music is the answer, to your problems....

so i have had this idea about creating a blog for a while now. i have several friends who blog, and i must confess that i read them daily. it almost becomes a ritual, and can be quite addictive.....sort of like friendster. but i guess there are much worse addictions out there, so go figure.

if you don't already know, my life revolves around my passion and love for music. this began at an early age, as i remember listening to my favorite 45s on the mickey mouse record player i owned. in fact, one of my first records was the steve miller band - abracadabra. i think a box of records still exists, and is tucked away in my parents' basement.

soon, i found an interest in rap music at the young age of 8 years old. this was back when run dmc released their first cassette on the record label 4th & broadway. with rap came my love of dance as well, so i took up break dancing. i mean, why not, right? growing up in the small town of Valdosta, there wasn't much excitement. so i planned a 'break dancing' birthday party and invited all of my friends in the neighborhood. my dad went to the local Color Tile and bought a 15' x 15 piece of linoleum and paid two guys who went to high school with my sister to come and dance. and my birthday cake was in the shape of a jam box. the party was a huge success, except for the theft of my favorite cassette at time; the soundtrack to Breakin 2: electric boogaloo.

as i approached adolescence, my tastes in music changed once again. now my focus was rock and roll, more specifically 'glamour rock'. my favorite bands at that time were poison, warrant, tesla, skid row, and def leppard to name a few. every couple of months, i would travel to Tallahassee or Albany to hear my favorite rock group perform (chaperoned of course). you see, Valdosta was still very small, but growing every day. at each concert, i would secure a t-shirt that i would then wear to school the next day. i guess i wanted everyone to be envious of me, or maybe i was just promoting some good 'ole music. it's funny, the early days of poison found bret michaels and crew in full make up.....resembling many of the drag queens that can be found at any gay bar in atlanta. go figure.

the early 90's were filled with alternative rock, and I was there to experience this genre as well. i moved to atlanta in 1990 and i can remember attending 'lollapalooza' each year. bands such as 311 and smashing pumpkins would rock Lakewood amphitheatre to masses of drunk high school kids, and i was right there in the mosh pit.

I headed off to UGA in the fall of 1994 and joined a fraternity. I then found myself listening to the allman brothers, widespread panic, allgood, and dave matthews band. although considered rock band, many of these groups had bluegrass and country influences. there used to be a field party outside athens each years called 'super jam', and we would head out to the athens fairgrounds for this all day event. band parties at my fraternity house also found the likes of Edwin Mccain and kinchafoonee cowboys. this music was filled with soul.

it wasn't until i came out in 2001 that my love for house music really developed. i started frequenting the local gay bars and clubs in atlanta, and i soon realized what real club music was all about. i started making mixed cds on my computer, and i would take them to play at parties. i thought about what it must be like to be a dj, to stand in the booth before a crowd and actually have the ability to control them through music. though it was only a fantasy, one day i decided to make it a reality. i really didn't have a hobby, though i knew how much i enjoyed house music. so, i did some research (as i do about almost every decision i make in my life) and i spent a chunk of my savings on some dj equipment. i like to think that i picked it up rather quickly, being self taught and all, and maybe i did. i have always had an ear for music, dating back to my days in the valdosta junior high marching tomcat band, where i played first trombone.

so now i have been spinning for over two years, and i must say that it is almost therapy for me. i come home some days after work and put on my headphones just to escape into the music.

what is so incredible about music of any genre is its ability to transport you back to a specific time in your life. You may have lost a particular memory over the years. then that one song comes on and instantly it takes you back to a specific time in your life, and you can almost relive that moment. it is truly a powerful experience....

so that is my life through music, in a nutshell. i hope to share more experiences of my life, and talk a little about music as well. there is so much music out there that goes unheard, and i plan on bringing it to the surface.

JDT