Interview:

Music’s spiritual significance is in how it makes me feel. There is a great power within and it speaks. Just the way certain notes or melodies can reach inside you and stir emotions up. I can’t imagine my life without music, especially Rock N’ Roll. Blues, Jazz, and Classical the same. When I was younger, my best friends were the records I owned. I turned to them for comfort and they helped me get through the stuff I was dealing with. I guess my connection to music is a bit stronger than some people because I play it. But you don’t have to be a musician to understand and recognize the importance of music in life. When I play the drums, it’s deep and personal. I get lost very easily when its going right, and when it goes bad, it upsets me so much I feel like quitting. I throw my entire being, all I have in my playing, and I thank God for putting music in my life. Being able to play I recognize as a gift from up above. Not everyone can be a musician, it’s not easy. I believe it is given to those who aren’t good at anything else. Funny how it finds its way into your blood, and it never leaves! It makes you dance, think, laugh, cry, and all of that. To feel and acknowledge your emotions without shame or fear is to be alive, and music is that direct link into your soul. For me, the louder it is, the more sense it makes.

“Music’s spiritual significance is in how it makes me feel… Funny how it finds its way into your blood, and it never leaves!”
– Chris Ortiz, drummer in Amplified Heat