Songs as Writing Inspiration

I don't know why but when I write nonfiction I write in utter silence. The less distractions the better but when I write fiction I like to listen to music.

Sometimes it's an entire album by a particular singer and other times it's just one song over and over until I finish writing a particular scene. The music helps me get into the mind of a character and the emotions of a scene.

And one of my all-time favorite bands for just about everything is Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers. I first time I saw them was when I was in college at St. Lawrence University up in Canton, NY. For those of you unfamiliar with Upstate NY, think a 30-minute drive from the Canadian border and LOTS of snow. We even sung both national anthems at school that's how north we were!



Stephen Kellogg braved it up there to play at our little java house. It's a wooden little building with a small stage and some room for a handful of chairs and that's about it. I had never heard of the band but it was a usual freezing winter night and instead of walking all the way downtown for a beer, I headed into the java house for some coffee and free tunes with a handful of my friends. And that's when I first heard Stephen and it was instant musical love. In addition to great tunes the band is also hilarious on stage so I highly recommend checking them out in person if you're ever able to. You won't regret it!

NPR recently had the band on for a performance which I regrettably missed due to work hours but it's been posted online for all to enjoy. So whether you're also a fan or interested in taking a look, whether his storytelling might spur your own or just help you through a bad commute back home, I wanted to share.

Here's the link to take a listen. Enjoy!

And, of course, if you have any musical recommendations send em' over!