Now:Don't Stop Singin'

I just finished a rockin' song called Wake to the Rock and Roll. It is an anthem for sure, but a rocker. It has to do with Geez Music (Neo-Classic Rock) and the fact that much of the current music bores me to tears, which is crazy at 6o years old! Our little grandson loves my songs. He especially likes Rest of My Life. He has just start to sing along with a song. He fills in as a backup singer on Step Back in Time when he feels like it and when we aren't paying attention. He is only 2 1/2 years old. He does play a bad Sponge Bob Uke!

Then:Cruizin' Back in Time

So.... I bought a little 64 Chevy from a student because he had bought a better car and needed the money. Yes, I paid a fair price. I do have ethics. We saw a bunch of old cars at a drive in Salem, so we stopped and walked around to look at them. The cruizers told us that they met there every Saturday night. We shined up the old Chevy and went to our first cruize-in. We had the wrong kind of chairs(old school aluminum) and found out that you need to back in to be cool. Let me tell you that backing any car in to a space at a crowded cruize-in with super expensive classic cars next to you is not relaxing! We had a great time livin' in the American Graffiti movie and left with the fifty-fifty cash. I didn't know what the 50/50 was until that first cruise. I won it. $86? We also met our future friends and heard about the local Chevy car club.

Now: Neo-Classic Rock/ Geez Rock

My wife Dee calls my new songs Neo-Classic Rock. My producer likes to call them Geez. They both are right. My songs are in the style of the Classic Rock and Roll fof the 60's and 70's, but they are all new and written from a Grandpa's perspective, not that of a teenager. Hopefully, there will be new ears to listen to Neo-Classic Rock when the current musics styles come up empty.

Then: Better get back to the woods...

After college, I got totally into pottery making. I made my own kilns and struggled through the Great Oregon Gas Shortage to get supplies. The clay and water made guitar playing more difficult. I sold pottery at art fairs and married the manager of one of them-Dee. We moved to the mountains to a the town of Sisters. I made pottery(no money) while Dee cooked (made money) at a restaurant. I learned to train and drive a sled dog team and entered races. Not much guitar playing at this time. Mostly, small town living. Parenting and a move back to the Valley and a little teaching came next. I finally got a certificate and a Master's and taught Junior High, High school and evening college classes for 30 years until I retired in 2007. During this time I also built a house and continued to play a little guitar at times. I bought a classic 64 Chevy from a student and then.....

Now: Getting closer to the end

I need to raise the cash to go up to Indy to work with my genius Emmy Award winning producer to finish another song for my first cd. I have 11 songs pretty much done and I think I will only do one or two more. I may replace an older recording to make a better album. I did write a couple of new songs in the last few days. One was done with stupid lyrics (Another breakup?? My wife Dee said it was just another breakup song...)and I think I managed to save it with some real ones. I also wrote a song called Dark Castle, which is based on a favorite book of mine called The House on the Strand. It is a spooky Doors/Morrison channeled type song that I wrote on my 12 string. It may have to go on my next album. My Grandson Liam likes my songs. Rest of My Life is his favorite and he starting to sing a little. Hey, if a two year old likes your songs you must be doing ok.

Then vs Now

I will title some posts starting with "Then" or "Now" to jump around in time and to keep this saga more interesting. Now: I wonder how long it will take before anyone will read these?

Movin' from high school to the woods

I played (auditioned) one time with a garage rock band. They were looking for a lead and my friend wanted me to try out because I had an electric guitar. Problem was, I didn't know how to play lead guitar! I did hear some hear some great music during the riots at my school in San Bernardino. We went on vacation to Oregon and my family (including me) stayed there. I never went back at all! Bye old friends and the SoCal music scene! I stripped the stripes (try saying that fast.)off my Silvertone and brush varnished it. It looked terrible, so I got a 12 a Harmony string and continued to play and learn guitar (on my own) as I went in a small college. I was also getting deeper it painting and pottery. I was an art education major but didn't want to teach. I changed my major at the last minute to The Arts:Art Music and Drama. I always do things backwards! I took some music classes and was in the concert choir. My voice was fried after a full day of classes. It was hard to believe that I was majoring in voice. I didn't play any real instruments except guitar, so voice was it. I couldn't learn or play many of the popular songs of the late 60's and early 70's so...I started writing my own! I thought that they had been thrown out. But, as you will learn later, I still have them.

The Early Years

I taught myself to play guitar (with the help of my uncle George) back in the 60's. My mom played piano well and did family sing-alongs. I got a Harmony (Sears) guitar for Christmas because I wanted to learn to play. It had tiger stripes and a black and gold cord (which I threw away.) for a strap. It was a Sears special. I now have one similar that my wife found for me at a Goodwill for $8. It is a Stella and is like one of B.B. Kings. I learned to play the theme to Gilligan's Island and Green Backed Dollar (Kingston Trio) from a high school friend. I also liked the electric guitar my uncle had at our sing-alongs. My friend pushed me to "buy an electric" to play in a band he was starting. My uncle kindly sold me his electric guitar and amp. It was a Sears and the amp was an Airline. Now the 60's....

Gettin' Started in Rock at 60

I plan to share the crazy road that has lead me from a life of painting and art teaching to writing and recording my own Rock and Roll songs at the age of 60. (Soon to be 61.) It will take awhile to catch up to the present day., but I'll get there sometime? You can hear a sample of my songs at www.lynncharlesfoster.com/music.