Words of faith

Mike Sciacca

Christian. Musician. Entertainer. Husband.

It’s difficult to put a single label on Mark Salomon.

And, that’s the way he’d prefer it.

Salomon is much more than all of the above, and the longtime

Huntington Beach resident has added author to his list of credits.

The 35-year-old, lead vocalist for the band Stavesacre and former

vocalist and lyricist with the Crucified, has released his first

book, titled “Simplicity.”

The book, whose title was taken from a line in the song, “A Place

Where I Can Breathe,” off the band’s self-titled album, is what

Salomon calls a “loose biography.”

It’s full of essays and observations of his life on the road with

indie rock bands that have played churches and events, and serves as

a memoir of his life as a musician and a Christian.

Within its 222 pages, the book deals with his reflections on his

years in the Christian music industry, and he speaks of an

“authentic” Christian life that goes beyond the traditions of

religion.

“Authentic” is a word that seems to fit Salomon.

“For anyone who believes that Christian is more of a lifestyle

than a label, then this book is all about being authentic,” Salomon

said. “My writings come from the band’s journeys and what we have

encountered.”

Salomon started out as the frontman for the Crucified, in the

mid-1980s. He got away from the music world for three years, then

joined four other musicians in forming the group, Stavesacre, in

1995.

At the height of touring, Stavesacre played between 150 and 200

shows per year, hitting places around the country, as well as six

other countries, during its first eight years of existence.

The band, Salomon said, has “slowed down” and isn’t as hectic with

its touring schedule.

Stavesacre has released four full-length albums to date.

His encounters on the road with the band -- and people’s

expectations of how to label it and its music, led to his writing the

book.

“I started writing ‘Simplicity’ on my way back home from a

seven-week-long tour,” explained Salomon, who also tends bar at

Scorpion Steakhouse in Huntington Beach. “Chapter One, ‘An Exit

Letter,’ was written in the early morning while riding in a hot,

sweaty van. But when I got home, I holed myself up in my bedroom for

about eight months and hammered my way through the book.

“I want readers to see themselves as how God sees them, without

labels or expectations. Faith is best lived through authentic

relationships.”

The book -- and Stavesacre’s messages through song -- has left a

lasting impression on Sonny Sandoval, lead singer of P.O.D.

“I really give it up to Mark, and have a lot of respect for him

and his group,” Sandoval said. “I kind of come from the same world as

Mark, so I can relate to a lot of what he writes about, both in song

and in his book. He’s truly an all-around great guy, very humble and

down to earth. Truly authentic.”

As he continues to write music, Salomon simultaneously is working

on two more novels. On Tuesday, he left for Denver to continue work

on a children’s book he’s written, titled “The Journeys of Sherman

the Skunk,” which he says will be released toward the end of the

year.

Now, he can be called “children’s author.”

Ah, but that’s labeling him.

“As far as labels, musical or otherwise, I just have never wanted

to be pegged as one kind of person that does one kind of thing, looks

one kind of way, or is limited to one way of seeing life,” he said.

“I love music, I love art, but I don’t want to be known as a person

limited by even that as a way of life.

“I also love football. Big-budget movies. Books. I watch, ‘The

Apprentice’ and, ‘The Contender.’ I love the Lord, and I love my

church, but also enjoy tending bar. Stavesacre writes beautiful songs

and ugly songs. I’ll feel most awkward when trying to fit in to one,

specific, defined category, and I don’t want to limit myself to one

artistic direction. Having said that, somehow, I’m more focused right

now than I’ve ever been.”