The power of music

No other art form has the ability that music does to reflect the human experience and touch the human spirit. Never was that fact more obvious to me than it was this weekend.

The setting: a car ride northbound on the NYS Thruway on a dreary and cold late morning. I was returning from a breakfast meeting in Woodstock and my traveling companion was a near-stranger; a professional contact accompanying me in hopes of lending a hand in any future project that could arise from this particular session.

Being in that gap of the Catskills where WDST is lost and the Albany stations don't yet kick in yet, it was time for a CD. I offered up the newest Mountain Goats release, which was greeted with a "never heard of 'em, let's give it a listen."

The track Matthew 25:21 -- a forlorn tribute to a dying cancer victim -- certainly proved my original point, as this woman burst into full-blown tears at its conclsusion. An apology was offered; met with a "none needed."

If you're ever in the mood for a gut wrenching experience, light up a cigarette, start taking sips from a bottle of good scotch, and take a listen yourself to this track. Even if you don't smoke or drink. You'll see exactly what I mean.