Peter's music has been heard on hundreds of radio stations and has been on SiriusXM rotation for over a decade. As a multi-award winning artist, Peter's music has also topped Billboard's Classical and Crossover charts.
For Captain Beefheart, a maverick-artist-musician, who was not just a complicated man but highly demanding and by most accounts very difficult to deal with. It was appropriate that Beefheart's Magic Band was to prominently feature a bassist as accomplished, bold and adventurous as Mark Boston, a.k.a Rockette Morton.
Born on July 14, 1949, Mark began life in the small town of Salem, Illinois before his family moved out to Lancaster, California when he was 13. With a bassist and steel player for a father, Mark gained a great appreciation for country and bluegrass along with the R&B and rock’n’roll that was on the rise. Within a year of the Boston clan moving out to Lancaster, Mark befriended a young guitarist by the name of Bill Harkleroad.
At a time when the bass guitar was seen as the dummy’s instrument, Mark left quite an impression on Bill with his talent and equipment, leading to the two joining forces to form BC And The Cavemen. With Mark’s mother sewing some outfits for them, the band developed a decent reputation, and the two would also play in a band with Jeff Cotton and John French known as Blues In A Bottle. And then a local hero came calling. Or perhaps screaming and howling!
In that same Lancaster scene, Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band were making a big splash as a top flight blues rock outfit, with 'Safe As Milk' having made a strong impression and 'Strictly Personal' being a strong record as well. But even with a sound that was speaking to people, one that perhaps would have been a more pragmatic one as far as a career goes, Don Van Vliet just wasn’t meant for conventional norms.
The Captain had all these ideas, ideas far too out for many, including early members. He needed new musicians, younger and more impressionable ones that wouldn’t object to his ideas. Already having John and Jeff in the band, now 'Drumbo' and Antennae Jimmy Semens, he then recruited Bill, dubbed Zoot Horn Rollo. And on bass, he found Mark Boston, who took the name Rockette Morton due to his love of outer space. And the classic Magic Band was born.
Trout Mask Replica (TMR) wasn’t an easy album to make. Yet even with all the bizarre ideas and the difficulty in preparing those ideas into music, Mark was a total champ through it all. The Beefheart sound is one of great dichotomy, and Mark can capture all of it. He’s so tight and precise, and yet there’s this raw grit and dirt. He’s highly intelligent and sophisticated in his playing, and yet there remains this childlike sense of wonder and curiosity.
He takes after all the great traditional American music, yet out into a whole other realm of time and space. The bass traditionally serves the role of grounding the harmony while locking in with the drums to provide a foundation, yet Mark’s playing often serves as another melody line in the music. In a lot of ways, he’s like a third guitarist that just happens to be playing bass.
The TMR on its own is a legacy few can compete with, and yet Mark contributed to more classic records like "Lick My Decals Off, Baby", "The Spotlight Kid", and "Clear Spot". There on Decals, you get the equivalent of Godfather II. With Mother Art Tripp on marimba and drums rather Jeff on guitar, you get an album that captures a great deal of TMR's brilliance while being brilliant in its own unique way.
Then you get to 'The Spotlight Kid', with bass godliness on cuts like “When It Blows Its Stack”, resulting in a bass solo that often opened shows, yet Mark proves himself just as talented on traditional in-the-pocket styles as demonstrated on cuts like “I’m Gonna Booglarize You Baby”. And that thing about bassists being failed guitarists? In the 'Clear Spot', with Mark taking guitar and the rhythm section now being a mini Mothers reunion of Art and Roy Estrada, yet nobody missed a beat. Throughout the record, Bill and Mark’s kinship really shines, their weaving right there with what Bill and Jeff had done, or what was done with Alex St Clair early on.
Of course, dealing with Don was quite a task of its own, so it’s inevitable that Mark and the others would all end up departing by 1974. He and Bill soon formed a group of their own called Mallard. For two albums, the first with Art and having some writing help from John French 'Drumbo', Mallard showed itself a pretty decent blues rock outfit. And giving that it was Mark who finally had a chance to create something that was truly his own rather than helping some achieve their vision, it’s understandably the work that he takes pride in. And over time, he’d end up making a solo record and create some cool artwork of his own, as well as performing with 'Drumbo' in the reformed Magic Band, allowing the music to live and breathe on stage again.
If you’re a Beefheart fan, how can you not love Rockette Morton? Not only a uniquely talented bass player but such a great stage presence full of joy, along with a lovably quirky personality and such a sweet guy. Easily one of my favorites from Magic Band members, you can’t help but smile when thinking about Mark. He’s been through some rough weather, including his health scares, and yet he’s still the same Mark we’ve known and loved all the years.
Happy birthday Mark! Thank you for all you have given us and look forward to more.
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Patrick Moore is a freehand drawing artist and freelance music writer.
