Latest / Voices for Voices® / How SOUL Music Changed the Way We Dance Forever | Episode 177

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How SOUL Music Changed the Way We Dance Forever | Episode 177 · Voices for Voices®

• 0:03
  Justin Alan Hayes: Welcome to this episode of the Voices for Voices TV show and podcast.
• 0:08
  Justin Alan Hayes: I am your host, Founder and Executive Director of Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes.
• 0:19
  Justin Alan Hayes: I can remember music has been a powerful, strong influence in my life and now, with research backing it up, that from the time we are, uh, we're, you know, in our, our, our, our mother's belly, uh, that we are able to hear, uh, we're able to hear tones, conversation, obviously not understanding that, because we're just starting to develop as a child, as we aren't even born at that point, and so it's well known as parents-to-be to play music, whether that's classical music, calming music for the child-to-be to be a calming influence.
• 1:46
  Justin Alan Hayes: And then, obviously, conversations, even as an adult, having a quieter conversation versus a loud conversation.
• 2:06
  Justin Alan Hayes: That can be helpful.
• 2:08
  Justin Alan Hayes: And music from again, the very, very long time ago since I can really remember, has really impacted me personally, and so that's why we're talking about that in this episode.
• 2:32
  Justin Alan Hayes: That's why we want to share and bring to light for me specifically, me specifically because it has been such a driver at so many different key points in my, in my life, again from when I can, when I can remember, and if we just think back to a, a newborn child, a newborn child, one of the things that asleep, to take that stress level.
• 3:37
  Justin Alan Hayes: Obviously, if the child's hungry or thirsty and that the music isn't going to have quite the big impact, the music isn't going to have quite the big impact but, all other things being equal, the music really can and does.
• 3:57
  Justin Alan Hayes: I even think, with my daughter, so many of the toys as she was growing up have sound, have music, and I think back to the time when my wife's belly that the music that we would either, well, that we would play, and even the reading of stories, again, just that calming effect.
• 4:38
  Justin Alan Hayes: And I really notice, notice as a new dad, how quickly my daughter took to my voice in the early days, the early even now, how important that is.
• 5:04
  Justin Alan Hayes: And it's almost like I can see her zone in a little bit and think to herself, while maybe not thinking to herself, you know, maybe more of a subconscious thing of I've heard that voice before.
• 5:27
  Justin Alan Hayes: I've heard that voice before and that's where you know we talk about the sound of sound of music and in that, that importance.
• 5:41
  Justin Alan Hayes: So in my life, from as early as I can remember, music was introduced to me first in church, really Go to mass, and there was the organ.
• 5:58
  Justin Alan Hayes: Sometimes there was a guitar as well as singing to accompany that, along with the prayers and recitations.
• 6:10
  Justin Alan Hayes: Yeah, so that was something that really stuck with me, even so much that many years ago 43 right now but in my formative years, as I was growing up, one of the cantors, one of the singers soloists that I remember from way back when had such a powerful influence when I was at church when she would sing that I wanted her to be able to participate when my wife and I were married in that excuse me, very same church and right, there is a connection.
• 7:09
  Justin Alan Hayes: Many, many years go by, but in my mind, my mind's eye, in my memory bank, we'll call it I remember that voice.
• 7:21
  Justin Alan Hayes: I remember the one specific song, alleluia, that she would sing in a certain manner.
• 7:31
  Justin Alan Hayes: It was just real powerful and it was just like you have hairs on your arm and your back like lifting up, like, oh, wow, this is something special.
• 7:45
  Justin Alan Hayes: So that was really the first time that, as I reflect that, music really came into my life, and so that was church, church music.
• 8:02
  Justin Alan Hayes: And then, when we talk about and think about music outside a church that we might hear on the radio or may hear on.
• 8:15
  Justin Alan Hayes: Now, you know, I guess, guess, spotify or an Apple, and instead of, you know, we had at that point when I was growing up we had what they call the Walkman, and so there was a tape that would go into this little cassette and it would close, and then there'd be a button for play, there'd be a button for pause and I think there was a button for rewind and maybe fast forward, and then I think there was an eject button too.
• 8:49
  Justin Alan Hayes: So when you wanted to switch out a tape, you could.
• 8:55
  Justin Alan Hayes: You could do that, and so the music I guess that I was drawn to was a beat, we'll call it.
• 9:10
  Justin Alan Hayes: Yeah, they incorporated many different instruments, not just one, not just a guitar, not just a vocalist, but a guitar, a bass, a piano, violin, you know, and the strings were added that had such a profound influence of just bringing things together at an orchestra level.
