Recently, I have embarked on another "band" adventure, assembling a few cats to play the blues the way I think they should be played. I love Albert Collins(R.I.P.), B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray(R.I.P), etc....but my idea is not to play just traditional blues.....we also play music with blues progressions, like swing....and toss in some RandB, jazz, classic rock, and funk!
I have been at this band thing off and on for many years. Many times I have questioned my heart when it comes to being in a full time band because I have a passion for playing, producing, and songwriting, but I am easily bored! Sometimes I find myself getting fed up with playing the same material over and over. Does that mean that I was not designed to ever make it in the world of traveling bands who play basically the same material all tour long...I don't know. My time has passed where traveling with a band of high energy youngsters was an option. Now I am a middle aged cat who loves to pick up the bass and sing. My kids are grown so I have this option now where I did not take it before.
I remember the 80's where funk bands had keyboard players on stage with 3,4, or 5 keyboards! I loved the idea of sequenced bands back in the day where we had to find drummers who could play to a click track. I remember Moog, Proteus, Poly 800s, "Dookie Sticks", Ensonic EPS's which would easily crash during any kind of electrical surge! I remember my girlfriend buying me a Korg DSS1 which I still have. I remember seeing bass players like Darryl Jones, playing with Miles, or Louis Johnson with the Brothers Johnson, or Nate Phillips with Pleasure on "Glide"! I remember getting in verbal fights with musicians over stupid issues, damn near physical altercations on stage, getting fired from bands, and quitting bands that were going nowhere. I have been in bands that involved married couples and jealousy. I have been in situations where exes have shown to to attempt to ruin gigs. I remember singing a ballad where a friend of mine, and her girlfriends, threw their bras onstage during the song, which cracked me up to a point where I could barely finish the song. Once I took the mike out on the dance floor while singing, and right after an audience participation part of a song, a young lady snatched my mike and accidentally busted my lip! HaHa I remember a band round table where we all sat around and told each other the things we hated about each other.(Bad idea) I have seen high ego'd cats who could not play, and I have seen meek individuals knock my socks all the way off! I remember auditioning a classically trained female keyboard player who showed up with beautiful chops and $10,000 worth of equipment...but she could not lay down the simplest riff from "Beat it"! I remember showing up at an audition where tthe guitar player was playing with one of my best friend's equipment which was unmistakable, and I thought he had stolen it! Turns out my boy let him borrow it! (Awkward!)haha. Fond are the memories of getting ripped off in 1981 while buying my first bass guitar, which was a plywood iHondo precision copy. I got worked by a salesman at Seattle's Guitar's E.T.C. who took me through the whole "well this is such a good deal that I have to run it by my manager" thing! I didn't care because I was switching from piano to bass and was in love with that instrument! I have many great memories for a cat that was never really out on the road playing. I could fill a book with mostly good, and some bad memories.
This new venture will be fulfilling because I will have it no other way! I am in control of the project, and though I know my limitations as a single note instrumentalist in terms of being a band leader, I have ideas as to how I want things to go. I'll leave a lot of the technicalities to the "chord" instruments, but I will check the ego's at the door, keep the project rhythmic, groovable, danceable, and full of "soul" .......regardless of the janre'! Wish me luck!
I have been at this band thing off and on for many years. Many times I have questioned my heart when it comes to being in a full time band because I have a passion for playing, producing, and songwriting, but I am easily bored! Sometimes I find myself getting fed up with playing the same material over and over. Does that mean that I was not designed to ever make it in the world of traveling bands who play basically the same material all tour long...I don't know. My time has passed where traveling with a band of high energy youngsters was an option. Now I am a middle aged cat who loves to pick up the bass and sing. My kids are grown so I have this option now where I did not take it before.
I remember the 80's where funk bands had keyboard players on stage with 3,4, or 5 keyboards! I loved the idea of sequenced bands back in the day where we had to find drummers who could play to a click track. I remember Moog, Proteus, Poly 800s, "Dookie Sticks", Ensonic EPS's which would easily crash during any kind of electrical surge! I remember my girlfriend buying me a Korg DSS1 which I still have. I remember seeing bass players like Darryl Jones, playing with Miles, or Louis Johnson with the Brothers Johnson, or Nate Phillips with Pleasure on "Glide"! I remember getting in verbal fights with musicians over stupid issues, damn near physical altercations on stage, getting fired from bands, and quitting bands that were going nowhere. I have been in bands that involved married couples and jealousy. I have been in situations where exes have shown to to attempt to ruin gigs. I remember singing a ballad where a friend of mine, and her girlfriends, threw their bras onstage during the song, which cracked me up to a point where I could barely finish the song. Once I took the mike out on the dance floor while singing, and right after an audience participation part of a song, a young lady snatched my mike and accidentally busted my lip! HaHa I remember a band round table where we all sat around and told each other the things we hated about each other.(Bad idea) I have seen high ego'd cats who could not play, and I have seen meek individuals knock my socks all the way off! I remember auditioning a classically trained female keyboard player who showed up with beautiful chops and $10,000 worth of equipment...but she could not lay down the simplest riff from "Beat it"! I remember showing up at an audition where tthe guitar player was playing with one of my best friend's equipment which was unmistakable, and I thought he had stolen it! Turns out my boy let him borrow it! (Awkward!)haha. Fond are the memories of getting ripped off in 1981 while buying my first bass guitar, which was a plywood iHondo precision copy. I got worked by a salesman at Seattle's Guitar's E.T.C. who took me through the whole "well this is such a good deal that I have to run it by my manager" thing! I didn't care because I was switching from piano to bass and was in love with that instrument! I have many great memories for a cat that was never really out on the road playing. I could fill a book with mostly good, and some bad memories.
This new venture will be fulfilling because I will have it no other way! I am in control of the project, and though I know my limitations as a single note instrumentalist in terms of being a band leader, I have ideas as to how I want things to go. I'll leave a lot of the technicalities to the "chord" instruments, but I will check the ego's at the door, keep the project rhythmic, groovable, danceable, and full of "soul" .......regardless of the janre'! Wish me luck!
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