First Baptist Church Wonders What Happened to Good Music

Last week the First Baptist Church held a concert that celebrated music from every era. The theme and title of the show, "What Happened to Good Music", was of music from the 1920's to present day and how generational gaps in music set us apart. The ultimate message of the show however, was that music as a whole, still has the power to bring young and old together in celebration.

The concert was host to some 100 guests, each donating what they could; the suggested price of $15 was in order for the institution to fix their Church Tower.

"We're trying to be a little funny, a little light," Program Director BarbaraMorash said. "It's something for the whole family to enjoy and brings many generations together in participation."

This generational pairing was at the center of the event that had both amateurs and professionals of all ages singing and dancing together be it for an old standard like "Won't You Charleston With Me" or to modern day pop songs like Lady Gaga's "Just Dance."

The concert fired from one song to the next, keeping a very upbeat tempo as they moved from swing to rock n'roll, folk to disco, 70's classic rock to 80's pop, then beyond into the hits of today.

The numbers mainly used group a cappella singing combined with piano and drums to belt out the tunes, but later, as more rocking songs took the main stage, guitar and keyboard ensembles were let into the mix.

Veteran Actor, Albert Cremin, lent his voice to narrate the story that went along with the show – guiding the audience through the ages of music as the nosy neighbor who just doesn't understand what the kids are listening to these days.

Later in the show such songs as OffSpring's "Pretty Fly For a White Guy" were belted out by Steve Belt, Caroline Dababneh, Colin Dempsey and a slue of other young performers that got the younger crowd involved.

The performers, of which their were about 20 in total, had minor costume changes and well choreographed dance numbers as they flew through 36 songs that covered popular American music from the 1920's to today.

All this was to help the First Baptist Church and its ailing Church Tower (which has been marked by the Massachusetts Historical Society as a historical monument) in order to raise money for its repairs.

This was just one of many fundraiser events the church is sponsoring this summer and beyond.