I don't post as much over here as I do at My Space or Multiply. In fact I have no less then four other blogs to choose from and have yet to try out the MSN. But then again I'm pissed at them for closing their MSN Groups to which a lotta of my archival stuff is now cyberhistory. I have a Townedger website to chronicle the happenings of my band and other band that I'm in called IO. IO is the reunion of me and my best friend in a band for the first time in 25 years. And I can see the reason why I put off reuniting with my best friend for so long.
Best friends sometimes don't make good bandmates. A few factors come into mind; jobs, family, different tastes in music and the mental capability of can I do this or can I put up with them or can they put up with me? In our heyday back in the early 1980s, we were one of many hungry bands that wanted that rock n roll lifestyle of fame, fortune and getting laid and to some of the others more booze and drugs. To this day, the first band is known as Paraphernalia, a catchy sounding name that would get us noticed but the other guys would change over to some other name that was wasn't so druggy. For country we chose Open Highway, which actually sounds good if you think about it. Safe and easier to take, whereas for rock and roll it was decided that we would be known as Tyrus. Had to do with some name meaning God of thunder but I always hated that name and on the recordings that were availble, renamed it Paraphernalia.
My best friend and I started this band in 1980 and we couldn't play our instruments at all. Yeah I have had drumsets but basically used them to take my frustrations from the world out on them. And toy drumsets do not last. But I did managed to work up getting a Zickos clear drum set and my best friend got a MusicMan bass and we would mess around in the basement. But he went into the Marines and the only time we ever played in the first three years was when he was home from leave. Finally he got out in 1983 and we made plans to get the band going full tilt.
And for the next year, we floundered. We had a revolving door of guitar players (only Dennis remain the one constant) and our lead singer was moonlighting in other bands and my best friend had reunited with his soon to be first wife. His work ethic wasn't that great either, last to show, first to leave. So for most of that year it was me and Dennis jamming away wondering if we can get dedicated musicians to the cause. And most of them were looking for a working band and didn't offer much and if they did, their egos made it impossible to put up with them. One guitarist was so awful that when we did play live one night, he turn the amp up to 10 and after five songs we got shut down by the law and complaining neighbors. Another live gig, our lead singer between jokes and more jokes went on a anti Ronald Reagan tirade that we got thrown out of the Legion Post where we were playing at and almost didn't get our instruments back. Our final show was at the OK Lounge on Dec 7, 1984 to which we got a hired hand to play guitar, only to have him play whammy bar though the gig and still ended up getting a blow job from the girl who was taking band pictures. I never did seen the pictures myself.
Everybody moved on and I started writing and playing in my own band, doing my own originals and keeping a low profile except for maybe one or two apperances at Jam Night at Nancy's. My best friend returned from the Marines in 1989 and since then, he's always suggested that we get the band going again and I pretty much blew him off not because I was being an idiot but knowing that he didn't care of doing the music that I like doing. I did relent and we attempted something in 1990 but the usual would come up and I just say forget it and move on to something else and let him go seek employment elsewhere.
There were times that we did jam in the past 20 years after the demise of Paraphernalia that we did sound great when we played. In 2002 what was left of Paraphernalia got back together and we had a good couple hours before my best friend had to leave and it was like old times again. In 2006 we got together with some guy named John and we all had a blast and perhaps that soften me into thinking why not. When my BFF said that he was forming a band with two chick singers and a guitarist from his workplace I told him I'll be happy to help out till you get a permenant drummer. So I went to Music Go Round, purchased a practice set and then got ready only to find out that the female keyboard player had a baby and couldn't do it and the other girl singer remains a mystery.
So here we are again. The guitar player he talked about was a beginner and my best friend again talking about doing Rush songs left and right. We did get a good guitar player into the fold Brian but the problem is that he doesn't want to sing all the songs, I could sing some of my own but then again my best friend made this slight comment that I wasn't a very good singer but then again Ringo Starr wasn't a great singer bla bla but he made the most of what he does bla bla. And it occured to me why my best friend wasn't a part of the bands beyond Paraphernalia. Being delicate isn't one of his traits. I still love him like a brother, he makes a good IO bandmate but never could fit in with my own band.
There's not much of a market for 48 year old musicians playing 80s type of music. At this point in life, we do it for the fun and for the joy of playing again. Will this band succeed? I'm guessing no. Too much going on in my life and job and love of buying and listening to the forgotten. I did give them songs to consider doing and if they want to do them fine, if not oh well. At this point somebody else may have to sing them since my voice isn't fit for IO.
I've had a long and fruitful career with my own band, even though it hasn't gotten me to quit my job, I managed to make some decent sounding records. But I'm 48, I know what works for me and if my best friend and the rest of the guys in IO want to replace me with somebody who can keep a beat and sing better, I won't hold it against them, I'll support them whatever I can.
But it's not like it was 25 years ago. Somewhere along the way I discovered there's life after being a average bar band whose biggest payday was 40 bucks after our final show. It's not a mansion on a hill but at least I can smile I made some kind of money doing what I loved most next to being in a record store.
My history is set in stone.
