It comes from the blues.

Every time I listen to a song in the genre called "the blues" I remember why I play music.

Past all the spotless production sheen, fancy image tricks, and sex appeal, there is an energy that us musician get to channel. A restless spirit which is contained inside each inspirational note. You see it really doesn't matters when you played, where you played, how much you were payed to play, or why you played. It's all about the restless cry that exists in the way Miles Davis made his trumpet cry, Muddy Waters made his harmonica scream, and Jimi Hendrix made his guitar scream. The sound is intoxicating and it pulls me into it like a siren. I want to be a part of it. I want to conect to that open channel, and I know I'm not alone.

It's odd, but when you're up on stage and the audience is full of people. It doesn't matter how much you practiced or how fancy your musical tools are there is an energy that connects everybody. Sometimes it's hard to dial into it, but when you can there is very little on this earth that is better than that. But it's really quite a wonderful thing. The music which really makes a difference gets past silly things which divide us like genre or language or politics. Rage Against the Machine was a powerful protest band not because the lyrics were incredibly insightful, but because their music had that "blues" spirit in it. Next thing you know the children of very same white republicans they were raging against we're chanting along to Bulls on Parade.

It means something. Even without words. And when you combine powerful words with that super powerful music...

it changed this kids life