"Why Rock 'n Roll Will Never Die"

I will always be in love with Rock 'n Roll.

As a budding kid rocker in the 70's, I busted my chops on the classics: the Stones, KISS, AC/DC. It was not just music, it was a way of life -- and one that seemed a lot better than the drippy candy pop of the times like Donnie & Marie, Sean Cassidy, the Bay City Rollers. Piano lessons became weekly trips to hell after I met Rock 'n Roll. So at the ripe age of seven, I procured an electric guitar to begin seeking this new life that felt so right.

Hard rock always spoke to me: a wolves' howl above the misty night of a suburban valley, a sauntering wild creature moving in for the hunt, primal growls carrying across the drone of a culture out of touch with Life -- and terrified by it.

Rock music and performing it has always been for me an honest, sensual celebration of life through its ups and downs, a magic pulse bearing gifts for those who understand its truths: a sense of undying youth, freedom, and timeless wonder hidden in a passionate rhythm that can never quite be held down. It's no surprise that parents were burning Elvis records in the 1950s.

As a young guitarist, I began travelling across the borders of rock music: I explored the well-crafted pop of the early 80s; churned out the smashing, grinding riffs of speed metal with our teen band Spellcaster; tore through the fire of thrash in our esoteric high school band Pocketful of... churning out icy hardcore, an angry answer to 1980's apathy and the glorified Reagan Years.

My guitar was there with me through it all and rock 'n roll inspired and emblazened what could have been dark ages...

So my buddies and me did our time in countless garages across our hometown... some that smelled really, really bad. And we indulged in fun, imaginative muses at events ranging from "What're we gonna do tonight?" gatherings at Some Dude's House to rock star gigs opening up for big bands from out of town. All for the sake of rock 'n roll and its free raw expression.

My years as a musician have brought to me many enjoyable styles of music and I've grown to appreciate many styles. Yet nothing ever swayed my belief in rock 'n roll. I've gone on to play with well-known rockers in the big city and paid my dues in aspiring bands. Through it all I remained true to my first love, rock 'n roll.

I'm thankful for the outlet rock 'n roll provided and the passion for life it continues to inspire.

-William R. Buck