Dizzy. Miles. Thelonious. You think anyone that jammed and recorded with all three would know a thing or two about change and how it reflects in your passion when you are willing to just let it all go and believe. We're talking about John Coltrane, one of the musical pillars that made me love music the way I do. The music of Coltrane played a huge part in shaping my tastes and helping me be open to it all it's majestic powers. Yet 'Trane's story is applicable to every single one of us and every single band we are getting to know through Loudvine.com. It could have been tragic. It ended up being brilliant...Read More

...Change. Why Bother? Seriously, if you actually allowed yourself to finish that thought, there might as well be no point in thinking brighter, slimmer, happier, and richer days are ahead.Change, why bother--if you change that statement to, Change, Hell Yeah I am going to change, the mere pursuit of its core might lead to something entirely different then you thought. Ultimately, the change you intended might not even be the change you end up with but what a journey it could be if you allowed yourself to believe in you and the power of change.

Gifted. Determined, Genius, and a junkie, Coltrane just could never get to that point in his life where it all clicked. He was holding himself back. And face it; we all do in one way or another. And it usually is our own fucking fault. The maestro of the clarinet, alto sax, and tenor sax, John Coltrane made some of the most inspired music of the 20th century. Yet he had his own doubts and a drug problem. When he married in 1955, he underwent a spiritual conversion that would not only change him but music for ever. As his Bassist told him, "you got to go to the source to learn anything..." and with that began a transformation that would allow his sax playing to part oceans and bring people together under the power of the beautiful improvisation which was jazz.

It culminated with the album, "A Love Supreme," in which he said "...I humbly asked to be given the means and privilege to make others happy through music." Not a truer word has ever been uttered about music, its uplifting and curative powers. And with those words, we recognize the awakening in all of us that at some point leads us back to that seminal question, of whether we can change. Coltrane's answer was of course, YES. A resounding YES. But it takes a power and determination to believe in you to make it happen and aspire to something greater.

The beauty of music and the killer bands we are writing about on a daily basis, is that at times, they are just instruments of the sound, the message, the call to arms, the inspiration we all need to make the changes we all crave. Yet we know there is a higher point and we must all seek it. Music helps us in our journey that started with a tiny website that is taking us in so many different yet wonderful directions. New friends, new sounds, new spots, new cities, and always set to the empowered sounds of the LA music scene. Without the music, we could not do what we do. Help us in supporting all the bands by passing along the word on Loudvine.