Just got back from a 5 band show, 3 of which were Candiria, American Head Charge and Otep.
We stood for 6 hours. My feet, back, shoulders, knees and other body parts I didn’t know I have ache.
It was such an awesome show, but I’m too tired to cover it tonight. Later on I’ll try to give it some justice.
I stopped by this old club I used to play at all the time. It has changed owners a few times but my buddy the bartender was still there. I stop there sometimes to pick up a cigar when I’m on the way to a gig.
So I walk in there the other night before a gig and I’m greeted by a gentleman at the door wearing a black bow tie…….wearing ONLY a black bow tie. Slackjawed I looked into the club there were dozens of “men” wearing leather, spikes, and sometimes nothing dancing on the dance floor.
Apparently the club changed formats one more time than I was aware of.
Doing a gig for the local college one time… All was going as expected when all the sudden a dude came running down the stairs with two women (very attractive) chasing him. They tackled him right on the stage, knocking our guitar player’s rig over. They then took off their high heels and began abusing this guy’s face with them. They bloodied this guy pretty good.
Later we found out one of the two women was this guy’s girlfriend. He apparently wronged her in a bad way.
There are times in your life when a small decision makes a huge impact on your future. This may have been one of those times.
I played a gig at a club I’ve played at 100’s of times. The show was over, but I didn’t need to load my gear because we were playing there the next night as well. My car was parked right outside the club on the street. I was walking out the door when I felt a small urge to hit the bathroom. I could have held it until I got home, but I decided to go back into the club and relieve myself first.
When got back out of the bathroom I saw the familiar flashing lights of a cop car outside through the window. I didn’t think much of it as the cops nail people all the time leaving the clubs drunk. When I got outside I saw the nightmare.
The cop was right in front of the club, behind a white 1975 Maverick which had plowed into the back of MY car. My car looked to be about 1/2 a car. This all had to have happened within the last 30-60 seconds. The cop was there so quick I couldn’t believe it. The reason he was there so fast is that he was taking a break to eat a taco, parked in the Taco Time parking lot next door. He watched the driver plow into my car while eating his taco.
The driver was still in the Maverick and the cop was trying to get him out. The driver was too drunk to even stand up. The cop said “come on Tonto let’s go.” The drunk driver was “Tonto” from the indian reservation. I talked to the cop and we did all the usual police report stuff and then the officer gave Tonto the drunk test (which he of course failed).
Tonto was not only driving a very heavy vehicle, he had no driver’s license. Apparently you don’t need a license on the reservation. Tonto’s car had no auto registration or license plate. Apparently you don’t need license plates on the reservation. Tonto also had NO auto insurance. Apparently you don’t need auto insurance on the reservation. Tonto had just bought the car. Apparently you can buy a car on the reservation with no driver’s license or auto insurance. Tonto had been drinking way too much firewater. Apparently you don’t need a brain on the reservation.
In looking back on this crappy event I originally thought of it as bad luck. Hell my car was trashed. But upon more reflection I’m thinking of it as extremely lucky. Had I not decided to relieve myself I likely would have been killed when Tonto crushed me between his 75 Maverick and my car.
So I look at this as one of those small decisions that greatly impacts your future, or the opportunity to have a future for that matter.
Now that I’m on the topic of sub gigs I have to tell this story.
I got a call one afternoon from a guy who was the head of the most popular blues band in town. His drummer broke his hand or something so they needed me to sub for him that night. I was available so he gave me the address and told me when to be there.
I got there in just in time to setup and start playing. I saw the guitar player’s car out behind the venue so I just loaded in the back with him. I didn’t get a chance to even see what the main venue looked like as we were playing in a room in the back of the building.
We started the gig and I was a bit nervous because I hadn’t played a gig with this band before. They were good at giving me directions so I managed ok.
In the middle of the first song something strange happened. Two women jumped up on the stage in front of my kit and started dancing. This has happened to me before thousands of times, but this time was different. This time they took their clothes off….all of them. As it turned out, I was subbing for a blues band in a strip club! There were a few visual cues that I missed because I was watching the women instead of the band leader but I didn’t care much.
There is nothing more fun than playing music, watching women take their clothes off and getting paid for it!