Dear Lord have mercy, I love bluegrass music.
It’s been an acquired musical taste for me though. It didn’t come easy, sad to say.
When I was a little tyke, my dad blared the bluegrass nasal noise through the speakers with zero regard to anyone else’s feelings.
Why didn’t I go outside or my room to get away? Because we were in the car when he decided to play it. No escape.
Even though I now love bluegrass, as I think back to those times, I still remember those noise-makers as being completely incompetent in their ability to sing and play.
But that viewpoint has changed over time. Maybe it’s because what I listen to now has been my own discovery.
I’ve discovered the various artists and playing styles that suit my fancy, and it happened organically for me.
I chose to pursue the music.
It makes a difference!
At this point in my life, when I listen to bluegrass, I’m in awe.
The speed and accuracy of the picking astounds me.
And not every singer sings nasally. And some of the ones who do sound wonderful.
Coming at this art from an older age gives me a different perspective.
I’m listening to it through new ears.
Part of what changed my perspective is over time, I’ve learned the HISTORY of the area in which I live. The history is amazing.
Just learning the history of my hometown and surrounding area helped my to fall in love with the music.
It’s more than just music, though. I always wanted to live a big city with plenty of things to do. And I was able to do that. I moved away, got married, lived in a large city and was flabbergasted when I came back to the Ozarks.
I wanted to get away from the small-town life and venture out into the world.
One thing that changed my perspective is a video I watched on YouTube. I’ll link it below. It helped me to fall in love with the area and the people and the history.
VIDEO: A Portrait of the Ozarks.
This documentary is split up into Parts 1 & 2.
There are additional videos of the uncut interviews with the local people.
I may write in detail about the videos in a later blog.
These videos turned my mind and heart around about this South Central area of the Missouri Ozark Region.
Being able to look back in time via video and learn about the people who forged a life and worked so hard in this area to make it what it is today completely changed me as a person.
Maybe it was just for me. Maybe I’m the only one who needed to change my mind and have a reality check. But maybe someone else does, too.
If that’s you, consider your hometown again. Learn to embrace who you are.
Blessings,
– Caleb
caneymountainblog.com 