Ever since I was 10 years old, I have had an obsession with music and the people that create it. What young boy in America doesn’t grow up with dreams of one day being a rock star? But my passion for music has never translated into an ability to play an instrument. Over the years, I have watched friends and family members play in scratch rock bands, and a part of me has always felt like I was missing out.
When I graduated from college at the ripe age of 22, I got a decent job and found myself with disposable income for the first time in my life. Sadly, I didn’t look at this as an opportunity to build up savings or to jumpstart my retirement, but instead decided to finally buy all of the things that I had always wanted but couldn’t afford. Just a few months after starting work, I walked into Guitar Center and dropped over $750 on a left-handed Fender Stratocaster and a Blues Jr. tube amplifier. I had no idea how to play guitar (outside of “Iron Man” and the start of “Come As You Are”), but was determined to take the time to learn how to play.