I started drumming when I was four-years old, and have just started up again this past year (I'm 16). For me drumming and crating music is many things: it's a cure for depression, a stress-reliever, and a way to express myself. I play punk-rock mostly but I also play rock, alternative, metal, acid, and a little Celtic.
Music is my heart and soul. It's what I live and breath for, it's the blood that pumps through my veins to keep me alive. I listen to punk, not because I am a punk (though I am), but because it has a lot of meaning. A lot of people think that punk rock is just a bunch of hooligans singing about blood, sex, booze, drugs, and violence. It is a little bit, but if they actually sat and listened to the lyrics then they would see that these bands are actually singing about the news, politics, and stating their opinions about the world today. So many bands are worried about what people will think if they sing about their opinion. People should sing about what they want to sing about. Punk bands sing about what makes them happy, mad, sad, and everything in between and if the majority doesn't agree with it, well too bad.
People need to realize one thing: you are who you are! Punk rock bands, and punks in general, know this and they don't have to hide it. Music is one of the best ways to show people who and what you are.
For me, music is a great cure for depression. When I'm feeling sad or mad, I hop on my throne (drummer's chair, actual name too) and play the drums until my arms ache and my ears bleed. I also just play music on the stereo if drumming isn't possible.
Basically music is a cure-all for me, and has never failed. If you have a problem and need to think about it, put on some music or play some of your own and remember in the words of Billy Joe Armstrong (lead singer for Green Day) “All problems are the same essentially, they're just packaged differently”. I would say 98% of my problems have been solved with music.
Remember to be who you are, do what you want, question everything, do all you can in life, and be free. It is much better to regret something you have done then something you haven't done. If you do something that you regret, at least you can say you have done it. Don't ever let anyone tell you that you can't do something, because if you truly want to accomplish a goal you will. Always keep the music flowing.
