LAST CONCERT ATTENDED: Locally, I see a lot of live music -- Florence has a great music scene with tons of talent. In fact, I just saw Slug's Revenge, Speakeasy, Dylan Sneed, Sarah Harrelson, and Rachel Riner all in the same weekend. Rachel Riner is now my favorite new musical discovery -- we have local talent that is on par with top-selling national acts. The last national/touring act I saw was actually quite some time ago. That would have been Levon Helm with Jenny Lewis at the Hollywood Bowl last summer. I used to travel to Los Angeles frequently for work, so I went alone and had a box seat. It was a really incredible once-in-a-lifetime experience.
SONG THAT INSPIRES ME: At the risk of being corny, I will say “Don’t Dream It’s Over” by Crowded House is a song that always evokes a lot emotion from me. I’ve heard a hundred people “cover” it, and it always brings a little tear to my eye. It’s hard to know exactly what he’s talking about, if anything specific at all, which I think is what makes it a great song. The line, “They come to build a wall between us, we know they won’t win” means something different to every listener depending on what they are going through. But it’s a relatable idea for anyone. If you will indulge me a second choice, the other one is even cornier. “The Living Years” by Mike and the Mechanics always gets me. The line, “You can listen as well as you hear,” I think, is a smack over the head in lyric form. Paul Carrack melts me no matter what he sings. He is a criminally underrated vocalist.
ALL-TIME FAVORITE SONGS (AT LEAST 3): “Just Like Heaven” by The Cure; “Wish You Were Here” by Ryan Adams; “Tempted” by Squeeze; “Breathe (Breathe in The Air) by Pink Floyd; “Sometimes Salvation” by the Black Crowes; “Two Strangers” by Stephanie Fagan (I liked that one so much, I started a record label.)FAVORITE COMPOSER/ARTIST OR BAND AND WHY: An impossible question for someone like me. Lots of bands are my favorite band for very different reasons and at very different times in my life. I have a hundred favorite bands.
GENRE I JUST DON'T GET: The things that don’t interest me are usually because they are obviously contrived and devoid of any soul or thought or meaning. It doesn’t have to be deep, but it does need to be interesting. As a result, I don’t really pay attention to the “hits” on the radio that everyone else seems to know. If music is intentionally synthesized, as in with keyboards or whatever, that’s fine. It’s more when it’s trying to pass itself off as organic music, when it’s clearly had a lot of “help,” if you know what I mean. I feel about music the way other people feel about Star Wars – Yoda was far cooler as a puppet than as a digitally animated effect.
ARTIST/BAND I'D PAY GOOD MONEY TO HEAR IN PERSON: I’ve seen more than my fair share of concerts, and I’ve been lucky to see most of the “legends” in some form or another, as well as just about all of my favorite bands. But if someone were to invent a time machine, they could make good money off me, by transporting me to the actual “Last Waltz” concert, which was the final performance of The Band. They were joined by an outrageous cast, including Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Van Morrison, all when they were in their prime. It would be a priceless experience.-- Missy Davis Jones is the owner/operator of the independent record label Yonder Music, which recently released its first record, "Heart Thief" by singer-songwriter Stephanie Fagan. She and her husband, Ken, also own and operate Southern Harmony Recording Studio. Missy is a New Jersey native, who got her first taste of the music business as a teenager, photographing a popular South Jersey indie rock band called Blacklight Violets. She relocated to Florence four years ago from Los Angeles.