Music Holds Us Together

Music has helped me get through some of the toughest times in my life. And I think deep down that’s why I really became a musician–hoping that I could help others get through their tough times. I’ll admit when I was younger I thought it would be cool to be a musician for the rock star life. But growing up that has become less important to me, and it’s not the girls or the parties that make me want to be a musician (like it might be for Kid Rock)–but it’s the hope that one terrible day a person can listen to my song, shed some tears, and realize they are not the only ones that have to go through that. We are all human and we can get through it together. We can move onto the next day, being stronger than yesterday.

Today I woke up to an email that said,

“Your music is beautiful. I found your track Fragile while looking for music to play at my brothers funeral. We played it and there was not a dry eye in the place. He, Danny, was 46 and an addict who left a 13 yr old son Tyler. We loved him so so much. My brother played the guitar and had a fascination with dead musicians. I guess now he is one.”

Another day a girl told me,

“So my dad left our family recently–and it’s been hard dealing with it and listening to my mom get upset late at night, and hear my sister cry whenever she hears a love song on the radio. I’ve been listening to “Fragile” a lot lately, and the more I listen the easier things seem to get. I know that it’s okay to get upset at what’s bothering me and what has hurt me. Going over the lyrics I’ve realized that just because I’m the oldest of my siblings and have a lot of responsibility doesn’t mean I should hold back what I’m feeling. ‘People say that wounds will heal, but a scar still gets left.’ Maybe I’ll always have a scar and looking at it will just make me think about the situation between my parents–but at least I’ll have music that tells me it’s okay.”

When I first played “Fragile” at a show in LA, a woman cried and told me something that I’ll never forget,

“The first time I heard this song was live at the knitting factory and it caught me totally off guard. Every word….it made me think of all that I’ve been through in my life–all the hurt, the losses, and how we move on but we never forget–the scars always do bring us back. My late husband always told me how proud he was that I was such an independent person and how he didn’t worry about me *if ever* anything happened to him. Well, when I lost him that kept me strong – but yet, as a caring human being I, like everyone, need someone, someone to lean on, to just hold me with no words spoken — taking all the pain in our hearts away. when I heard this song I immediately felt that it was written for me, as if someone had looked right into my heart and wrote about my life. While it made me remember how vulnerable i am it also made me remember how strong I am — where I’ve been and how I’ve got to where i am. ”

So it’s not the girls or partying that makes me want to be a musician. It’s days like these when I know one of my songs helps someone and makes them feel like there’s still hope. That’s why I’m a musician.