Music Quotes — 2010-2013

"...she said ... in a previous life I'd been a native Montanan."
"What, a cowboy?"
"A Blackfeet Indian. Apparently I played the drums."
"What was your name?" ...
Ed sighed, "Bear With No Teeth."
Julia laughed laoudly. "Bear With No Teeth!"
"Go on, mock. I don't care. It's only my previous life we're talking about here."
"Why with no teeth?"
"How do I know? Maybe I sucked as a drummer." — Nicholas Evans, The Smoke Jumper

"Night and gin and music—the right setting for peeling off the thin clinging layers of bullshit and finding one's way down closer to the essential self." — John D. MacDonald, "The Lonely Silver Rain"

"It is when music is added that a film can come to life for a director. A live orchestra, playing the score as a conductor watches the film on a huge screen, often gives a fimmaker the first real glimpse of his soon-to-be-completed work. That's where the magic is." — Robert Wolff

"In my music, I’m trying to play the truth of what I am. The reason it’s difficult is because I’m changing all the time." — Charles Mingus Jr., contributed by Michi Regier

"Music is the framework around the silence." — Miles Davis, contributed by Garian Vigil

"Who hears music, feels his solitude peopled at once." — Robert Browning, contributed by Suzie Solomon of GospelGrass .

"Is the circle of fifths a drinking game?" — Mike Burns

"Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist." — Pablo Picasso

"Sitting together and listening to music can be bonding. Taking care of someone who can't communicate can make a caregiver feel lonely and unable to relate, but music can provide a way to connect that is profoundly meaningful.
"...members of the Unforgetables, a New York City chorus made up with those with early to mid-stage Alzheimer's and their caregiving spouses and children, [show] more self-esteem, better moods, less depression and a great qulaity of life after 13 rehearsals and one concert.
"...That cameraderie can also ward off the lonliness that often accompanies caring for those with demtia. ... The Unforgetables co-conductor ... teaches the group breathing, vocalizing, musical memory exercises and movement—good stress relievers as well as mental and physical exercise for all." — Sally Abrahms, "The Power of Music," AARP Bulletin March 2013

"Not a singer? Consider rhythm. Drumming with others later in life is also a growing trend. ... 'You don't have to be musical whatsoever,' says [Christine] Stevens." — Sally Abrahms, "The Power of Music," AARP Bulletin March 2013

"Musicians are some of the most driven, courageous people on the face of the earth. They deal with more day-to-day rejection in one year than most people do in a lifetime. Every day, they face the financial challenge of living a freelance lifestyle, the disrespect of people who think they should get real jobs, and their own fear that they'll never work again. Every day, they have to ignore the possibility that the vision they have dedicated their lives to is a pipe dream. With every note, they stretch themselves, emotionally and physically, risking criticism and judgment. With every passing year, many of them watch as the other people their age achieve the predictable milestones of normal life - the car, the family, the house, the nest egg.
"Why? Because musicians are willing to give their entire lives to a moment - to that melody, that lyric, that chord, or that interpretation that will stir the audience's soul. Musicians are beings who have tasted life's nectar in that crystal moment when they poured out their creative spirit and touched another's heart. In that instant, they were as close to magic, God, and perfection as anyone could ever be. And in their own hearts, they know that to dedicate oneself to that moment is worth a thousand lifetimes." — David Ackert, contributed by JoAnne Hedleston

"Even in the most beautiful music, there are some silences, which are there so we can witness the importance of silence. Silence is more important than ever, as life today is full of noise. We speak a lot about environmental pollution but not enough about noise pollution." — Andrea Bocelli, "What I Know Now," AARP Magazine Feb/March 2013

"If we, citizens, do not support our artists, then we sacrifice our imagination on the altar of crude reality and we end up believing in nothing and having worthless dreams." — Yann Martel, Author's Note, Life of Pi

"The fingers of his right hand swept over the strings, six notes spreading toward her like a fan. He smiled at her, the fell into a melody and seemed to be playing everything—bells, drums, a missing voice. ...
When he finished, he said, You did not sing. You did not join me.
No. I'd have been the extra wheel.
Music has many wheels, that's what makes it joyous." — Michael Ondaatje, Divisadero

"'If any of you on your journeys see her—shout to me, whistle . . .' he sang, and it became a habit for audiences to shout and whistle in response to those lines. There was nowhere he could hide in such a song that had all of its doors and windows open, so that he could walk out of it artlessly, the antiphonal responses blending with him as if he were no longer on stage." — Michael Ondaatje, Divisadero

"What night gave Rafael was a formlessness in which everything had a purpose. As if darkness had a hidden musical language." — Michael Ondaatje, Divisadero

"'I don't work, I appear'—he remembered the words of Django Reinhardt's and imagined the great man slipping out from the shadows and disappearing efficiently into his craft. The alternative was to arrive, as most musicians did, like an eighteenth-century king entering a city...." — Michael Ondaatje, Divisadero

