By: AfroMonk (www.afromonk.com)

I consider myself one of the most critical people I know. Some people call me a hater or an asshole at times. Why? I stand for what I believe in. I do it my way and always will. Call me stubborn, but I do things for one reason, Passion & Love. I will listen to people and will have an open ear, but chances are my views are quite set in stone.

Being someone who has created a website that showcases music, it is my responsibility to present something new and fresh every time I write or post something. I feel that in the music industry there can be lots of corruption in why things are done. Music isn’t my career and it will most likely stay like that for a couple years. The reason I mention all this is because I want to send out a message to everyone who writes, plays, or promotes music. Please, I beg you to keep the passion for music alive. It is up to everyone to share how they feel. Many of us share a piece of ourselves, whether it is writing, singing, drawing, speaking, etc…  Make sure it comes from your heart. Music is a very powerful thing and we must keep it as pure as possible. There is nothing like that feeling we get, when a certain song or band comes on and completely alters our state. I’m a firm believer that this is because how we interact with and feel sound. It can be a metal song that amps us up, a relaxing downtempo song, or something entirely new we’ve never heard - it will send us in a certain direction inside, no matter our current state.

As we enter the new year, my resolution to you is to share as much as possible and write about my experiences as a blogger, DJ, upcoming producer, and lover of music. This is my outlet to share with people around the world. Know that these are ‘my’ views and they might be strongly opinionated; it’s a window into what this industry has shown me. I put this all together to help you discover more. I hope to cover many festivals, interview artists, give you tips on discovering new things, and ultimately help you experience more of the world of music.  As a contributor, I will put my best efforts on giving you something interesting to read. I’m not some professional journalist or hotshot writer, but I hope to share my experiences with you and offer some advice. Remember everyone has a voice and yours is just as important as mine. What makes me happy is being able to connect and share things with others. I make sure everything I say, write, or do is done with passion. Nothing could ever be accomplished without passion. Give a piece of you every time you have the opportunity to share things, especially in music. Let it all represent YOU. It’s the biggest piece of advice I can give to everyone out there. Just be yourself and despite what others might say, keep it real.

You are capable of anything. 2011 is a new year and a new beginning. Try to make it a point to learn something, and share it with the world.

I hope everyone has a safe and lovely New Years!