| This is for Heddly so she will nice to me again.. that and to maybe get some opinions on my paper some peer review. I already know what the professor thinks of it so I want to know what my peeps think. Dont for get ....Be Dusty! Hobbies Hobbies are the things we love to do when we have time to do them. Some people actually plan time to enjoy their hobbies. My hobby has always been music. Music has many forms that I think everyone, at one point in their lives, has learned to enjoy. My favorite hobby by far started early in life and has grown into more of a love and constant joy. I sit and wonder sometimes where I might be in life, if it were not for music. Since my early childhood I can remember the sounds of music echoing through my grandparents’ house at five in the morning. I can still hear artists like Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, and Conway Twitty. These men are definitely pioneers in what is country music, and considered by some, early rock. I feel as if these artists are where my love for music began. The older I got I branched away from the thinking of my grandparents and developed a taste of my own. I found my taste more centered on artists such as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Beatles and Stevie Ray Vaughn, Some of these artists were taken away too soon. These guys can easily be considered pioneers in the modern rock era,, changing the way music sounds today. One day a friend of mine introduced me to a type of music that would forever change my life. I used to think that all Christian music or “churchy” music was supposed to be all organs and pianos with a choir singing the praises of God. This, to some, is a grand and beautiful sound, if you are into traditional styles of worship. A friend soon changed my perspective on this, and led me to a life changing experience. Petra, a seventies Christian band, is considered by many to be the grandfathers of Christian Rock. They made their way, along with bands like DC Talk, Third Day, Audio A and Jars of Clay. A side note about U2 that not everyone knows is that this band is one of the greatest Christian bands of all time. The Joshua Tree album, one of their early albums, is considered by sales and peers to be the greatest Christian album of all time. These bands have helped shape me into who I am as an artist and a Christian. I can remember listening to each work Chris Rice laid out, and it was as if all of a sudden life made sense. That being said these great artists are definitely world renowned, but the most influential person in my life and in music would be a dear friend, Jeff King. Jeff, who my son is named after, is no longer with us on this earth, but is a definite part of my heart and musical soul. He inspired me that no matter where you are in your life and no matter how hard you have hit rock bottom, that there is only one way to go and that is up. Jeff always said, “Never settle for anything less then your dreams,” and today I can still remember him telling me that. Jeff introduced me to my first musical instrument. I soon learned that the drums were not my gift, and a nice six string fit me just fine. I can still play the very first song I ever learned on my guitar. I learned a song called “Sandman” by America. That song, even today, is one of my favorites because of Jeff. I have since moved away from that one song on to “bigger and better” things. I truly believe that you have to appreciate the music before you can ever play it. The best part about learning to play an instrument is the friends that come together to form a band. It was several years after I learned to play guitar that I found real friends that shared my same hobby and dreams. We decided to start slow and try to work our way together. I am thankful every day for my friends that have started our band, Hour Unknown. It has had its share of ups and downs like most bands do. We learned that three guitars are way too many for a five-person band. This is when I picked up a new instrument, the bass guitar. We have had to learn several new things, such as how to run a complex soundboard and how to teach others, since you cannot do this from stage or while performing. We are still learning the ins and outs of recording, as well as stage presence. I am now venturing out into my own personal favorite part of music, writing. I have written a couple songs and co-written a couple with my friend, Chris Holland. I hope one day I can share my love and my hobby with the world and that one day maybe someone will wake up to the sounds of my hobby. |
