A Home Full of Music
January 5, 2013, Washington, DC: Husband and I received an amazing present this Christmas in Connecticut: a retro Crosley record player. We joyfully snapped it up like an old-fashioned suitcase and carried it back home to Washington on the train. Before we left my parent's house, though, we ventured downstairs into the basement and sifted through boxes upon boxes of old records. They're planning to ship dozens of their albums to our apartment as part of the gift. Until I saw all those old albums covers, I'd forgotten what a potent role music had once played in my home.
The faded and ripped album covers we rediscovered in flimsy cardboard boxes were images I recognized instantly from my youth -- Carole King in blue jeans sitting by the window on Tapestry, Bruce Springsteen leaning against a yellow convertible on Tunnel of Love, Judy Collins in a sea of wildflowers. Bob Dylan's tussled hair and checkered scarf were familiar sights; so were Janis Joplin's enormous sunglasses and enormous motorcycle.
Was music prevalent in your home as a child? Is it now? This year, we've resolved to bring more music into our home, and it's a New Year's goal I suspect we'll be happy to keep. We resolve, too, to seek out more music within the city, beginning with an outing to Blues Alley, one of many DC venues I've never visited. I resolve to stop and appreciate the musicians who play just around the corner on their roving piano or leaned up against the white brick wall of the theatre company on Barracks Row. I resolve to listen. I resolve to sing. I resolve to turn up the volume.
Is your home full of music? Was it growing up? Does music alter the way you experience your home, your city or your surroundings? Have you made any resolutions to bring something new into your living space?
Related Posts on Neighborhood Nomads:
- Listen to This City (October 19, 2011)
- Creative Collisions in the City (June 13, 2012)
- Spontaneity in the City (April 12, 2012)