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Quietly, at least for the moment, members of Nevada County's next generation have been waiting for their shot at the dream. They are hoping to stall the "graying" of Nevada County, long known as one of the oldest counties in California.
Most who are waiting in the wings are college educated, nurtured and encouraged by Nevada Union and Bear River High Schools, whose academic achievements are well known by the likes of Cal and Stanford, Davis and other fine institutions of higher learning. These are smart young people who are coming home, and they are determined to find a way to make it in this community of high housing costs and few well-paying jobs.
"This is where I grew up," one said recently. "This is where I want to raise my own family one day."
One of the "ringleaders" of this band of baby boomers' offspring is Marc Snegg, who is hoping to bring Nevada County's "underground" music scene to the surface.
Marc's parents - Mike and Nina - are around my age, which means they were part of the famous '60s' generation (some from our generation actually believe it's still 1969), whose culture was pretty much rooted in music. Those roots extended from San Francisco to Nevada City and beyond, when more than a few "flower children" headed north to pursue various artistic endeavors. Mike and Nina, for example, still hang out with the likes of Graham Nash, whose band (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young) was one of the Bay Area's true musical icons of our era. And our music has crossed the "great generational divide" more than a few times.
As a result, Marc and his brothers and many of their friends were encouraged to pursue their own artistic adventures, the results of which are coming home to roost.
Just last week a couple of thousand copies of the "Family Album" rolled off the compact disc presses in Southern California. It's the first "album" produced by the Sneggs' new venture, Grass Roots Record Co., and it includes a wonderful collection of original music from Marc's own band and from several other young and talented local musicians. You can get a taste of it from the new record company's Web site at www.grassrootsrecordco.com.
In Marc's words, "A label is something you place on top of an object to define or categorize it. Grass Roots Record Company is made up of some of today's most compelling and talented artists and business people. (The company) is built on the fundamental ideas of the beauty and power of music, art for its own sake, and the potential for real individual and social change. It's about getting radical."
That sounds familiar. Much of the music from "our" generation was founded on social and individual change and much of it was, indeed, radical.
I suppose that's why this particular business venture is founded on the notion that roots really do connect us, something that is particularly poignant with respect to the connection of one generation of musicians to the next.
According to Marc, the 18-song "Family Album" CD was created in two weeks as 20 groups from, or connected to, Nevada City crowded into the studio to record their songs live and direct into the microphone.
"What these artists have to say exhibits the kind of urgency that makes music both timeless and timely," writes Marc on the company's Web site. Local bands and musicians contributing to "Family Album" include Alela Diane, Made In, Hella, The Moore Brothers, Reckon Family, Mariee Sioux, Casual Fog, Them Hills, Lee Bob Watson, Golden Shoulders, Neal Morgan, Kings and Queens, Alina Estelle Hardin, Benjamin Oak Goodman, Jessica Henry, Biff Rose and the Snegg Band.
There is no questioning the musical richness that these young residents of this older community have offered through "Family Album."
And this is just the beginning. Marc and his friends (and family) are dead serious about creating an independent record company they hope will put an exclamation mark on Nevada County's already stellar reputation for artistic creativity.
"Grass Roots Record Co. is a real record company," says Marc, "committed to facilitating the creation of many years of important, historic music."
In other words, this is no whim, or "ego-driven" project for a feel-good purpose. Marc is a smart businessman who is not only blessed musically but also clearly understands that there is a bottom line and that it is possible to make a living from a labor of love. That, after all, is where the best livings are made.
Plans call for a state-of-the-art recording studio soon, and a significant marketing campaign - the company has already invested thousands in magazine and Internet marketing - is already underway. The bands on "Family Album" are also performing in Los Angeles and San Francisco and have slated a show in Grass Valley at the Center for the Arts on Dec. 22.
In an era of so much discord, perhaps music is where to look for some semblance of harmony. Maybe that's where the common ground can best be found. I'm guessing that's where it's always been.
The roots already run deep in these foothills we call home. All we need to do now is offer a little nourishment so that the next generation can enjoy the same slice of sunshine.
ooo
Jeff Ackerman is the publisher of The Union. His column appears on Tuesdays. Contact him at 477-4299, jeffa@theunion.com, or 464 Sutton Way, Grass Valley 95945.
