I wake up in the morning with a song in my head, and later in the day,
I’m singing instructions to my kids. If you say something that makes me think
of a song lyric, I will sing it.
Driving in the car, if I’m not singing along, I’m contemplating what the songwriter
was thinking when they wrote a particular line, chose a specific chord, or how
it reminds me of another song – and what is that song anyway? While delightful
and entertaining, I have never tried to unpack any of these thoughts, and until
now, I’ve never shared any of it.
That is what Every Kind of Blue is. It’s all the stuff in my head:
thoughts on music, musicians, songwriting, live shows and festivals, albums,
and more. What’s up with depressing songs with happy melodies? Why are there so
many train songs? What is Leonard Cohen talking about anyway? I hope the observations,
ideas, and analyses presented in my blog, podcast, and whatever else is next
will be interesting, insightful, touching, humorous, and may even change the
way you think about something.
EKB took flight on Thursday, December 29, 2011 on a local radio
station. For five years, I hosted a three-hour (mostly) blues show, with an
occasional blog post, and as much social media as I could muster. While
comfortable and easy, radio is very limiting, and I am excited to launch EKB
into the 21st century. My blog, Laura’s Liner Notes, will be active weekly, as
well as the corresponding podcast (coming soon!). I am also looking forward to
creating a weekly Spotify playlist that relates to the current topic. [Pop
over to Spotify, follow ekb_laura, and enjoy some of my favorite songs this
week!]
I grew up on a farm in central Nebraska. As the only child of a farmer,
I spent a lot of time in a truck. I endured hours every day driving those dusty
gravel roads, back and forth between farms. Corn and soybeans mostly, though
grandma raised chickens, and we always put up sweet corn in the summer. It was
hard work and long days, but aside from the valuable Midwestern work ethic I
earned, I treasure the music most of all.
Classic Rock. Always the classic rock station. The Rolling Stones, The
Allmans and The Doobies, Little Feat, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, and Chicago are
just a few that stand out. I began singing along with Bob Seger when I was
four and never stopped. Of course, much of what these bands were doing was
blues. I learned Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Albert Cummings, and Bonnie
Raitt. I went through six months in high school listening to nothing but Elmore
James. All of these people (and so many more) have been with me my whole life.
Without all those miles of bumpy country roads, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.
In my family, music was a participation sport. My parents had played or
still played an instrument, but more importantly – at least for my up-bringing
– was the fact that they were always singing. They sang around the house, they
sang doing yardwork, and they certainly sang while rolling around in that ’81
Chevy Silverado (which I would go on to wreck my freshman year of high school).
Eventually, I was given opportunities to learn and participate in the arts
myself, and I was very lucky to have two parents who were so supportive of my
artistic endeavors.
I have been through six years of piano, thirteen years of band, eight
years of jazz band, a couple years of choir, nine years of dance, performed in seven+
plays, and began winning awards for public speaking at nine. I wrote my first
Choose-Your-Own-Adventure book at ten, studied with the state poet in
undergrad, and would go on to earn another useless degree in English, this time
to teach. While I’ve participated in music my entire life, I’ve never
formally studied it. I feel this is to my advantage.
My training is with the English language, and my natural talent is for
writing. It takes a special kind of masochist to want to be an English major (remember, I did it twice).
Yes, you’d better like reading, and you’d better like writing, but in between
those two things is a lot of critical thinking, making connections, critiquing
through different lenses, and using all your tools to be analytical. Over time,
I learned to do this naturally, automatically even.
It’s fascinating the paths our lives take. Several people have said they
agree that when they set out at eighteen, they had a very different idea of
where their lives would take them. I’ve been running from writing my whole
life, but every time I put down that dream, the Universe knocks me out and
reminds me what I’m good at. If anyone’s dream is worth living for, it’s your
own. I get that we all need a paycheck, but if you can, make it doing what you
love. If you can’t, find a way to do it in your free time. With the relaunch of
Every Kind of Blue, I start taking my own advice.
I hope you enjoy what I lay down. It will be a pleasure bringing it to
you.
Please follow along on all your favorite social media sites, and I’ll
see you out there!
