Sanctuary of Soul

Trent Salter

Its time to put the guitar at the forefront of our existence, according to our publisher Trent Salter
Premier Guitar October 2008
Just the other day, while painfully engaging in a Wal-Mart mosh pit shopping for my daughters’ school supplies, I had a gearhead epiphany. My cart filled with notebooks, folders, and of course No. 2 pencils, I happened to notice a gentlemen in front of me also begrudgingly participating in this yearly ritual. Besides the whoop-ass expression on his face, I noticed a clever caption on the back of his t-shirt stating, “Old Dudes Rock.” The shirt also displayed an image of a middle-aged man sitting in a rocking chair throwing down on a Les Paul. This gentleman was a professional looking cat, I’m guessing in his mid-40s, and it was a startling reminder of an exciting transformation in the guitar industry that I have been witnessing over the past few years.

Keeping my thumb on the pulse of a constantly evolving marketplace is something that I have taken rather seriously for the past 15 years, as I am a firm believer in the power of mindfulness – simply paying attention to the experiences around you and drawing meaning from them. This process also demands awakening to the ideological forces around us each and every day and opening our minds and hearts up to draw positive conclusions from this information. Here at PG, this information originates from listening to you, our readers, and at times living vicariously through your experiences.

As baby boomers have settled into a life of insane demands from their families and careers, the need to TUNING UP Trent Salter, Publisher trent@premierguitar.com 888.247.2009 Sanctuary of Soul find their “Sanctuary of Soul” is paramount. Maybe it’s a twisted view of guitar player mortality or perhaps the continual decline of brain cells, but regardless, for our average 40 to 50-year-old reader and avid guitar freak, it seems like the ideal time to throw down the pom poms and jump back in the game. After years of towing the line; supporting a family; paying for lunch tickets, college tuitions, cell phones and breast implants; waxing the Volvo and generally climbing the corporate ladder to keep up with the Joneses, you are saying, “Enough, I wanna rock!”

Not only are you ready to kick ass, but you are ready, able and willing to do it in style. Dust off that ‘62 Tele, re-tolex that AC30, build a new boutique pedalboard with all the bells and whistles, call your buddies you played with 15 years ago, break out a case of beer to rehearse on Friday nights and start living the dream again. It doesn’t have to be Carnegie Hall – the local legion hall will do just fine. Perhaps it is part of the passing, but you can and will enjoy it more than you ever imagined. You will appreciate this sanctuary more than you ever thought possible. You can reconnect with your Sanctuary of Soul – it’s never too late and it is the most fun you will have with your clothes on. So the next time you see a 50-year-old obsessed guitar junkie wearing an “Old Dudes Rock” t-shirt, walk right up to him and say, “You’re damn right they do!”

Nuff sed.

Trent Salter, Publisher

     

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Comments

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Robert Cox
on 10/05/2008 		Well said, Mr Salter. WE ARE NOT ALONE! In the fall of 2005, I was turning 48. I played in cover bands out of college and hit the road for a few years back then trying to "make it." That ended. I am and always have been a gearhead, but my family, parenthood and work committments have taken priority in the last few years. Still, an old buddy and I decided to make an album. A real album. The album we never got to make when we were young and stupid, playing in bands thinking we would be playing in bands forever. I turned 50 the day we finished mastering it. We finished it. We set a goal and followed through. Yes, "old dudes rock." And I am finding more and more of us each day. And we have no delusions of grandeur as to "making it" in the music business of today. We just love being in a band. A rock band! Thanks for the great article and wonderful magazine. I discovered it here at the LA Amp Show. KEEP ROCKIN!



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