It's easy to enjoy dress-up when the boundaries are removed and we know it's just for one night. We create images of what we think we ought to be, and then try to live up to them. The fact is that we are just playing a part. Nothing more. A modern day poet friend of mine once wrote, "Own your truth." His simple poem with that line really struck me as one of the real tenets of punk rock or rock 'n' roll in general. In other words, "Be yourself."

Many a Sunday afternoon at CBGBs during the days of the hardcore matinees had one band or another screaming this exact sentiment. Underdog had a song called "Be Yourself." It was a simple enough concept. Yet through the teen years and with social anxiety, we might lose sight of that ideal. I loved trying to figure out who the heck I was. I still have a hard time knowing. I have a hard time trying to figure out what the heck Chord is. I think we have it down for the most part, but it's fluid. It has to be. Growth and change involve trying new things and letting go of old ways of doing. Sometimes that's much easier to say than it is to do.

So, what is Chord? Chord is a national music magazine dedicated to supporting independent music and showcasing said music as well as honoring the veterans of the trade. Ideally, we cover music that somehow resonates with us. The common thread is that we're looking for something that, as our managing editor Jodie says, has a soul; something created out of nothing more than raw passion. That passion may be derived from emotion, energy, inspiration or whatever. The "soul" Jodie refers to is what we - or at least me as a reader, editor, and ultimately a music fan - gravitate toward. I want to get as close to that form of artistic endeavor as I can. I hope that it comes across on these pages.

I look back at this past year and recognize that we've been lucky enough to have a great readership, which is growing into the new year. We have worked with some very real bands and people to make each of our issues the best it can be. We can fool ourselves, but there is no fooling the music fans who read Chord. They know better. And I would not want to try to put anything past them. So in 2006, look for Chord in more locations throughout the U.S. and Canada, and look for us to have the same continuing dedication to music as a whole.

We hope that the interviews in this and subsequent issues of Chord are inspiring and enjoyable. We try to depict bands just as they are. We try to give readers insight into the soul of these bands' craft. My resolution for '06 is to deliver issues of Chord with the same enthusiasm as the people writing, designing and editing them.

Thanks to all of our readers, staff and friends who really own their truths and deliver the goods.

My truth: I am a louzy speller.

Gus
gus@chordmagazine.com