Billy Joel
The Piano Man. My first concert. My first memory of Billy Joel was We Didn't Start the Fire, but the River of Dreams album made me a fan.
My love of music has a unique history full of happy accidents and coincidences.
The first accident: In seventh grade I signed up for an elective called, “Electronic Music.” Before that, my only experiences with music were some ill-fated saxophone and violin lessons I took in elementary school. The course itself was not anything special. We learned the basics of checking microphone levels, physically splicing tape and operating a mixer between sources. But it triggered something in my mind about the relationship between technology and art.
By summer, the second accident happened. I found an old “Billy Joel - Storm Front,” cassette my cousin had gifted my sister. The two hit songs from that album were “We didn’t start the fire,” and “I go to extremes;” songs two and four on that album. In the era of cassettes, skipping between songs two and four was not a trivial task. It required iterative fast-forwarding and rewinding to queue up the start of the song perfectly.
And that’s the third accident. Out of pure laziness, I started just listening to song three on the album — “Downeaster Alexa.” I had just discovered my first album track. I was a music fan.
And then the fourth stroke of luck— Billy Joel put out his last album ever that summer, and in the fall he started touring to promote it. The following summer (after 8th grade), I saw my first concert — Billy Joel and Elton John at RFK Stadium, inspiring my first-ever piano lesson. My parents were reluctant at best for funding a third attempt at music lessons, but this one stuck. Playing the piano has become a lifelong hobby.
The fifth and final accident happened my sophomore year of college. While I never changed away from my major (Electrical Engineering), a general education class on child psychology changed my life once more. In learning about how hearing and language develop, I gained a whole new insight on the world of psychoacoustics — the study of how the brain processes audio.
With that last accident, music became not just a fun hobby but a piece of my life’s journey. It led to my hearing aid research in graduate school, both of my stints working at automotive audio suppliers, the core storyline for my business school applications, and of course, the inspiration for so many concerts and music lessons since then.
My favorite artists
Here are a few solo artists and bands that have left an impression on me over the course of my life.
Elton John
I've been lucky enough to see Elton John four times over four decades and it amazes me how much he works with new artists and keeps creating.
Presidents of the USA
In the angsty world of 90s grunge, this Seattle-based trio was a breath of fresh air, singing about peaches, dune buggies, boll weevils and toy cars.
Gin Blossoms
Their albums New Miserable Experience and Congratulations, I'm Sorry were the soundtrack to so many afternoons in high school.
The Alkaline Trio
This Chicago-based gothic punk band was unique compared to everything else I like, but I continue to be amazed at what Matt and Dan put out.
Ben Folds
I discovered Ben Folds Five as a college freshman; eventually the Rockin' the Suburbs album became the soundtrack to my senior year.