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What happens when young people discover their identity is nothing short of apocalyptic and reason enough to change. Like it or not, as the spirit rises, the soul collides with the mind and all that is known is challenged. Every generation grows up with a vision of how they want their world to be. They fix what needs fixing and change what needs changing.

America was living in a bubble in the 1950's. Everyone in the world knew that : everyone, that is, except Americans. It should have come as no surprise when young people started questioning the absolute authority of adults living in an unforgiving world. No matter what people say, no one can live in a bubble anymore than an artist can create in a vacuum. We are all influenced by the work of our peers as much as by the culture around us.

I once sang in a crazy gospel, jazz and blues group called Celebration. The designated writer for the group, I'd always written inspired love songs and gospel-style messages but Celebration was different. We weren't the average rock band. Like the Grateful Dead, a group synonymous with the San Francisco acid rock scene whose music was a hybrid of improvised rock, blues and R&B, we had a cult following.

At that time, The Beatles Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band was revolutionizing rock. Their lyrics were creative, the album concept and design were innovative, and the advanced studio technology was unheard of. They were the first rock musicians to experiment with blending orchestral instruments with unusual ones. They took chances. It all worked to produce an escapist album based on a surreal world that didn't exist. Sergeant Pepper portrayed the lives of average people whose wild fantasies broke up the monotony of their humdrum, work-a-day life. The Beatles changed rock music forever.

Sergeant Pepper was the beginning of a new era for the Beatles. It had a huge

influence on my writing. Sergeant Pepper sounded like something I should be writing. So, I imagined a theatrical experience for Celebration, introduced by a song welcoming the audience we knew all too well. The song was a fantasy greeting to old friends. The lead singer acted like a master of ceremonies in a three ring circus. Like Sergeant Pepper, more songs followed and from then on our concerts were never the same. Nothing less than theater.

I had discovered a new identity. In the weeks ahead, we introduced every theatrical element imaginable, jazz dancers, multi-media, beat poetry, you name it. The circus got out of hand. We lost our focus in the midst of spectacle. The message was lost. In the end, I had a severe ego attack. On my last night with the band, I dressed in a full length robe and let loose a barrage of quasi-rock star poses. It was hard to tell where the reality ended and the fantasy began. That's when I knew it was time to go. My conscience caught me just in time. I quit the band and joined a theater company to satisfy the urge to act.

The song writers and the songs they create are the basis for the music industries existence. But, when the songs and the persona overwhelm you and the music takes over your life. It's time to stop. Music is only music after all.

Dennis Walsh progressofmusic@hotmail.com

About the author:

Publisher of Progress of Music a popular music magazine, Dennis Walsh is a music specialist in journalism and marketing. He is a media expert in advertising and retail merchandising developing music marketing campaigns for corporate entrepreneurs. Through Music Enterprise, Dennis enjoys giving emerging artists a head start in the music business.

You can read all of his articles through the Progress of Music at http://www/progressofmusic.com/articles.htm

Written by: Dennis Walsh

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