I have been on this musical journey for over 5 decades, beginning in grade school when I was in the glee club. My love of guitar started at 15 when I won a guitar at a church bazaar. First chance I got, I went out and got an Alfred Guitar Method 1 book and began to teach myself the basics. I always laugh that I never took a lesson in my life, and it shows! That never stopped me from learning to strum along to the music of some of my favorite artists such as Carole King, Ed Sheeran, The Temptations, The Supremes and others. And my lack of musical training never stilled the original tunes constantly germinating in my head and my heart.
I had a musical milestone this morning (4/29/23). I’ve written/co-written over 100 songs. Usuallly within the first week or so of writing a new song it’s pretty much ever-present in my head, especially after performing it at an open mic.
This morning I was reviewing the video of last night’s performance of “Long Leash”(Ⓒ2023Melanie A. Scott) at The Artist (#TheStarvingArtistCityIslandNY) as I was getting dressed and suddenly I broke out into a little dance… TO MY OWN SONG! First time that’s ever happened. Dare I actually call myself a songwriter now? Who know? That’s for you to decide.
2023 Year End Reflection
As we turn the final pages on another year, I think it’s quite natural to reflect on the year past, our accomplishments, our mistakes, our joys and our pains.
This year, as with most years in my life, I find I have few regrets. Not that I haven’t made mistakes. I’ve made my share, believe me. But I think I’ve learned from them and hopefully have moved on with more wisdom than bitterness.
Three concerns have remained constant in my life: My family, my weight and race relations.
I am so happy to say that this year my family is in a better, more harmonious state than we’ve been in for years. Even though for me that’s meant I’ve had to let someone go, those I’ve chosen to keep in my life and bring back into the foal have given me unimaginable joy. My relationship with my son is better than ever. My grandson has turned a corner of maturity and is making me so proud. My other grandson is finally starting to face the realities of the adulthood that is soon upon him. I hope I have given him the tools to meet the challenges he faces. My wife and I are at last on the same page. All this proves to me what I have believed all along, that faith is real and prayer works. I am thankful to God that my prayers have been heard and are being answered. As for the rest of my family, I have lost three cousins this year. I loved them deeply and miss them truly. But their loss only proves how strong a family bond we have and reminds us that we must hold fast the ties that bind us. The fact is, we are the older generation now and it is up to us to provide that stable heritage to this younger generation before we fall away, just as our parents did for us. I am on a mission, in this coming year to do that as much as possible. To connect with and stay in touch with the young folks. To hold tight the tether and not let them go so that they know they can wander far and wide, but always have strong ties to secure them to their roots.
Oh boy, my weight… I have been battling weight issues for years. This is nothing new. For years I have said that the diet/nutrition/medical community has entirely the wrong idea. It’s a long story, but the bottom line is I believe that people who have a lifelong struggle with weight probably have unresolved medical issues and the last thing we need is people wagging their fingers at us telling us, “all you gotta do is…” The fact is (and I’ll try not to rant here) every diet and dietary regimen I’ve been on I was told was right by one person but was told was wrong according to someone else. And you know what, they were both right, because there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to diet and exercise. I’m now hearing about medical developments that are looking at long term weight issues as a disease that has to be treated as such. THANK THE LORD AND PASS THE GRAVY! Finally, someone is listening. Now maybe instead of the insanity of cutting out 80% of a perfectly healthy organ in a procedure that is effective only 30% of the time and even then has horrible side effects another 50-60% of the time; instead of pills that make is comfortable for us to starve ourselves nearly to death, perhaps we can move to some common sense treatment of the disease of obesity that takes into account DNA, genetics and all the other factors that you can’t just diet, starve or shame out of existence. I am hopeful…
:Can you tell me if an X-ray is of a black, white, Asian, Latin-X, straight, gay, male, female, trans, Democrat, Republican, green, Martian, Vulcan? I really don’t think that you can. I DO NOT understand racism or bigotry at all. I do not understand how me living my life affects you living yours. I do not understand how or why one group of people feel they are more entitled to God’s good graces than any other group. I do not understand how people who live on what is essentially stolen land in a nation full of immigrants can declare that this is “their country” and that the boarders should be closed to immigrants. The pure illogic of these statements is mind boggling. “They’re stealing our jobs, comes the cry, when in fact these people are doing jobs most of us have no desire (or ability) to do. “They’re thieves and criminals!” Yes, a certain percentage of them are, just as a certain percentage of every community everywhere in the world. That’s pretty much the nature of man.
But before we even go there, how do you look at a 12-year-old boy and see a grown-ass man – a threat to the extend that you have to shoot him dead – just because of the color of his skin? Why do you think a black woman doesn’t feel pain and that if she claims she is in pain she is just drug seeking? Why do you assume a white man cannot love a white woman and the attraction is only for a taste of “brown sugar” and will fade with the morning light.
