Why is it like it is?

Comrades!

  Happy Monday to you!  Yeah, yeah, I know it's not the most popular day of the week, but man, it should be.  It's when we're perched at the top of the water slide, looking at the pool of possibilities, pretending we're an airplane..."Northwest flight 465 to tower, we're clear to go.  No, wait - is it tower to Northwest flight 46...465, yeah that's it."  "HEY MAN, GO ALREADY!"

Ah, pardon the true story flashback from my pool days in the 90's when "Tuesday" so rudely pushed me forward.

  My brother Noah is an insanely talented photographer.  He's been telling me lately a bit about the theory of light triggering emotions in photos.  I'm very excited to apply this to music, and as my students know, I could literally talk all day trying to figure it out.

  But, to make it brief, I'd like to share this quick thought, or, actually, question to ask yourself as you go through your day.

Why is it like it is?  

It's been really bloody chilly here in the DC area, and there's lots of snow on the ground, and so much salt covering the trees along the highways that it looks rather surreal.  So, why does it look like winter?  How to the colors change when it's cold?  How can we mix that in with music, writing, or whatever else we're doing?

What makes it so?  

It's been a fun question to ponder, and I find myself viewing even the mundane scenes with a renewed artistic interest.  Sitting at a stoplight on Saturday morning on the way to an old folks' home to DJ some Frank Sinatra stuff, I was impressed with the array of grays presented-the sky, the overpass, the street, my black car coated with salt, the few trees.  It was so...cold.  

So - how can we write that in lyrics?  How can we voice that with chords?  How can we dial that guitar tone?

Have fun looking around today!

- Josh