— A JOURNEY BACK TO THE SIXTIES
A city in motion.
A life coming of age.
A Teenage ‘Trip’ through the San Francisco 60s
One young musician. A changing city. A decade that would leave its mark on everything.
SAN FRANCISCO · 1964—1969
YOUTH ✳ FRIENDSHIP ✳ ROCK & ROLL ✳ FIRST LOVE ✳ THE SUMMER OF LOVE
A STORYTELLER WITH A MUSICIAN’S EAR
Meet Mark
Some stories stay with you because they belong to a time, a place, and the music that filled the air.
Mark Lashley is a writer and musician whose work looks back on the formative years of a young man growing up amid the cultural changes of the 1960s. In A Teenage ‘Trip’ through the San Francisco 60s, he revisits the San Francisco Bay Area through the eyes of Mathew — a teenager who arrives from Salt Lake City in 1964 with an electric guitar and a world of new experiences ahead of him.
From school corridors and neighborhood friendships to garage rehearsals, local gigs, and the music venues that helped define an era, Mark brings readers close to the moments that shaped a generation. He continues to write and perform music.
Mark Lashley
AUTHOR · MUSICIAN
A COMING-OF-AGE MEMOIR
Step into the
San Francisco 60s.
The fog, the music, the friendships, the first loves — and the restless energy of a city changing by the day.
It is January 1964 when Mathew begins a new chapter of life in San Francisco. Leaving the familiar foothills of Salt Lake City behind, he finds himself in a new school, a new neighborhood, and a world where music quickly becomes his compass.
As the years unfold, Mathew discovers friendship, romance, the thrill of playing in bands, and the magnetic pull of the Bay Area music scene. The journey moves through the Beatles era, the Fillmore and Avalon, the Summer of Love, and the uncertain transition into 1969.
THE YEARS THAT SHAPED THE STORY
1964
A new beginning
Mathew arrives in San Francisco and discovers a new school, new friends, and the sound of a changing music scene.
1965—66
Finding his sound
First dates, first gigs, new bands, and the growing influence of the music around him.
1967
A city transformed
The Fillmore, the Avalon, and the Summer of Love form the backdrop to a turbulent year.
1968—69
Into the unknown
Graduation, new directions, and a journey toward a quieter place to begin again.
THE BOOK BY MARK LASHLEY
A Teenage ‘Trip’ through the San Francisco 60s
A vivid return to the teenage years of the 1960s — told through the friendships, music, growing pains, and unforgettable places of the San Francisco Bay Area.
SETTING
San Francisco Bay Area
TIME PERIOD
1964—1969
AUTHOR
Mark Lashley
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READER VOICES
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Have you travelled back to the San Francisco 60s with Mathew? Reader reviews will be featured here as they become available.
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READER REVIEWS
FROM THE JOURNAL
Notes from
another time.
Small glimpses into the places, sounds, and turning points that give the book its atmosphere.
THE CITY · 01 / 03
When a New City Becomes Your World
In 1964, a move from Salt Lake City brought Mathew to steep streets, coastal fog, and a San Francisco full of unfamiliar faces.
THE MUSIC · 02 / 03
From the Garage to the Stage
An electric guitar, a growing circle of friends, and the first rush of playing live.
THE MOMENT · 03 / 03
The Sound of the Summer of Love
By 1967, music and cultural change were drawing young people toward the Bay Area.