When I was around 11 or 12 I was sitting in my dad’s truck with him, my mom, my brother and me. We had the radio turned to KSHE 95, the classic rock station for St. Louis. I remember a specific song called “Bertha” by the Grateful Dead coming on, and I saw my dad turn the radio up and turn around to face me and my brother. “This is such a great song,” he said, and my brother and I put down our phones and actually listened to the song. I instantly fell in love with the song and the band in general. After that car ride, “Bertha” became known as “our song” and every time it came on we’d sing along and dance to the music.

After Jerry Garcia died, the lead singer of the band “The Grateful Dead”, the group semi-disbanded. Some of the members that were still alive created a new band called “The Dead and Company”. They replaced the lead singer, Jerry Garcia with John Mayer, a very popular singer. In 2020 my dad had the opportunity to go see The Dead and Company in concert. He considered going to see them with my mom, but she hates jam bands. Jam bands are bands that play a lot of instrumental music with no words in the middle of a song. So since my mom didn’t want to go, my dad had an extra ticket and he needed to find someone to go with him. I offered to go with him because I listened to a lot of Grateful Dead after my dad introduced them to me. He hesitated for a while but eventually said yes and that I could go with him. The concert came to be a life-altering experience and it remained unforgettable. The atmosphere and the people there were nothing like I’d ever seen. Everyone appeared so happy and nobody judged you for dancing or singing along. During the concert I watched a man probably in his mid-seventies break dancing to one of the slowest songs ever, and no one batted an eye at it.

After that concert, music became my whole life. I branched out from The Grateful Dead and began listening to a lot of alternative rock. But rock isn’t the only genre I listen to, I also listen to a lot of folk music.

My uncle, Zach Baumann, is among the most successful people I’ve ever met. He’s continuously proving just what he’s capable of, and he’s one of the people I look up to most. In addition, Zach’s also in a band called “A Brothers Fountain.” They are a band of, what they like to call, “a rag-tag group of best buds”. They are some of the best and happiest people I’ve ever met, and their music’s so amazing. The first time I went to see them in concert we were under a bridge, and they were playing on one side of the bridge while we all sat on the other side. After the first time I saw them, I listened to them constantly, and it makes me so happy to hear their music daily. In August of 2023, my dad and I flew up to Colorado to attend a small festival ABF puts on every year called “Jamaland.” They invite a bunch of, usually local, small artists and allow them to perform with ABF. The energies always so upbeat and happy, and it’s still one of the best experiences of my life. We stayed up in Colorado for two days watching the festival take place and it had been amazing to hear all of the artists. Being around all of these people who are so happy and just want to share their music makes for a breathtaking experience. A Brothers Fountain holds, and always will hold, a special place in my heart and I can’t wait to see them again.

My mom, however, we don’t always get along. I believe it’s because I’m so much like my dad that me and my mom don’t have a lot to bond over. But, music is one of the few things me and my mom have connected over. The band The Head and The Heart is one of the bands me and my mom both love. Their music and their lyrics always go so deep, and they tell stories with their lyrics. Me and my mom have gone to see The Head and The Heart twice in concert. The first time, we were in the Toyota Music Factory and it was such a magical experience. The second time we were at the Stockyards and it was SUCH an amazing time. I can’t find the words to describe how much I enjoyed this concert. Everything was upbeat and my mom and I bonded more than ever. The band allowed us to grow our relationship and have something that we can relate to each other through. I’m forever grateful for my mom and how much we’ve connected over this past year through music. I hope that we continue to find artists we both like so we can grow in our relationship.

Music’s always played a huge part in my life, and I’m always open to trying new music, even if it’s not something I’d usually listen to. I love it when people share their music with me, and I always try and recommend artists to my friends. When I went through the hardest time of my life back in 2022, music became a safe space that I could always run to. Music’s something I can relate to even if I don’t completely understand the emotions that I’m feeling. The singer Matt Maeson continues to help me through so many tough times and his lyrics continuously hit me hard. Especially the song Rational, that song always allowed me to disconnect from reality and take a break. 

I believe music’s one of the most influential things on Earth. It can help people connect with each other, dissociate from reality or just to feel happy. I’m sure I’ll go through more tough times, but I know music will always be there for me. And in the words of Bob Weir, “If you get confused, just listen to the music play.”