Ever since I was a little tater tot, I’ve always had a passion for music, I could be singing at the top of my lungs (sorry neighbors), dancing or even just swaying and letting the melody carry my soul. Music is life and when I say that I mean it. I remember one time I was grounded for doing... Honestly, I don’t know what I did to get grounded but I’m sure I deserved it, Haha! Anyway, my punishment was having my stereo taken out of my room. When my mother called my dad to let him know and be on the same page, all my dad could say was “You took away her music?! OH boy.” Yes, it was a “life or death” feeling for my young self.  

What I want to know though is, how do we as humans connect so deeply with music? It’s a frequency, it’s an emotion, even traces of smell come to mind when we hear a song that either got us through something or we just remember where we were and how it affected us in the moment. It’s a global feeling felt by all. And quite frankly, it doesn’t matter what your genre is, it’s a personalized beat for your soul.  

I was recently at the “MoPOP” building in Seattle WA (which, when did they change from the EMP?! Ohh this is when) By the way, if and when you visit Seattle next, you need to make sure to stop in at the MoPOP museum! The people involved with the experience, really know how submerge you into the exhibits! The experience I got my last visit was “Contact High: A Visual History of Hip Hop” And let me be the one to tell you, that was breathtaking and just jaw dropping cool! I got to see Notorious BIG’s suit and shoes in person. The exhibition takes you from the beginnings or hip hop to now. So cool and so worth it! And right around the corner from the Hip Hop experience is the Nirvana Experience… 

I can’t even begin to explain the Grunge era of music and the “Seattle Sound.” I was born in 1989 in the Seattle Area. My mother was 18 at the time and all we would listen to everything from Pearl Jam to Mother Love Bone... Seeing the Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses at MoPOP, actually brought a tear to my eyes. Hit home to say the least. Grunge needs an article of its own. I am definitely not the first and I most certainly won't be the last. From the muddy banks of the Willapa to the headlines, style, and literal embodiment of all that was Kurt Cobain. He is essentially the poster child for grunge. And we haven't even touched base on legends like Chris Cornell of Sound Garden, Alice in Chains, and that's seriously just to name the least (I'm sorry I know I left out other killer groups, but like I said, Grunge needs its own article when I really want to expand).  

Seeing where music genres begin to where they are now, as mentioned earlier, doesn’t matter what your genre is, you are still listening, flowing and feeling. A universal feeling that at times cannot be explained. We just need to sit back and enjoy. Feel blessed with the era of music we are currently in while appreciating and remembering our roots. Also, yes, I eventually got "ungrounded" that so many years ago. My mom got me a new Celine Dion CD, handed it to me, I said with a glimmer in my eyes "You mean I can have my stereo back?!" 

Sources:

EMP Rebrand

MoPOP

Contact High: A Visual History of Hip Hop

Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses

 

More From KW3