Sea of Tranquility

Music Time Capsule ---- Log # 2, Rock For God's Sake

17 July 2017

Mark Antony Rossi

As much as I enjoyed rock groups in the big arena, much of my music listening came through concerts held at churches. I was very much a fan of Christian rock. Bands such as Jerusalem (Sweden), The Resurrection Band, Silverwind, Petra and Kerry Livgren's (Kansas) solo project "Art of the State" were large on my musical agenda.

You can say I was paving the way for Stryper and all its metal greatness and wholesome message. Thankfully I didn't belong to a household or a church that deemed anything not Christian was demonic because that was seldom the case. The whole issue of devilism in rock music is not only overblown it masks legitimate issues in society like racism, drug abuse and parental neglect of children.

Strangely I came late to Pink Floyd and didn't follow them or purchase an album until "The Wall." But I was an early admirer of Vangelis since his "Heaven and Hell" album and found solace in intelligent instrumentals composed by a man locked in a studio until he was done. I love that.

I met many in school who were members of the KISS Army. To this day I am not a fan of Kiss and if it weren't for Ace Frehley I wouldn't even remember their makeup or fire-eating weirdness. Styx was one of those wonderful gems ever since I first heard Grand Illusion and they struck me as a band with two forces competing with each other and would eventually explode. And that it did. This pattern was repeated again and again in Rock N Roll from Dokken to Queensryche.

When I got older before I went into the US Air Force I finally got to see Twisted Sister. I'm not a makeup fan. But I am a lifelong fan of Dee Synder and his authentic singing and professional demeanor. I'd like to meet him one day. But until then it's good to know Rock was smart enough to keep guys like that around.

Mark Antony Rossi