The Music That Inspired Me to Leave the U.S. and the Music That Keeps Me Going
Motivation has an eclectic taste.
My musical journey started late.
Despite my mother thrusting me into violin lessons at the age of four, music, at least anything written within the past hundred years, was rarely played. My dad listened to NPR in the car, and my mom, well, I’m still not sure what kind of music she enjoys. Other than whatever her three children performed.
I wasn’t like other kids, with a dad cramming classic rock down my gullet or a mom belting out George Michael while running errands. It left me to my own musical accord, without a compass or metronome for guidance.
My closest friends weren’t deep into the music scene either. The only time I recall rocking out to an album growing up was popping on the Mos Eisley Cantina song from Star Wars. Talk about a toe-tapper. Top that off with the Seinfeld, Simpsons, and Golden Eye themes, and that about maxed out our shared musical experiences.
The lack of an instrumental impression left me with a blank canvas, naked staff paper free of notes or time signatures.
In the years since my childhood, I’ve evolved organically. Now, most of what I connect to or that inspires me is influenced by my past. Around…
