A Song & A Memory: Jeffrey Brown

A song is a key for locked memory boxes. A song can transport you back through time, giving you a chance to relive moments and ideas that occurred back when you first heard that song. A song is not just a song; it is also a story.

Photo by Seth Kushner

The Polyphonic Spree – “Section 14 (Two Thousand Places)”

The first time I heard The Polyphonic Spree was a single being played in a record shop, a little before their first album came out, and I was instantly hooked. They played their first show in Chicago at The Empty Bottle, a tiny club that had the band filling the stage completely and then some, along with a completely packed-in audience.

They had only released their first album at that point, but played some of their newer songs, including “Two Thousand Places.” It’s such a triumphant, inspiring song and the crowd and band were already completely engrossed in the music… listening to that song now can still give me goosebumps, just that feeling that life isn’t just good, it’s great, and everything is wonderful. After the show I was going to buy a t-shirt, but was five dollars short. There was some guy standing next to me, someone I’d never met and didn’t know, and he paid the difference, just one of those random acts of kindness. That memory sticks with me, and every time I think of it, I think that people really are good, and I feel hopeful and warm and fuzzy. It’s one time where I felt how music – or art in general – could have this real, physical effect on the world.

- Jeffrey Brown, graphic novel artist
Photo by Seth Kushner