Contribute to the star dust
In discovering a weekly theme to write about, they become self-evident through conversations and interactions in my social circle.
A word, phrase or idea will usually present and repeat itself. All I have to do is be open, listen and receive. Currently, that phrase is “paying it forward.” Aside from the creative works derived from music and art, this is the most valuable trait.
Music, functioning at its best, has no gatekeepers. Knowledge, wisdom and opportunity are available for those humble, respectful and ready to receive them.
In a digital world becoming increasingly insular and withdrawn, music is still a tribal art. So much of the knowledge, history and experience of it is an oral history. It’s passed down from the elders to the next generation. They must carry the baton to keep it alive. It’s the responsibility of the current generation, one day, to recruit, train and transfer the knowledge to someone new.
In the local music world, this could occur between a new band and artist that is already established. It could also simply mean reaching people who are interested in attending shows, who need the outlet.
From 2010 to 2020 and because of the COVID-19 shutdown, our local music scene experienced upswings and downswings. Periods where it seemed like the latest upswing could lead to sustainable growth dried up and turned into a drought.
Now, we are in an upswing that appears to be sustaining itself. However, proactively thinking ahead, now is the perfect time to get new people involved on a grassroots level — particularly, young people in high school or college.
Historically, the shift has always happened as people leave the Antelope Valley to pursue higher education or full-time employment, or simply burn out from too few reliable people involved in the activities necessary to sustain the music scene.
While things are booming, it’s a perfect time to reach out to people who may want to become involved and to engage the youth in a way that establishes a deep connection to the arts.
This teamwork and collaboration is infectious and can spread throughout our community in the most positive way. Simply put, if the arts and music can thrive in our community, so can our Valley, as a whole. When a music scene functions at its best, what are its core values? It’s acceptance of people from all different backgrounds and freedom to express yourself regardless of the musical flavor of the moment. It’s when supporting each other, in various ways, becomes the norm.
All of this amounts to building a culture. Our music, food, the values we share, the decorum we practice. What we create together is greater than the sum of our parts, literally and figuratively. Major cities across the country justify an astronomical cost of living through various means.
After gainful employment, cultural significance is often a primary reason. It’s almost a clichéd story that has become a formula. Artists find a neighborhood or city that’s affordable, the newly enlightened area becomes a haven for real estate developers, investment groups and other human jackals, then via gentrification, many people, including the creative types, can no longer afford to live there.
It’s not my hope for the Antelope Valley to become a new version of Austin, Texas, or something similar. It’s that we continue to realize the value of our unique desert culture. If we can sustain it through the work we collectively put in, who’s to say how far the community will evolve in five years?
Hosting an art show, giving a young musician advice, a band playing their first show … it all adds up. They may seem like a spec in the grand scheme of the universe. However, so is one single vessel in the night sky. The collective is what completes the picture, not the lone star.
Through traveling, I can objectively say there’s no place like the Antelope Valley. For good or for worse, through the dust and heat, we continually do more with less — less money, less clout, less resources.
In turn, the art that arrives from the dirt has an organic purity and a non-pretentious quality that can’t be replicated, exactly. This will continue to survive with infrastructure and support from the community. While things are thriving, this is a perfect time to contribute to the star dust. Everyone can find a way to pay it forward at one time or another.