Music Is My Medicine
by Nayt Housman
Music is my medicine. Is it yours? I ask the public six golden questions to find out if and how they use music to feed the soul.
I stopped in the city the other day to listen to an amazing soul vocalist and cheekily I nabbed the chance to ask her if music is her medicine.
This is Bec Laughton, a twenty six year old musician whose life passion is MUSIC MUSIC MUSIC!
“A yo yeddit det da dim da da! You can use that *lols*. Freestyle rapper Bec uses only sounds not words.”
Who flicks your on switch and turns up the volume?
Bec: Ooooh in terms of long term ‘flick switching’, Lauren Hill. In terms of more recent ‘flick switching’, I’ve sung a lot of Selah Sue songs just now, who’s a, I think she’s from Belgium but she learnt English from old Bob Marley records so she sounds like a Rastafarian even though she’s a skinny little white girl, which I LOVE. Um but I love local artists, there’s heaps of good artists like Noah Slee. Have you heard of him? N.O.A.H. S.L.E.E. Look him up.
Why are they the pill that cures your ills?
Bec: Let’s go the first one, Lauren Hill. I like artists that have something to say. It’s good to have a good groove, a good beat and a good voice but more than that I like people that speak life. You know? They speak hope into situations or help you to see things in a better way. So there’s a lot of pop music out there that I don’t like because it’s just ‘shakin that’ WHATEVER, it doesn’t really do anything for me. There’s songs that can be just about having fun, and that’s cool but I like songs that have something to say.
What kind of high does it give you?
Bec: Music for me gives me that feeling like you get at the end of a movie when everything comes together. So even for that three minutes if things are falling apart but there’s this beautiful song playing over it then somehow it gives it meaning. I guess for me it helps to make life seem even more beautiful, helps us to see the good in life. Some people use music to try to escape reality, I don’t think that’s good but if it can help you to see it better that IS good.
When do you find yourself craving musical relief?
Bec: I was going to say all the time but I lie, I actually like a lot of silence. Can silence be music *lols*? But yeah when… I dunno for all kinds of different reasons…
...at this point, a fan interrupts, “Excuse me. You were AMAZING by the way!” Then yells, “SHE’S AWESOME!” as she walks away....
Bec: When do I crave musical relief? Just like either when you’re feeling really good or really bad, it works both ends of the spectrum, but also 'cause I sing so much I actually crave like ‘not music’ *lols*. If I’ve been gigging seven nights a week I really enjoy not doing anything. I enjoy not performing much because then I have more creative juices to go into my song writing. So yeah I enjoy both (silence and music at both ends of the spectrum).
Where does music take you?
Bec: Music takes me everywhere I wanna go… I dunno, music for me is like a life journey. You know people kind of say ‘How can you do music?’ There are obviously a lot of hard things about doing music but for me I just couldn’t do anything else. It is my life journey, my life SONG *sings*.
How do you share your music love?
Bec: Don’t I write songs? Is that not the… *lols* um yeah I guess I write songs which is how I’m spreading my love. I like to go to jams, I really like improvised music, music that’s just made up on the spot, I feel like that’s always got the most ‘love vibe’ to it but yeah I love finding new artists and plugging them especially local artists.”
I told Bec how much I loved the addition of the Captain Planet theme song in one of her arrangements to which she replied; “I didn’t realise they were trying to feed like this subliminal vegan or something messages”.
I’d never really thought of it passed the obvious don’t pollute messages but when you think of one of the villains, Hoggish Greely, he certainly puts you off your pork chops. Maybe Captain Planet is real reason Bec likes meaning in her music? I know it’s the reason I’m an eco warrior. Mmmm bacon… What?
Sometimes music is life, not just relief, so much so that silence becomes the escape. So if you find yourself surrounded by noise seven days a week, turn OFF the radio, put the CDs away, shut down your computer and just sit in silence. Then, pick up a pen, get out a piece of paper and write about your day, week, year, life; write down words that mean something to you and hum a tune. You never know, you may just end up with a song to share with your world, however large or small that might be.
I shall dub this 'Heart Beat Music'; the medication that keeps your heart beating, blood pumping and powers the machine that is you, music as life.
Doctor Nayt’s prescription this week is every morning, start the day with a large bowl of 'Heart Beat Music'. It’s delicious, gets your metabolism running full speed and brightens your outlook on life. Don’t miss a day; it’s the most important meal you can have to ensure you enjoy a long and fulfilling life.
