JPG: Stories: Photo Essay: New Music

New Music

By Melissa Olsen

18 Mar 2008

What song was playing when you last danced/kissed/broke-up/cried/celebrated/sang in the car? I'm sure there is at least one melody that means something special to you... at least one song that makes you tear up every time you hear it? I know that music makes my life richer, my existence in this world less mundane.

My friend (and virtuoso), Justin King, and I had a photo shoot recently. Our journey began at the Goodwill where an old broken piano spoke to us and said "set me free"... then again, maybe we were telling ourselves "set me free". He was working on a new solo album after touring with his band for the past 2 years, and I was just beginning to actually take photography seriously. I think when going through life changes doing something like lighting a piano on fire for the sake of art can be really cathartic.

We learned from the teller at the Goodwill that the piano had been imported from somewhere in the UK and was made in Scotland. It had a broken right leg, was sorely out of tune, it was scratched and dented, and (I'm sure) had been loved and used well in its prior life. We loaded that piano and all of its history into a little Toyota pickup and brought it to the top of a mountain in Eugene, OR where it would meet its fiery end.

Maybe it was just the smoke inhalation or the diesel fumes that made the flaming piano seem so symbolic... or maybe I was having an awakening. Either way, as I listened to the sound of the flames crackling and the tune of the strings breaking, I realized that I have a very narrow view of what beauty is and perhaps a too narrow view of myself. It seems that as much as I love music I haven't really been listening for a while now. So, at the expense of an almost acceptable Scottish piano, comes a fresh start for this American girl. Not much can top that... except for maybe new music.