Shout out to Carly Simon…
Sometimes a post needs to be short, sweet and to the point. All we have is now. That’s it and we have to make the most of it. Good, bad, or indifferent that’s what we’ve been given, it’s a gift. These days will be as good as we make them. Do I appreciate where we’ve been? Absolutely! Do I live there? No, I can’t because if I did I would be of no use to those who need and depend on me. So why should it be any different musically?
The music of my past are touchstones, reference points. I revisit them to keep myself grounded in knowing that there is a better out there because of what happened before. Even though at times we are inundated with the worst possible excuses for music better does exist. I don’t subscribe to the point of view that something is better or worse because of a particular label, no I open the cover and read the book, because that’s the only way I’ll know. So in many ways the good old days co-exist with these good old days. The good old days supplement, not supplant these good old days. Only deal in the best, wherever you find it and seek to make new memories that exist with the old.
That’s really the point of what we do here. We don’t always make the mark and often it is hard to keep up with the sheer volume of releases, which I was going to say daily but sometimes it feels like hourly. I can only speak for myself but often I’m deliberately slow with discovery and because of my stubborn nature I often like to do my own research and determine what’s hot or not for myself.
These Are The Good Old Days because now everyone has the power to do their own research and discovery instead of being force fed. Now granted, everyone doesn’t have the desire to do that type of work, but when you complain about the lack of quality music and do nothing to change your now except look back to your then… I dunno.
Let’s make a pact: Let’s work together to break free of the habit of complaints and inaction and the dependency on nostalgia and create something anew where we take the best from whatever inputs and leave the rest alone. So instead of looking one place (terrestrial radio for ex.) look everywhere or come to place that looks everywhere for you and filters it down to the balance of now and then. If we keep looking back there will be nothing to look forward to…
Even though the recorded version of this song is two years old this live performance was a few months ago: now. Listen as the now and then are allowed to co-exist on equal terms and we are allowed feel like we’re in 2013 because we are. As much as I liked ’83, ’93 and ’03 I don’t live there anymore.
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.
