Growing up, I loved listening to my mom play the organ. It was similar to a piano except it had two rows of keys and bass foot pedals, and the sounds could change with a flip of a colorful switch. I loved the fullness of the sound. I loved the way the bass notes would rattle the windows in the living room and I loved how she would get lost in the music and, from across the room, so would I. She would play songs I didn’t know, songs from “before my time,” but I always appreciated the music for what it was. Music was magic.

I’ve always had a reverence for live music and I’ve always been easily impressed by musicians, singers, and songwriters. My mom had this childhood friend, Keith, who was an extraordinary musician. He was an interesting guy with a hippie-style, long hair, and a carefree attitude. I can remember one particular night when Keith was knocking on the door to visit my mom, unannounced. He just showed up late at night and asked if he could take a shower. My parents, without much of a choice, obliged. The next thing I knew, the house was shaking with the sounds of Keith jamming on the organ. His wet hair was flinging around as he bobbed his head to the music, his feet stomping on the bass pedals. He couldn’t read music, but he could feel it and, in my mind, he was a rock star. Sadly, as so many young artists and the types that “beat to their own drum,” tend to do, he got mixed up with things and passed away too young. It was such a waste of such a brilliant talent.

I’ve loved music as long as I can remember and there is one song that my mom and Keith both played that I still love so much, “A Whiter Shade of Pale” by Procol Harum. The lyrics are poetic and the music has a classical feel with unforgettable and persistent organ. There’s something about this song that just makes me get lost in it whenever I hear it. It’s not a song that I can relate to particularly or a song that comes from my generation of music. But the song does allow me to get lost in a memory and to feel a certain nostalgia.

Having loved live music and always being in awe of it my whole life, I always wanted to learn to play the organ or the piano, but I never did. I did teach myself to play the guitar though, so I can play live music whenever I want. Playing guitar is what I do now to relax and forget about everything else. I may not rattle any windows, but to me it’s still magic.