Change your station once in a while

We had a great gig this past Thursday at the Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier. Instead of having two bands on Saturday (one in the afternoon and one in the evening), the management  decided to have just one band play in the evening, and they switched the Saturday afternoon slots to Thursday evenings.

This is a great switch, because the way the stage is situated, the band is pretty much in the direct sun with no shade whatsoever all day. Playing the afternoon slot was agony. We've been lucky in that we've only had evening slots, but we've seen some of the other bands suffering in the afternoon slot and we'd heard stories that it was a real challenge, so we were grateful that the management made the switch.

I *know*, but Batman doesn't have to try and play
and sing music in the blistering summer sun.

I did discover one down side to the switch, though - the canned music that plays in the absence of a live band. We got to the pier early on Thursday, and rather than just sit in the van or walk around and get tired, we headed on into the park and found a nice spot to wait until it was time to set up.

While we waited, I listened to the music being piped throughout the park. It was pop music, which is fine. I like pop. But when song after song after song ended up being almost exactly the same - a power pop ballad sung by a female singer who primarily just belted relentlessly through the whole song - I started to get miiiiiighty tired of it.


I mean, come on, ladies - couldn't we at least try some dynamics? And no, despite what your producer may have told you, vocal gymnastics with every note sung at full force is not dynamic. You're just yelling.

It's not that I don't recognize that these women have talent. And I'll give you that some of them are  better singers than me. But, crime in Italy, mix it up! It was like someone put on the Leona Lewis channel in Pandora and just let it play.

It brought to mind a long-standing mystery for me: how people listen to only one genre of music. Period. You know what I'm talking about - those people who only listen to 80s songs, or country, or singer-songwriter.

"Oh, I only listen to Classic Rock. Everything else is crap." Really? And you don't want to poke your eardrums out with an ice pick after the 50th time you've heard "Bad Company" in a weekend? I mean, the first 5 or 10 times, sure - I'll sing along. I'll air drum the punches. But for God's sake, after a while, I just want to hear some Bruno Mars or Stevie Wonder. Or Beck or Keith Urban - just change the damn station.

I don't get it. I see people whose Facebooks tell me the songs they listen to on Spotify and then they tell you what concerts they're going to, and it's ALL the same. HOW are they not bored at some point?

We all like what we like, and I get that. No one is going to convince me to start listening to Classical music. It's not my thing. So, no one should force anyone to listen to stuff they don't like. But surely you could find a variety of things to enjoy. Right? I mean, you don't just eat one kind of food every day, do you? I think I'd just stop eating after a while.

"Nah. No, thanks. If the choice is pizza for Day #552 in a row or slow death, I'm out. I'm just going to lie under this tree and listen to Garth Brooks on a loop until my brain just stops all function in protest. It shouldn't take too long."

If you have any great insight into this phenomena, I'd love to hear it - put your wisdom into the comments section below. Discuss! For my sake, though, I hope I will always enjoy a variety of different kinds of music, and that I'll always be open to new songs and genres as they develop. It keeps things interesting.

Just think, if I had shut down my music valve in 1991, I wouldn't get to enjoy Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z swingin' it now in Suit & Tie. And believe me: I like to enjoy Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z swingin' it. I like it alot.

"Let me show you a few thangs." Yes, please.