larger view

As promised, I started a new series at Bakersfield Sound Underground today.  It's called Bakersfield Sound Garden.  It's where we take seeds from the old Bakersfield Sound "trees," that is, music of yore, that distinctly represents the Bakersfield Sound, and the spirit of that age, and plant then in new soil, along with rows of experimental "plants" of myriad genres, that incorporate elements of the Bakersfield Sound to form new breeds of musical "plant life."

There are no such things as mistakes in experimental music, only lessons to be learned in the journey towards a country of roots-oriented records of the future.  

In today's first edition of the series, I identify certain seeds that I believe are essential in my new garden, and I invite you to share some of your own seeds in the comments section.

But before going underground, I'd like to identify a couple of weeds that will need to be killed before we can create a fruitful garden. 

The first weeds come from the SEEDS OF SUPERIORITY associated with either the old Bakersfield Sound generation, or the new generation of youth favoring more modern musical genres. 

The temptation of the older generation----those either famous or not so famous, but all deeply rooted in the old days, and the old sound that put Bakersfield on the map of country music, is to think of themselves as superior for being a part of an era that was "authentic" and for not selling out to modern forms of music.   

The temptation of younger generations that have followed is to haughtily dismiss the old music as a thing of the past that is completely irrelevant given today's trends. 

These supercilious attitudes will bury the past, and prevent the future from emerging with anything of value to offer new generations. 

The second weed I would like you to search for in my underground blog comes from the SEEDS OF SELF-CENTEREDNESS.  As long as there are hot dogs among members of the creative community, creativity and will suffer, and the harvest will be a sorry, sparse one. 

Egos must be left at the door for productive, creative jam sessions, and recording sessions to become significant and memorable, and for enduring songs to be produced out of such jam sessions and recording session. 

Finally, while constructive criticism certainly has its place, the SEEDS OF DESTRUCTIVE CRITICISM must never take root, for nothing kills creativity quicker. 

Okay, now that you know what to look for, it's time to grab those hoes, those shovels, those watering cans, those seeds, and that green thumb, and head out to:

Bakersfield Sound Underground

http://www.bakersfieldsound...

where we're growing a Bakersfield Sound garden.

If you ain't goin' underground, you ain't goin' anywhere!