Music to write to: Lowercase noises

Andy Othling makes music you can lose yourself in and to be honest, really inspires me to try and sing. If there’s any takeaway from this brief description, take away that... that to me, I would love to write lyrics and sing with this guy playing live. Imagine one guy, with a laptop and a pedal board that is worth more than a decent down payment for a car, creating worlds of music with just those tools... that’s what you get with Lowercase Noises.

Tracks are often slow and swell to gigantic proportions to the point where I’ve found myself vocalizing in the car because I don’t want to hold back. It’s music to close your eyes to and find your inner vessel and travel through your imagination. For me it’s beautiful noise made by the soul... a vast blank canvas just begging to be written over.

I came across Andy by way of Twitter and when I listened to a sample, I wrote and asked where I should start. Although he didn’t reply, that could be due to my message getting lost in the avalanche of communications he may be receiving or because it should definitely be up to the listener to decide what they listen to and share. It’s like someone asking me what to read of what I’ve written... a question that just posting it that way baffles me because although I’m only starting to publish, I’ve been writing consistently on several blogs and even participated in some competitions for years. The fact remains I felt compelled to listen to the albums Blake, Vivian and Marshall in that order, three albums dedicated to his three kids. Although I’m probably going to buy and listen to most of his music, I think these choices were excellent as a starting point because anytime someone dedicates something they do to someone they love, it’s not just their name that’s being put on the line, it’s the name of those you love, and although you can risk your reputation, you’d never do that to a loved one.

The results were fantastic, each set of songs has its personality and throughout I was amazed that what I was listening to was Andy going at this solo... and you don’t have to believe it... you can check his youtube channel to see how he constructs these wonderful soundscapes. He recently did a promotion where you could have downloaded all his music for free and he just wanted to share his music with as many people as possible... I paid for each album and will pay for all other music I listen from him, because it’s worth the price of admission.

I also paid for the music because Andy gave up a well paying job to pursue his passion: making music. his journey has had ups and downs, trials, tribulations, self discovery, exploration and connection... and that's where his music became something special to me, even though I've only recently come into contact with it. This is music made by his own standards, by his own rules, following his own inner compass. It is not made to please any exec, it's not meant to sell a gazillion dollars... its intent is to express, to inspire and to connect. 

He is an independent artist... and guess what? So am I. So are a lot of people. I didn't have to jump through hoops to publish Only Human... I just had to write it, be true to my vision and story and put it out there. No compromise, no half assing, just my heart and soul put into my story and telling as many people as I can of my first published book. Listening to Andy's music and reading his story, I'm more determined than ever to pursue my vision of what I want to write although I'm still fearful of that step he took... one that could very well shape the rest of my life. Then again, I read how he wasn't happy with his job and how he didn't want to continue settling, something I can most certainly identify with... and I feel inspired. 

I share this with you, not just because he asked people to. I do it because I’m just honored to have you on this site, regardless whether you bought my book, have read my short stories or have enjoyed other posts on this blog or any other blog I might have written on. I have a commitment to connecting and just knowing these letters swam through someone’s retinas, well what else could I ask for?

So cheers dear friends, by all means, keep connecting. If you like what you read, refer the blog or give Only Human to someone as a digital gift. If you like what you hear of Andy or any of the other artists I post on here, share. And if you like what you live, smile.

Peace, love and maki rolls.

JD