I was not always a fan of music. In high school, I often boasted, whenever it came up, that I did not listen to music at all. That was not true because I did follow a few bands and cycled through a few CDs (exactly four), but there was no active discovery of new or old music.
When I got to college, I was granted a new access to music that I never had before. Free music, paid for through the institution, was at my fingertips. The floodgates burst open and there was no resistance. I was helped along by several friends that helped point me in a good direction. It soon became my mission to discover as much new music as possible and share it with whomever would appreciate it. As my musical library grew, I also took an interest in history. In this case, it was the history of rock and roll. I'd delve into the discography of a particular band or musician and read up on how they impacted the growth of their art. Still, there was no order.
I lost my digital library in a move. Taking advantage of the clean slate, I marked out a plan to organize my musical discovery. What resulted was a project called, at the time, the Musical Adventure and has since evolved into the Musical History Tour. Here's the idea:
1. I start out with any band or musician.
2. Get access to their first album and any other related material (EPs, demos, singles, etc.)
3. Listen (and Research).
4. Then, find a new band or musician related in anyway to the last one.
5. Repeat starting with 2.
This can be a slow and winding process, but there is always the potential of returning to a previously considered band in order to listen to their second, third, or nth album.
I also find that discovering music this way always works better when other people have a say. People's different libraries, knowledge, and preferences can take you into uncharted musical genres. So, part of the idea is for those who follow along with the tour to help recommend the next band/musician/composer. Connections that I've used so far in finding the next artist include: producers, song covers, record labels, influences (very broad, seldom used), location, birthdays, guest appearances, etc. The potential is out there to cover a lot of ground.
I have actually been doing this project for over a year now. At the varied suggestions of putting the project online, however, I've decided to wipe the slate clean once again and start again on the internet.
I have no idea how this project will turn out or grow or if anyone will bother to follow it. There will certainly be kinks in the project I will have to work out. I even have a few ideas on expanding the blog, but for now, I think it's best just to get it started. I hope that the Musical History Tour will help expand my music library and yours as well.
If you have any questions or need some clarification on the project, feel free to use the comments box.
