Music in the Morning

I doubt most of you have heard of this song.  It's "Sound System" by Operation Ivy, an early ska band.  For those who don't know, ska is a form of music combining punk and reggae that originated in the late 1980's.  This is a song that gets your blood pumping, and it's about listening to music to get you in a better mood.

In late 1991 and early '92, I lived on the living room floor of a tiny apartment on Alabama Street in Huntington Beach, California.  On the couch, a few feet away, slept Bill Grad, BMX racer and industry guy.  In the single bedroom slept one Chris Moeller, a young BMX racer and crazy jumper who ran a small company, called S&M Bikes, out of the garage.  The whole apartment was eight feet wide, long and skinny, which is why we called it the "Winnebago."  Every morning, Chris' girlfriend at the time would step over me on her way out to go to work.  About the same time, Bill would get up and get off to his job.  A couple hours later, Chris would wake up, take a leak, and then crank up the stereo.  That was the official start of the business day for S&M Bikes.  It was music to wake up to, get the blood pumping, shake off a mild hangover, and get ready for another day of selling bikes.  He had a limited selection of music, cassettes (remember those?) of Green Day's "Kerplunk,"  Pegboy's "Strong Reaction," or a compilation tape called "The Big One" which included tracks by Green Day, The Offspring, Clawhammer, Pop Defect, and some other little known bands of the day.

When you're unemployed, or struggling with a job far below your skill level, mornings can be really depressing.  You wake up and think, "Nooooooo! Not the same ol' shit AGAIN!"  Right then is the time to crank up some music to get you moving and into a better mood.  In addition to 90's power punk like Bad Relgion's "Punk Rock Song," and Face to Face's "Disconnected, Boston's "More Than a Feeling," Matisyahu's "King Without a Crown" (live at Stubb's version on You Tube), Amanda Palmer's "Ukulele Anthem," are some of my favorites.  It doesn't matter what you listen to, find that one or two songs that literally get you moving and change your mood.  Once your attitude is in a better place, start thinking of how you're going to improve your situation.  Take the words of this Operation Ivy song to heart:

"Sound system gonna pick me back up... (it's the) one thing I can depend on." 

You are now free to go on with your day.