...Over the Sea

I wanted to tell the folks that listen to this blog something important that happened to me the other night- something that reinvigorated me to live life fearlessly and full of fire;  a magical event that helped prove that at the heart of the mysterious world is a pulsing soul that works towards the good.  It works in ways that can perhaps be broken down and explained in a simple cause and effect manner, but more importantly works in ways that bring tears to your eyes and make the hairs on your arm stand up and shake.

Let me get to it:

In 1996 I was a curious lad.  I didn't know what I liked or where to go.  I suppose I am still a bit like this, but I have started to figure out (to some degree) what I like.  Back then, I would devour anything and wait until someone nearby told me if I should like it or not.  Luckily I had friends with good taste.  They had taste that was not just fed to them by the television, but taste that was crafted by fingering through record collections and researching in books and magazines and on the relatively new device that would come to be known as Los Internet.  These friends showed me why some things were good and others are less good.  While I still try my hardest to love everything and avoid criticizing things people put effort into, I should say I have developed a taste all my own thanks, in part, to my dear friends.

In case you haven't figured it out yet, I am pretty much talking about music.  I thought about being more broad, but lets just call a cow a cow for the rest of this post.

My dear friend T, was the first to introduce me to the elephant six collective.  It was some weird funky shit that my Soundgarden and Dr. Dre record collection was having a hard time accepting into its fold.  However, T's continued spinning of all things elephantine slowly drew me in to the odd world and I was soon yearning for weird Elf Power and Circulatory System albums alongside him (but not to the same degree).  The greatest discovery to my ears was the classic Neutral Milk Hotel album, In an Aeroplane Over the Sea.  T had won me over to the elephant 6 when I heard this album.

The funny thing is this isn't about me, its about T and his passion for the elephant six as can be seen on the worn green tshirt he regularly wears.  His love of their music went from the headphones he wore in his bedroom, to the concert booking committee at his college, to a small venue in Athens.  T met and befriended elephant 6 member Julian Koster over a few years by booking him to perform at his college, and then bumping into him at a performance in Athens.  The two became friends which was crazy for all of us at home because Koster was a celebrity to us.  He was the quirkiest of the collective.

But all this build up is getting drab.  Long story short- T's friendship with Koster blossomed into a roll alongside Koster as a member of his band, The Music Tapes. Then The Music tapes became opener for Neutral Milk Hotel.  Then T and the Music Tapes performing on stage with Jeff Mangum during one of the quintessential songs of our youth.  T's love for music has grown into a career in music performance with the people who caused him to fall in love with music.  It is indescribably crazy to me.  T is one of my best buds and to see him on stage performing the songs of his heroes alongside those heroes is probably like what Lebron James's friends feel like when he slam dunks a basketball and wins a gold medal.  It is undoubtedly what it is like when Saul Perlmutter's friends found out he won the nobel prize for his research in the expanding universe.

I must say, as I sat in the mezzanine of Irvine auditorium the other night and watched Thomas smile across the stage, I knew that I wanted everyone else to know that great things can happen in the world. Often times the world seems overwhelmingly out of hand.  Actually though, I have proof that the world is within your hands.  Although he might be a bit more modest, I feel as though the other night I saw a dream of 15 year old T come to life in front of three thousand people.  It was pretty dang cool.  He did not seek out the opportunity or apply for the job of Music Tapes band member, but he lived a dedicated life that was committed to being the best musician he could be and as a result, his 15 year old dream burst into reality.  It was organic and honest and truly inspiring.

When you put it that way it is a call to arms to just be a committed beast.  Do what you love to do and trust your instincts and your dreams might just will burst into reality.