• 9:44
  Justin Alan Hayes: And so those were the types of bands that at first I was, I was drawn to, and I remember one of my very, very first concerts, and so I was kind of taking that step from just that listening, either at home, or the skating rink was big when I was growing up and we'd go skating and there'd be songs that I would recognize there as well.
• 10:20
  Justin Alan Hayes: But actually going to a concert, seeing a performer, listening to them, was something new.
• 10:27
  Justin Alan Hayes: And the first two performances that I remember the first one you know my dad now he has passed, however I remember watching.
• 10:48
  Justin Alan Hayes: I believe it was on the old VH1.
• 10:51
  Justin Alan Hayes: They would have kind of the behind the music or the unplug and Phil Collins was playing and singing on this particular episode.
• 11:04
  Justin Alan Hayes: I don't know what it was about the episode, I don't know what it was, I don't know what song it was, but something was really drawing me closer to the music, whether that was following the beat in my mind or the different.
• 11:24
  Justin Alan Hayes: They call them riffs, so what chords they play for guitar or any instrument that would have it.
• 11:34
  Justin Alan Hayes: And so that really did two things at the time.
• 11:41
  Justin Alan Hayes: One, when I found out that Phil Collins was coming to Cleveland, which was the old it was Gund Arena at the time, the arena that that's now Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse I I wanted to go, I wanted to go to the concert and at the time I didn't have a job and I can't remember if I was driving age or not, because I may have been, because my mind's a little foggy, but I'm thinking that I told my parents like I'm going to go regardless if I can't find somebody to go with me.
• 12:30
  Justin Alan Hayes: My sister at the time that wasn't really her thing, the music that she liked, and obviously we all have different tastes and an artist that we like, and so my dad ended up going with me to the concert and it was so cool.
• 12:54
  Justin Alan Hayes: At first concert we had we had really great seats.
• 13:19
  Justin Alan Hayes: Thinking back to how much those had to have cost, coming from lower middle class, if not even lower than that, how much money had to be saved to purchase the tickets and then to actually go, you know, to think about it.
• 13:28
  Justin Alan Hayes: It really, you know, makes me emotional, thinking about that, especially with Dad in heaven now that, especially with Dad in heaven now.
• 13:50
  Justin Alan Hayes: So the first part of the concert and of how that behind the music with Phil Collins touched me, impacted me.
• 13:53
  Justin Alan Hayes: So I went to the concert.
• 13:55
  Justin Alan Hayes: We had seats that were pretty close to the stage.
• 14:00
  Justin Alan Hayes: It was one of these circular stages that rotated at a slow speed because it had a huge band, lots of instruments, which is another reason I loved it, as I mentioned, and so we were able to see as the stage was turning, and so that was another new new thing.
• 14:23
  Justin Alan Hayes: I was thinking a static stage, you know, either a triangle or some type of a shape that stays put.
• 14:32
  Justin Alan Hayes: Well, we get to the show and we had my dad and I, we had, uh, I believe we had aisle seats, if not an aisle seat, we had aisle seats, because I don't remember anybody sitting next to us to where the steps were, and so the entrance of a performer is something that is always interesting, and this is what probably started it for me, and what that was is, you know, the lights go out, some music, some beats start playing and everybody's cheering and wondering.
• 15:22
  Justin Alan Hayes: You know where Phil Collins is at, where is he gonna, you know, rise up onto the stage?
• 15:28
  Justin Alan Hayes: How's that gonna happen?
• 15:29
  Justin Alan Hayes: And sure enough, and you can't make these things up the aisle right next to in our row, uh, there was a spotlight that came down and we looked up, so we were probably maybe five rows from the floor level, and so we saw the spotlight and we literally turned just to our right and obviously there's a spotlight, and here comes a gentleman.
• 16:03
  Justin Alan Hayes: He's got a suit, coat, a hat, a microphone, and here's Phil Collins walking through the crowd all the way up to the stage he had this, you know security and with him and you know, at the time, you don't know to ex, I didn't know what to expect in general.
• 16:27
  Justin Alan Hayes: So when that actually happened, I was like, oh my gosh, that was so cool and this was at a time when, you know, cell phones really weren't around so they're know to try to take a picture, take a video and all that.
• 16:42
  Justin Alan Hayes: It was one of these moments that was, and still is, instilled in my mind and that was awesome.
• 16:53
  Justin Alan Hayes: The concert was was awesome.
• 16:55
  Justin Alan Hayes: Phil played just about every instrument and he played the drums, he played guitar for a song, he played a bass, played the keyboard.