"I want to say something to young people who are starting careers; when people start talking to you about 'the next level,' cover your wallet. There is no other level. Don’t let anyone make you feel like you’re supposed to get someplace you aren’t already in order to feel fulfilled in your life and work. Be grateful for every gig. Play for children and old people. If your work touches a heart, it’s valid. Your personal ambitions will be dashed on the rocks more than once. That sense of quest, of serving something larger, will sustain your energy over the long haul." — Andrew Calhoun, contributed by Michi Regier

"[Laleh] Mehran and a sound designer put together a soundscape that melds sacred songs, ambient noise from a bazaar and an American shopping mall, the sounds of helicopters, bees and more into a sonic “soup” that is equally soothing and hypnotic. Inside the cube, a deeper rumbling aids further reflection." — Greg Glasgow, "Mass media," University of Denver Magazine, Fall 2102

"Music is the universe listening to itself." — Andy Ard

"A song will outlive all sermons in the memory." — Henry Giles, contributed by Rick Jones

"Music comes from the musician, not the instrument." — Victor Wooten, The Music Lesson

"So my neighbor came knocking on my door at 2:00 am! Fortunately for him I was still up playing my bagpipes." — Bill Donaldson

"Music is the soul of language." — Max Heindel, contributed by Rick Jones

"I think of myself as a serious artist. Sometimes you can get in your head too much about that and forget that you have to have fun. I’ve been guilty in my career about that at times. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought I didn’t want anybody else to have a hit with it!" — Tim McGraw talking about "I Like It, I Love It," quoted by By Craig Shelburne in "Tim McGraw Earns His Freedom," American Songwriter May / June 2012

"[Bill] Monroe spoke of bringing 'ancient tones' into his music with echoes of British and Irish fiddle and bagpipe music, while also delving deeply into American blues, gospel, folk hymnody, and hill country dance music. To that gumbo, he added the invigorating rhythms and harmonies of hot jazz. It was a new kind of American music, named in honor of his band The Blue Grass Boys to be known, simply, as bluegrass." — Paul Zollo, "American Icons: Bill Monroe, Father of Bluegrass," American Songwriter May / June 2012

"If I practice Cherokee along with backing tracks would it be Chereoke?" — Rob Schwimmer

"Man, if anybody knew the path that we've been on, no one in their right mind would ever try to duplicate it. That's something Nashville always tries to do, though. If something is successful, they try to repeat it by telling other people, "Hey, do what that guy did." I just don't think it works that way. The first one who gest there, the one that cuts the path ... it's always the roughest path but I think it's got the most reward at the end." — Eric Church, quoted by Andrew Leahey in "Portraits: Eric Church," American Songwriter, May / June 2012

"Caution. Exposure to music may cause sudden outbursts of joy, happiness, energy, creativity, awareness and spontaneous healing. Handle at your own risk." — unknown

"Music to me is like breathing - I don't get tired of breathing, I don't get tired of music." — Ray Charles, contributed by Rick Jones

"I've forgotten more about music than I ever knew..." — Rob Schwimmer

"[Dan Crary] was hardly a minute into the show when he let fly with racing licks that sounded like the fretboard equivalent of Fred Astaire dancing up, then down a staircase." — Los Angeles Times

"The music has to come from bluegrass first. We always said back in the '70s that if you want to play newgrass you have to go through the school of bluegrass. You know, maybe Jack Black can make a movie now called School of Bluegrass . That would be cool." — Sam Bush

"The function of music is to release us from the tyranny of conscious thought." — unknown, contributed by Tom Woolrich

"Life is a lot like jazz, it's best when you improvise." — George Gershwin

"My official cruise ship band name is now A Band On Ship…" — Rob Schwimmer

"Art does not explain." — Chuck Cannon

"Your music itself is a marketing tool. Before figuring out how to monetize it, work on figuring out how to get it heard." — Adam Gold, quoted by Caine O'Rear in "Editor's Note: Alabama Pines," American Songwriter March / April 2012

"There's something about comedy, funny things, that people want to pass them along. Serious things and personal things are much more privately enjoyed. That's why there are not a lot of sad viral videos." — Jonanthan Coulton, quoted by Nick A. Zaino III in "Jonathan Coulton: Weird Science," American Songwriter March / April 2012

"When stuff gets hard, and you're feeling real down about everything or in a cark space, a song can bring you out of it." — Brittany Howard, quoted by David Inman in "Alabama Shakes Conquer The World," American Songwriter March / April 2012

"I like Kris Kristofferson the same way I like Bob Dylan or the same way I like Johnny Mercer. To me all the stuff we're doing — with the exception of a few of the kind of snarkier numbers — are just part of the American songbook. It's no different than covering a standard by George Gershwin to me. You're just expressing the same sentiment, with some harmony and melody." — Richard Julian, quoted by Evan Schlansky in "Role Models: The Little Willies," American Songwriter March / April 2012

