Music Day

Several years ago, partly out of frustration and partly out of desire to change the pattern of TV and computers all the time, I declared Saturday to be Music Day. Well, at least for me.

The TV goes off between 9-10 am and stays off until at least 7-8 pm, when I take the dog out for his treat. Sometimes Music Day is postponed, or worked around errands or other things, but it is always there waiting. I literally turn to my “wall of music”, cassettes, vinyl, CD’s, videos and digital, and DJ my day, normally rotating through the various forms, I am working through the CD’s now.

While my wife has pretty much declined to participate, other than raising the volume on her TV to compensate for my noise, I have found it quite enjoyable to detach for a day. Despite the offers of allowing her to choose the play lists, she just doesn’t seem to be into it. My teenage daughter would occasionally pop her head in surprised that I was listening to some new rap or rock song or wonder what that old song I was listening to was.

At first it was pretty much an annoyance to those around me as I kept the volume at a level I could hear it throughout the house, and I am sure thoughts of regret for my wife, who actually bought the booming sub-woofer for me as a gift.

It took a couple of years, but Music Day has become a wonderful day of sharing and fun for my granddaughter’s, 5 and 2, and I. It began a few years ago when the oldest granddaughter, about 3 at the time, made her way to my cave to see grandpa and mentioned she liked the song I had on, which was the theme song from Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Jr.

Over the next few weeks she requested that song and eventually others, and I began to find fun, old songs like Lollipop, Witch Doctor, Rockin’ Robin and Candy Man, etc. She liked to scream “GHOSTBUSTERS”, and ran around saying “Ghostbusters”. Now the two year old does this. It started something, which led to a drum set in the corner, a Disney Princess microphone and amplifier, Disney Princess guitar, another guitar, keyboards, horns and my stereo.

I have pretty much guaranteed company for music day now if these two girls are around. And it is much more than music day, as the oldest points out,” it’s a rock concert and dance party!” I guess I should probably note that my basement is a cross between a Pink Floyd concert and a 70’s Disco with all the lasers, LEDS, and lights flashing, blinking and spinning. The girls’ instruments are set up in part of the basement and the oldest has had me re-position the track lights to serve as spotlights. I have made a CD of songs requested by the five year-old, she requested the song Misery by Maroon 5 be every 3rd or 4th song. So it is.

Music Day is no longer just for Saturday, every time they are over, the oldest one asks if it is Music Day, the little one just wants to go play drums or guitar and hear Ghostbusters. My wife even finds herself being dragged down to dance to Ghostbusters and Katy Perry.

The girls love performing, I call them Motley Two. Kind of like Motley Crue, a bit less talented but sounds pretty much the same – loud and crashing sounds, and they are better looking that Motley Crue. And like most family acts there are fights, lead guitar is a key battleground. The youngest one screams like Janis Joplin into the microphone while inserting it into her mouth. The oldest one has the guitar showmanship down, undoubtedly it helps that Grandpa has seen Eddie Van Halen in concert 8 times.

I have always loved music, but I am really an active listener, as I cannot sit and just listen while at work or something. I pay attention to what I listen to. I have to hear what I want to hear, that is why I collect so much music. While Music Day was originally designed to recapture a time when music was much more than forgotten entertainment and reconnecting with my passion for music, it has become so much more - it has become a way to capture new memories as well.