The Road to Red Rocks

This episode is a short reflection before heading to Red Rocks for the first time.

I talk about anticipation, music, travel, grief, growth, and what it feels like to be stepping into a new experience while still carrying everything that brought me here.

It’s not about having everything figured out. It’s about staying open, staying present, and letting the road lead somewhere real.

Built from sound. Driven by art. Fueled by growth.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

You are listening to Voices, Volume, and Vibes. Hey everyone, welcome back to Voices, Volume and Vibes. This episode is a little bit more reflective. This weekend, I'm headed to Denver, Colorado, to Red Rocks. To see the elevators. And I'm super excited. I've never been to Red Rocks, and I've never been to Denver. But it's not about me bragging rights that I'm going to Denver, or that I'm even going to Red Rocks. But it's about thinking how much my life has changed over the couple last couple of years. And it didn't just start this month. And it didn't start with Red Rocks. About two years ago, I kind of found myself in an emotional black hole. Maybe sometime I'll talk about it. But it really made me think about what's important in life. And it actually intrigues me when you find yourself at rock bottom, how much your soul just encourages you to climb out. Since then, since I started movement, focusing on experiences, focusing more on creativity, and focusing more on becoming aligned with who I actually am instead of who I thought I was supposed to be. I've lost 80 pounds. I went surfing in Costa Rica. I got a couple tattoos. I got some more piercings. And along the way, music became tied into that process. See, I found myself when I was dragging my out of that hole, I'd never been to a live concert myself. Not one that I wanted to see. I've been to dozens of concerts that other people wanted to see. And I kind of got to a point where I realized it's time. So I fell down the rabbit hole of ska, reggae, California Surfing Music, Dub, whatever you want to call it. Last year, it was eight concerts. This year, I believe I'm at fifteen that I have scheduled to see. And basically concerts stopped feeling like just entertainment. They became experiences that pushed me forward. Moments that made me feel connected to life again, to people, to movement, to growth. You know, it's a little cliche to say, but I really believe the music I listen to, the positivity that you often find in that genre of music really pushed me forward, helped me focus, encouraged me to continue growing. And through all of that, my dog Ayla was part of it. If you're not aware, five years of van life. Ayla and I had been to 43 states, hundreds of trails, thousands of road trips, dozens of sunsets, music lore, and adventures. And if you're not aware, she recently passed. And losing her certainly has changed things. I did put a few pounds on after Costa Rica. But I'm starting to focus again. I'm realizing now that growth doesn't stop necessarily. And the story isn't done. I haven't stopped the story. If anything, it's made me want to continue living with more intentionality, taking care of myself better, creating more, traveling more, experiencing more, building a life that feels real to me. And Red Rocks is an important piece of that. At least this year. Not just because it's a famous venue, but because it feels connected to this larger shift that's been happening in my life for two years now. This podcast is really going to be about all of that. Growth, music, healing, creativity, experience, and figuring out who we become through the process. So yeah, that's where my head's at tonight. New intro music, a new chapter, the same journey. And thanks for listening. Wherever you are in your own life right now, keep moving forward in your own way at your own pace. Roman, my friends. Roman.