"...when the arts are eliminated, children get bored and tired of school. When the arts are included, children's imaginations are allowed to run wild." — T Bone Burnett, quoted by Hal Bienstock in "T Bone Burnett: The Taste Maker," American Songwriter January / February 2012

"You certainly don't hear any country music on pop radio today. But for a while you did, and it was a lovely thing to have all the different genres of music cohabitating the Top 40 — the folk sound, The Beatles, the British sound, the Motown sounds, that kind of light country — it was a welcome relief after a few hard rock records. Everyone was sharing the airwaves, and I think it was a beautiful time for American music." — Jimmy Webb, quoted by Allen Morrison in "Glen Cambell: Memory Maker," American Songwriter January / February 2012

“Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole, flows from heaven to the soul." — Steve, Hippie Peace Freaks

"Jazz isn't dead. It just smells funny." — Frank Zappa, contributed by Rick Jones

"When I am silent, I fall into the place where everything is music." — Rumi, contributed by Michi Regier

"Music can happen anywhere...magical... " — Scott Dahms

"I paint my joy and I sing my sorrow." — Joni Mitchell

"I write very sporadically. I write sometimes three things in a week and then nothing for a year. I make a space for it but I don't push it. They just come and they come." — David Crosby, interviewed by Plum at the Aspen Writer's Foundation "Lyrically Speaking" seminar, 2008

"Largely I write from life. … I write from what happens to me. Mostly about love. People notice the other stuff more but I write mostly about love." — David Crosby, interviewed by Plum at the Aspen Writer's Foundation "Lyrically Speaking" seminar, 2008

"Sometimes the entire thing comes out in one burst. Sometimes you hack away at a thing for years before you get something that satisfies you." — David Crosby, interviewed by Plum at the Aspen Writer's Foundation "Lyrically Speaking" seminar, 2008

"Generally we don't really consciously do it as a purpose-driven thing. … It's really just a response to life." — David Crosby, interviewed by Plum at the Aspen Writer's Foundation "Lyrically Speaking" seminar, 2008

"You tend to write as you get older about family love more than you write about romantic love or ooh baby. … The stuff that you want to celebrate about humanity has always been there and probably always will be." — David Crosby, interviewed by Plum at the Aspen Writer's Foundation "Lyrically Speaking" seminar, 2008

"The greatest thing is the internet and that means that anybody, you have just as much access as I do. And you can make your little tape and work on it and work on it until you got it the way you want it. And then you can put it on the net. And if it's any damn good somebody's gonna notice. That's happened over and over again now. To me that's good. That's good access that isn't controlled by the companies. I think that's a great thing." — David Crosby, interviewed by Plum at the Aspen Writer's Foundation "Lyrically Speaking" seminar, 2008

“A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.” — Maya Angelou, contributed by Betty Spreen

"My wife just bought me an accordion for my birthday." — Yo-Yo Ma, contributed by Nancy Thorwardson

"Practice, practice, practice ... but not near the neighbors." — Barbara Stewart, How to Kazoo

"Reasons for Kazooing ...It's a wonderful leveler, making the finest singers sound no better or worse than I do...The harmonica class was full...I got a hernia from carrying my piano around...Everyone shuld be an expert at something and this field is wide open." — Barbara Stewart, How to Kazoo

"Albert Einstein was know to have played the violin, the musical spoons, and the kazoo, not necessarily simultaneously." — Barbara Stewart, How to Kazoo

"'You're Sixteen' was a number-one hit in January, 1974, with Ringo [Starr] as featured kazooist. Rock groups such as 'The Lovin' Spoonful' and 'Brooklyn Bridge' also used kazoos. Although none of these groups are still in existence, the kazoo was probably not instrumental in their breakup." — Barbara Stewart, How to Kazoo

"...the kazoo is to music what the full body cast is to ballet." — Ben Fanton, "Can You Kazoo?," Sky 1986

"The kazoo is one of the few instruments native to America, having been invented, as far as can be determined, by an American named Alabama Vest and made to his specifications by a German clockmaker by the name of Thaddeus Von Clegg in Macon, Georgia back in the 1840s. It's classified musically as a 'mirliton,' a subcategory of the percussion instruments that alter a sound through the use of a vibrating membrane. To many, it's been considered a 'kid's stuff' musical instrument and has ofgten been used as a stocking-stuffer at Christmastime by parents who've deeply regretted their action about an hour after sunrise on Christmas morning." — Ben Fanton, "Can You Kazoo?," Sky 1986

"Kazoophony^(R) [is] the world's largest kazoo quartet, an honor it holds mainly due to the fact that it has five members." — Ben Fanton, "Can You Kazoo?," Sky 1986

