Marc Cohn

Most people that know me know that I'm a huge music fan. I spend a lot of time listening to music both new and old. Most of my friends and family have at some point been on the receiving end of one of my famous/infamous mixed CDs. Some enjoy them and some use them as coasters but that doesn't stop me from churning them out at a rather alarming rate. When I hear a song or artist that I really love my involuntary response is to burn it onto a CD and distribute it to all of my nearest and dearest so they can share in the joy.

One of my favourite artists has always been Marc Cohn. If you don't know who Marc Cohn is then it really calls into question the caliber of your musical tastes. Most common folk would know him best from his big hit which was "Walking in Memphis". Most of his fans (and there aren't enough of them) know him from the four amazing albums he's put out. Being a Marc Cohn fan is definitely not for the impatient or faint of heart since Marc is not exactly a prolific songwriter. He's been around since 1990 and during that time span has put out only four albums. I'll tell you one thing though, when I listen to certain songs of his I think that, quite frankly, if he never wrote another song in his life he's already done more than his fair share.

In case you're wondering why I suddenly feel the need write about my deep and undying affection for Marc Cohn and his music, it's because I just saw him in concert last night and was reminded of what an amazing talent he is. I've seen Marc three times in concert which I think is quite an achievement considering how rarely he tours. The last time I saw him was a couple of years ago and I actually drove to Cleveland to see him because he didn't have a tour stop in Canada. Yeah, I'm pretty hardcore I guess. I remember when I went to the concert and on our way into the venue we had to show identification to verify our age and the bouncer saw my Ontario driver's license and asked shockingly "You came all the way from Ontario to hear this guy?" I thought to myself "clearly you have no idea who 'this guy' is, you idiot. Maybe if you took your Backstreet Boys CD out of heavy rotation in your CD player you'd discover some real music for a change you moron!" Of course I just smiled and continued since I wasn't going to let this guy rain on my parade.

Last night's concert was without a doubt the best concert I've been to. Of course I realize that this sort of thing is all very relative and everybody wants something different from a concert experience. Some people want to be entertained and need bells, whistles and fireworks to really consider a show amazing. That's definitely not what I'm looking for. Sure that's fun once in a while but what I really enjoy is quite simple and that is, good musicians playing good music. The main reason his music is so great is his ability to use his songs to tell stories and to take the listener right there with him. As he was singing one song in particular that I've always loved, but never quite understood, there was a moment where it just all of sudden clicked in my head what he was singing about and it reminded me what great music is all about. It has such an amazing power to connect people and their stories in a really unique and profound way.

I realize that I should close for now before my blog turns into a Marc Cohn fan site but hopefully I've conveyed my thoughts on Marc & his music. If I haven't quite done that then let me know because I've got a mixed CD that might just do the trick.