Or at least I think we’re heading to the middle. What does that mean? Well we’re going back to school for a quick second. The negative numbers represent to me what a lot folks are doing in music now which is just a daily stream of new music, like everyday… the one and done. The positive numbers represent the other side of the coin which is basically a daily steady stream of nostalgia: old music that we feel comfortable with, proven popular etc., etc.
Why the middle? Well for one it doesn’t seem like anyone is there. Secondly, if all you have is new music all the time that you just see, hear and read about once that doesn’t stick to your ribs so to speak. Lastly, if all we ever deal with is the old and proven we will have zero new memories and I don’t think that’s good.
So how do we get to the middle? Maybe we can put some chocolate in the peanut butter or some peanut butter in the chocolate. In other words mix it up a bit old/new/no school rules. Frequency… maybe we should post some things more than once in a week perhaps a couple of times until the conversation really gets going. As per usual there’s no plan here just thinking aloud, but join us and bring your ideas and maybe we can get to the middle together.
Ivan Orr is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, performer, and writer. A native of Charlottesville, Virginia Ivan was involved with the forming and nascent days of The Music Resource Center as its first Program Director. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Music, Ivan currently resides in Richmond, VA where he maintains an active performance and production schedule while serving as the Music Editor for Grown Folks Music, a position he has held since 2010.
