music

Last week we had the opportunity to see Mumford & Sons in concert. We really only knew a few of their songs before we saw them, yet after an hour and a half we were converts. They are amazing musicians. It had been a while since we had been to a concert in a big venue with thousands of other people. They are not my cup of tea. I like the more intimate interaction with musicians when they are playing in a smaller venue.

I was impressed with the lead singer, Marcus Mumford, his unique sounding voice, and the endurance he had throughout the entire concert was astounding. It has been a long time since I have witnessed a true musician that you can tell in your bones is doing it for the love of the art, and the joy of the music. They were there to entertain, and I had a hunch that even though they have been touring in larger venues, that it had not gone to their heads. It felt genuinely big and real to them.

Last Sunday I did quite a bit of baking and cleaning in the kitchen (about the only things I do in the kitchen) and through the many hours, I had Mumford & Sons playing in the background. Their songs all have such variety, some make me dance and sing, others have a somber feel, and even others an eerie effect that stays with you. Seeing them in person made me respect them tenfold. Marcus might be playing the guitar and then run to the back and play the drums. The bass player might be playing then head back to the drums. A versatile and interesting team of musicians.

If you do not listen to Mumford & Sons, I definitely recommend taking the time to seek out their music, and if it interests you at all see them in concert. They are in the middle of their US tour. You probably already know “I Will Wait” and “Little Lion Man,” but be sure to listen to “Ghosts That We Knew,” “Whispers in the Dark,” and “Roll Away Your Stone.”

You will not regret it.

We listened to music in the kitchen a lot this weekend. A song came on Spotify and instantly I was transported to October 2012, while on a run in my new neighborhood. We had yet to fix our treadmill after our move so I instantly got to know the homes and street in our neighborhood. The song that was constantly repeating on my iPhone while I ran? “Shine bright like a diamond” by Rihanna. When I hear that song, I instantly think of moving into our new home.

As I mixed ingredients to make cookies, my mind started to wander to other moments in my life when a song was on repeat so much that a specific event always brings a song to my mind. I remembered a job I had almost 11 years ago. I was a recruiter at a staffing firm, and over and over was asked to lie to potential clients in order for the company to make the most money out of each placement. I would go to my car at lunch and cry. I would go home at the end of the day and cry. Honesty and integrity are the core of my identity, and I struggled so much to be me at this job. The song that was on repeat in my car, on the way to work, during lunch, and on my way home? “Clearest Indication” by Great Big Sea. Interesting that the title is Clearest Indication, could it be any clearer to me? Yes, it is about someone who has been left by another, but somehow I think it was what I needed to hear. I needed to leave, and I did.

Every time I hear the song “Always on my mind” by Pet Shop Boys, I think of my mom and my brother. I remember when my mom died in the hospital. On one day that week I was with my brother in his black Chevy Blazer and this was the song he had on repeat on his car CD player. If I remember correctly it was on repeat for weeks. I knew it was what he needed to hear as his heart ached at the loss of our mom. That song will always remind me of those days surrounding my mom’s death.

We all have songs that leave memories ingrained in our thoughts and hearts. It might have been the song playing when you met your life partner, or what you selected to play at your wedding, it might have been during that aha moment in your car when you made the decision of your life. Music impacts us sometimes in ways we do not even realize until we look back and ponder how we have been changed by it.