Welcome to Issue #1 : Spring–Summer 2023
Congratulations to our FEATURED ARTIST: Picus Maximus !
(Click any page image and use the arrows to navigate the issue.)
Utopia vs. Dystopia with Picus Maximus in
Darwin’s Lesser-Known Theory of Unnatural Seduction
Man thinks ‘cause he rules the Earth
He can do with it as he please.
And if things don't change soon, he will.
Oh, man has invented his doom
First step was touching the moon…
— “License to Kill” by Bob Dylan
Man and machine, keep yourself clean
Or be a has-been: like a dinosaur.
Man or device? For everything nice
You better think twice, or at least once more…
— “Cheese and Onions” by Neil Innes
During a trip through New Mexico in the 1920s, Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung encountered a Pueblo chief who impressed upon Jung the need to balance the rational mind with other, more mystical approaches to knowledge. The chief described the alarm that white Americans inspired in him.
“See how cruel the whites look,” he said. “Their lips are thin, their noses sharp, their faces furrowed and distorted with folds. Their eyes have a staring expression: what are they seeking? The whites always want something: they are always uneasy and restless. We do not know what they want. We do not understand them. We think they are mad.” Jung asked him why he thought the whites were mad. “They say that they think with their heads,” the chief replied. “Why, of course. What do you think with?” Jung asked him with surprise. “We think here,” the chief said, indicating his heart.
— from On Jung by Anthony Stevens
In the modern world of the 21st century the ultimate balancing act lies between relying upon the systematic logic of the rational mind and being capsized by the irrational tides of the emotional body. We witness it everyday in the classic polarity of how human beings choose to self-identify: conservative versus radical; tradition versus progress; individual versus the collectivist. How does one go about the mystifying business of developing a set of spiritual and moral values that is not in hypnotic lockstep with the arid, escapist materialism that dominates Western society? What are the dogmatic myths and belief systems that we perpetuate within ourselves, and with one another, that supports this worldview? Are the modalities we choose to enter into the universe with open-ended, mutable, and expansive? Or are they merely the dead, static constructs of an existence destined to play out as a form of purgatory? It all comes down to your ethics and what you value. And what you choose to value is a product of your consciousness: what you are capable of and willing to perceive and co-create through your thoughts, deeds, and projections.
All machines are an extension of our psyches. The reason we deploy a tool is to achieve a means to an end. But all tools contain a dualistic nature: a hammer can construct an edifice as efficiently as it can destroy one. The quantum supercomputers of the present day are so powerful they are capable of erecting a society that transcends all of our current limitations, catapulting us into an unprecedented level of affluence. But is that necessarily a positive development? At what price “Utopia?” And what are the spiritual and material ramifications of hurling down a corridor fraught with the heavy artillery of artificial intelligence? Every cautionary tale we have on the subject smacks of a Faustian pact if we bother to read the fine print at the bottom of the contract.
Removing Creative Barriers
The Music Stand focuses on emerging American Indie artists. Our staff is comprised of established musicians and visual artists who have lived through and contributed to the renaissance of the ‘60s and ‘70s music scene. We wish to mentor the next generation of creative talent and assist them to gain a meaningful foothold in the 21st century. We are about preserving the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll. We are independent, self-reliant, gorilla-thumping, dream makers.
If you are a musician or group who has recorded a professional concept album (Pink Floyd—The Wall; Jethro Tull—Thick as a Brick; The Who—Tommy) and would like to be considered for inclusion in our next issue, please forward your music to: The Music Stand, PO Box 3285, La Mesa, CA 91942. Include a check for $25.00 for our review and consideration. OR go to www.musicstandpublishing.com and submit online. You are also required to visit our KickStarter page to help in the funding of our next issue by donating at any level.
Meet Picus Maximus
"Cactus" Jim Soldi: The list of artists that Jim Soldi has played with is a Who's Who of country music. It includes Johnny Cash (four years), Ricky Skaggs (two years), Johnny Paycheck, Waylon Jennings, Skip Ewing, and even Brooke Shields. When he’s not busy touring, Jim produces music at the Out House Recording Studios in Ramona, California. So if you want to find out why Johnny Cash said: "Jim Soldi is the best guitar player in the business" hear for yourself.
Rick "Lizard" Sparhawk: As founding member of the '70s bionic-bluegrass group, Montezuma's Revenge, this singer/songwriter has played the prestigious old-school venues like the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, the Palomino Club in West Hollywood, the Ice House in Pasadena—and other noteworthy events like the Calgary Stampede, Newport Pop Festival, and Grammy Awards.
