2018 Resolutions: New Music To Enjoy

2018 is underway and so are my resolutions. As mentioned in my previous post, I have decided that my 2018 resolutions should involve music. Why resolve to workout harder (or more often), or to eat better? That’s going to evolve over the year like it does every year. Sometimes I am going to work out like a beast and other times…not so much. So, I figured it would be better to make resolutions toward something I truly and deeply care about, want to follow through with, and that will improve my quality of life. Music is one of those rare gems that does all of that.

Toward the end of last year, I got into a bit of a listening rut. I kept listening to the same bands repeatedly. And while there’s nothing wrong with that, it was the same go to bands that I always listen to when I am not sure where else to go musically. This year I hope to change all of that. I would like to find myself seeking out new music and new bands more often. It’s hard to find a diamond in the rough but when it is found, there is a moment of euphoria that makes it all worth it. I felt that way when I first got into The Gaslight Anthem. I felt that way when I first got into Pop Evil. More recently I felt that way when getting into The Strumbellas and The Revivalists. It’s like a drug and I am an addict seeking that next high. The joy that washes over me when I realize how great a particular new band is and I want to hear more and more of their music is a feeling that nothing can compare to.

This year I want to have that feeling more often. To that regard, I plan to seek out new music more often through several means. Some of them are easy. Checking out a station on Amazon music leads me to some great new (to me) artists. So instead of listening to Iron Maiden’s Number Of The Beast for the 85^th time in a row, I will tune in to one of these stations.

I also get a lot of music sent to me for reviewing on the blog. That’s another easy way for me to listen to some new music. I will start to regularly listen to everything that is sent to my email account and find the gems. That bit of work is already paying some rewards, some of which you will see in future posts.

Word of mouth will work too. There are a lot of people in my music community that I trust when it comes to new music. Most of them I follow on Twitter ( @ryovie ), some I am friends with. They always know how to point me in the proper direction, and this year, I will actually ask for help too. I will reach out to these lifelines and say “Hey! What’s good and new to listen to these days?” That’s how I could get into Nathaniel Rateliff and the Nightsweats.

The best way to obtain this goal is to venture outside my comfort zone. Instead of constantly playing the trusted classics, I need to mix in some new music that I haven’t heard. Take a chance on a few things. I know I’m not going to like everything I hear, but that’s what makes it so much fun. The journey. And when I finally discover that gem, it makes the journey worthwhile and then some! And of course, anything that I discover that I think is astounding, I will be sure to share here at The Rock And Roll Guru. I wouldn’t want to keep it all to myself. Music is something that is best when it is shared with others and in 2018 I hope to the be the Santa Claus of the music world.