The Music Issue
After we published last year’s music issue, I remember writing here that “I wish every issue were the music issue.” In homage to some of the greats, over the past year we’ve trotted out reviews of Leonard Cohen, The Dead, Clapton-Winwood, Phish, Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal, Bob Dylan, Jeff Beck, and other contemporary musicians. Last November, we even hosted a respectable musical shindig of our own to commemorate our 35th anniversary.
The magazine recently crossed another noteworthy milestone. I found this out when I received a call from a gentleman in Los Angeles who wanted to buy a copy of last month’s Bay Pride issue. Apparently, he’d seen it was being sold on Ebay and wanted get a better price. Oh, the pride! So collect your copies of Common Ground and plan your retirement accordingly.
I pray that by the time you’re reading this that tens of thousands of gallons of oil have stopped gushing into the Gulf of Mexico. My stomach’s in knots over this fiasco. Our poor oceans — so much loss.
On a cheerier note, this summer’s music offerings look to be merry. We’ll see you at Harmony Fest, featuring the long-awaited return of Lauryn Hill of the Fugees. At the height of her megastar career, she dropped out and is resurfacing rather exclusively in Santa Rosa for the 32nd Harmony Festival. To their credit, the folks at Harmony Fest have led the way in pairing musical fun with sustainability. We’re proud of our longstanding affiliation with Harmony and gratified to see how so many other music events have greened themselves, following their example.
Congratulations to Shoreline Amphitheatre for becoming the nation’s first major music venue to earn green business certification. They are founding members of Green Music Group, a coalition bringing musicians, industry leaders, and music fans together to create widespread environmental change within the music industry.
Besides a roundup of kick-ass festivals and new album releases, this issue weaves together all sorts of musical trends, starting with Tim Westergren’s Musical Genome Project, aka Pandora. We look at the yoga music revolution and the rebirth of hula hooping. We also profile some exceptional women who have pioneered the Bay Area’s musical landscape. Meet Yoshi Akiba, the name behind our local jazz landmarks. We also profile Sylvia Nakkach, who is quite simply a vehicle for transformation of consciousness.
Looking ahead, our next edition will be the combined July-August summer issue. Much like last year, we take a glimpse into the themes and the art anticipated at Burning Man. We’ll take a special look at the Black Rock Arts Foundation and its mission.
Speaking of art, do yourselves a favor and visit the de Young museum’s exhibition Birth of Impressionism: Masterpieces from the Musee d’Orsay. We’re so lucky to have such a rare exhibition on loan, right inside Golden Gate Park. We attended the opening gala and had fun observing socialite Dede Wilsey and her ex-husband John Traina relaxing over the May issue of Common Ground. They were friendly and praised our publication. We’ve been thinking that we should revive the Common Ground Friday Night at the de Young events. Those were fun; any volunteers to help?
Finally, thank you for supporting our worthy sponsors — they’re simply the best. See you next month, around Independence Day.
Bee Bop-a-Loola,
ROB SIDON, PUBLISHER/EDITOR