There is nothing stronger two people can share than music.

In my opinion, at least. But in my experiences, it has proven true that there is not one single thing that can more quickly bring two people together and form a more powerful bond than a deep discussion about songs that mean something to you. 

 It doesn't matter where the conversation happens-- It can be in a truck, driving down a country back road at midnight, radio turned up, windows rolled down just enough to let the cigarette smoke sneak out and night air stream in. It can be sitting around a wooden kitchen table at six in the morning, iPod plugged in and speakers cranked up loud enough to fight off a sleepless delirium, mason jars drained of their offering of the opposite of your morning coffee. The location is secondary; what matters is the dialogue and the music fueling it.   


 Sister Hazel- This Kind of Love

  

Your company matters, too. A certain amount of trust must exist for the exchange to work. It is a vulnerable position to put yourself in- to share a song that you really care about, that means so much to you, one that you have enjoyed and want someone else to enjoy as well. There is an inner chatter that you have as the song is playing - What if they don't feel the same way about the song as you do? What if they don't like it? Or, maybe even worse, they just like it and don't have the same strong, deep, visceral reaction to it that you do. Did your good taste in music fail you? Or, does your taste just suck? Maybe it's the other person. Maybe their taste is terrible. If that's the case, then it's the end of the line for me. Unplug my iPhone or take out the cd and head back to the house. It's done with. If we can't share good music, we ain't sharing anything. Sorry yo. It's just the way it has to be.
 
Ryan Bingham-- The Weary Kind 

But sometimes, everything aligns. The right people, place and song all come together at the perfect moment. Something magical happens. Your mind awakens; you come alive in the deepest parts of your soul. As the music plays in the background, either you or your companion share your story of the song- Of the background behind it and how you came to love it. And even if it's not the typical kind of music you listen to, or anything you had ever even imagined that you could enjoy, you like it. More than that, you feel it. In your head, your heart, your soul- You really, truly feel it. For those few, brief moments nothing else exists in the world aside from the two of you and the music...And you are truly alive.       

Shooter Jennings-- Belle of the Ball

  

I cherish every time I am lucky enough to have one of these conversations, usually with one of my musician friends-who-are-boys (see how careful I am not to use the words "boy" and "friend" in any close proximity to each other? That is my life. Team Forever Alone- I'm making shirts, message me if you want to join the club. We have weekly meetings at the apartment watching Hallmark Christmas movies and crying into bowls of ice cream. Just kidding. Kinda).
   

Waylon Jennings-- Outlaw Shit 

But seriously, sharing music with others is one of the most important things in my life. I know it is so silly, but I feel I have more purpose and my existence has more meaning when people tell me they hear a song for the first time on one of my posts and it means something to them. It takes me back to the quote from The Perks of Being a Wallflower that I wrote about a while back. A song is an immensely powerful thing. Finding someone you can share something so powerful with is such a big deal. These people you can feel songs with, who you can listen and share and talk and grow with, these are the people in my life that have really changed me, that I have grown the most from knowing. If you've been one of those people in my life, I thank you. I hope, in some small way, that I can be that person for you.