The Straw That Broke The Camels Back

This symbol used to be about Music, now it stands for "Gay Marriage" who knew?

Ever since I was a little girl I have been getting lost in music. I love music, I started singing pretty much around the time I started talking. If you've read my blog for any length of time though, you already know that. What you might not know is that I do not play any instruments, I use my voice as my instrument.

When I was little I started to hear melodies in my head so I started writing them down the only way I knew how, which was the words in notebooks. I would later sing them to whomever I was working with and they heard the chords I was singing and would then play along with me either on a piano or guitar. I have a very accurate sense of pitch and hear the music in my head. So why the "Greek Girl history of singing" lesson you might be wondering?

Because part of developing my musical recipe and or chops per say was listening to and looking up to successful music artists. I would look forward to all the award shows and seeing a live performance of a song I had grown to love. It was such a thrill to my little Greek noggin to watch someone like Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand, Journey, Mariah Carey, or whomever was set to perform stand there and sing a song. Nothing more nothing less, just sing. Sing it from their heart, without any antics. Just live musicians, no auto-tuned back track, no parade of half naked dancers, and especially no agenda themed awards shows.

Well here we are in 2014 and it's no secret that I've been at this a long time and have not yet "made it". Not for lack of trying or lack of talent either. As a person who has had one dream and one goal for over two decades I have watched as the music industry has changed from something special to something sad. Anyone even half paying attention can see it has been less and less about talent and music and more and more about shock & awe, TV talent shows showcasing sad sappy backstories, celebrity train wrecks, and anything and everything that is well... pretty much about everything "except" the music.

The gatekeepers focus on and engage in so many things that people in any other walk of life could and would be fired for doing. Like what? Hmmm let me see discriminating against things they are not supposed to... like age, religion, oh and lets not forget political affiliation. Besides Susan Boyle ask yourself when is the last time you saw a "new artist" presented from a record label over the age of 40, a man or woman? Really as much as I love her you can't even really count Susan Boyle because she came from a TV Talent show and had she not been so exceptionally talented she would have been just another ratings joke like they had intended in the first place.

The music industry jumped the shark a long time ago not only by lining up like a lap dog to sign and promote the talent show winners and flunkies in order to capitalize on semi notoriety vs. doing their job which is finding and promoting music artists. That would entail actual work though, and that might be too hard. Probably the most annoying thing to me is that people who have any idea what singing "on key" is are so few and far between anymore. I saw a clip on yahoo of Harry Connick Jr. from American Idol giving his critique of one contestant and I was doing a standing ovation. Yeah, people can have sad stories and sad things happen to them and be eighteen and all, but that does not make them an "artist" or worthy of a record deal because they stood in line and went on a TV talent show for a few weeks.

Knowing all this and growing numb to the antics of the music industry for some time, was I shocked to see the Grammies turn into a full blown ad campaign for Gay Marriage? Yes, I was. I guess maybe because somewhere deep down inside of me is that little kid who is still so in love with music and what it can do for ones soul that I really believed that somewhere in there underneath all the Katy Perry, Beyonce, Jay-Z, and the rest of the muck that the powers that be at the Grammies still valued the craft as much as I do. So yes, I was surprised and I was actually quite shocked. In fact I was so shocked I almost dumped my hot cup of happiness a la Dunkin's when I learned of it.

Normally it's a half naked Beyonce dressed in some stripper getup looking straight out of the 1920's slithering on stage that makes me almost dump my Dunkin's... not this time. Was I surprised that she did it again, no. What did surprise me was that she did it at 8pm where millions of little eyes would see it, tasteless. 

How could they? How could they allow a show about Music to be used as a pawn for the Gay Agenda? It is a dishonor to every musician who has ever won that award. It used to mean something and now it has been belittled. They turned an awards show to recogize exceptional achievement in the craft of making music to be used as a pawn for the left and the Gay Agenda.

When is this going to end? We have the IRS asking a Hollywood Conservative group to name names of it's members? Really?! Does anyone besides me see the hypocrisy in any of this? People follow pop culture. So not only has it been embracing and promoting left leaning politics and mediocrity, we now have world recognized organizations like the Grammies doing awards shows not about "music" but about the left's social political agenda? They want "not to be discriminated" against for their beliefs, yet anyone who does not believe what they believe or think what they think or choose to live how they live or God forbid have the audacity to speak out about it will be silenced. Now they are demanding the names? Can anyone say "McCarthyism" ?

Believe what you want to believe we are free to do so. But to say you don't want to be punished for what you believe then punish those who don't agree with you is total hypocrisy. Why does everything have to be about sex anymore? Seriously, want to sell a car, sex. Want to sell toothpaste sex, want to sell clothes, sex...

There is a whole lot more to life then that and why do people think being so stinking shallow that they feel this absurd urge to scream from the rooftops who and what they want to have sex with is cool and normal is totally beyond me.

I'm beyond disgusted. Be gay already if you want to but for crying out loud do I have to see it everywhere every minute of every stinking day? And do not tell me I'm a hate monger because I believe that marriage is between one man and one woman! I've had enough. Like so many other things happening these days I can not and will not participate in any of it. I have to live by my moral compass. I'm a Christian, the bible (which I and millions if not billions of other Christians believe to be the living word of God) clearly states that Marriage is between One Man and One Woman, period. I'm not going to change what I believe or compromise my faith because pop culture is telling me it is cool to do so. 

I'm taking my ball and going home. Yes of course I will still make music and won't ever stop pursuing my dream. However a part of that dream has died, the part that involved one day winning a Grammy. The Grammies used to mean that you had achieved a exceptional accomplishment in the craft of making music. Now it just means you approve of Gay Marriage. The Grammies are dead to me.

My hope and prayer is that more people who share my beliefs would do the same. For too long Christians have been turning the other cheek. The world is upside down and it is going to take more us us to stand up and speak out in order to turn it right side up again.

Blessings, Love & Music ~
Ava xo
www.avaaston.com