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Music
I consider myself to be a fan of anything good regardless of genre or packaging. I grew up with the Dr. Demento radio show, which I listened to at night in bed. My dad, having grown up in Hungary and Argentina, had brought a lot of interesting tango and exotic folk music into the house. And my mother took me to my first two concerts when I was about 11 or 12. The first was the Beach Boys and soon after, John Denver.

As a teenager, I went through two rather obsessive hard rock periods. The first, of course, being KISS. In fact, the first album I ever bought for myself was KISS Alive. The soundtrack to high school included a lot of Van Halen and oddly enough, I spent most of my senior year building a scale model replica of Van Halen's 1984 concert stage. And back when I was supposed to be going to college, I was instead toiling in the hard rock scene of Los Angeles and the Sunset Strip in the late eighties. After that it was the folk-inspired coffee houses of Seattle. However now, I mostly just listen. Maybe pick up one of my guitars from time to time.

Though I still very much enjoy the process of going into an actual record store and purchasing a record, it's hard to ignore some of the new ways with which to explore music. Over the years, my friends and family have come to appreciate the many tape or CD complilations I would make for them -- laboring over just the right thematic flow and quality. A lost art I dink.

Some of my favorites
Martin Sexton, Sufjan Stevens, Gillian Welch, Innocence Mission, Leon Redbone, Pearl Jam, Bill Withers, Joni Mitchell, Mindy Smith, Nick Drake, Jeff Buckley, Ben Folds, Feist, Tom Waits, Black Crowes, Greg Brown, Nina Simone, Allison Krauss, Astor Piazzolla, Beautiful South, Neil Young, Bruce Cockburn, Grateful Dead, Patty Griffin, Jacques Brel, John Prine, Madredeus... just to name a few.




Some memorable concert moments
While I don't attend live performances much any more, I have seen many in my lifetime. As for why I don't, well, the answer might lie somewhere between an impatience for crowds and a somewhat jaded view of the scene. Maybe I get more protective with age. Sometimes I just like to listen, and would rather not obscure that simple fact by introducing dynamics beyond those already present in a great tune. That said, there have been a few concert memories that stay with me still. But just as in life, an indelible event often has more to do with the one that you're with.

1983 / Police (with Flock of Seagulls, Fixx) / Holleder Stadium, Rochester
Summer afternoon outdoors on the grass. Mary Ann on my shoulders.

1983 / Iron Maiden (with Fastway, Coney Hatch) / Rochester War Memorial
With best buddy, Kurt, we pushed through to the front. Drenched, exhausted, happy.

1984 / Van Halen (with Red Rider) / Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
With my girlfriend, Mary Ann. Awesome night that left us flying out of the arena.

1984 / Motorhead (with Wendy O. Williams) / Hammersmith Odeon, London
I was a little teenager going it alone in a strange city with strange people. Surreal.

1986 / The Ramones / University of Rochester gymnasium
My girlfriend (Sharie), my sister (Jennifer), her boyfriend (Patrick), and other friends piled into my old Jetta to go to the show. The ultimate college experience.

1988 / Fishbone (with Living Colour) / Moore Theatre, Seattle
With buddies Derek, Stacey and Tony. Got caught in the mosh -- and never left.

1992 / Bruce Springsteen / Tacoma Dome, Washington
Friend and neighbor, James, introduced me to everything Springsteen. Thank you.

1995 / Pearl Jam & Neil Young / Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
My friend, George, got me backstage on a beautiful summer day. Though it was a short afternoon for Eddie Vedder, it was a really cool time for me. Neil Young saved the day.

1998 / Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison / GM Place, Vancouver
No way this could live up to expectations. My love for Joni Mitchell's music transcended this fact. Jen G. couldn't make it, so I gave the extra ticket away to a grateful stranger.

2002 / Flogging Molly / San Jose, California
With best friends Alisa, BJ and Matt. A celtic mosh pit. Even the girls got in on it.

2003 / Martin Sexton / Moore Theatre, Seattle
I discovered his music while living in Northampton, MA. My friend, George, and I were amazed and moved. He sang the guitar solo to Hendrix's "voodoo child". I've seen him several times since. Always amazing, but not like this one.


Copyright ©1994-2008 Andrew Davidhazy
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