"I would like to do a world tour of command performances for people like Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles, Prince Ranier, Burger King, King Kong, and King Tut. We were thinking of doing a command performance for King Tut's exhibition when it came over, but he didn't come with it." — Barbara Stewart (professional kazooist with Kazoophony^(R)), quoted by Ben Fanton in "Can You Kazoo?," Sky 1986

" The tours that have been undertaken by Kazoophony^(R have tended to be little adventures in themselves, including an appearance in Colorado where they accidentally set the bushes on fire during their version of the 1812 Overture (which they call the '1813 Overture'), and a TV appearance when a sparkler ignited [Barbara] Stewart's sleeve during the 'Stars and Stripes Forever And Ever ... And So Forth.'" — Ben Fanton, "Can You Kazoo?," Sky 1986

"Fire is not usually a hazard to kazooists, just rust." — Barbara Stewart (professional kazooist with Kazoophony^(R)), quoted by Ben Fanton in "Can You Kazoo?," Sky 1986

"...they've...provoked audience reactions somewhat similar to those seen at Tom Jones concerts. In the case of the barefoot members of Kazoophony^(R, audiences have taken to throwing socks,'" — Ben Fanton, "Can You Kazoo?," Sky 1986

"...efforts to take it overseas have been thwarted by the British Musician's Union, which denied them a performance permit based on the permise that they would be taking jobs from the members of the union registered as kazooists. (There are none.) This action led to the group's creation of the song 'Wave Britannia, Britannia Wave the Rules'..." — Ben Fanton, "Can You Kazoo?," Sky 1986

"I think the kazoo and chocolate-chip cookies have a lot in common. All you need is a mouth to appreciate either one." — Wally Amos (of Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies), quoted by Ben Fanton in "Can You Kazoo?," Sky 1986

"For any Cream fans, did you know that the song 'Badge' got its name when, I think, Ringo walked into the studio and pointed to one place in the music and said, 'What's this bit here, badge?' He was looking at the bridge." — John Davis

"You don't love someone for their looks, or their clothes, or for their fancy car, but because they sing a song only you can hear." — Oscar Wilde, contributed by Jodi Boyce

"It's funny how each song has a memory and place and time attached to it." — Jordan Lawhead, quoted by Dan Kimpel in "Jordan Lawhead Into the Light," Music Connection, Oct 2011

"If ya ain't got it in ya, you can't blow it out" — Louis Armstrong, contributed by Rick Jones

"Football is the priority, even more than school. Art is frowned upon. I had to sneak music in." — Kevin McCall, quoted by Malcolm Venable in "Hitmakers," BMI MusicWorld, Summer 2011

"Desplat says music and film 'are completely merged in my brain.' When a score informs the filmmaking process and vice versa, as it did in The King's Speech, the result is a truly collaborative creative effort." — Lisa Zhito, "Alexandre Desplat Brings Music to 'The King's Speech'," BMI MusicWorld, Summer 2011

"That's why I'm so passionate about making music for movies because you dive in and find the best ideas to bring tolife a collective piece of art. ... [Composing] is not a job for me. And that explains why I never stop. Even though it's tough on your body and your brain and the sacrifices you have to make, what can I do? I'm passionate about it so I never stop." — Alexandre Desplat, quoted by Lisa Zhito in "Alexandre Desplat Brings Music to 'The King's Speech'," BMI MusicWorld, Summer 2011

"Omar credits the interconnectivity fostered by the digital age for his mega stardom and the fact that his songs now become, in his words, 'iconic songs,' accessible and widely popular all over the world. It doesn't hurt that the songs in question are also expertly crafted smashes, whose grooves transcend language and locale." — Joy Ramirez, "Don Omar: King and Kingmaker," BMI MusicWorld, Summer 2011

"My number one goal ... is to preserve the music industry. The only answer is the Internet. ...none of the systems are more effective than having a personal relationship with my fans via the Internet." — Don Omar, quoted by Joy Ramirez in "Don Omar: King and Kingmaker," BMI MusicWorld, Summer 2011

"Wonder if anyone will be scared, i'm going to be a banjo player for Halloween..!" — Sylvia Murray

"An intellectual snob is someone who can listen to the William Tell Overture and not think of the Lone Ranger" — Dan Rather, contributed by Rick Jones

"Without a song, each day would be a century." — Mahalia Jackson, contributed by Rick Jones

" It reminds me...have you ever been in a (music / jam) session where the music seemed to 'work' so well that you imagined the artificial ivy was just bursting to grow?" — Helen Withers

"Music in the soul can be heard by the universe." — Lao Tzu, contributed by Rick Jones

"Nobody tells this to people who are beginners. I wish someone had told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it's just not that good. It's trying to be good, it has potential, but it's not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase; they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn't have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or yo are still in this phase, you gotta know that it's normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you finish one piece. It's only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I've ever met. It's gonna take a while. It's normal to take a while. You just gotta fight your way through." — Ira Glass, contributed by Jem Moore

