the following questions.

1. What is the main point of the article?
2. Who is the main driving force behind the combination of arts at the Louvre?
3. What topic was chosen as the focus for the article?
4. Do you feel that this combination of artistic genres helps or hurts the goals of the Louvre? (This answer should be a longer paragraph.)