Common Ground: Born To Rock

May 2008 | From the Editor

Born To Rock

By Eliza Thomas

I am second-generation wanna-be rock star. Chains of failed musical projects, endless strings of open mic nights and discarded piles of lyric-scribbled notebooks are something of a tradition in my family, as is the intermittent pining for the life that could have been. My boyfriend likes to joke that my family gatherings always seem to devolve into a sing along (“gathering” being a term used loosely, as even a quick car trip to the market is fair game). And I still have high hopes for the Golenternek Family Reunion Band… if we could get together to practice more than once a year, I swear we’d have made it by now.

As of yet, my father, Keith Thomas, can claim the closest thing to success, with a brief stint as a vocalist during the nascent beginnings of a band that eventually hit it big — very big: legions of fans, arena tours, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the whole bit. The band was Steely Dan, and my dad was out before they really made it, but if you dig around, you can find “early years” compilations featuring him singing lead. It’s both exciting and a touch heartbreaking for me to listen to the old recordings… his voice still a full tenor so young and brimming with promise. I’m not sure my dad ever fully recovered from his abortive brush with stardom, and it can’t help that it’s nearly impossible for him to walk into an ophthalmologist’s office or a Dunkin Donuts without hearing muzak versions of the hits that got away.

It’s a different world now; the internet lends an immediate legitimacy to even the most basic basement projects, and it’s that much simpler to start a band, record something, pop up a myspace page and share your sound with the world. Much has been written about the urgency and artistry inherent in today’s up and coming musical class, and even though the cyber-age grassroots surge means fans have to separate a lot of wheat from chaff, it’s easy to feel like we’re finally entering a new era of music that matters.

In celebration, we bring you Common Ground’s first-ever music issue, chock full of lyrics, albums, tours, bands, record labels, music news and artists worth getting to know. We are honored to showcase the Bay Area’s own singer, songwriter and tireless peace crusader Michael Franti as our cover model and featured interview. The music of Michael and his band Spearhead merges two of our favorite activities here at CG: being the change we want to see in the world and good old-fashioned booty shaking. Endless thanks to Michael for proving the two don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

This month also marks the announcement of our official partnership with the healthy living online media network LIME.com. Tune in to LIME for expanded versions of CG’s stories in the months to come, as well video, quizzes, blogs, polls and — get this — a free playlist of songs featuring tracks from artists like The Ditty Bops, Shake Your Peace, Cheb i Sabbah and The Ginger Ninjas. It’s our gift to you, in appreciation for your continued loyal readership over the years. Because, as Emma Goldman once famously said, “if I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution.”

Eliza Thomas
Editor in Chief

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