by Guest Writer: J. Chris Lawerence

Though many before me have written on it, and many may yet write again of it, I find myself compelled to share my vision of music and, in brief, its impact on this world.

Hardly the scrap of chain-mail tossed to the trash; nothing like the harmless insect left to be crushed under foot; music in no way can nor should be considered anyone’s minutiae. A gargantuan force formed out of the wisps of thought and emotion, it is a beast as formless as the wind, yet as devastating as an old man’s subtle grasp of mortality.

Music is everywhere, in everything; flowing if even unheard, setting a pace and beat to all things living. It is the heart beating in a child’s chest, the rush of blood only a baby Nirvana In Utero T-Shirt'>in utero can hear. It is the lightning and winds and the bird song serenading the sun. Music is the auditory harmony of the natural and unnatural alike.

Prevalent now in modern life, as it has been for many thousands of years, the effects of music can be found used to set moods or to inspire art and expression. It is an impact upon society and culture, a representation of man in a manner that is readily effective upon the populace, flaring the synapse and sparking revolution. Sought to be censored and combated, it is the tool for a movement. It is the visage of an epoch.

Timeless and ancient as nearly civilization itself, according to Krause, (2001) evidence of music has been found in Egypt dated back as far as a 4,300-year-old tomb in Abu Sir, an ancient necropolis southwest of Cairo.

Said to be a profound influence of worship and ritual, as well as work and celebratory gatherings, even then, it was part of man’s daily lifestyle and integral to civilization.

Music is a movement that can be found in TV, Movies, Video Games and many other Medias. A leading video game on the market now is a music simulation that has brought people to the helm of a feux “Rock Band” (game title), offering an experience that is rewarding, visceral and fun without even needing to learn an instrument.

Where once people thought they could never feel the pleasure of instrumental karaoke, they now find themselves jamming in their living rooms in front of a group of friends to classic music many of this generation may have never even heard prior.

The game Rock Band, following the infamous Guitar Hero series by same developer Harmonix Music Systems, has found itself amongst the highest game titles of last year in sales and continues to run strong on the market.

Music has had its share of enemies. Perhaps much like other media’s and arts, it has come under fire from those seeking to censor and control the artistic output of musicians.

It is a tool, considered by some to outshine even Einstein’s atomic bomb as the greatest WMD, and in the realm of politics, it has long been a patsy for furthering personal careers. But is there merit to the accusations given the ancient art? The PMRC would say yes.

Formed in 1985 by four women (Tipper Gore, wife of ecology professional and presidential possible Al Gore; Susan Baker; Pam Howar and Sally Nevius) known by some as the “Washington Wives,” the PMRC claimed that “…popular music, and especially hard rock, punk rock and heavy metal music, was partially responsible for the perceived contemporary increase in violence, rape, teenage pregnancy and teen suicide.” (Wikipedia, PMRC)

It was this intrepid group of women that made the parental warning on CD’s a reality, also sparking, in this writer’s opinion, the opening for politicians to scapegoat art and free speech for the sake of political gain in years to come.

Not only for music but for movies, video games and anything else they could blame to make bad parents feel secure in themselves.

Though it is hard to argue music not possibly having this effect, it is realistic to see it as more expression than a lure, hooking us by the mouth and dragging us astray. It is not the music that drives us, but we that drive the music.

Yet it cannot be denied that the music ties us.

Through this great media, we can be united, like magic, through solid ideas and concepts: sent so eagerly and so readily received, from one end of the world to the other; tying together nations and people like stitches, oft catching even the most motley of crews, and assembling a diversity in folk that may spark the wave of the new epoch, bearing the face and expression of a new age.