Welcome to 2025 and another issue of PA Musician Magazine. It’s hard to believe we made it to “The Future” what an amazing time to be alive. When the paper started in 1982 we didn’t even have a computer. The process involved typewriters, scissors, wax rollers, developing photos and lots and lots of paper, before we even made it to press. Then physically cutting and pasting each individual paragraph and photo onto large sheets of paper, with the most care and accuracy. After the pages were all finished it was carefully transported to the press, where we would wait hours and hours for the paper to roll off of the giant machine. CA CHUNK CA CHUNK CA CHUNK, as each paper rolled off the press and through the folding process, followed by the evil bundle strap machine, that with one error could take off a finger or shut down the whole works for hours if not done correctly.
The whole process relied on each step and if one error occurred all Mayhem would break loose and typically did. These are the memories of my childhood. Somehow my parents always made it happen. Snow storms, blown motors (oops), broken presses, health issues, somehow the paper always comes first. When you take this on, your month to month, revolves around the paper. There is no where else you can be, there is no other day you can complete your task, you are bound by the monthly deadline. Heading into 2025 and 7 years since taking over the paper, I still feel like a newb. My hats off to my mother, Robin Noll, Who somehow has been at this for over 42 years. She started with a typewriter, scissors and my dad’s dream to provide for his family. when we got our first computer, a new thing called an Apple Macintosh, She didn’t go to training on how to be a computer wiz. She fumbled through and with the help from people like Charlie Hood and Bobby Kutz she learned how to adjust to the new era. The rule back then was “DO NOT TOUCH THE COMPUTER”. It is not for “GAMES”. When it crashed it was like the stars were falling into computer space. Our family relied on that little Macintosh and our mother, month after month, to successfully complete the task and she always does. LOVE YOU MOM!
Now days the process is much easier we still deal with computer crashes, acts of nature, car repairs, life in general but technology has changed the way we do things. With the introduction of AI based software it’s hard to see where the future will take us and how it will change music as we know it. Will we continue to do our own thinking and creating or will we let the computer streamline our process so we can spend more time on our computers doing computer things. UGH seems like a wormhole or something from a bad Keanu movie. Let’s keep our music organic and let the computers for computing. No one wants the same sounds or progressions spewing from some AI based terminal. If you can use it to help unlock your mind so be it, but don’t let it take over your mind and become your thoughts. It’s a powerful tool and only the future will tell what the next generation will do with it.
As we roll into the future, start the new year out right and get out and see some live music. Lots of options for local live music and rumors have it, that there will be some new “venue revamps” coming to our area focusing on live music, so stay tune for more details. 2025 and still alive! If you’d like to part of “The Future” of PA Musician Magazine and wonder how we can help promote you, your event or band. give me a call or a text 717-636-4203 or send me an email: nollzman240z@aol.com We would love to hear from you. [we need the ad dollars to survive—Robin] See you next month!
