influential records - 3/10/08

last night my wife and i were talking about major records that changed our lives. i’m not talking in the sense of just enjoying the record or a few songs, but more of an epiphany based on the disc. i’m sure things would have eventually lined up and the change would have happened regardless to the record, but they definitely pushed me in the right direction. i’m sure that so many of us can identify parts of our life with different record albums or even particular songs, so in this entry i wanted to give a shout to two different records that influenced me and my music.

#1 - 1996-97 - Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband - “If I Were a Bird.”

at the time a local sensation (now a national phenomena), rsrb was doing gigs like no-one that i’d seen. they were rehearsed, refreshing and not doing all the folk and bluegrass covers that every other utah band was doing. i bought this cd at a concert and wore the sucker out. at the time i was a freshman at byu playing bluegrass music with the area’s best. we played local gigs and most were for the corporate world, but rsrb were doing concerts for people that paid money to see them. i wanted to do that. this record was the first spark for me to take a leap of faith into the world of professional music.

www.shupe.net

#2 - 2000 - Nickel Creek - Nickel Creek

i was at borders with a 20 dollar bill burning a hole in my pocket. i was cruising through all the latest in bluegrass and folk and stumbled across a brand new album by nickel creek. i must admit, i wasn’t to thrilled to buy it based on the cover, but they were young and i was looking for something in the bluegrass world to re-spark my interest. the album was one of five featured in the bluegrass/folk section so after listening to a few tid-bits from the songs i purchased the album. both my wife and i agree that this album completely changed us. wow! it was another affirmation that this is what i wanted to do. it was also a helpful insight into young bluegrass kids making it in the “old timey” bluegrass world. little did i know at the time of buying this album, that nickel creek would have crossed all musical boundaries and generations. i followed their careers from a concert of 25 in park city utah, to their final utah concert that was sold out at abravanel hall in salt lake city. pretty amazing journey i’m sure for them.

www.nickelcreek.com