I Want to Live in Effington...

It's amazing to me the way music can have an effect on my emotions.  Music has always been a big part of my life.  While I was growing up, my mom and dad ALWAYS had a record playing, or were singing a tune of some sort.  Even to this day when I go out with them in the car the radio is playing.  This has helped me develop a relationship with music in my life.  A strong one that always plays a part in my memories.

The past couple of months or so have been pretty difficult for me.  Many changes and events have scrambled up my daily routines.  It is through family, friends and music that I have been able to overcome such events.

While I was living in Hawaii I missed out on a lot of live concerts that I would have liked to attend.  (That's one reason I am so stoked to be back in Orange County!  With Los Angeles and San Diego nearby, I have more opportunities to see the bands I love.)  Last week, I turned to one of my favorite artists, Ben Folds.  As I went through the curveballs in my life, I couldn't help but smile as butterflies filled my basket (thanks for the line Zoolander) as I bought two tickets.  I knew it would have to be my sister Traci who accompanied me!

When we got to House of Blues in San Diego every minute that got closer to the performance got more and more exciting!  Finally it was time!  We first headed toward the merchandise.  If you know my sister, shopping is priority.  I was more than happy to go along.  Then we found our places to stand in the general admission concert hall.  Now as you all know, Traci and I are not the tallest Benincosas in the family.  At all.  I don't even reach 5'4" and Traci is about an inch shorter than myself.  This is the only problem when we face a concert crowd.  We decided to position ourselves where we might get a glimpse of Mr. Folds as well as next to a tv so we could see the whole thing when heads, shoulders and backs got in the way of Ben Folds.

Then Ben Folds came onto the stage.  It was amazing how all of the sadness, anxiety, anger, etc washed away as the harmonies of the song "Effington" began.  My cousin put up a quote on her Facebook page from the movie "Say Anything" that fits perfectly for this moment with the substitution of one word:  "The (music) is like a baptism..."  I couldn't help but beam a smile the whole entire two hours of the performance!

Ben Folds is amazing in his performance because he never forgets his audience.  There is a song he sang with Ben Folds Five called "Army."  This song originally had horns throughout it.  Well, in his more recent shows, he has given the audience the role of being the brass.  It's amazing how he does it.  He splits the audience in half and designates specific parts, teaching his fans the correct notes to sing and gives us some practice runs.  When it comes time, we get to be part of the song!  It sounds amazing and I can't help but get goosebumps!  He has one of these recordings on one of his cds and it's just awesome.  But actually being part of it, is phenomenal! I absolutely LOVE the participation!  It's incredible to me that people can love someone's music so much that the performer can actually stop singing and the audience can continue on for them!

I was introduced to Ben Folds' music through my dear friend Greg Garite.  I even remember hearing it for the first time in his truck on our way home from a friend's house after swimming! The self entitled album of Ben Folds Five (before he went solo) has many, many great memories for me.  Every time he busted out an old-school Ben Folds Five song, these memories and friends all flashed through my mind.  Smile after smile for me!

I have been to many of Ben Folds' shows, including an intimate (as in small people, come on) night of bowling with Ben Folds.  This was my favorite performance of his because this is where I was able to meet him, one on one.  He asked me to sit down next to him while my friend Jeremy Long took a picture of us.  Ben Folds even put his arm around me as I felt the butterflies beat against my tummy.  I gave Jeremy Long one of my autographed pictures for being such a fantastic photographer :)  It's also always fun to see Weird Al Yankovick there!  He even performed with him at the bowling alley!  I've also seen fans of his like Bob Saget and Uncle Joey from Full House!  Bob Saget was wearing leather pants -- I will never forget that...

Ever since that night, I have been playing his music again and again.  I think this is how it goes though.  It's like watching a Broadway Musical for me.  I play the music to relive the feelings I had while the performance went on.  I relate music to everything.  I can make a song out of anything.  I can sing a song with any feeling that I have.  With any memory, there is a song correlated.  I can't help it.  Just like I said in one of the preceding posts, I wake up to a new song in my head every morning!

So in the words of Abba, to my parents, friends and family, I say "Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing.  Thanks for all the joy they're bringing.  Who can live without it, I ask in all  honestly?  What would life be?"  (I know, I talk about Ben Folds but then end with Abba?  It's the way I roll.  I'm a strange one!, Hahaha!)