If music be the food of love, play on, give me excess of it; that surfeiting, the appetite may sicken, and so die. ~ William Shakespeare

 Selecting what music to play in a restaurant has long been a sore subject for owners starting a venture. Do we or don’t we? If we do play music, what genre should it be? How loud do we play it? These questions force many restaurant owners to go so far as to hire music consultants to pick the perfect playlist, but how do you guarantee that one consultant knows what’s best for an eclectic city such as ours? We decided to start by understanding music, and what it does to our bodies, minds and souls.

Music began as a form of communication almost the same time as spoken language. It’s an ancient art that has seen many adaptations, and where it goes in the future we will leave to the talented artists emerging everyday. Beyond communicating a message or story, music can be used in therapy, as an aphrodisiac, as a mood enhancer, as a stress reliever, or even as an energy booster. What’s really amazing is when you breakdown the affect that a good tune plays on the human body.

Music has the ability to slow down and equalize each of the four different brainwaves. Different musical tones alert specific waves causing you, and your mood, to react accordingly. For example, if you find yourself in an unfocused or emotional mood, a few minutes of Mozart can steady your consciousness allowing thoughts to come through clearly. In other parts of the body, music can affect your blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, reduce muscle tension, increase coordination, regulate stress hormones, boost the immune system, and (the part that we like) aid in digestion.

So if different types of music have the ability to do different things to our body, how can we know what is the right sound for Roll On Sushi Diner? Well let’s start with what we know is wrong. According to an article in the NY Times, restaurants make up a “significant portion” of the 400,000 locations pumping out tired tunes from Muzak. We know we can do better; we just need to understand the art of pairing music with food.

If you think about it, every genre of fodder comes with its own musical influence. Italian fare makes us think Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin. Think Asian cuisine, and we hear flutes and harps. Take Mexican dining, and we think of a Mariachi band bouncing between tables. An American burger joint, we think of Elvis and classic rock-and-roll.

It’s obvious that different styles of music complement certain cuisines, but what aligns with Austin fusion if, in the grand scheme of world foods, we have only just begun to define it as a cuisine? At Roll On Sushi, we think that local and independent musicians – introducing their sound to a restaurant of people already in the market for something new – sounds about right to us. That is exactly what we intend to do, it’s perfect. Our mission is to support local business. In Austin, music is the local business. We plan to feature fantastic artists that pour their souls into the music they create, just as every roll we prepare comes straight from the heart.