Music and Family

             For my blog I interviewed my Mom! I’ve always liked listening to her music and singing in the car with her, so I thought it would be fun to interview her to learn a little bit more about her and her music. Throughout the blog my words will be in normal font and hers will be italicized.

(Me and my mom!)

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Hey Mom thank you for doing this interview with me! Let’s start out with your early life; How were you exposed to music as a kid? 

I would listen to music on the radio the most often. I remember listening to music on the way to school with my best friend Lori and her mom. We’d always have fun singing songs together.

Are there any songs you specifically remember? Maybe a favorite thing you guys had to sing? 

One of our favorites was “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mixalot. We knew all the words.

(I remember my mom singing this song for me and my brothers at one point and she put on this video and I thought it was so funny)

And you still do! I remember you singing that for me and the boys one time because we didn’t believe you could rap. Did you ever take any music classes or lessons in school?

I never really did, I went to a pretty small school and so they didn’t really offer any ensembles like your schools do now. I do think it would have been cool to do though. 

But you’ve taken lessons since then right? I remember you were trying to learn guitar at one point, how was that?

I liked guitar but lessons were never super fun for me. The guy I was taking lessons from mostly had us focus on changing between chords which I understand was important but I wanted to learn songs I knew, and I think we could have done that and still learned things. I want to try and learn guitar at some point though, I think it would be a fun hobby to have. 

I think it definitely is! And you can play a lot of songs with the same few chords, so its definitely worth trying again. What are some artists you like right now?

Some of my favorites right now are Zach Bryan, Chris Stapleton, John Mayer, P!nk, James Arthur, and David Gray. 

All good artists! I haven’t heard much from Zach Bryan or David Gray but I know I’ve listened to the other ones with you before. What do you usually use to listen to music?

I like to use Pandora. I like how it puts music into stations and shows me new music. Some times my stations all start to sound the same which can be annoying, but for the most part I like it. 

When do you usually listen to music?

I mostly listen in the car or in the mornings while I’m getting ready for my day. 

What is the importance of music to you?

I like how much it can be used for. Its nice to have as background noise in the mornings, and its nice to have something to listen to while I’m driving. It’s also important to me because of the way it gives me ways to express myself and how it allows others to express themselves. 

 

I agree! I love how much music can have expression and be an outlet. What an example you’ve seen of music giving others a way to express themselves? 

I’ve noticed it in both you and your brother, you both tend to play music a lot. I know for you it can be a way to destress but you also will play things when you’re really happy. 

I do tend to do that! I find it’s really helpful for me to play music when I’m stressed to calm down. How do you express yourself through music?

Because I don’t play any instruments, I can’t use music the same way you do, but I will listen to certain songs when I feel a certain way, either to help me feel a certain emotion or distract from it. 

What are some examples of music you use?

As you know, I don’t listen to Christian music often at all, but I do find that it helps when I’m feeling down. When me and your dad got divorced I would often listen to Chris Tomlin’s music because it was usually upbeat and pretty uplifting. It would help keep me in a good headspace.

(My mom used to play this one a lot and I always liked it)

 I do remember some of his songs! They were happy and fun to sing. I know you grew up in the Catholic Church; what was the music like there? 

It was boring to me. I never really felt connected to God through that music because they just played hymns. As I’ve gone to churches from other denominations, I’ve liked their music a lot better. It seems more relevant to me and helps me feel more connected to God.

That makes sense, I never really like hymns either. Speaking of more recent music, what do you think of the music I listen to?

I honestly don’t really know what you listen to, you don’t play your music around me other than when you’re playing guitar in your room. I like the bits and pieces I hear but I never really know what you’re playing. 

That’s fair, I don’t tend to blast my music around the house like the boys do. Is there anything you think I should listen to?

I think you would really like Matchbox Twenty. You probably have already heard a few of their songs. I used to listen to them on the way to work before I had you. I had two of their albums I really liked and I think that their music would suit your style.

I’ll have to check them out! I don’t think I know much about them other than hearing their name a few times. Are there any favorites that I should listen to?

I like their song “Rest Stop.” There is also a version of the song “3AM” that I love. I don’t like the radio version much but there was an acoustic version of it that I heard once and loved. I haven't been able to find any recordings of that version but I wish I could.

(Rest Stop by Matchbox Twenty)

Alright I’ll check those songs out! One last question. I know you enjoy going to concerts, is there a favorite concert you’ve been to?

That’s hard to say, I’ve been to a lot of good concerts. I recently went to a John Mayer concert and its definitely one of the best concerts I’ve been to. It was part of his acoustic tour so I really got to hear him. He’s one of my all time favorites so it was super special. The guy who opened for him was also really good. I didn’t know any of his songs but I was captivated by his whole set. He had so much emotion in his voice and his voice was so strong; I’d definitely go to see him at concert at some point. 

That sounds like such a fun experience, I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for letting me interview you, it was so fun to hear more about your music!

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I really enjoyed getting to talk with my mom and do this interview. I already knew a lot of the music she listened to, but it was fun to hear her stories and get to know more about her.