"Stolen from my friend Omar (and Voltaire, of course): 'Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.'" — Deb Switzer

Seen on sheet music: "Moderato Play without bitching about the key" — contributed by Wade Krauss

"The worst nightmare about music is still way better than the best dream I've had about work." — Jim Fischer

"If you've got a lot to say, just sing it." — Rhiannon Martinez

"People make up a lot of reasons not to play music." — Martin Gilmore

"[I] watched young children slowly, reluctantly, climb onto the schoolbus and, two blocks later, adults all running for the train. On the radio, a jazz version of 'Send in the Clowns.'" — Michi Regier

"I have learned that there lies dormant in the souls of all men a penchant for some particular musical instrument an an unsuspected yearning to play on it, which are bound to wake up an demand attention someday. Therefore you who rail at such that disturb your slumbers with unsuccessful and demoralizing attempts to subjugate a guitar, beware! For sooner or later your own time will come." — Mark Twain, contributed by Lonnie Lewis

"I believe musicians have a duty, a responsibility to reach out, to share your love or pain with others." — James Taylor, contributed by Steve Clarke

"If anyone could outwhine an Oklahoma windstorm, it was Merle Haggard singing about low-down women and low-life men." — Billie Letts, "The Honk and Holler Opening Soon"

"Trained as a musician, [photographer Ansel] Adams understood the richness of variation that could be unfolded from a simple theme." —John Szarkowski, "Celebrating the American Earth / A Tribute to Ansel Adams"

"It used to be that artists lost copyright protection of their work after a number of years, and the work would enter the public domain, where anyone could purchase reproduction rights for a one-time nominal fee.  Public domain allowed arts groups of all sizes to perform, display or reproduce that artwork as often as they wanted.  ... in 1989, many pieces of music, paintings, books and films that had een in the public domain regained copyright protection, meaning that anyone wanting to perform, display or publish a work must pay fees and receive permission from the original artist or his or her descendants to present that work." — Amber D'Angelo Na, "Music professor takes copyright case to the Supreme Court," University of Denver Magazine, Fall 2011

"Composers live to have their music heard.  You could interiew any of a thousand living composers as ask them, 'One-hundred years from now, if you had a choice between your music being under copyright and not being played versus in the public domain and being played all over the world,' I guarantee all composers would say they want their music heard." —DU Music Professor Lawrence Golan, "Music professor takes copyright case to the Supreme Court," University of Denver Magazine, Fall 2011

"If one hears bad music, it is one's duty to drown it by one's conversation." — Oscar Wilde, contributed by Ed Skibbe

"What is the voice of song when the world lacks the ear of taste?" — Nathaniel Hawthorne, contributed by Ed Skibbe

"I who once wrote songs with keen delight am now by sorrow driven to take up melancholy measures.  Wounded Muses tell me what I must write, and elegiac verses bathe my face with real tears.  Not even terror could drive from me these faithful companions of my long journey.  Poetry, which was once the glory of my happy and flourishing youth, is still my comfort in this misery of my old age." — Boethius
"Aww. Lighten up will ya?" — Ed Skibbe

"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary." — William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)
"Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?" — Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)
— contributed by Ed Skibbe

"Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter." — Oscar Wilde, contributed by Ed Skibbe

"There are still so many beautiful things to be said in C major." — Sergei Prokofiev, contributed by Ed Skibbe

"Music is the art which is most nigh to tears and memory." — Oscar Wilde, contributed by Ed Skibbe

"One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain." — Bob Marley, contributed by Rick Jones

"...I realized that being totally self-taught allowed me to do things that a teacher would not have allowed me to do." — Francois Moutin, quoted by Washtub Jerry in "The Low Down on the Down Low

"The highest point of music for me is to become in a place where there is no desire, no craving, wanting to do anything else.  It is the best place you have ever been, and yet there is nothing there." — Terry Riley, quoted by Washtub Jerry in "The Low Down on the Down Low

"...I tried very hard to forget all the stuff I'd been instructed to do at univresity.  I found myself playing more often with so-called 'untrained' musicians, who I felt had more to offer." — David Leahy, quoted by Washtub Jerry in "The Low Down on the Down Low

"In the phusical sense, 'playing a fret less instrument in tune' is an impossibility.  Hence what we call 'playing in tune' is no more than an extremely rapid skilfully carried out improvement of the originally inexactly located pitch." — Carl Flesch, quoted by Washtub Jerry in "The Low Down on the Down Low

"The virtuoso element in jazz playing, all those very fast runs in the upper extremes, simply doesn't appeal to me.  That's why I don't want to make my concerto "virtuosic" in the sense of a technical show-off.  I want a beautiful sound and a melodic and lyrical line.  I am more interested in the way someone can play musically." — Gavin Bryars, quoted by Washtub Jerry in "The Low Down on the Down Low

