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javeiro
Lokahi
USA
459 Posts |
 Posted - 10/02/2008 : 08:34:11 AM
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If anyone out there is around my age (63), then you must have played in at least one rock band when you were in high school. I played in a few. We played at school dances, various military service clubs, parties, community functions, etc. In fact I made enough money at it to help me get through college. It was some of the most memorable times of my life. But after getting married, Viet Nam, having kids and all life’s other challenges; we split up, went our separate ways, and I sold my equipment and never played again for many, many years.
What motivated me to post this is an article that I read recently in the “Parade” insert that comes in the Sunday paper. It was titled “How I Got Young Again” and is about a guy who, to celebrate his 50th birthday, rounds up his buddies from his old high school band. They spend the day together playing again in the same basement where they used to practice. It was a really neat story that brought back a lot of memories for me and I thought you might enjoy it if you didn’t get to see it.
Here is a link: http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2008/edition_09-14-2008/5Albom_Young_Again
Sorry you didn’t get to see the pictures that went with the article but I did scan it if anyone is interested. Just send me an email.
I enjoyed it enough to try to get in contact with some of the guys I’ve played with in the past, none of whom I have seen or talked to since the early 70’s. One of them is retired from his day job living in Las Vegas and still playing in a regular gig at the Imperial Palace there. From him I learned that two other who used to play with us have since passed away. One other is living in Turlock, CA and has a Friday night gig with another guy in a restaurant there playing some of the same music we used to play. A third guy lives in Elk Grove, CA and recently bought a drum set to fool around with again. There were a couple of others I tried to find without any success. Who knows……perhaps we’ll try to get together some time soon. We’re not all that far apart!
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Aloha,
John A. |
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hikabe
Lokahi
USA
358 Posts |
Posted - 10/02/2008 : 10:05:39 AM
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| I'm still rocking. Not to stay young though. Can't stop!!! Also hip hopping, popping, baroqueing, folking, slacking, jazzing, raggaeting alternating, new waving, etc. Sound waves are fascinating! |
Stay Tuned... |
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thumbstruck
Ahonui
USA
2183 Posts |
Posted - 10/02/2008 : 10:21:10 AM
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In high school I was into Bluegrass, then Tejano, then slack key, then ragtime - finger style, then alpine buttonbox, along with some country blues.
Too many tunes, not enough time! |
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
Posted - 10/02/2008 : 6:43:09 PM
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great story, john! if you get back together, i'd love to hear about how it goes...
aloha,
keith
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Trev
Lokahi
United Kingdom
265 Posts |
Posted - 10/02/2008 : 11:22:49 PM
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| Last March I did this very thing. I used to be in a punk/folk/ska band who used to tour in the UK and Europe. We split up about 15 years ago, and had a reunion gig last March. It was the highlight of the year, no question. If you can still bear to talk to your old bandmates (and there are some out there who can't) then I'd recommend it to anyone. |
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javeiro
Lokahi
USA
459 Posts |
Posted - 10/03/2008 : 06:00:02 AM
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| Hey Keith, I'm glad you enjoyed the story and it's good to hear that there is at least one other person out there like me who is curious about what happened to the guys that we used to play with. And Trev, I know what you mean when you say "If you can still bear to talk to your old bandmates". I know of other bands that ultimately broke up because they couldn't work things out. Fortunately, we all got along great, though we did have many "discussions" about the right way to play a certain tune! Right now I'm in email contact with my old buddies and we're sending each other YouTube links to all the old songs we used to play by Santo & Johnny, The Ventures, Ritchie Valens and all those other old groups. I haven't yet asked about getting together. two of us are retired so it would be easy to make the time but the others are still working. |
Aloha,
John A. |
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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 10/03/2008 : 06:21:42 AM
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Back then, it seemed that rock & roll bands were only guys. Any of our TP ladies played in a band? Not me, I was the folk singer ala Joan Baez. This pic was taken in one of those 25 cent booths at Woolworth's.
And Paul played at least since he was 16, so that would be 1966, but he did not play in a band. Then he went to Viet Nam, but he had a guitar with him!!!
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Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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Retro
Ahonui
USA
2368 Posts |
Posted - 10/03/2008 : 06:35:36 AM
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| Didn't play in a band at the time, but had a performing comedy troupe from 1974-1984; similar dynamic, however. I've kept in touch with a couple of the key members - the lineup shifted regularly, but there were two of us who were always with the ensemble. Our daughters even share a birthday (several years apart). |
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slipry1
Ha`aha`a
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - 10/03/2008 : 06:55:12 AM
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| Yup, and I have a notch in my hearing at 1KHz to prove it. The rest of the range is ok, though. In high school, I was a jazzoid & rockabilly boy on tenor sax. Then came the great folk scare, and banjo & guitar. The 60's (ah, the 60's!) osmosed me thru the blues & jugband to folk rock & psychedelica. I kept playing piano & old time banjo all along and went to old time music in reaction to the music business in the 70's. Won a bunch of contests and busked (the only honest form of entertainment, IMHO) in old timey string bands. Then came the outlaw movement, and, while playing bass in a country band, I came under the spell of steel guitar. By 1978 I was playing pedal steel and keyboards in country bands. At that time, I began to hear Hawaiian music via Ry Cooder and my brother in law. The rest, as they say, is history. I still play my banjo at family gatherings and the occasional festival, and I play piano all the time, mostly at home, but in clubs if the pay is good. |
keaka |
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javeiro
Lokahi
USA
459 Posts |
Posted - 10/03/2008 : 07:00:49 AM
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Wanda: Neat pictures! Thanks for sharing. What kind of guitar is Paul playing? There wasn't any way that I could have carried a guitar with me through the jungles of Viet Nam.
