Why I love terrible music...

"Sameness is the mother of disgust, variety the cure." -Petrarch

I'm from the land where music was born. "We're playing your song." That's my state, my upbringing, these 22 melodious years in a phrase. So how did I veer from the path of perfect playlists and appreciation for good art? Why do I love Nickelback, the occasional Disney Channel star, One Direction, and a handful of others that would make any music aesthetician blush?

Despite the hipsters around me trying to make sure I turn out right, I took music into my own hands. That's the thing about art--there are no rules. It's the only place in the world you can go and government doesn't rule. It's an anarchy.

I love "terrible" music. We all do, even you now are thinking of your guilty pleasure. The song or artist you hide on your Spotify, the one you are sure to keep on "private session" when you have a listening party, or the one you have stuck in your head no matter how many times you tell yourself you don't like it. It's okay. You're not alone. You don't have a terrible taste in music. You're human.

So second-rate music. What's the appeal? Why listen to music that people make fun of (in good humor) and songs that sometimes lack beauty, rhythm or even talent?

Grace past the bass.

That's what I try to maintain. I try to listen to all music not only with my ears. Yes, I know good music. I can tell the difference between true instrumentation and the often modified robotics of today's radio hits. Yet, sometimes there is something underneath. I don't always listen because the words are beautiful, or the instruments are strong. Sometimes I listen again because I sense the pulse of the artist. Music is about beauty, but it's not limited to that. It is an expression and some people are ordinary in their talents. Some people growl their way through a chorus and pay other people to write their lyrics. Some people sing songs about rock stars, girls, and sadness we'd like them to forget. While those may seem insignificant--they reveal the differences in people.

I am by no means saying that mediocre artists equate trained, evolving artists. Chad Kroeger will never be Ray LaMontagne. One Direction will never be the Goo Goo Dolls. However, I love all of those artists because they are who they are-- unapologetically.

I listen to these common bands because even though they may lack some things--they project someone's reality. Some one wrote the words they sing. Some one plays the guitar and doesn't look up because they are lost in the melody, not the crowd. Some people, like their stories, are messy.

That's why I love Youtube--the sound is raw. Sure, the quality is terrible. But sometimes in order for a story to be genuine it has to skip the buffing stage. We are so used to over-produced music and hearing a crystal sound that we forget all that is artificial. Sure I love oranges and the color is bright and happy, but in the end its orange dye. I would still love oranges just for their sweetness. The same is true for art and music. Unpolished, ordinary, slightly annoying--that's life. That's real.


It's not about losing appreciation. It's about gaining it.


Variety.


Sing on all you tone deaf.


You are welcome here.




"My best friend gave me the best advice,
He said each day's a gift and not a given right.
Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind,
And try to take the path less traveled by.
That first step you take is the longest stride."
If Today Was Your Last Day, Nickelback