Hello, everyone! Princess Alethea Mermaid here. This quarter, the question in the lagoon is “What is your favorite pick me up when you’re feeling down?”
My favorite pick-me-up when I am down is…music.
WAIT, DON’T GO YET!
Yes, I know, this is like the most obvious answer ever. But when I say music, I don’t mean just turning on the radio and jamming to some tunes while hammering on keys like a monkey until Hamlet comes out. I mean Thirty Second Dance Parties and Live Jam Sessions.
Thirty-Second Dance Parties: Grey’s Anatomy coined the term, but you hereby have this Princess Mermaid’s permission to dance for as long as you like. Push back from the desk, stand up, turn on some serious jam with a heavy beat, and rock out. Wiggle like a four year old on pixie stix. Move every single part of your body. Shake your thang all around the house. Shut off your brain and concentrate only on the rhythm. Get your blood flowing. Lose yourself in the music, the moment, you own it, never let it go, you only get one shot…
<ahem>
<grin>
S. J. Tucker, live performance
Live Jam Sessions: I’m also a fan of online live concerts that my friends like Mikey Mason, Jonah Knight, S. J. Tucker, and the Adam Ezra Group perform every so often. This sometimes requires a little bit of preparation—or just some really good timing—but whenever the moment presents itself, I take it.
We live in the twenty-first century. We have the ability to watch live concerts from the comfort of our own home, while we’re in our PJs and/or doing something else. We can (sometimes) interact with the performer as if we were the only one in the room. We can befriend others in the chat, other fans who would be friends if we knew them in Real Life (and some we do!).
I’ve tried writing while Mikey Mason plays for me in the background on my computer screen…no, I didn’t get a ton of words done, but I got SOME which is always more than NONE. When Jonah Knight played for me, I pulled out some paper and colored pencils and let my mind wander
as I doodled along with my favorite lyrics.
Last night, Tempest and I watched S. J. Tucker’s fun-super-blood-blue-eclipse-whatever-Imbolc-moon concert. Tempest took the help in chat while I worked on a guest blog for Deborah Blake about my new release (Besphinxed…out Feb 14th!)
These days we have to be doing seven things all at once. Multitasking is everything. But if you plan it right, with a little bit of effort, you can force the odds to be ever in your favor.
I’d love to hear some of your favorite dance jams — feel free to add links in the comments.
Same with indie rock folks–I’d love to add more to my collection!
xox
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I love that, Wait Don’t Go Yet! It does seem like such an easy and common thing, music as a pick me up, but it’s so universal and just like every one of us, our music listening is unique. I’m so happy you shared yours with us. Thank you, Princess Mermaid. There was a place in Northern Virginia I used to LOVE to go to for that magical feel good thing of live music. It’s called Jammin Java and like you, fishy sister–words, doodles, all sorts of creative things came through while sitting there listening. Usually on a napkin. There was a songwriter who would play there frequently whose name is Bobby Long, and I loved his shows because his songs were like miniature books packed beautifully into 250 words or less. So I feel ya, sista. How are the good folks of Adam Ezra Group doing? How is Turtle? I will always remember watching them play barefoot with their unending energy, asking for nothing monetarily but having their “love” box open for donations if the crowd felt moved to do so, and seeing a princess get lost in the music. xoxoxo