Music Is Magic

Rewinding a cassette didn't bother me at all when I was 5 years old. It was the most rewarding work. Pushing the button with the left facing arrows pictured on it. Waiting patiently and listening to the buzzing of the tape being rapidly recoiled to the beginning. I lived for those moments! The moments I lived for most though, were the ones when I pressed play! That's when the magic began!

The earliest cassette tape I can remember obsessing over was Dire Straits "Money For Nothing". When I was 5 years old I would go into my room alone put the song "Money For Nothing" on and dance and play air guitar like my life was on the line. It was the greatest feeling in the world. Rocking out to rock and roll. I would do it everyday dozens of times in a row. I was obsessed. The music brought me to a place that didn't exist anywhere else in life. A magic land in the air that couldn't be seen, just heard and felt. That's where I wanted to live, in the magic of music, forever. 

My whole life I have been in love with music. It is my number one passion and my absolute favourite experience in life. Still today at 36 years old. I began writing songs and poems when I was 7 years old. The songs were always written to music I heard in my mind. I would have a tempo, rhthym and melody in my minds eye. When I wrote songs I always labled the verse, chorus and bridge sections etc. When I wrote poetry I wouldn't label different sections and I didn't have the same kind of imaginary music playing in my mind. When I wrote both, I wrote straight from my heart with whatever I felt in those moments.

By the time I was 12 I had written 100s of poems and songs. I threw them all in the trash, literally. I had a couple notebooks with all of the pages filled front and back. As well as lots of random loose sheets tucked into the notebooks. I threw all of them into a garbage bin when I was 12 years old. See I was extremly private, shy and very nervous about anyone ever seeing my writing. It was very personal, I was a very troubled boy and it came out clearly in my writing. I didn't want anyone to see any of it and also thought it wasn't good writing at all either. So I threw away five years of work and my lifes expression. 

I regretted this decision very soon after. I felt terrible and stupid for what I did. Even if they were private, painful and sucked. They were important to me and they were gone. I was sad and embarassed and no one even knew. I never stopped writing and I never threw any of my work away ever again. I have everything I have written since  I was almost 13. I have binders from junior high and high school filled with poems and songs. Too bad I had such a hard time facing my anxiety of learning the guitar. My friends were in bands together, but I just went to practices and watched and hung out. I also wrote a lot of songs for my friends. Some of which they combined with music they wrote and I loved it. I sang with one band my best friends were in, still I was shy and clueless. When the day of the concert came and it was time for me to perform, I got booed a lot. I didn't leave the stage I just got booed for the whole song. I was 15 and it didn't feel good to be booed but I didn't sound good and I was like a robot because I was so nervous. I was actually mildly proud of myself. That I performed on stage for the first time and remained up there in spite of all the boos from the audience. I strengthened my nerve a little that day, some progress was made.

When I was 24 I began teaching myself how to play guitar. It was very hard and my fingers were very sore for a long time. But once I started I fell so in love. I obsessed, I quit my really great sales/management job which I had advanced in. Allowing me to buy my house in the woods close to the beach in Nova Scotia. I struggled to make ends meet but I had worked since I was 8 years old and knew I would survive and be fine somehow. I ended up selling firewood from my property and doing odd jobs. I did not make any where close to as much money as I did at the job I left. But I was far happier with more freedom and time to focus on learning guitar. I began including singing with my guitar playing. Then finally I wrote songs with an instrument I was playing in my hands! My dream was remebered! This was what I always wanted to do with my life but I allowed myself to forget somewhere along the way and I had a lot of catching up to do. Or so I felt.

By the time I was 27 I was a decent musician with many new songs written. I was also about to be a father. With the upcoming responsibility and all the fear I had surrounding it. I scrambled to heal myself emotionally wanting to honour my role as a father and be my best self for my son.

My father had left when I was two years old and this was part of why I was so troubled as a child. I decided to find my fathers phone number and call him to forgive him so as to free any hatred from my heart and heal for my son. We had an awkward coversation from opposite sides of the large country which is Canada. I forgave him and made peace. It was the first and last time I heard his voice. 

After speaking with my father I called my mom and told her. She then for the first time told me things about my father that I did not know. He is a musician she told me. He played around a dozen instruments and sang. Actually he played and sang songs to you every day until the night he vanished when you were two years old.

I was stunned after talking to my mom. Maybe this was why I struggled for so long with so many painful emotions when i tried to learn the guitar which I wanted to so bad all my life but would totally put myself down about it in my mind whenever I tried. I had a lot to think about. 

My son was born on July 27, 2012. It was the most amazing moment in my life. He is everything to me and I do everything to help him discover his best self and enjoy the journey of growth. I worried when he was born about how I could still pursue my dream of being a rock star. I did not worry for long. Knowing how strong I am, I decided I can still do this and now it means more than ever. I need to show my son he can dream big and do anything and I am going to set that example.

I have a band now and a small fanbase. My son loves and supports my music and plays with me sometimes. I have a voice coach and a music mentor. I have performed at some local venues and art events and received positive feedback and support. I am starting to build my online components for my music career. I am getting recognized more and more little by little for my passion and enthusiasm. As well as my drive and positive unstoppable attitude and also my music and writing. I am working on an action plan for launching an album and also working on producing and recording songs for online platforms and distribution. I have some songs actively in circulation online. I am also a nutritionist, a personal trainer, I work for myself on chimneys and I am an entrepreneur at heart. I still write poetry alot too.

Music is magic. I believe music is the most powerful unifying force that exists. It has saved me from myself in my darkest hours and reminded me that life can feel great and I want to dance this dance of life. My greatest heros are musicians. Like Bob Marley, John Lennon, Tupac Shakur and Bob Dylan just to name a few. These amazingly creative artists weren't just musicians. They stood for something much greater. They spread positive influence through the use of their passion and inspired millions of people while bringing them joy and bliss and something they felt they could relate to. These beautiful souls continue to impact the world in an enormously powerful and positive way even long after they have transcended this physical journey.

This is my dream and I am in hot pursuit. I am Alden James Landry and I am also Instincts and I am here to remind you of the greatness that resides within you. I am here to fire you up so that your greatness is spread and the world ascends because you are brave and real. I am here to remind you and the whole world of your instincts. Once I have a global voice, I will use my positive mindset and amazing communication skills to encourage and inspire millions of people all around the world. Now while my voice can be expressed by me and long after I am gone when I can be heard by pressing play on a stereo. Remember, it's not about what you know. It's about what you feel. Listen to your Instincts!

-Instincts-

"it's not about what you know. It's about what you feel. Listen to your Instincts!"