Super Soul Saturday

Part of a tattoo studio’s ambience (beyond the requisite smell & look of cleanliness, of course) is the music. It permeates the space and enfolds the occupants, maintaining the day’s mood. Today is Super Soul Saturday (first time designation for that particular alliteration, but perhaps today marks the start of a weekly tradition (hope! hope!)) Thus far I’ve recognized Norah Jones, Ronnie Milsap, Rod Stewart, Melissa Etheridge, Justin Timberlake. Any minute now, I’ve no doubt that Frank Sinatra will filter through — and then again — and again and again and again — again, again …. If you’re thinking fetish, then know that’s exactly what I’m suspecting, too.

Other than this moment in time, any other day could be filled with show tunes or country-and-western ditties. Some days are nothing but head-banger ballads and whatnot (i.e., scottyshitty); some are all jazz and blues or R&B, and every now and again there might be some contemporary rock and pop or even reggae. Oftentimes, new and obscure talent radiates through the rafters. Bruno Mars and Alabama Shakes, for example, were standards at the Arsenal long before either group made radio waves or debuted on late night. And then there’s the new-age-ska-punk-emo-deathmetal-whathaveyou music. Pretty much everything except a day’s dose of rap, which I’ll reveal is, indeed, my all-time favorite. I absolutely love moving to the beat and mouthing dirty words without penalty. But I’ve digressed.

Whatever the genre, this anecdotalist and fellow Arsenal inhabitants are subjected to the all-encompassing beats and rhythms that pervade the studio. Our physiological affects reflect the subtle manipulation of the music’s timbre, aligning our mood with that of the artists in residence; that is, those who selected the music in the first place.

A synergy is established and the day soulfully plays itself out.