Most who are waiting in the wings are college educated, nurtured and encouraged by Nevada Union and Bear River High Schools, whose academic achievements are well known by the likes of Cal and Stanford, Davis and other fine institutions of higher learning. These are smart young people who are coming home, and they are determined to find a way to make it in this community of high housing costs and few well-paying jobs.
"This is where I grew up," one said recently. "This is where I want to raise my own family one day."
One of the "ringleaders" of this band of baby boomers' offspring is Marc Snegg, who is hoping to bring Nevada County's "underground" music scene to the surface.
Marc's parents - Mike and Nina - are around my age, which means they were part of the famous '60s' generation (some from our generation actually believe it's still 1969), whose culture was pretty much rooted in music. Those roots extended from San Francisco to Nevada City and beyond, when more than a few "flower children" headed north to pursue various artistic endeavors. Mike and Nina, for example, still hang out with the likes of Graham Nash, whose band (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young) was one of the Bay Area's true musical icons of our era. And our music has crossed the "great generational divide" more than a few times.
As a result, Marc and his brothers and many of their friends were encouraged to pursue their own artistic adventures, the results of which are coming home to roost.
Just last week a couple of thousand copies of the "Family Album" rolled off the compact disc presses in Southern California. It's the first "album" produced by the Sneggs' new venture, Grass Roots Record Co., and it includes a wonderful collection of original music from Marc's own band and from several other young and talented local musicians. You can get a taste of it from the new record company's Web site at www.grassrootsrecordco.com.
In Marc's words, "A label is something you place on top of an object to define or categorize it. Grass Roots Record Company is made up of some of today's most compelling and talented artists and business people. (The company) is built on the fundamental ideas of the beauty and power of music, art for its own sake, and the potential for real individual and social change. It's about getting radical."
That sounds familiar. Much of the music from "our" generation was founded on social and individual change and much of it was, indeed, radical.
I suppose that's why this particular business venture is founded on the notion that roots really do connect us, something that is particularly poignant with respect to the connection of one generation of musicians to the next.
According to Marc, the 18-song "Family Album" CD was created in two weeks as 20 groups from, or connected to, Nevada City crowded into the studio to record their songs live and direct into the microphone.
"What these artists have to say exhibits the kind of urgency that makes music both timeless and timely," writes Marc on the company's Web site. Local bands and musicians contributing to "Family Album" include Alela Diane, Made In, Hella, The Moore Brothers, Reckon Family, Mariee Sioux, Casual Fog, Them Hills, Lee Bob Watson, Golden Shoulders, Neal Morgan, Kings and Queens, Alina Estelle Hardin, Benjamin Oak Goodman, Jessica Henry, Biff Rose and the Snegg Band.
There is no questioning the musical richness that these young residents of this older community have offered through "Family Album."
And this is just the beginning. Marc and his friends (and family) are dead serious about creating an independent record company they hope will put an exclamation mark on Nevada County's already stellar reputation for artistic creativity.
"Grass Roots Record Co. is a real record company," says Marc, "committed to facilitating the creation of many years of important, historic music."
In other words, this is no whim, or "ego-driven" project for a feel-good purpose. Marc is a smart businessman who is not only blessed musically but also clearly understands that there is a bottom line and that it is possible to make a living from a labor of love. That, after all, is where the best livings are made.
Plans call for a state-of-the-art recording studio soon, and a significant marketing campaign - the company has already invested thousands in magazine and Internet marketing - is already underway. The bands on "Family Album" are also performing in Los Angeles and San Francisco and have slated a show in Grass Valley at the Center for the Arts on Dec. 22.
In an era of so much discord, perhaps music is where to look for some semblance of harmony. Maybe that's where the common ground can best be found. I'm guessing that's where it's always been.
The roots already run deep in these foothills we call home. All we need to do now is offer a little nourishment so that the next generation can enjoy the same slice of sunshine.
ooo
Jeff Ackerman is the publisher of The Union. His column appears on Tuesdays. Contact him at 477-4299, jeffa@theunion.com, or 464 Sutton Way, Grass Valley 95945.
