A is for Aerosmith

Long before he ever made it to prime time television, Stephen Tyler was my idol.

Jessica Bell and I have teamed up for the A-Z blogging challenge this year to talk about our musical muses - a band/artist or song that has inspired, or affected us in some way. Without knowing Jessica's list, I can tell you our choices will be vastly different. Expect a lot of 80s cheese from me.

Perhaps more than any other decade, the 80s is imprinted on my memory - high school, first loves, and hairbands.

And then there was AEROSMITH. To this day, I don't have even a fraction of the band's impressive discography on my iPod. I don't even go out of my way to listen to them, though there's a number of songs that take me back to my youth and are still relevant to me today.

But I have been to seven Aerosmith concerts.

Yes, SEVEN.

Back in high school, I went to a lot of concerts. A lot. I've only seen a couple of artists more than once - and next to Aerosmith, nobody else comes close.

So what is it about Aerosmith? Maybe it's an impressive stage show. Or the way Stephen glides across the stage. I have no idea, but I bet when the band announces their 2013 tour dates, I'll be finding a gig close to home.

I like a whole bunch of Aerosmith songs (which I often forget until I hear them again) but I'll leave you with one of my favorites, Dream On.



Of course, I'd be remiss in not mentioning a more recent "A" influence. Much can be learned from the awesomeness that is ADELE. Including the power of song. Singing has helped her crawl from the darkness of a broken relationship, and allowed her the freedom to heal. Her lyrics are brilliant, her voice mesmorizing. And the power of each melody mind-boggling.

Each of Adele's songs evoke emotion, and have affected me in some way. But Set Fire to the Rain is the current track my iPod has on repeat.



So tell me, what "A" musician or song has affected you?

Now, go check out some of the other blogs taking part in the A-Z Blogging challenge, including my Dawn Dalton blog where I'm talking about awesome YA books (and giving away a copy of SPIRITED), and the Most-Wanted Monsters blog where Judith and I are writing poems and talking smack about some creeptastic beasties.

- Dawn


The Book In My Bag Today: Rot & Ruin, Jonathan Mayberry