Nearly every day, I receive an email, instant message, MySpace note, Facebook missive, text or snail mail package from a local musician or band, sheepishly offering up their creations. Some of these folks want my help in getting their music out to more people, while others simply want to hear what I have to say about their efforts. In almost every case, the offering is accompanied by an apology, as if I'm somehow being inconvenienced. I want to take this opportunity to say, once and for all, that I welcome your music. Bring it on!

The reason I do what I do here is because I genuinely believe in the creativity and energy of this town's musicians. I make a point of listening to every single CD and MP3 I receive, at least once. I might not always find the time to give feedback, and when I do, I might not always be kind. However, I consider it an honor and privilege to have these creations presented to me, and I like to think that I'm always more or less fair in my assessment. 

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The way this whole arts thing works is that we need both artists and critics. Arguably, you, the artist, need me to get the word out about what you're doing, and I, the critic, need you -- not only to feed my soul, but also to give me something to write about.

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So the point of all this is: please keep sending stuff my way, and please stop apologizing. If you don't have my information, you can always hit me up on MySpace. I genuinely look forward to the opportunity to hear your music. 

And I need stuff to write about.