The What

What exactly is Rock In A Hard Place?

Rock In A Hard Place is a meeting point where the way I used to listen to music (CD’s) crashes headlong into the way I currently listen to music (online streaming). It’s where I come to share my thoughts on the new music that I’m constantly finding nestled away in the nooks and crannies of the internet, as well as my thoughts on the old music that is currently gathering dust in my collection.

Originally I wanted to build a site where I could explore the vast music collection that I’d built up over decades of shifting popular trends and unique personal experiences. I think what a person listens to says a lot about them, and I’ve often wondered what exactly *I* listen to says about me. But before I could dig too far into my past, I discovered the limitless world of streaming, and suddenly finding new music became far more important than listening to the old stuff.

So that’s where we are: caught between the past and the present. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, as the saying goes. This site will attempt to build a bridge between the two. It’ll be a place where I can come and share my thoughts on the new music I’m discovering, be they full-fledged reviews or just quick hitter thoughts and “hey check this out” posts. It will also be a more elaborate continuation of a project I started many years ago whereby I attempted to put together the mother of all “Best Of” lists by ranking my entire CD collection from 1-to-oblivion, and to justify my decisions by exploring each album and sharing my thoughts on why I bought it and why I do or don’t listen to it anymore.

My writing style is what it is, as is my musical taste. I’m not here to tell you who’s talented and who’s not. I’m here to tell you what I like and why. If along the way I tip you off to something you may enjoy, awesome. I don’t consider it a goal, but it would be a nice by-product. Otherwise just keep this thought in mind and we’ll all be better off: I like what I like, you like what you like, and there’s more than enough room on this planet for us to enjoy them separately. Unless you drive a Jeep with a huge woofer in the back, in which case there apparently isn’t enough room and I’ll be forced to listen to your collection of bass tracks against my will as you cruise the neighborhood. It sucks, but it’s why God invented headphones.

So read, enjoy, discuss, and debate. I have no idea where this might take me, but I’m looking forward to the ride.