"The bass is the link between harmony and rhythm.  It is the foundation of a band.  It is what all the other instruments stand upon, but it is rarely recognized as that." — Victor Wooten, quoted by Washtub Jerry in "The Low Down on the Down Low

"Being the foundation is what I live for, some people call it being in the pocket, some people call it a groove.  I think it's the heartbeat.  There's nothing that feels better than that." —Tommy Shannon, electric bass player, quoted by Washtub Jerry in "The Low Down on the Down Low

"Music doesn't lie. If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music." —Jimi Hendrix, quoted by Washtub Jerry in "The Low Down on the Down Low

"...when I sing, I feel like I become a different person." — Choi, Sung-bong

"Big band music might be as hard to sell to a kid as bluegrass, but real people, playing real music on real instruments resonates with anyone who will give it a chance. This I believe!" — Fred Wolking

"I'm just trying to unite the western crowd and the bluegrass crowd a little more. … I get to do that again on my new album, Tall Grass and Cool Water.... This is the first time I've had every song on an album be a Bluegrass and Cowboy Song at the same time." — Michael Martin Murphy, quoted by Don Cusic in " Martin Murphy … Rangeland Rebel," The Western Way Summer 2011

"...there are tons of people in the West who love fiddles, banjos and mandolins. If you got to any cowboy poetry and music gathering those are the instruments they use. It's acoustic music. We don't do that much modern country that has electric guitars and a lot of volume. It's a gentler form of music. It's from the land and comes from the ranchers and farmers." —  Michael Martin Murphy, quoted by Don Cusic in " Martin Murphy … Rangeland Rebel," The Western Way Summer 2011

"Part of it is, I think, just to let people know you've got a record out there and that you're still alive requires more work than it used to, because the traditional radio, bug chains of record stores, all of that, that doesn't exist anymore." — Steve Earle, quoted by Jewly Hight in "Steve Earle Sees the Light," American Songwriter, July / August 2011

"[Steve] didn't feel any need to make [his CD] perfect. Perfection is a second—rate idea. He just wanted to get the story told in the most powerful way. He does a lot of growling. He does all this stuff that's just part of him getting the story out. And a lot of people would want to clean it all up … Steve wasn't interested in all of that." T Bone Burnett on producing Steve Earle's most recent CD, quoted by Jewly Hight in "Steve Earle Sees the Light," American Songwriter, July / August 2011

"If you surveyed a hundred typical middle—aged Americans, I bet you'd find that only two of them could tell you their blood types, but every last one of them would know the theme song from the 'Beverly Hillbillies.'" — Dave Barry contributed by Rick Jones

"Music is the mortar between the bricks of our society wall, and folk music is a strong ingredient in that mortar. It helps bring folks together. Community is strengthened by it, and we need community." — Harry Tuf of The Denver Folklore Center , quoted in "Sing Out! 60 for 60 Part IV," Sing Out! Spring 2011

"I'm not sure I ever pleased Ian [Buchanan] with my progress, but he continued to tolerate me. I had to work at everything that I did. Well, it wasn't work; it was fun actually." — Jorma Kaukonen on learning to play guitar, quoted by John Kruth in "Jorma Kaukonen: The Embrionic Journey Continues," Sing Out! Spring 2011

"The blessing of this music is that it is fun to do and it keeps evolving." — Jorma Kaukonen, quoted by John Kruth in "Jorma Kaukonen: The Embrionic Journey Continues," Sing Out! Spring 2011

"With the bass it's another thing. I don't need to use alternate thumb—picking as much. Even though Jack says he loves it. My thought is that it might irritate him somewhat." — Jorma Kaukonen, quoted by John Kruth in "Jorma Kaukonen: The Embrionic Journey Continues," Sing Out! Spring 2011

"I can only be me. I do what I do, I'm not a jazz player. ... I don't play jazz standards, at least not in any recognizable way. It's not my turf but I have plenty of respect for that style of playing." — Jorma Kaukonen, quoted by John Kruth in "Jorma Kaukonen: The Embrionic Journey Continues," Sing Out! Spring 2011

"Another thing about a duet is that you've got the freedom to not to have to stick to a particular layer of harmony." — Kate Brislin, quoted by Alan Senauke in "Jody Stecher & Kate Brislin: Turning the Old Songs ... and Returning," Sing Out! Spring 2011

"I first heard Bessie [Jones] at Carnegie Hall in 1960. ... She was substantial and bewildering and I couldn't understand the words or the music ... (Now) Bessie Jones seems to me to be the most accomplished and refined musician to perform that night. But what has been 'refined' out? Gimmicks. Self—consciousness. Clumsiness. The smug kind of self—esteem and not the kind which comes from a job well done. And not the cutting edge. Not the roughness. I love music that is sweet and gracious, but refine out the wild element and y ou refine out the nutrition ... like white bread." — Kate Brislin, quoted by Alan Senauke in "Jody Stecher & Kate Brislin: Turning the Old Songs ... and Returning," Sing Out! Spring 2011

