Death Comes

By Lou Pastina

The Bible says there is a season to every time. The Byrds sang a song to it. Sometimes we recognize the changing of seasons, sometimes they slip by unnoticed. The autumnal equinox just passed last week, but it was hard to tell because it was still 80 degrees and sunny out. No crisp, cool breezes to signal the change. But the changes do come, and it brings a difference in weather, a difference in how we feel, and the knowledge that winter is coming, and the beautiful green trees and colorful flowers will retreat into hibernation, or a form of death before spring’s rebirth.

In an age of electronic overwhelming barrages, images from all over the world are plastered all over our TVs, computers, iPad, and watches. It’s hard to escape the fact that with over 7 billion humans on this planet, that there is a constant turnover of life, of death and birth. Sometimes, to lessen the impact we try to use humor to get us through the day. Like when a celebrity passes, we all usually think, well, they happen in threes, who’s next? Or sometimes, the gambling itch in us starts a “dead pool,” you know, where you bet on who will die first. The winner hoping that their pick comes in first. Talk about ghoulish!

All of this is by way of pushing away the thought that like the seasons, we too go through changes, metamorphosis, on to the next cycle of our lives. In life there are icons that signal the generational changes that are happening just like the seasonal changes. We recently lost Robert Redford, the beloved actor of so many American classic movies. Some called it the passing of Hollywood’s last true movie star. Whether that’s true or not matters less than the fact that’s how we see it. It’s the end of a generation. The problem for some, like me, is that we identify with that generation, and must face the fact that changes come for all of us, not just the icons.

I remember back maybe 15 or 20 years ago, it seemed the Rockaway music scene was dead. It had been alive maybe 15 years before that with the Rain Tower and The Rockaways, but it died away because kids needed to grow up and devote time to marriages, families, careers. But there was a rebirth of music in Rockaway. The venues where musicians could play were still few and far between, but people were ready for live music again, especially by people who lived in the neighborhood. And just like the spring, bands began to pop up everywhere. Some had a short run, but others hit their mark, had a following and lasted a long time. But nothing lasts forever. Like a bull market in the stock exchange, the market goes up, and the market goes down, never one direction forever.

This year signaled changes again in the music scene in Rockaway. This spring we lost the inspiration behind the Grayriders, Joe Kenel. And just recently we lost the driving force behind Solshyne, Gerry Mancini. While there are plenty of bands and music to fill void left by these two musical pioneers, their iconic sound can only be enjoyed by the recordings they left. We were blessed with their music and souls while the sun shone brightly. Now with autumn upon us, and winter approaching, we must get ready to get through. Luckily, we have the knowledge that spring almost assuredly will come again, and that the music will live on for us all. RIP Gerry Mancini.