Four train days, get me back to New Orleans

Spiritual music. Think about that term for a moment and what comes to mind? It could be African spirituals from the times of slavery. It could be that station on the radio that exclusively plays Christian music, or the choir that sings in a church. It could be a lot of different things to different people.

For me, Spiritual music is just that music you feel deep inside your soul. The kind of music that makes your soul wanna move! Makes your spirit smile. My example is only this: Seeing your favorite band, at your favorite venue. The weather is beautiful and the people are strangers but oh so familiar. It's your first show, it's your fifth show, it's your tenth show, it's your fifteenth. It can be your eightieth show but it doesn't matter because this band, this band is IT. The music starts and 1x1 the crowd stands and cheers (ya dig?) and guess what, the show has begun. Around you, all your brothers and sisters dance around you, shouting the lyrics and having a great time. This, this is life. This is it.

I go see a certain band at least once a year. Of course the more I see them, the better. However, at least one show a year is mandatory. Going to the show is like a well deserved soul cleansing. I emerge from the show feeling like the music has baptized me and now, my opportunities are vast and unlimited. During the four hour show I dance, I sing, I get down but it's much deeper than that. I think. I think about my life. I think about where I want to go, where I need to go. I think about what step comes next and by the time I drive out of the venue parking lot, I've got it all figured out. That's spiritual music. That's music that makes you wanna have a soul shakedown party. Tonight.

Quite a few years ago I used to go to this bar and hear local punk and metal bands play. One night I was standing at the ticket booth talking to a friend and starting talking to this guy who called himself "Race". We got started talking about how neither one of us really listened to music like this. I was there to chill with friends and he was there to drink. Anyways, our short conversation came to my mind the other day when I was pondering this blog entry. It's amazing how sometimes the most poetic and relevant things can slip your mind and only after several years can it suddenly pop up and cause you to think. This is how it went:

I said to him, "I'm really into this band called Widespread Panic. Ya heard of em?" At the time, no one I was friends with appreciated my musical choices - no one had heard of them. Not in this small town. I remember he took a sip of beer and smiled a big grin at me. Then he says to me,

"Widespread Panic." he just nodded, and you could just tell he knew. "Widespread Panic, that's Gods music."

To this day the thought of that moment makes me smile. Yeah, Gods music. Spiritual music. I remember seeing a picture once of one of those boards outside a church - you know, where they display all those witty sayings about God. Anyways, I remember seeing a picture of one that said, "God wants you to know that Grateful Dead is Christian Music."

Just think about this for today. What kind of music reaches into the depth of your souls and brings out the good inside you?

Here's a video from one of those soul cleansings I mentioned before:

Watch all 10 minutes and you'll see what I mean.