Every time Closer to Fine comes up in my music rotation, I am immediately transported back to my early teens to where I discovered an overplayed copy of an Indigo Girls tape in my sister’s room. I was likely searching for something mega important, like lipstick, but stumbled upon a tattered old tape and popped it in my boom box.

I didn’t know it at the time, but my life was forever changed by that song.

And by Blood and Fire. And Mystery. And Least Complicated. and Love’s Recovery. And Wild Horses (Live)(OMG). And Ghost. And Galileo. Each song is important, special. Each one is a memory, firmly tattooed under my skin. Each one a part of who I am today.

And don’t get me started on the first time I ate the grits at The Flying Biscuit.

“Music, you know, true music, not just rock ‘n’ roll, it chooses you. It lives in your car, or alone, listening to your headphones — you know, with the vast, scenic bridges and angelic choirs in your brain. It is a place apart from the vast, benign lap of America.” —Lester Bangs, Almost Famous.

“It’ll change your life, I swear.” —Sam, Garden State. 

—Rob Gordon, High Fidelity

Music, as most of you know, is EVERYTHING. It fuels me, it lights a fire under me. I sing it—poorly—in the shower, and in my car. I listen to it while I work, while I edit, while I clean, while I cook, while I fold laundry, while I write, while I play around on Facebook.

In fact, at this very moment, I’m listening to Pompeii by Jasmine Thompson. Click it please, I’ll wait.

So, when an invitation came in a few weeks ago asking me to participate #HALLer, an intimate fireside chat with The Indigo Girls this Wednesday, October 21st I immediately responded YESYESYES without even looking to make sure I had no conflicting scheduled events, and without waiting the proper not-wanting-to-look-too-overeager email response time. I may have even had to use my puffer.

#HALLer, in the simplest terms — or, you know, in Eric and Candace Alper’s, the fantastic producing duo — brings the most prestigious stages in Toronto and the artists that grace them to the biggest stage of our time – the internet. Think Inside The Actors Studio meets Live At The Rehearsal Hall with Toronto’s leading social media influencers in an intimate conversation with the artists, broadcast live through engaging the online community.

I am so excited to be invited to participate in this conversation.

I will, of course, be sharing my experience with you on Instagram, on Twitter, and Facebook so you can participate too.

(and I promise I won’t sing)(Much)