ROGUE'S GALLERY - 2008 These are the icons of the most romanticized generation in the annals of documented history, a deviation of what was the accepted 'norm' during the musical revolution of the sixties, I.e., The Golden Age of rock n' roll. In descriptive terms they seem like a mixed metaphor, a rhetorical trope that mirrors this fraternity of musical vagabonds. With the fervor of personal identification running rampant, the youth of sixties America would soon attach them selves to the neoteric, malleable tunes of Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, Quicksilver messenger Service, Big Brother & The Holding Company, The Charlatans, Country Joe & The Fish , Moby Grape and others of the burgeoning era defined as The Counter Culture. Prior generations would expound on the music as a cacophony , an abrasive expansion of nothing more than noise but four decades later, the perpetuation of selected tunes are still filling the airwaves across the globe.

Castigated and denounced by the mainstream, youthful crooners and minstrels of noted bands would morph into iconic groups with lasting legacies and a storied past that has now evolved into the most romanticized and sensationalized epoch known to mankind. Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady, Marty Balin, Paul Kantner, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Sam Andrew, Peter Albin, Dave Getz, James Gurley, David Freiberg, Gary Duncan, Jerry Miller, Bob Mosley, Peter Lewis, Terry Haggerty, Country Joe McDonald, Barry Melton, and others of The Woodstock Generation are still the torch bearers for what is perceived as the greatest body of work to evolve from a specific genre in the world of music. Most of these survivors of psychedelic embrace the pithy accolades that are sporadically utilized in reference to 'back in the day' and suffice to say they exceed the tawdry concept of 'nostalgic' connotations. These are the heroes of a confused and sordid generation that answered the call during a decade known as the most violent, decadent and politically ravaged in the history of our country. The music was to become a universal solvent, an elixir that would provide universal peace and cultural acceptance through the lyrics of chosen bands.

The nomadic sojourn to san Francisco and Haight Ashbury would prove that it was feasible to unite albeit the juxtaposing image of hedonism and recreational drugs was the accepted norm. Forty years after the innovated songs of 'flower power', the acoustic, electric 'magic' of yesteryear remains in the hands of those who have survived with a lucid, acquired skill that makes them a viable commodity in the current world of greed amidst the realm of the business world. The 'Paisley Underground' of Los Angeles during those carefree days of California Surf music and noted venues such as The Whisky (Arthur Lee & Love, Buffalo Springfield, The Doors, The Byrds, The Association) have now evolved into distant memory and folklore for those unaware of what transpired prior to Woodstock in 1969. The San Francisco Sound continues to echo throughout the land, resonating with songs from Hot Tuna, Marty Balin, Terry Haggerty, Country Joe McDonald, Tom Constanten, Phil & Friends, Jefferson Starship and occasional gatherings of Moby Grape and Blue Cheer, among others.

We now await the 40th anniversary of the most heralded festival of all time, Woodstock 2009. Sullivan County may not be basking in the economical figures of what could be but for the players, the fans and those who felt the energy exuded from 500,000 on Yasgur's Farm so long ago, they left nothing but footsteps and managed to leave with a lifetime of memories. Will the survivors of Woodstock 'past' become vital to the anniversary next year' If there is but one band, one musician, and one fan, the wheel will continue to turn'.as it should be.

Cheers
Don Aters - 2008