Music and Family

 For my interview, I decided to interview my dad. He has been an influence on my music my entire life.

My dad, sister, and I at a Styx concert (Aug. 2021)

My dad was born in 1956 so my first question was who was first concert. He proceeded to tell my that his first concert was technically a Cheap Trick concert before they were famous. My dad grew up in the same town in Illinois where Cheap Trick started out. He recalled that on of the members lived about a mile from him and they would do their practice there. When him and his friends heard the music they would race on their bikes to hear them play. My dad actually dated the guitarist's sister during this time!!  He said that he liked the music even before dating the sister which sounds like he had a motive haha. The band gave the town a bunch of free stuff since they were starting out and the talk of the town. 

I then asked my dad what musical event he remembers very vividly. He told me of the story of how a rock band, Dave Clark 5,  came up to my grandpa's cottage on a boat and played music there. My grandma when nuts and absolutely fangirled over these men and chased them down in a boat! I dove and deeper and asked the significance of the band. My dad said they were from England and had long hair. They were similar to the Beatles. My dad said all of these things made my grandma go nuts even though they were not her type of music. 

Since he said Dave Clark 5 was not her type of music, I ask what music my grandma was into and what he thought about it. She played a lot of Oklahoma and Southern Pacific music and movie sound tracks. He HATED what she listened to and she cranked it every morning. He even said he could still recall some of the lyrics of the songs just because of how much she played it. 

Since he was born in the 50s I asked how his music changed over the course of his life. When he was growing up he was really into hard rock with his favorite band being Pink Floyd. I asked him if this type of genre was ever played during his high school dances he said absolutely no rock and roll but any slow stuff so that he could "squeeze onto a lady" Currently he is into jazz and slower music with his favorite artist being Bruce Springsteen. I asked if he had music going when he was a carpenter. He said they were always jamming to some rock and roll all day everyday on the radio or they had a cassette that someone brought to the site. 

Since I grew up with my dad playing music I asked him what he thought of the kind of music I listen to today. He likes some of it but doesn't understand it and most of it all sounds the same to him. Even with my sister he doesn't understand or like her music taste as me and her are very different in our tastes. My dad doesn't really like anything of today's music but he will jam to some Chappell Roan when I play it in the car lol. He can agree that my sister and I can appreciate old rock and roll with how much he's raised us around it such as Dave Matthews. Since we were on the top of his children I asked what song reminded him of his favorite daughter (me) and immediately he belted " She was an American girl" by Tom Petty.  

The music I chose to embed is my dad and I's favorite Cheap Trick song:

And a Dave Clark 5 song that may have been the one that made my grandma go nuts: