by Jackie Klapak

SUMMER IS HERE AT LAST!

It’s summertime!

My plans for summer are going to be very relaxed, I think: a couple of graduation parties, watching whole DVDs of Friends seasons with some, well, friends (no pun, however corny, intended), a Tom Petty concert (at the Tweeter Center on July 15! I’m stoked!), a nice summer office job from 8:30 to 4:30 four days a week, and not much more.

I am absolutely amazed at how quickly this school year has flown by. Furthermore, I cannot believe that when school starts up again, I will be a senior in high school! WOW!

THOUGHTS ON RICK...

Yes, time sure passes us by. I really started thinking about time when local Northwest Indiana music icon Rick Rock passed away.

Rick was one of the most talented musicians the region has ever seen. It is unfortunate that he was only 43-years-old when his time came. He impacted so many people’s lives and brought so much music and joy to fans and fellow music lovers.

I didn’t know Rick extremely well, but every time I talked to him, he seemed so full of life and very energetic. His guitar-playing was absolutely amazing (as I’m sure any former Sez Who or Glass Onion member can attest to). Anyway, Rick has left us now—he’s probably jamming in heaven with George Harrison and John Lennon as you read these very words—but he left us a lot: he left us a legacy of music and a wonderful example of a superb musician.

Rick’s spirit will forever live on, and it is up to us—the musicians, songwriters, and fans—to carry on what we can. The future of the music of the region rests in our hands, and it is our responsibility, our duty, to keep our area’s music vibrant, alive, and rockin’ because it’s the least we can do in memory of Rick Rock.

Everything happens for a reason. I’ve been thinking a lot about that as well. I’ve found it to be true, and Rick’s death was one of the things that made me realize that we must live in the moment, and we must live for ourselves, because there’s no telling what will happen to us at any moment of any day.

I am reminded of the song “Turn, Turn, Turn” by The Byrds. (Actually, the lines are from Ecclesiastes, but the song is great!) It’s true—there’s a time to be born and a time to die and a time to laugh and a time to weep and a time to gain and a time to lose, etcetera. (I know that those three lines don’t go in that order, but they seem the most appropriate for right now.)

This is why I’m so amazed that my time in high school is limited and has so far seemed to slip through my fingers. I am happy to say that I feel that so far, if I could go back in time, I would not change too many things. No one should ever really regret something—if nothing else, an inauspicious result is a learning experience.

However, there is always room for improvements and I feel that it’s never to late to begin to improve things, whether you’re just about to begin high school or if you graduated forty years ago!

THIS TEEN TURNS ON...

This month, I listened to the CD Comfort Eagle by Cake. First of all, the cover art was really awesome. It was a picture/cartoon of this retro-looking couple, and that’s actually what initially got my attention. I listened to the songs, and I was even more pleased.

Cake has a really unique sound. It is this album that has perhaps their most famous song, “Short Skirt, Long Jacket.” (If you haven’t heard this song, you really must. The lyrics are imaginative, chock full of weird similes and such.) In fact, the lyrics were what I liked best about this CD, though their sound was amazing.

I think my favorite song was “Opera Singer”, but I suppose I’m a bit biased towards that since I used to want to be an opera singer. Anyway, check the whole CD out—you won’t be disappointed!

For next month, I will be reviewing The Best of Cat Stevens. It’s a shame that man was denied access to our country; I’ve liked what I’ve heard of him, but we’ll see if that changes or stays the same next month.

Well, that’s all. If you have anything to say, drop me an e-mail at: Jackie@midwestbeat.com

Check back next month and have a safe first part of the summer!

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