and the most emo post of the week goes to...

recently, i enjoyed an activity that i had not done in a long, long time. its very innocent in nature and yet is an incredible way of both expressing yourself and learning a lot about someone else. before i allow people's imaginations to run wild, i will just go ahead and kill the suspense. im talking about sitting down with someone and going back and forth sharing songs, one at a time, and learning not only about bands and genres you didnt know before but also about that other person.

now sure, i have played a song or two for someone and vice versa but very seldom is a lengthy chunk of time set aside for such an activity. its usually one that ebbs and flows between overly emotional and air guitars... and lasts for a minimum of 3 hours.

i did this once in college. my friend and i walked to the amphitheatre that sits on a lake on the outskirts of the campus and each toting our laptops, spent several hours playing songs that either rocked, had some kind of importance to us or sometimes both! it was a lot of fun and one of the more memorable experiences from college. (i had others but any time it involved the fraternity, sororities or my job as a bouncer at a bar, seldom could i honestly call things memorable on account of lacking those specific memories...)

recently, i did this again but this time it was in the comfort of my own home, to the dismay of the horrific mosquitoes flying around DC these days. it was just interesting to grab a couple bottles of wine, get drunk and get exposed to a musical genre i am very unfamiliar with. not surprisingly, i loved talking about songs that i love and showing off my expansive knowledge of all things emo/pop punk. but the coolest part was learning about someone else through the songs they selected to play me. story-telling became a constant after the first 30 seconds of each song, sometimes leading to having to replay the song a second time because "the best part" was missed do to conversation about a memory associated with it. all of sudden, several hours have passed. such a good time.

anyways, something to think about next time youre having a low key night. whether its someone you know really well or a new friend, just grab some wine/beer/booze/candy and just devote a solid chunk of time to learning more about their music tastes. music has a funny way of attaching to people's soul and creating a soundtrack, of sorts, to their own experience. i promise, you will get much more than an expanded musical library from those few hours.




"this jigglespoof is sooooo emo"

YA DAMN RIGHT!