The sound of music

When I was in college, I was passionate about music. My walls were plastered with Pearl Jam posters and I cried when Diana and I saw them live at the Orpheum. I spent hours making mixed tapes with music from the latest bands - Mudhoney, Nirvana, Alice in Chains. On weekends, we ventured out to hear whatever college band was playing - Big Head Todd, The Samples, Dave Matthews, God Street Wine. When songs from that time come on the radio, I find myself traveling in time and suddenly I am listening to my Walkman on a run in Wyoming, or driving to the beach in the Cape or sitting in my dorm room and hanging out with friends. If you asked me to list some bands from the 90s, I could list dozens and probably sing whole albums as well.

Toby works with a number of guys who are at least ten years younger than we are and really into music. The other week, his co-worker listed his top ten albums of 2007. So over a year old now. Here is the list from his blog (http://craigertiger.tumblr.com):

Top Ten Albums of 2007 (no order):

Panda Bear - Person Pitch
Dr. Dog - We All Belong
The Forms - S/T
Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
Field Music - Tones of Town
Lil’ Wayne - Carter III Sessions
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Office - A Night At The Ritz
The Cribs - Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga

Soooooo. I've heard of MGMT. I'd recognize their songs, but I don't actually know which ones they sing on my own. Other than that, most of them aren't even vaguely familiar. Such is the state of my musical interest and knowledge these days. Pathetic.

Oh, it's not that I don't ever hear music. I am quite familiar with all things Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers and High School Musical (1, 2 AND 3). But I can't even blame the girls' musical taste for my lack of knowledge about new music because when they aren't in the car, here's what I do: listen to NPR. Or, even worse, turn of the radio. Have I completely and totally turned into a mom? Am I that different from the person I was in college? I remember my own mom asking me to turn down the volume in the car all those years ago. I was indignant - how could she not want to listen to Kurt Cobain singing/screaming about teen spirit at the top of his lungs?

I know that I still can enjoy music. On Tuesday, we headed out to Hotel Cafe to hear my friend Coby Brown play. I loved being in a small club (the extra cool kind where you have to walk into a back alley like you're getting mugged and then enter through the back door) and listening to live music. It's just that it isn't as much a regular part of my life as it used to be.

Perhaps as the girls get older and my need to finish a train of thought in silence is diminished, my passion for music will come back? Could this be the year, as I hope to do with art in my life, that I reclaim music as well? We'll see. I'm heading out now to pick up Lucy at school. Maybe I'll do something crazy like listen to music along the way.