Return to the Garage

Where did most of our learning about playing in a band occur? That's right, in our parent's garage! God bless my mom and dad; they endured mini-earthquakes that shook our tiny home in Fullerton, made by cranked guitars and drums. I'm sure the music we were trying to create wasn't fully in tune or on the beat. But we had a dream,  and it was to become the best players we could be.

Nowadays, a person off the street can pick up a guitar, squelch out a few notes into an auto-tuner, don a pair of skinny jeans and a bed-head hairdo, and make it big as a pop star. Thanks to the fast-track to fame, shows like American Idol and the X Factor crank out factory-made performers--not unlike steroid-induced chickens that are rushed from incubator to market in what seems like a week. The problem with this is that the wanna be performers miss the all-important period of learning to walk (musically speaking) and the chance to make mistakes in obscurity, to experiment, fail again, and develop the creative prowess and stamina that will bring longevity to their career. Tell me, beside the obvious few, where are all the TV talent show winners now?

Dave Grohl, leader of the Foo Fighters and former drummer of Nirvana (can you believe it'll be 18 years in April that Kurt Cobain passed away?), returned to the garage--literally--to record the Grammy-winning recording Wasting Light. I think it was cool that they decided to connect with their early days of working out songs in a sweaty garage, next to the trash cans and lawn mower (Grohl's studio/garage was probably a bit more high tech).

It's hard to beat the mean streets when it comes to attaining a true, hardscrabble-wrought career as a songwriter and musician. Yes, I'll admit to using a computer to record music. But what Grohl said in his Grammy speech, after winning Best Rock Album last weekend, was awesome. Standing with his band mates at the podium, he encouraged the younger generation, with hopes of one day becoming artists, to work out their dreams the hard and true way--through relying on heart and soul, not machines, short-cuts or phony methods. AMEN!

Check out what Dave Grohl said in his Grammy speech below...