The band that changed my life

As I mentioned in my last post, my friend Kam (his name is actually Kamron, but I literally never call him Kamron, I always call him Kam, therefore I always refer to him as Kam) gave me a BUNCH of music last year. Among all these songs were all the albums by this indie band called Jukebox the Ghost. I had no idea this band existed, had never heard of them, and had no idea what to expect when listening to their songs for the first time. Now, these guys are like Kam's second favorite band, so he was super hyped about them, and just talked about how amazing all their stuff was, and that he thought I was really going to like them since we have very similar tastes when it comes to music, among other things.  I didn't dive into listening to their tunes right away, because I was honestly super apprehensive about it. My whole thought process was "Oh God, I'm going to hate their music, and then it's going to be super awkward because Kam really likes these guys and I'm either going to have to lie about liking their music or just be straight up and say that I hate it and it's just going to create tension and I have no idea how to handle this situation." Don't mind the fact that that last sentence was a super run-on sentence; I'm over the fact and you should be as well. This all went down last semester, and that's when Kam and I first really started hanging out and getting to know each other, among other things, so I didn't want to like punch our developing friendship relationship thing in the face by absolutely hating his second favorite band. It was a legitimate concern if you ask me. So, forward a bit towards the end of the spring semster. I was talking to Kam one night, and we were both planning on staying up obnoxiously late to work on all the homework and projects that had been neglected over the last few days (well, I had been neglecting my work, no idea whether or not he'd been neglecting his.) As I often had done (and still do to be honest,) I asked him what music I should listen to while I was working [sidenote: I'll just randomly message him and ask him "what should I listen to right now?" "What's the best chill music to listen to right now?" "I need to focus: what should I listen to?" It's a miracle that he still answers me as often as I bug him, but that must mean I don't bug him nearly as much as I think I do. Back to the story ----->] Upon his suggestion, it was that night that I finally dived into the musical experience that is Jukebox the Ghost. I listened to every single album that night, in order, and... holy God. Any fears I had about the awkwardness that would develop if I hated this band were gone. The instrumentals were amazing, the voices were even more amazing, and some of the lyrics punched me in the feels harder than anything I've ever listened to ever (but more on that later.) As I'm listening to these songs, I'm still talking to Kam and randomly bringing up the ones I absolutely love, my reactions to everything, etc., and I know he was just sitting there like "Yes, I was right, this band is amazing, I told you Kelsey, I win."
The crucial moment for me the first time I listened to JtG was the song "The Great Unknown." I had never cried upon hearing a song for the first time, until I listened to that song that night at some ridiculously obscene early hour of the morning. The lyrics to that song majorly punched me in the feels, like total knockout of my feels. That song alone has changed my life, enough that I made a canvas with part of the chorus that hangs in my bedroom (which I shared a picture of on the JtG Facebook page and they totes liked it, no big deal or anything,) listened to that song 32 times in a row one night when I felt like my whole life was falling apart, and even started designing a tattoo that incorporates part of the lyrics. I'm going to link to this song at the end of the post because me talking about it doesn't do it justice, you really just need to hear it for yourself.
Now, since that initial hearing, I've literally listened to every single JtG song probably 100 times. That playlist is the most played one on my iPod, call me obsessive if you will. And even now that I've listened to them so many times, there are still moments where I truly "listen" to a song that I've heard 100 times and have another crazy emotional response like I did the first time I heard "The Great Unknown." Just a few weeks ago, I was listening to that playlist once again while working on final projects. There were two songs that night, "Man in the Moon," and "Show Me Where it Hurts." I had heard these songs a million times, but I think the first time I had actually LISTENED to those songs was that night, and I'm just sitting on my bed sobbing while listening to them because the instrumentals are so good, the lyrics are so good, and this band is just so good. That's 3 times that this band has made me break down and cry like a baby just due to the pure BEAUTY and realisticness (is that a word? If not I'm making it a word right now) of their music. I will link to those videos too. I could really link to every single video because they don't have a single bad song, but if I only give you 3, your appetite will be peaked and then you will seek them out and listen to more and my job will be done. *cue evil, maniacal laughter*
NOW, it's not just sappy, crying emotions that come into play when listening to JtG (Kam once said that it's not just music, they are an experience, and boy was he right.) Some songs just make me laugh, some make me want to rock out and dance like a super white girl, some songs get me super pumped up to be a productive member of society and get sh%^t done, and some just make me really ridiculously happy. I'm definitely one of those people where my mood affects what I want to listen to, and no matter what mood I'm experiencing, I can find at least one JtG song that will help with that mood: anger, sadness, heartbreak, happiness, nerves, etc., etc. etc. Hearing songs with lyrics that really connect to what I'm going through in life is an experience that is really hard to explain, but the feeling that comes with it is amazing: like I'm not alone in my struggles, and, as cheesy as this sounds, those songs will always be there when I need them, which is huge for me because I am a girl that feels like I don't have a lot of people there for me.  This band that I was so nervous that I was going to hate has become one of my top 5 favorite bands, and really did change my life. I have no idea how I can possibly ever repay Kam for that (and if he has any ideas, he should probs let me know about that, and this sentence is only in here because I know he will be reading this post at some time or another. *thumbs up*)
Two months from today, Kam and I are going to see JtG in Omaha. It's crazy that at this time last year, I had never even heard of this band and now I am so close to finally getting to see them in concert. I've had a countdown going since I bought the tickets, and you can guarantee that the whole experience is going to get thorough coverage on this blog thing that I've got here. I know that I'm most likely going to cry like a baby when they sing the three songs that got specific mentions in this post, and I'm probably going to cry just because I will actually be experiencing a band that means so much to me. This band had such a profound effect on me when I was just listening to recordings of their songs, so I can only imagine that the effect is going to be amplified by about a million when I am in the room with them listening to them live. I'm super glad that Kam is going to the concert with me, because I can't think of somebody I would rather experience this with than the guy who introduced me to this band that changed my life. That sounds super sappy, but holy CRAP I don't even care right now because I am super sappy where JtG is concerned. The guys in this band could probably care less that some over-emotional, 21 year old girl claims them to be "the band that changed her life," but I would love to get the opportunity to meet these guys after the show, get all my merch signed, and thank them for always being there for me.
So, I said this in my last post and I'm going to say it again here: go listen to Jukebox the Ghost. They might not have nearly the effect on you that they did on me, but they still have killer tracks. Check them out: http://www.jukeboxtheghost.com

VIDEOS

The Great Unknown            

Man in the Moon           

Show Me Where it Hurts