Why Indie Music (and Musicians) Matters...

Music is a progressive, living experience in the mind, soul, and heart. It presents itself as something that is familiar, or something that is new and different, and sometimes seems familiar - even though it is new.

Music accompanies so many things in so many people's lives - sad things, happy things, awe-struck things, life-changing things, and mind-boggling things. Watch your favorite movie with the sound off, then watch it with the sound on... your ears influence your mind's eye in both subtle and overt ways.

We have greats like Mozart, Mahler, Hendrix, Cash, Dylan, and so many more... but how did they start out? Did they just wake up one morning with a catalog of wonderful music? Did they walk out from the morning's meal with millions of listeners out of nowhere? Each and every composer, musician, and artist (of any kind) has to start somewhere. Each of us becomes familiar with music we like - but only after it is new to us.

Sometimes, the music is like wonderful variations or improvements on traditions from before - and we get many flavors of the blues, or lots of looks at grungy-indie music, or new views on symphonies and sonatas. At other times, our ears are shocked or tilted out: someone has done something different, but in a good way. Seemingly, out of nowhere we get Yes, The Alan Parsons Project, Pink Floyd, The Clash, Modest Mussorgsky, Frank Zappa...

But how did these variations and dramatic shifts come about? They came about because someone allowed imagination and creativity to lead the way to expression. Often as not, innovation comes from the hungry beginner or the as-yet-unknown artist. The clubs, the internet, and the backyard party are rife with hordes of musicians making their sounds. Some are average, but many are really very good.

These not-so-well-knowns are where the genesis of future music often occurs. They start as independents, garage or basement-bound, glued to computers in their homes, making amateur recordings at home or on stages. This is from where a crucial aspect of great music comes. Yes, the vast majority would only have a small following, and not all of them can make the front page of The Rolling Stone or PureVolume.com - but keep your eyes on the folks who are making sounds... don't worry about whether or not they are mega-funded... think about emotion:feeling:sound:reach:involvement.

Indeed, we get awesome sound from so many established artists/recordings... these are the bread and butter of our musical enjoyment. But, the no-so-well-knowns are truly the spice of our musical palette.

When I hit the play button on someone's home site, I expect nothing: but some of the time, I get a great deal more than I imagined.