Michael J. Beckerich

Since I was child I have had a deep connection with rock music. I saw Van Halen at MSG in NYC in 1982, I was nine years old. I dressed up as Alice Cooper for Halloween in the second grade. I listened, bought records, 8-tracks, boom boxes and iPods, played in bands and solo, read about, talked about, and since my first reporting job at Villanova University as the school’s first music editor… write about it. Twelve years ago (2008) I moved my music writings to the current platform (Blogger, owned by Google) and set-up a domain at www.thunderbirdranchramble.com

I traveled far and wide to not only see my favorite performers, but also visit landmark venues. The tales of these shows pepper the TBR Ramble. The concerts are greatly missed this year as COVID has dropped a bomb on the live music worlds, and to be honest, I’m getting older and have seen so much. The thing I miss most about attending shows are the music people I went with and met there. There are plenty of other ways to connect with Music People outside shows, but they were certainly an orgy of music chatter for me. When I am talking music with music people I am deeply rooted in the moment and using all corners of my brain... something people are in constant search of and some never find. 

Ever since I can remember I have been putting together collections of songs and sharing with friends and Music People I meet along the way. When the Philips CD Recorder first came I quickly abandoned mixed cassettes and tried to raise the bar on presentation. These CDs were called the Thunderbird Ranch Productions Music Collections. The most popular series were “Boozin’ Tunes” and “Independence Day) released annually on Christmas and July 4 every year. When CDs were replaced by streaming music, they petered out. Sharing music via an Apple Music playlist or Spotify isn't the same as a good old mixed tape.

Hence, The Music People Project... a creative installation that centers on the stories and ramblings of Music People. It is a way to touch, feel and connect with other Music People. At some point when I have enough interviews, the project will be shared at galleries and maybe created into a film for entry at film festivals, and online outlets. 

Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest places if you look at it right.