La La Land

I truly believe that I experience music differently than most people. For example, when I hear a song, I not only hear it, but I can associate it to a time and a place.

For example, the song Fireflies by Owl City, I hear it and I am driving on the 5 in LA. I literally get absorbed and lost in this song, seeing LA, and remembering the first time I heard this.

I associate the songs So What by Pink, Hot 'N Cold by Katy Perry, and Just Dance by Lady Gaga to my first DCP, driving around with my friend Catrina and going on our crazy adventures.

The first time I heard the song The Phantom of the Opera was during a band competition trip to Gilroy my sophomore year of high school, though I more closely associate it to my senior year band trip to Reno.

The soundtracks from Wicked and from Jekyll and Hyde are soundtracks I listened to when I first moved to San Diego in 2005.

Music from Final Fantasy, particular Zanakand from FFX reminds me of time times I spent in La Jolla with my friends from UCSD, actually so does the music from Battlestar Galactica now that I think of it.

Regina Spektor takes me to the time I spent living in Napa, working at my first Starbucks store, I worked a lot of early morning shifts, and I would listen to this CD rather loudly at 3:30 in the morning.

One of my most favorite songs is Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus and I saw the world premiere live on the Teen Choice Awards when I was living in El Cajon in 2009.

Other artists that hold some significance to me are Good Charlotte, Gwen Stefani, Paramore, The Black Eyed Peas, Sia, music from Cirque du Soleil, Danny Elfman, music from Disney, music from Sea World,  Dream Theater, Gorillaz, Hanz Zimmer, John Barry, John Williams, Howard Shore, James Newton Howard, Josh Gorban, and James Horner.

The last song I am going to mention specifically has probably the most significance to me. Right after Brianna passed away in 2007, her mom called me and asked if I had recently looked at the last pictures we had taken together. I told her I had my own copies, but she insisted that I look at the ones that Brianna had posted on her facebook page, that are still public and I am tagged in. Brianna has posted the lyrics to Avril Lavigne's Keep Holding On to the pictures, and these are some of my most precious pictures I have with her.

I really do think music affects me deeper than it does to other people. I can feel music flow through me, I can see music as it happens, sort of like a Fantasia in my own head, or what I decide to project (as the cylons would say).