Pursuit of the Dream

When Bon Scott shrilled, “It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock’n’roll,” he wasn’t kidding.  In fact, no other statement regarding rock’n’roll could better describe a journeyed pursuit toward musical freedom.  Nevertheless, if I knew back then what I know now, a million moons later, I’d still waste my life for a pursuit of the dream.  After all, what else is there?  It’s always been about the song, and it’s forever gonna be.

I was born in Providence, Rhode Island back in 1969.  Heck yeah man, I started breathing just moments before Woodstock took flight.  Peace, love & dope were my welcome mats to this world, and my heart’s been tripping ever since.  Earth became Black Sabbath; Abbey Road was hot off the press, and Neil Armstrong stepped foot upon the surface of the moon.  Wish I was old enough to have recognized what a great year it was.  It was the end of the 60’s man, and I almost missed it.      

If this was a moment of confession, I’d profess that I had a wonderful childhood.  I’m not some dysfunctional rocker who thrives on being angry at the world.  You know, angry because of a terrible upbringing.  To the contrary, I actually ended up with the right family.  A perfect match, if you ask me. 

Both of my brothers were very involved in the local music scene, always rockin’ out in their band and loving what they did.  I was much younger than both of them, so I wasn’t even old enough to be a part of their glory.  Without a doubt, I envied them.  Sure I was proud, but I mostly envied.  I’d sit there for hours on the phone, listening to my brother on the other end, tearing through countless melodies on his guitar. I’d follow his changes like a train on a track.  I learned a lot from those “over the phone” jam sessions.  My brothers to me were like what John & Paul were to the Beatles, my necessity.      

My sister and I were tight.  She ran with some pretty wild friends, leaving me with an opportunity to tag along from time to time, which introduced me to a world far more colorful than that which my parents had ever hoped for.  Granted, I never got involved with the whole partying lifestyle, yet I found myself stumbling upon a chance to see it all first hand.  I found people just living their lives on the edge, without ever giving consequence a second thought.  Looking back now, a devil-may-care bunch of gypsies could best describe those lovely few.  Intrigue brings me back to those lost starry nights, just breathing each moment with my sis on the run. 

My parents had always been strongly devoted to their faith in Christ.  They kept active with the church and lived the life 24 / 7.  That’s when I first realized that the whole singing thing was pretty insane.  Hearing the chant of the congregation was a drug for the mind.  My mom and I were always singing songs and harmonizing to each others’ melodies.  At times, I’d hear my dad just whistling alone, as if each moment could last forever.  I never allowed myself the opportunity to slip up.  Of course, I wasn’t a saint, but who was?  I just got to see life from so many angles, flooding my mind with my own conclusions.         

As the years passed, my passions began to sway.  At the age of 16 my parents bought me my very first trap set.  Soon afterwards, I hooked up with a friend of mine, Scott King, who was another musical influence.  He had been playing guitar for quite some time and was dying to hook up with a drummer.  I’ll admit, maybe I wasn’t the best drummer at the time, but we kept working hard, and things started to gel.  It wasn’t long before we were rockin’ out five days a week for eight hours straight.

James, a good friend of mine, started slappin’ on the bass for us.  What a killer groove he brought to the plate.  We all shared the responsibility of singing, which opened up a whole new door me.  I was finally learning how to write a song from scratch.  We named ourselves Holy Possession, which sounded pretty heavy for the times.

I was passionate about writing lyrics even back then.  No sooner would I hear a new choir-filled sound coming from the band, I’d begin seeing words sprawled across the inner walls of my mind.  That’s when I knew I was hooked.  I found the ability to express myself through song and by tearing up those melodies found buried in my soul. 

Yeah, that was more then 20 years ago now and what a road it’s been.  Yet, even though I’ve evolved into who I am now; nothing from this day forward could ever replace those first steps taken toward a pursuit of the dream.  Innocence harbored the shores of my life only once.  As the sun set upon the oceans of evolution, so slid away the innocence forever.  I thank God for the memories, cuz my memories have become my resurrection, and my resurrection has become this moment of truth.  For I’m standing upon the foundations of my life, and the path out ahead is looking good….    

  Salieb