The entry from Donald's Facebook was somewhat cryptic yesterday (last night) but it has to do with his band and it made me remember what I went through with the band I was in.. He was down last week and was talking about the place where the band practices getting vandalized and that they were now without a place to practice and that he was glad they had to find another place.. But he wanted them to find it.. The band was splintering and was on the verge of no more.. sadly they could have made a good start of it.. A rebirth was announced after the Oktoberfest gig with a new lead vocalist and new direction.. They even took to their old name.. But the old troubles resurfaced and the band was going through the motions again.. They practiced a good deal and Donald made the announcement that with their new lead vocalist learning the songs that they were being given a new feel.. It sounded like things were coming together and I could hardly wait to hear they were about to play somewhere.. But that never happened.. The lead guitarist wanted to change the direction of the band completely and have it be a Led Zeppelin cover band.. That could be a good thing except that they would only get to play a few times a year.. I'm pretty sure Donald would rather play fairly regularly and more locally.. He should have told them the only way they could play regular gigs is to play more rock & roll.. They didn't want to play rock & roll.. I would rather play rock & roll, it is what the bars around here want a band to play.. By rock & roll I mean stuff from the sixties and seventies.. The good old rock & roll.. The good stuff..
The end always comes.. the very first band I was ever in was while I was still in high school, the summer of my junior to senior year and I was hoping they (we) would be able to play for the homecoming dance my senior year but two weeks into my senior year the other members of the band threw it in.. We weren't very good and weren't getting better with rehearsal but I thought we might could give it a go.. Then a few years after I graduate the guy who started that band wanted me to join his new band.. He was starting his own music business selling equipment and I thought why not, I was desperate to gig, something I never had done.. Then that fell apart (AGAIN) and then the replacement guitarist called me to join his band.. I dragged my feet telling him I was in a band with the original guitarist.. They cleared it for me to come try out with him.. E (I won't use his full name) was a swindler of sorts, a fast talker and he wanted a band.. His little brother was just graduating from high school and with him a guy who would try to learn the guitar.. I thought great remedial band practice this should be good for ten years of practice and never gigging.. The very first practice things were strange, every band I jammed with was easy going and seemed ready to get on with it.. But with this band it seemed like a rastling match from the beginning.. I remember telling them four months into the band that if we don't get serious that I was gonna leave. I hated to threaten them like that but I wanted us to gig.. Two moths later we would finally play and we would play fairly regular.. By the forth year we were in a lull.. By April that next year I pushed for us to get together, I wanted to play for my little brother graduation party.. They agreed to to that since I had done so many parties for free (of their friends) I thought they could do one more and that gig would be the last for me.. It was tough to leave.. I swore the first time I threatened to leave that the next time the threat would be real and I stuck to it.. They did call to try to get the band back together for a gig at the fair grounds opening for another band but I didn't return their call.. A few years ago one of the girls that followed the band in the early days had a daughter in an accident and I would have said yes to us getting together for a charity gig (a one off as they call it) but I don't think the band is around anymore.. When I left the band I severed all ties and maybe that is sad but I didn't want to be tempted to go back to that situation.. Two years into it I swore we could go either way.. We were about to be very popular and then a few months later we wouldn't be.. The roller coaster that is being in a band that teeny bopers supported was that way.. We rarely played a bar where our "fan base" couldn't be at.. Back in "the day" as they call it, we played at a bar in Colorado that had a reputation for letting quite literally anyone drink in.. Back then there were 3.2 bars and 6.4 bars.. We played in 3.2 bars where the beer was like drinking koolaid (supposedly).. So you had to be 18 to drink in a 3.2 bar.. we had a lot of fans in R.D.'s bar.. My greatest memory playing there was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving one year.. We played to the most packed house with people on stage with us.. Yeah we were that popular but the beer was cheap.. We played until two in the morning but as we were packing up they told us the beer had sold out by ten.. Blew us away.. That was one of the few great times while I was in the band.. The best of times.. Would I have joined the band even with all the other shit that was going on?? Yes I would have.. In a heartbeat..
Badge Henry
The end always comes.. the very first band I was ever in was while I was still in high school, the summer of my junior to senior year and I was hoping they (we) would be able to play for the homecoming dance my senior year but two weeks into my senior year the other members of the band threw it in.. We weren't very good and weren't getting better with rehearsal but I thought we might could give it a go.. Then a few years after I graduate the guy who started that band wanted me to join his new band.. He was starting his own music business selling equipment and I thought why not, I was desperate to gig, something I never had done.. Then that fell apart (AGAIN) and then the replacement guitarist called me to join his band.. I dragged my feet telling him I was in a band with the original guitarist.. They cleared it for me to come try out with him.. E (I won't use his full name) was a swindler of sorts, a fast talker and he wanted a band.. His little brother was just graduating from high school and with him a guy who would try to learn the guitar.. I thought great remedial band practice this should be good for ten years of practice and never gigging.. The very first practice things were strange, every band I jammed with was easy going and seemed ready to get on with it.. But with this band it seemed like a rastling match from the beginning.. I remember telling them four months into the band that if we don't get serious that I was gonna leave. I hated to threaten them like that but I wanted us to gig.. Two moths later we would finally play and we would play fairly regular.. By the forth year we were in a lull.. By April that next year I pushed for us to get together, I wanted to play for my little brother graduation party.. They agreed to to that since I had done so many parties for free (of their friends) I thought they could do one more and that gig would be the last for me.. It was tough to leave.. I swore the first time I threatened to leave that the next time the threat would be real and I stuck to it.. They did call to try to get the band back together for a gig at the fair grounds opening for another band but I didn't return their call.. A few years ago one of the girls that followed the band in the early days had a daughter in an accident and I would have said yes to us getting together for a charity gig (a one off as they call it) but I don't think the band is around anymore.. When I left the band I severed all ties and maybe that is sad but I didn't want to be tempted to go back to that situation.. Two years into it I swore we could go either way.. We were about to be very popular and then a few months later we wouldn't be.. The roller coaster that is being in a band that teeny bopers supported was that way.. We rarely played a bar where our "fan base" couldn't be at.. Back in "the day" as they call it, we played at a bar in Colorado that had a reputation for letting quite literally anyone drink in.. Back then there were 3.2 bars and 6.4 bars.. We played in 3.2 bars where the beer was like drinking koolaid (supposedly).. So you had to be 18 to drink in a 3.2 bar.. we had a lot of fans in R.D.'s bar.. My greatest memory playing there was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving one year.. We played to the most packed house with people on stage with us.. Yeah we were that popular but the beer was cheap.. We played until two in the morning but as we were packing up they told us the beer had sold out by ten.. Blew us away.. That was one of the few great times while I was in the band.. The best of times.. Would I have joined the band even with all the other shit that was going on?? Yes I would have.. In a heartbeat..
Badge Henry
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