The importance of music

Today's post is going to be completely a plug for some music.  Why?  I think it is important.  As some of you know, I mostly listen to talk radio during my daily commutes to work.  Politics, sports, news, whatever.  I listen to music on weekends.  However, sometimes I cannot listen to talk radio anymore.  When times are tougher, I prefer music.  I found this out last summer when our dog died.  I've been finding this out more and more as this adventure continues.  It can't be just anything however, as the wrong music makes things worse.


That's why today I'm plugging some "right" music.   I met Aubrey Cartwright briefly a few times when we was living in South Carolina as a friend of a friend.  Pharmacy is a small world.  However, what I didn't know was that her husband Jeff "Hoss" Cartwright, had been on the same journey with Hodgkin's Lymphoma that I am now on, only basically a few years ahead of me, and now in remission.   Through the friend in South Carolina, I was put in touch with them, and Aubrey and Jeff have become a tremendous source of information and inspiration for me.  It has honestly been really great for me to hear from them about all the things that I should expect, many of which have already become realities of my new life.  


What I found out later was that while Hoss and I have some similar interests, a very unique talent he has (that I absolutely do not share) is musical creativity.  Aubrey had told me about this CD, and how it came to be, and how it really became quite a major project involving production and guest musicians.  She sent me the following link:  http://www.hosscartwright.com/  (and she officially gave me permission to pimp it here, thereby satisfying my self-imposed privacy policy).  The CD is "Ramblings Before Chemo."

I happened to have some iTunes gift cards, so I downloaded the whole thing that night.  I was absolutely amazed at how much I liked it.  I listened to it every day during the week's commute on my drive.


This is not just some talented guy playing his guitar in a room and recording his singing.  It really and truly is a very complete set of songs with amazing accompaniment.  I tried to think of how I might explain the genre, and luckily, I don't have to.   He gives his own explanation on his website, as noted below.

Hootie and The Blowfish meets Deliverance. The Debut release from Singer/Songwriter Hoss Cartwright, "Ramblings Before Chemo" features catchy Acoustic Pop sounds with a dash of country thrown in here and there for good measure. His lyrics are light hearted if not tongue in cheek glances into love, loss, and lust.

With songs written over 15 years, "Ramblings Before Chemo" was recorded while Hoss was undergoing Chemotherapy and Radiation in 2007. With influences ranging from Jimmy Buffett and Ryan Adams to David Gray and Dave Matthews, the songs range from the more country "Player in left field" to the Hootie-esqe "Don't fix it when it's Broken".

 If you are interested, you can "try before you buy" on the website.  As I said, I bought the whole thing from iTunes and dig it.  You can also order a CD there.  If you are looking for something new, I officially recommend this CD.  Enjoy!