"Where words fail, music speaks." — Hans Christian Andersen contributed by Suzie Solomon of GospelGrass

"I wish travel were less expense. Same with concerts. Good seats are only for the rich. Does that mean music is only for the rich?" — Reggie Barrett

"When you said you were a terrible singer, I thought you were being humble. But you weren't." — Paul McCartney to Steve Martin, related by Steve Martin on the David Letterman Show

"Iris, if you were a melody... [piano melody]. I used only the good notes." — Jack Black's character to Kate Winslet's character in The Holiday

"I listen to the summer symphony outside my window. Truthfully, it's not a symphony at all. There's no tune, no melody, only the same notes over and over. Chirps and tweets and trills and burples. It's as if the insect orchestra is forever tuning its instruments, forever waiting for the maestro to tap his baton and bring them to order. I, for one, hope the maestro never comes. I love the music mess of it." — Jerry Spinelli, Love, Stargirl

"Fonny and I just sat there ... while the voices of the congregation rose and rose around us, without mercy. ... Teddy had the tambourine, and gave the cue to the piano player—I never got to know him: a long dark, evil—looking brother, with hands made for strangling; and with these hands he attacked the keyboard like he was beating the brains out of someone he remembered. No doubt the congregation had their memories, too, and they went to pieces. The church began to rock." — James Baldwin, If Beale Street Could Talk

"She was twenty and had come to realize that, though she had a voice, she wasn't a singer; that to endure and embrace the life of a singer demands a whole lot more than a voice." — James Baldwin, If Beale Street Could Talk

"It was as though we were a picture, trapped in time: this had been happening for hundreds of years, people sitting in a room, waiting for dinner, and listening to the blues." — James Baldwin, If Beale Street Could Talk

"So, a guy calls the musician's guild to get a quote on a six piece band for a wedding.The rep says 'Off the top of my head, about two thousand dollars'. He says 'WHAT? FOR MUSIC?.' The rep responds 'I'll tell you what. Call the plumbers' union & ask for six plumbers to work from 6 to 12 o'clock on a Saturday night. Whatever they charge you...we'll work for half.' 'I get your point' he said'." — contributed by Michi Regier

"just another day in the music factory!" — Michi Regier

"Nice try but you forgot to say Simon says!" — Steve J.
"Garfunkel says." — Blind Lemming Chiffon

"Do you realize that in about 40 years, we'll have thousands of old ladies running around with tattoos? (And rap music will be the Golden Oldies!) " — anon. from an email

"There is no cover charge for the show, but if by chance any of you have any "spare change" that is making your pockets feel uncomfortable, feel free to donate it to the band's tip jar / container — as — of — yet — undetermined —type." — Peter Schwimmer

"A local Chicago post office was renamed in honor of renowned folk songwriter Steve Goodman during a dedication ceremony on October 10. Thanks to a new law just signed by President Obama, the Lakeview post office, located at 1343 West Irving Park Road, now recognizes the legacy of the proud Chicago native, a Grammy—wining songwriter whose celebrated composition include 'City of New Orleans.'" — "What's Happening," Sing Out! Nov / Dec '10 / Jan '11

"Jonathan Byrd's new album "Cackalack" is on, and it's perfect. I don't just mean it suits the country — it's a beautiful album with all the right elements. Roots, fiddles, chickens, no overdubs." — Michi Regier

"My choices in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference!" — Harry Truman

"The term 'The Big Apple' was coined
By touring jazz musicians of the 1930s
Who used the slang expression 'apple' for any town or city.
Therefore, to play New York City
Is to play the big time — The Big Apple." — anon. contributed by Bob Turner

"Dance, literature, art. Was there anything worthwhile in all these things, she wondered, in all her clean, easy, antispetically correct good works? Should she have worked in soup kitchens or clothed poor children instead?
"Just . . . she really loved music and books. ... For a terrifying moment, she imagined interplanetary silence—dark, endless and absolute. But then the phrase "music of the spheres" came into her head, and she felt slightly comforted." — Naomi Ragen, The Ghost of Hanna Mendes

"It was Vivaldi's Mandolin Concerto, Francesca Abraham realized as the radio alarm went off. Lively, unrelentingly upbeat, it was the perfect tempo in which to start the day. Covering her head with a pillow, she reached out blindly and urgently, desperate to shut the damn thing off." — Naomi Ragen, The Ghost of Hanna Mendes

"Even her hair, she thought, running her fingers impatiently through the damp golden brown ringlets that curled romantically around her face. A Botticelli angel, a boy in college once called her, begging her to let it grow. Right! That was all she needed: wild curls cascading down her back like a doomed Shakespearian virgin, or a rock star." — Naomi Ragen, The Ghost of Hanna Mendes

