Ethereal tones, the center of my world

I'm currently listening to one of my favorite Phish songs, Character Zero, and it makes me think about life and where I currently am in life today. It is by far one of my favorite songs by the band and it always is a way to lift up my mood and make my day a little brighter, especially when I'm not having that great of a day. Music has given me something to lean back on and to count on, and one thing about it that is different than anything else is that it will never go away. It will be there through anything, to get people through hard times or just provide them with moments of pleasure. It can also give people something to look forward to, such as myself. I can't stop thinking about seeing them in NYC on New Year's Eve, with all of my friends and family. It's going to be a New Year's Eve to remember, once again.

Funny enough, Phish actually is one of the reasons why I got into Skidmore College. In my art class junior year, I had been working on an art project that was based off of the Phish song "Divided Sky", and had created a work of art based off of what I saw and felt in my head. I decided to write about this experience of turning one form of art (music) into another (art piece). Whenever I heard colors, I would draw them onto my art piece. When I heard a C major chord, I would draw specific colors that it made me think of, in the order that I heard them. My art piece ended up being put into an art show in my school and was looked upon highly by the art and music teachers. The experience that I had with two art forms of which I have so much passion and energy for is just unexplainable.

Essentially, music is the core of everything, living and un-living. It depends on how a person looks at the world and incorporates their music in their life. It affects my past, present, and future and will continue to for the rest of my life.

A relatable Atmosphere

One of the main reasons why I chose to go to Skidmore College was because of the atmosphere in and surrounding the college, particularly the amazing town of Saratoga Springs. I remember I fell in love with the school and town the first time I visited, and those feelings only grew stronger as time passed. I couldn't figure out exactly what I liked about the atmosphere as a whole, but from residing here for the past few months, I have been able to figure it out more and more. For one thing, a few mornings ago I was walking through my dorm hallway and heard the song "Fire in the Mountain" (A Grateful Dead Song) blasting in the common room. Most school's would not have old music such as Grateful Dead playing in the public common room, and would also most likely not have multiple people standing around to watch it. Being that old rock is becoming less and less popular as time goes on, finding people that can appreciate the same musical talent as my self is something I find very satisfying. Phish and Grateful Dead fans are a very unique breed of people, and it is nice to be able to relate to other people about my own musical interests.

This same thing happened while I was walking in downtown Saratoga. We were walking past an outdoor bar and the song "Farmhouse" (one of my favorite Phish songs) was playing. Another thing that you would not find in Suffolk County Long Island! It is a great feeling to see that not only can I relate to people in my school, but also to people in my town.

I also recently found out that the guitarist of Phish, Trey Anastasio, has a house in Saratoga and the band played a show at Skidmore College in the 1990s. The fact that my favorite band actually played at my school means a lot to me and I can't think of anywhere else I would want to be at this point in my life.