Retro: I think it's great that you stayed in contact with your group members. I only did that with the one who taught me how to play the guitar in the first place and I'm actually the godfather of his two children. I wish I had kept track of the others. |
Aloha,
John A. |
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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 10/03/2008 : 07:40:20 AM
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| think he left it at the fire base when they went out. He was 1st Cav. when they first went over, then the Cav. went home and he was switched to 101st ABN. When he gets home from school, I'll have him tell how he managed an instrument in Viet Nam. He has stayed in touch with the Army guys after all those years. |
Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 10/03/2008 : 07:42:20 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Retro
Didn't play in a band at the time, but had a performing comedy troupe from 1974-1984;
You were a professional funny guy! How cool is that. |
Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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rendesvous1840
Ha`aha`a
USA
1055 Posts |
Posted - 10/03/2008 : 3:57:24 PM
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I didn't manage the guitar, it sat in the barracks at the company's rear Hq while we were out in the jungle, or on fire bases. The one in the picture is one I borrowed from an artilleryman on a fire base. I managed to break a string, and he was really ticked. New strings had to be ordered from family members at home and took a while to get. I saw my guitar only a couple of times while I was there. It wouldn't have fit in my rucksack, and the bush was no place for noise. Firebases were more stable, but the guitar was back in the rear, and usually unavailable. Normally, we would spend only several days on a firebase, and go back to the bush for an indeffinate period of time. Back then,I was playing a mix of '60's folk, and stuff by The Byrds,CSNY, Johnny Cash, Pete Seeger and The Stones. The 'Band' was me on guitar and vocals, and a Texan named Wayne on a drum set consisting of canteen cups, steel helmets, and if available, a Ritz Cracker can with a couple pebbles in it for a snare. Rifle cleaning rods were his drum sticks. Wayne could beat out a pretty good rhythm with that stuff.
Paul |
"A master banjo player isn't the person who can pick the most notes.It's the person who can touch the most hearts." Patrick Costello |
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RWD
`Olu`olu
USA
850 Posts |
Posted - 10/04/2008 : 03:25:23 AM
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I played in bands too when I was younger.
I went from a three piece "Hard Rock" band as a guitar player, to "Top Fourty" playing bass, to Country playing guitar again. I must have played in five different bands from the ealy 70's through the late 80's. My first successfull band is still going and is on it's 32nd year. I was an original member and was part of thier 30 yr reunion where most past members attended and played something. I played three slack key songs. It was nice to re-unite with old band mates, and when you have a band that lasts for 30+ys it is real easy to do. |
Bob |
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javeiro
Lokahi
USA
459 Posts |
Posted - 10/04/2008 : 05:32:39 AM
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| Wow, what a variety of experiences! I'm certain there are more of you out there! |
Aloha,
John A. |
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Mark
Ha`aha`a
USA
1628 Posts |
Posted - 10/04/2008 : 08:16:30 AM
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Nice stories, all.
I played my first rock gig at age 13 or 14...that would be 63, 64. I played bass-- still have my 67 Framus, which is slowly being restored.
I like to say I worked my way through High School playing in bands. Graduated in 68, so that tells you what we played. Which is actually true-- I made more money in bands than I ever did w/ summer jobs bussing tables or renting sea-cycles at the Newport Dunes.
Played all through college-- then rejoined the high school buds, who had morphed into a Chicago-style blues band playing biker bars in Sacto. Yes, I have played behind a cage with beer bottles flying. (Sample quote from bartender, "You guys did great tonight... we had three fights and two guys went to the hospital!! Have a beer on me.")
That experience convinced me to play folk music.
More recently I've played guitar in western swing, country & zydeco bands.
Here's a quiz: Match the band name with the approximate year (all are real bands I've played in). For bonus point figure out what kind of music we played.
The Organization
Steve Richards and His Famous Flaming Flares
Sativa, Son of Shiva
Bo's Blues Band
Porpoise Mouth
Sh*t Floats
The New Flatgap Possum Stompers
Wasatch Rascals
The Low Rent Rounders
Beggar's Rose
The Zygote Brothers
The Tex Pistols
Los Viagras
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Anybody (used to be) in a rock band?
