O brother without you…

By Gus Bode

Music is the tie that binds us all together. We find things in common with people completely opposite of ourselves because of a song or a band. It is a universal language anyone, anywhere can understand, because the individual can interpret music the way they see and feel it.

The journey from liking music to becoming a music lover is an awakening of the soul. The people that introduce new doors for us to open as we grow musically may never realize the magnitude of their contribution.

My older brother is a prime example of a door opener, someone who introduces another world of possibility revolving solely around music. While I was young and listening to whatever came across the waves on the radio in the backseat of mom’s car, completely oblivious to the deeper side of music, he was traveling down the road of enlightenment.

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By the time I was a teen-ager, Top 40 music was the surface being scratched. All doors were closed. While my brother was digging deep into the heart and core of various bands and albums, I was stuck lip-syncing the catchy stuff.

Not to worry, Big Brother wasn’t going to leave me hanging limbo in the land of one hit wonderville. He made it clear that my perception of music was weak and out of focus. Then school was in session, and slowly I developed into someone who ate and drank music and lived for the power of great lyrics.

Music became the love of my life. Every song has affected me in some way. It’s funny how a song can carry you through a situation in life, when even a good friend fails to find a solution.

It would take me all semester to list the various songs and artists that move me, so the frame will remain empty for you to fill with whatever music has changed the way you see the world.

If you are one of those people still stuck in life’s elevator listening to songs with two lines constantly repeating with a catchy little beat, hopefully someone comes along and sheds some light on your situation. Maybe someone such as my brother who gave me the greatest gift I have ever received, a key that unlocks the door to all the wonders of the world of music.

Reporter Jack Piatt can be reached at [email protected]

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