• 17:04
  Justin Alan Hayes: It was just so awesome, just as watching a true musician, the fact that he was able to play so many instruments.
• 17:17
  Justin Alan Hayes: It was really just set that stage.
• 17:20
  Justin Alan Hayes: And then the second part you know being there with my dad and writing.
• 17:30
  Justin Alan Hayes: So there are songs that are playing and people are having a good time.
• 17:33
  Justin Alan Hayes: They're clapping and cheering and you know kind of doing.
• 17:37
  Justin Alan Hayes: You know the dance.
• 17:38
  Justin Alan Hayes: You know the Trump and the dance the Trump YMCA dance wasn't really a thing yet, it was quite many years prior to that and to see my dad truly just having a good time.
• 17:58
  Justin Alan Hayes: And he was dancing and I was just, you know, kind of a little bit of embarrassed but I was like this is so, so cool.
• 18:05
  Justin Alan Hayes: He's having such a great time, I'm having such a great time.
• 18:08
  Justin Alan Hayes: What a first, you know, concert experience for this to happen.
• 18:15
  Justin Alan Hayes: Uh, it was just, it was very, very impactful, so much.
• 18:22
  Justin Alan Hayes: So I remember, you know, definitely the entrance, which was just incredible, the instruments that Phil played, being there with my dad, him taking hard-earned money that he could have spent on other things for our family, and that was the one, one of the things at the time that he chose to spend money on.
• 18:47
  Justin Alan Hayes: And again, it was the seats weren't inexpensive, they were really, really great seats and and it was just an all-around fun time.
• 19:02
  Justin Alan Hayes: So I got to see how much time we have, right, because we don't want to go over our time.
• 19:09
  Justin Alan Hayes: Okay, we have.
• 19:10
  Justin Alan Hayes: So we're working on a new camera right now, so that's why I'm doing that.
• 19:18
  Justin Alan Hayes: So it looks like we have about eight minutes or so to close out this episode.
• 19:26
  Justin Alan Hayes: So this is actually going to turn into two episodes because of the content we have, which is it's fun to think about, it's fun to think back, I assume my dad was alive and when we were able to kind of share in that bond of father-son, being able to just be together having some great music and, as I mentioned, to see Phil walking down the steps through the crowd, obviously not knowing before that that that was going to happen, that when it did it was all the more special and it really gave me a profound sense of a true musician.
• 20:16
  Justin Alan Hayes: A musician can be an individual that plays one instrument or many instruments.
• 20:24
  Justin Alan Hayes: An artist or an individual that's able to play more than one instrument is just it kind of.
• 20:35
  Justin Alan Hayes: It kind of blows my mind in a sense, because each instrument's just a little bit different.
• 20:43
  Justin Alan Hayes: You know there's some similarities too with rhythm, but you know if you're playing a violin, you got a bow, that you're playing the violin.
• 20:54
  Justin Alan Hayes: If you're playing the drums, you have the drumsticks, you have the guitar you have.
• 20:57
  Justin Alan Hayes: You know it could be an acoustic guitar, it could be electric, it could be acoustic electric.
• 21:02
  Justin Alan Hayes: It could be six string could be 12 string.
• 21:05
  Justin Alan Hayes: A bass could be four.
• 21:07
  Justin Alan Hayes: It could be more set up like a guitar to look like, or it could be like the, the old school bass that you know the, the orchestras have, and so that was.
• 21:20
  Justin Alan Hayes: That was just so cool to see that in person.
• 21:28
  Justin Alan Hayes: You know, we have so much, so much auto-tune affecting voices and in that, and there are songs that I do like where the individual is just a singer and might not play an instrument.
• 21:49
  Justin Alan Hayes: But I really have that true appreciation when somebody is able to play multiple instruments, because that takes just so much talent to be able to do that.
• 22:07
  Justin Alan Hayes: I play the guitar a little bit.
• 22:09
  Justin Alan Hayes: I play the easy chords, the ones you just kind of learn at the beginning of learning to play guitar.
• 22:21
  Justin Alan Hayes: So I'm nowhere near a soloist and being able to build out, you know, sweet Child of Mine and the solo that comes with it, among others.
• 22:37
  Justin Alan Hayes: So it's just really incredible how I'm here 25, 30 years later and I remember that time with my dad at the Phil Collins concert and how I tied it back to that.
• 23:04
  Justin Alan Hayes: Behind the Music or the Unplugged I'm not sure the exact name of the show, but it was he was sitting down and the band members, they were sitting down and there was a small audience there, you know.