"He liked to think that Heaven was what each person wanted it to be. He could see no future in lying around on a fluffy white cloud and listening to somebody playing on a harp, a picture of Heaven he had seen numerous times in one form or another. Even if it was that way, his personal preference would have run more to the fiddle." — Elmer Kelton, The Good Old Boys

"In rock & roll heaven, there ARE drum solos, but only the drummers can hear them." — Lin Bramer, WXRT (contributed by Michi Regier )

"... good music, regardless of the type and style will always be good music. The true test of good music is, does it stir your soul? ... When you listen, or play it (music) does it make your heart race, does it make the hair stand up on your body, does it make you want to dance, does it make you want to cry, and does it put a smile on your face. That's good music." — John Lawrence Talbert

"Don`t fear mistakes. There are none" — Miles Davis

"The capacity to blunder slightly is the real marvel of DNA. Without this special attribute, we would still be anaerobic bacteria and there would be no music." —— Lewis Thomas from Pronoia by Rob Brezsney Free Will Astrology

"Singing is a trick to get people to listen to music for longer than they would ordinarily." — David Byrne, contributed by Rick Jones

"The maplewood flat—finished Martin had represented the most outrageous luxury in her life when she bought it in 1971 for four hundred dollars. But Lonnie Slocum assured her the Martin was a good investment, even if she never learned to play it better than an acid head who was into heavy metal." — Dan Jenkins, Baja Oklahoma

"...Juanita found herself at Old Jeemy's radio station in a room she could have sworn was a laboratory where creatures with antennas in their heads, knobs for eyes, jagged arms, and dangly legs conducted experiments on the bodies of dead vocalists." — Dan Jenkins, Baja Oklahoma (description of the recording studio)

"When we first meet what we love, we could become poets for our longing. When we are removed from what we love, we become singers of grief and weavers of elegant description." — Martín Prechtel, "The Disobedience of the Daughter of the Sun"

"Richard liked to say he picked things up for a song, which was odd, because he never sang. He never even whistled. He was not a musical person." — Magaret Atwood, "The Blind Assassin"

"...Walter turned on the radio: electric violins wailing, twisted romance, the four-square beat of heartbreak. Trite suffering, but suffering nonetheless. The entertainment business. What voyeurs we have all become." — Magaret Atwood, "The Blind Assassin"

"Remember that while money talks, CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM SINGS!" — unknown

"...ever since [The Graduate], movies have used source material—especially older rock and pop songs—to help convey the emotional tenor of individual scenes. ...
"'Music wasn't used that way in the early days of the Academy,' [Joe Henry] says. "But it has slowly found purpose as a significant way to aid storytelling.'" — "Music in the Movies, American Songwriter March / April 2010

"I thought I was the only one who still enjoyed his record collection, but after reading 'How Records Got Their Groove Back,' I happily discovered I was wrong. There is something familiar about my old vinyl. Call it nostalgia, but I don't care for the 'purity' of CDs. They have no personality! The crackle and pop of the stylus on a record player as you wait for the music to begin creates an anticipation that CDs simply can't provide." — Anthony Pilla, The Mail, AARP The Magazine March&April 2010

"The year I turned 50, I took drum lessons and later became the drummer in a band. I have been rocking ever since. Yes, a white—haired lady playing the drums makes folks do a double take, but I am still energetic, happy, productive, and, dare I say it, even cute! In many ways this is the most fun I've had in my life. Thanks for confirming that just because we're over 50 doesn't mean we're dead!" — Marla Stahl, The Mail, AARP The Magazine March&April 2010

"Each time my mother went psychotic, I hoped it would be the last time. Afterward she would tell me, 'I think that was the final episode. I think I had a breakthrough.' And I would believe—for a few months—that it was true. That she was back to stay. Maybe it was like having a rock star mother who was always on the road. Were there Benatar children? Did they sit around and wonder if their mom's Hell is for Children tour was going to be her last tour?" — Augusten Burroughs, "Running With Scissors

"Life is too short for bad tone." — seen on a fiddle case at MidWinter Bluegrass Festival, Northglenn CO, February 2010

"Of course, an exhausting day at sail lines and nets left little energy to expend on running or laughing. Perhaps that was why her parents couldn't appreciate her music—it wouldn't appear to be hard work to them. Menolly shook her hands, letting them flap from her wrists. They ached and trembled from the constricted movements and tension of an hour of intensive playing. No, her parents would never understand that playing musical instruments could be as hard work as sailing or fishing." — Dragonsinger, Anne McCaffrey

"Your music can be played easily and well by any half—stringed harper or fumble—fingered idiot. Not that I'm maligning your songs. It's just that they're an entirely different kettle of fish—to use a seamanly metaphor—to Domick's. Don't you judge your songs against his standard! More people have already listened to your melodies and liked them than will ever hear Domick's, much less like them." — Dragonsinger, Anne McCaffrey

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