That's why many Punjabi girls are now scared to marry in their own community
BRAMPTON: Davinder Kaur, 43, a mother of four children, was stabbed to death in a Brampton park on June 2 by her estranged husband, showing that violence against women continues unabated in the Punjabi community.
As a social worker, I have been involved in the community for the last 33 years, and every year across Canada, Punjabi women are killed at the hands of the men they know.
Punjabi culture is anti-women, but the community is denial. Female infanticide is still prevalent in our culture.
In our mysogynistic culture, men think they own their women. So they think: How can a woman go their wishes? How can she dare to divorce them? If she does, they says: I will fix you now.
Look at this man who killed Davinder Kaur. While stabbing her, he is making the video and telling her: “Hun call kar police nu, main tenu keha see ke tun naa kar.”
Our Punjabi communtiy here is full of such men whose thinking remains that of a rustic in Punjab. Because of these men, every fourth Punjabi woman here is an abused women. I know Punjabi girls who are scared to get married in our community.
The saddest part is that even Punjabi boys born here carry this dark mentality.
From my experience, I have identified a few reasons for the kind of violence – known as intimate partner violence (IPV) – Davinder Kaur and so many other women have been subjected to:
1. Power and Control: One of the primary reasons behind IPV is the desire for power and control over the victim. The perpetrator may feel threatened by the victim's independence, assertiveness, or attempts to leave the relationship. They may resort to violence to maintain dominance and control over the victim. Power and control primarily come from misogyny, which means that "certain men have hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women. It is a form of sexism that is used to keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practiced for thousands of years".
2. Jealousy and Possessiveness: Feelings of jealousy, possessiveness, and insecurity can contribute to violent behavior. The perpetrator may believe that
their partner is being unfaithful or is interested in someone else, leading to acts of violence as a response to these perceived threats.
3. Entitlement and Ownership: Some perpetrators view their partners as possessions and believe they have the right to control their lives and make decisions for them. When the victim challenges this perception or attempts to assert autonomy, it can trigger violent reactions.
4. Escalation of Conflict: In some cases, violence can arise as a result of escalating conflicts within the relationship. Factors such as unresolved anger, poor communication, or an inability to manage conflict effectively can lead to a buildup of tension that culminates in violence.
5. Substance Abuse: The use of drugs or alcohol can exacerbate violent tendencies and impair judgement, leading to an increased likelihood of aggressive behavior. While substance abuse does not excuse violence, it can contribute to its occurrence in certain cases.
6. Learned Behavior: Some individuals who perpetrate violence may have grown up in environments where they witnessed or experienced abuse. They may have learned that violence is an acceptable way to handle conflicts or assert control within relationships. This learned behavior can contribute to a cycle of violence that continues across generations.
7. Societal Norms and Gender Expectations: Societal norms and expectations surrounding gender roles can also play a role in IPV. Traditional gender stereotypes that reinforce male dominance and female submissiveness can create a power imbalance within relationships. When these expectations are challenged or not met, it can lead to a violent response from the perpetrator.
8. Mental Health Issues: In some cases, mental health problems, such as personality disorders, anger management issues, or untreated mental illnesses, can contribute to violent behavior within relationships. These conditions can impair an individual's ability to regulate emotions and make it more difficult for them to resolve conflicts peacefully.
9. Economic Factors: Financial stress, unemployment, or a lack of economic resources can increase tension within a relationship and contribute to the risk of violence. Financial dependence or control can also be used as a means of exerting power and control over the victim.
10. Social Isolation: Perpetrators may isolate their partners from friends, family, and support networks, making it more challenging for victims to seek help or escape the abusive relationship. This isolation can further entrap the victim and escalate the risk of lethal violence.
11. Previous Threats or Non-Fatal Violence: In some cases, prior incidents of threats or non-fatal violence may have occurred within the relationship before it escalated to lethal violence. These warning signs should be taken seriously, as they indicate an increased risk to the victim's safety.
It's important to emphasize that these factors do not apply universally to all cases of IPV, and each situation is unique. IPV is a complex issue influenced by a range of personal, societal, and cultural factors.
Understanding and addressing these underlying dynamics is crucial for the prevention and intervention of IPV. Also, it is crucial to approach the issue of IPV from a multidimensional perspective, taking into account individual, relational, societal, and cultural factors. Prevention efforts should focus on challenging harmful gender norms, promoting healthy relationship dynamics, providing support and resources for victims, and holding perpetrators accountable through legal systems and intervention programs.
My recommendation would be that women seek counselling when they are being abused. This would require being brave and overcoming the stigma that ‘I have to disclose my very personal situation to an outsider who is a professional’. But by going to a counsellor, you can understand how dangerous your situation is and what you can do to protect yourself and your children.
Punjabi Community Health Services can be contacted at 905-677-0889 (between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday–Friday); otherwise, please leave your phone number and a trained counsellor will call you.
You may also send us an email at [email protected].
(Baldev Mutta is the CEO of Punjabi Community Health Services in Brampton)
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