MAGIC & MAYHEM DURING - “THE GOLDEN AGE”

Long before greed and lack of perpetual affection became synonymous with the music genre,
ethics, camaraderie and a mutual respect for ordinary people doing extraordinary things was more
appreciated and acknowledged by the sensationalism of the ever present media and corporate

executives who would ultimately make millions of dollars off the bands and musicians of the era who have languished in virtual obscurity and essentially non-exist residuals from the body of work that marked them for legendary status and legacies that have endured for four decades. During the embryonic stages of the sixties musical revolution, even those with accelerated abilities had to adjust and conquer the Monolith of Corporate Music that loomed on their horizons. It was simply a matter of attrition, triumph over limitations that were sanctioned by the powers that be at the time. During the brief but storied “daze” of “The Counter Culture” and the explosion of psychedelic, the music was a platform for innovation and unpredictable ideas within the realm of neoteric expansion of “rock n’ roll”.
Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Charlatans, Big Brother & The Holding Company & The Grateful Dead created a labyrinth that was complex, diverse and a revelation to the accepted norm of commercial and mainstream musical artistry of the day. A dichotomy seemed to be drawn between the Northern California legion of tie-dye and the Los Angeles bands like Arthur Lee & Love, The Doors, Crosby, Stills & Nash & Buffalo Springfield. It would evolve into a musical repartee with the hippies of Haight Ashbury versus The Paisley Underground of L.A. During this time, Chet Helms, Allen Cohen and others would ultimately become the architects for music festivals that are now a staple of the entertainment world. The Human Be-In was the first of it’s kind and would evolve into The Summer of Love, Monterey Pop Festival and the mother of all musical extravaganzas, The Woodstock Music & Art Festival, Yasgur’s farm in Bethel, New York, August 15,16,17th, 1969. Monterey would mend the wounds of band debauchery and alienation to some degree and although the poster art and light shows of San Francisco folklore would never become as credible on Hollywood Boulevard, the efforts of John Phillips, Alan Pariser, Jerry Wexler, & Lou Adler would initiate some semblance of rapport with musicians who lived a mere four hours away from one another. These were the Renaissance men of the sixties and those who paved the way for future festivals across the globe, and eventually augmented with The Herculean efforts at Woodstock by Michael Lang, Joel Rosenman, John Roberts and Artie Kornfeld. All these events that now represent distinct eras and define the generation were met by ardent denials for licensing to accommodate the burgeoning throngs that exceeded all expectations in reference to the series of colossal events.. These were the defining moments from the Age of Aquarius , The Woodstock Generation, Flower Power and mass migration to what is now known as Rainbow Gatherings, among other things. At times, any reference to the sixties migration and youth of the day, augmented by the decadence and destruction of yesteryear’s politics equates to a lengthy elegy, a lament that seems to overlook the hedonism, cultural acceptance and the grandiose illusions of baby-boomers who were in search of universal peace. Those halcyon years were very fleeting, memorable and harmonious for those fortunate enough to have lived it. All these years later the shards of a broken dream are soon to be awakened with commercialism and resurrection of The Woodstock Nation. We are still the greatest generation known to mankind, we still believe in the music as requisite for group harmony and we have acquired the knowledge and truth that the “the magic is now in all of us”. At various times we gather and once again become a microcosm of youthful rebellion and the music that eased us through a tumultuous decade and that in which most of us patterned our lives to. As we ponder over the 40th anniversary of Woodstock in 2008, we think of the past, but prefer the future. The circle becomes a tinge smaller at times but remains unbroken as we march along to our various drummers. We were the children of “Acid Rock”, deliberate, assertive and abrasive as we searched for universal peace through the music that has endured for over forty years. If that’s as good as it gets and we can all love and be loved, who could ask for more? There will be more anon.

Cheers
Don Aters - Editor - Haight Street Music News

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	MAGIC & MAYHEM DURING - “THE GOLDEN AGE” Long before greed and lack of perpetual affection became synonymous with the music genre, ethics, camaraderie and a mutual respect for ordinary people doing extraordinary things was more appreciated and acknowledged by the sensationalism of the ever present media and corporate executives who would ultimately make millions of dollars off the bands and musicians of the era who have languished in virtual obscurity and essentially non-exist residuals from the body of work that marked them for legendary status and legacies that have endured for four decades. During the embryonic stages of the sixties musical revolution, even those with accelerated abilities had to adjust and conquer the Monolith of Corporate Music that loomed on their horizons. It was simply a matter of attrition, triumph over limitations that were sanctioned by the powers that be at the time. During the brief but storied “daze” of “The Counter Culture” and the explosion of psychedelic, the music was a platform for innovation and unpredictable ideas within the realm of neoteric expansion of “rock n’ roll”. Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Charlatans, Big Brother & The Holding Company & The Grateful Dead created a labyrinth that was complex, diverse and a revelation to the accepted norm of commercial and mainstream musical artistry of the day. A dichotomy seemed to be drawn between the Northern California legion of tie-dye and the Los Angeles bands like Arthur Lee & Love, The Doors, Crosby, Stills & Nash & Buffalo Springfield. It would evolve into a musical repartee with the hippies of Haight Ashbury versus The Paisley Underground of L.A. During this time, Chet Helms, Allen Cohen and others would ultimately become the architects for music festivals that are now a staple of the entertainment world. The Human Be-In was the first of it’s kind and would evolve into The Summer of Love, Monterey Pop Festival and the mother of all musical extravaganzas, The Woodstock Music & Art Festival, Yasgur’s farm in Bethel, New York, August 15,16,17th, 1969. Monterey would mend the wounds of band debauchery and alienation to some degree and although the poster art and light shows of San Francisco folklore would never become as credible on Hollywood Boulevard, the efforts of John Phillips, Alan Pariser, Jerry Wexler, & Lou Adler would initiate some semblance of rapport with musicians who lived a mere four hours away from one another. These were the Renaissance men of the sixties and those who paved the way for future festivals across the globe, and eventually augmented with The Herculean efforts at Woodstock by Michael Lang, Joel Rosenman, John Roberts and Artie Kornfeld. All these events that now represent distinct eras and define the generation were met by ardent denials for licensing to accommodate the burgeoning throngs that exceeded all expectations in reference to the series of colossal events.. These were the defining moments from the Age of Aquarius , The Woodstock Generation, Flower Power and mass migration to what is now known as Rainbow Gatherings, among other things. At times, any reference to the sixties migration and youth of the day, augmented by the decadence and destruction of yesteryear’s politics equates to a lengthy elegy, a lament that seems to overlook the hedonism, cultural acceptance and the grandiose illusions of baby-boomers who were in search of universal peace. Those halcyon years were very fleeting, memorable and harmonious for those fortunate enough to have lived it. All these years later the shards of a broken dream are soon to be awakened with commercialism and resurrection of The Woodstock Nation. We are still the greatest generation known to mankind, we still believe in the music as requisite for group harmony and we have acquired the knowledge and truth that the “the magic is now in all of us”. At various times we gather and once again become a microcosm of youthful rebellion and the music that eased us through a tumultuous decade and that in which most of us patterned our lives to. As we ponder over the 40th anniversary of Woodstock in 2008, we think of the past, but prefer the future. The circle becomes a tinge smaller at times but remains unbroken as we march along to our various drummers. We were the children of “Acid Rock”, deliberate, assertive and abrasive as we searched for universal peace through the music that has endured for over forty years. If that’s as good as it gets and we can all love and be loved, who could ask for more? There will be more anon. Cheers Don Aters - Editor - Haight Street Music News
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