Yes, the Grammys happened this week. Where was the award for best guide vocal recording? Is it just me, or does anyone else think it’s weird that a ceremony celebrating recordings is criticized every year for having performances by artists who appear to be lip syncing? I always have wondered why they have live performances on the Grammy award show at all. No one goes on stage at the Oscars and performs a scene from their movie. I do not recall seeing the cast of the Big Bang Theory perform their current episode on the Emmys either. It is about the best performances captured on tape. It is more about the finished product than the actual art of the music. The whole thing is just odd to me. Don’t get me wrong, there is an art to making good recordings, but you have to have the music first. My advice is not to bother wasting three hours of your life watching these shows. You do not need some silly awards show telling you what good music is. You already know that.

Van Dyke

Much like my other passions in life, food and drink, music is very taste driven and taste can change very quickly. This is why I struggle when someone asks me what my favorite band is or my favorite album, or my favorite drink. Today, my favorite band may be Pink Floyd, my favorite album may be “Revolver” by the Beatles, and my favorite drink may be red Mountain Dew. BUT, tonight my favorite band may be Fielder, my favorite album may be “Rocks” by Aerosmith, and my favorite drink may be Jameson on the rocks. Ask me again in an hour, and I will probably have different answers. For me, music is very situational. Just like I am most likely not going to be out on the patio in my jammies at 5 a.m. grilling steaks for breakfast, I probably will not be popping in a Mastodon CD while I take my kids to school in the morning. If you know me, you would not be a bit surprised if I actually did either of those things.

It should be your own taste that drives what music you like, not some doofus blogger or tacky award show. Maybe you are picky about what you listen to, or maybe you like everything. All I ask is that you give everything a chance. As Geddy Lee from Rush once said, “There are a lot of empty calories on the radio these days.” Do not get filled up on those when you can have something good for you like a big bowl of Black Country Communion. I cannot guarantee you will like them, but you will.

Also like the best food you can eat, the best music you can hear is organically grown locally. Sure, you can shell out the money a few times a year to go see the big names in St. Louis or Chicago, and there is nothing wrong with that. All I am saying is that there is some great stuff being cooked up around here every weekend at some absolutely fantastic venues. Just check out the calendar page right here on The Local Q for details! If you do not want to go out every night, you can always stay home and make your own music. There are lots of great places to buy the freshest ingredients to do that as well, if you know what I mean.

Valentine’s Day is also this week. Do not waste your money on flowers and chocolate when you can give the gift of music. Sure you can buy some CD’s, but wouldn’t it be a better idea to buy your significant other a guitar? This works especially well if you know how to play it, so you can teach them. Use your imagination. If you do not know how to play, buy lessons for both of you. Even if neither of you continue playing and you end up donating the guitar to Six String Heroes, you will get something out of the experience. Trust me …

Don Van Dyke