Music is a lot of folks in a big dark hall where they really don't want to be at all with a lot of chairs and a lot of airs and a lot of furs and diamonds!

Music is silly!  Actually, I think it's just about the most powerful thing on Earth!  It never fails to amaze me how music can just magically transport you to any moment in time, or a certain place, or remind you of a certain person, or people!  I remember seeing a man literally driven to tears solely due to the last half of "Layla", by Derek and the Dominoes (the long piano part you heard at the end of "Goodfellas").  I was pretty sure that he wasn't in the mafia, so I asked him what was up, and he just said that he'd always thought that this was one of the most beautiful pieces of music he'd ever heard.  Maybe it did remind him of something, I dunno.

There are a few songs like that for me:  "Terminal Frost" by Pink Floyd, and "Call It Sleep" by Steve Vai (both of which are instrumentals).  They are just oozing with emotion to me!   Most times when I hear these songs, I'll play them at least twice at a time, sometimes more.  The Floyd song is probably just about my favorite song of all time.

Some others that really just, for some reason, strike a chord with me are "Guess I'm Doing Fine" by Beck, "I Know, I Know, I Know" by Tegan & Sara, and "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys.  I'm usually in a more melancholy mood, though, when I hear these.

There are, however, two songs that I will always love, and will always make me think about my lovely bride.  "More Today Than Yesterday" by the Spiral Starecase (yes, I spelled that correctly) was our first dance at our wedding reception (awwwww, schmoopy!), and our other song is "Let's Stay Together", by the Right Reverend Al Green, because it's just a friggin' great song!  I defy you to listen to that song and not move even a little bit!  It doesn't matter where I am, if that song comes on, at least my head bobs a little bit!

I'm not really sure what all of this has to do with my painting,  so for today's stroke I just based it on another of my favorite emotional songs in the world: "Blue In Green" by Miles Davis.  This is just a tremendous song - so simple, yet so gut-wrenchingly beautiful!  Let me know what you think of all of this music - hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as I do!