Why do we still… STILL need equal opportunity LAWS in employment, housing, education, law enforcement, voting, EXISTANCE? Why are we afraid to teach the true history of our nation or even the world and show that we have learned from and progressed beyond the mistakes of our ancestors? Why, in all our thousands of years of life on this planet, have we not progressed beyond the notion that anyone is better or worse than anyone else simply because of the evolutionary biological developments required to exist in certain environments on this planet. HOW STUPID CAN WE BE? If a woman can create an entire being out of her body, how could she possibly be lesser than a man? I mean, these are just questions of logic and reason that simply do not add up in my mind and I will be forever befuddled by the way we act contrary to what is so obviously true.
I’m committed to celebrate and enjoy cross culturalism where-ever and whenever I can. I hope never to judge anyone by their race gender, sexual orientation, religion (heaven forbid!) or any “ism”! This, I recognize is, has been and will continue to be a constant battle. It’s not a declarative statement you can make one time, then rest on your haunches. “Ism” must be fought day by day, step by step, encounter by encounter. I am determined to do so, and I hope my friends and associates will keep me on track without judgment or rancor. A gentle nudge, “Melanie, your isms are showing” hopefully will be all it will take to get me back on track and get me to reflect on where I went wrong.
Okay, enough chatter. 2024 is almost upon us and what I want most of all is for everyone to have a wonder, joyous New Year filled with much love and beautiful music! I have been blessed in 2023 to have shared music with wonderful musicians and found a whole new community of local talent that I’d only dreamed of. I hope to continue fostering those relationships and build new ones as well. I’ll see you all in 2024 and beyond… Lord willing and the crick don’t rise. 😊
Happy New Year!
LOCAL MUSIC IS GOOD MUSIC! ~~~~~ 6/10/23
As I prepared to write this little blog entry, I decided to do a quick check of concert tickets in our area (NYC metropolitan area) for some of the most popular artists today. Several hours later I’m just now able to pick myself up off the floor. Tickets ranged from a “modest” $97 for the cheap seats to see the resident at a central downtown location, to $1,213 to sit right up front to see a more colorful artist at an outdoor venue. (Yes, I’m deliberately avoiding names, in case you were wondering. I ain’t trying to get sued.) Are these artists’ performances worth the crazy price of admission? Well, the only one who can make that determination is the individual buying the ticket. But here’s my point of view… (Oh boy, here it comes…)
Typically, I have not been much of a fan of live music. I usually like my music studio produced down to perfection. None of that “winging it” nonsense. I get annoyed when I go to concerts and they speed songs up or slow them down or add or subtract elements. I don’t even particularly like live recordings. That said, performing at open mics has given me a new appreciation for live music in a particularly intimate and personal setting. It’s an opportunity to not only hear really great music, but to also interact with the artist in a way that is completely impossible at a concert for a national or international star. As an artist, it’s an opportunity to connect with the audience on a very personal level. I’ve been on plenty of stages and believe me, when the lights go up, you can barely see the audience, let alone connect with them. Much has been made of the way Freddie Mercury could connect with his audience, citing particularly the Queen concert at Wembly Stadium. I get that. He was fantastic! I’m a fan. But let’s face it, it is highly unlikely that Billy Joel is going to go out for a beer with you after the show or that you and Pink are going to meet for a burger to discuss the meaning of one of her songs. (To be clear, I’m not calling these artists out for any wrongdoing. They’re great! I’m a fan. I’m just talking about the nature of the business. Again, not trying to get sued.)
But it’s not just open mics. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE! Seriously! Not everyone wants to live the rock star life. That doesn’t mean they’re not just as talented as any of the rock stars you’d pay an arm and a leg to see. I happen to be in the Northwest Bronx/Southern Westchester area so if I walk into, say, An Beal Bocht Café or Mr. Viggs, Bronx Burger House, The Alibi, Pete’s Saloon, The Starving Artist or any of the other venues that sponsor local talent, I might stumble upon music, comedy and even spoken word as good as any heard on the national or even international stage. The likes of Mike Golden, Johnny Seven, No Rent, Contra Band, Smoky O, Guy That Guy, Custo-Mary Covers and so many more that I’m forgetting, bring you professional, and more importantly, enjoyable music right to your community. Whatever your preferred style – jazz, blues, rock, R&B, country, bluegrass – you can usually find it within just a few miles of your home without the crush of the subway, the expense of cabs or downtown parking and for nothing or next to nothing. Most places, if they charge a cover at all, it’s under $20. Some have a drink minimum, usually 1 or 2. Other places pass the hat to pay the artists. Please be generous! And at the end of the show, you get to chat with the artists about the music or anything else people might want to chat about. What a treat!
My point is, if it’s good music you’re looking for, you often need to go no further than your local bars or cafes. If they happen to be within walking distance, you a have a cocktail without having to worry about getting behind the wheel. And wouldn’t it be nice to go to dinner and see a nice band without having to budget for it months in advance for a change?
Look, I’m not trying to dissuade people from seeing their favorite artists on the big stages of the world. (Can’t say it often enough, not trying to get sued!) What I am saying is there’s a lot of really fine talent right in your own backyard. Some might be retirees who finally have the time to devote to the musical career they put on hold years ago. Some might be young folks who will be the next big act on the music scene and you will have the opportunity to say, “I knew them when…” Either way, you are almost guaranteed to get a great show at a great price right in your own backyard.