02 December 2009
Music that takes you to another place, even another era...
Do you have music that takes you away?
Is there something you listen to on repeat and yet it never ceases to inspire you?
I've recently gotten my hands on some locally grown music such as The Snowdroppers (Syd), Brothers Grim (Melb) and Graveyard Train (Melb).
What exactly is it about this music that makes me think of wooden houses, dry yellow grass, cloudless blue skies, sitting on the verandah, dusty dirt roads, black crows, the visual list goes on...
I listen to this music while location scouting, with my camera on the passenger seat. On the back roads, with nowhere in particular to go. Equipped with a sense of adventure and exploration. I view the scenery around me differently than I would driving to the shops listening to the radio. I look at abandoned and run down buildings and my heart beats faster. I stop and pause on empty roads and imagine.
None of my other music does it. I listen to and enjoy a number of different genres, such as Drum and Bass (Pendulum), Rap (Beastie Boys), House (Daft Punk) and even ska (No Doubt). I love listening to these tunes, dancing like a nutter and getting all hyped up. But none of it takes me to another place.
Perhaps it has a lot to do with the head-space I'm in this year with the creations of Notorious Dames. Or perhaps it's the nostalgic 1920s/30s feel to the music that does it. Or it could be as simple as the sound of the harmonica that transforms the imagination...
I'm slowly expanding my collection of place takin' music, and I'm open to suggestions... My next music purchase (patiently awaiting its arrival) is C.W Stoneking.
I look forward to driving down a dusty road soon, listening to Mr Stoneking's Jungle Blues.
Comments
Anada Jones — 13 December at 04:17PM
Hi Helen,
I just read your blog, and I dunno if you are intersted, but have you checked out The Rumjacks? You can find them on facebook, and myspace, www.myspace.com/therumjacks
Regards,
Anada