Tuesday, October 1, 2013

End of an Era?

Hard to believe I started this blog three years ago this month. Time really does fly! My first post was Oct. 19, 2010, and it was titled Spare Parts Project. I thought it would be fun to document how to build an electric guitar, step by step, using various spare parts I had accumulated over the years. That guitar was finished long ago, and the blog has since morphed into a photo blog. And music, in general, will be taking less of my time going forward. Which brings me to the title of my post...
The band I'm a founding member of and have been playing in for 19 years (hard for me to believe it's been that long) has decided to call it quits. We're all starting to feel a little too old to haul around huge amounts of gear and play rock 'n roll in a 7-piece band.  I know Mick and the boys are doing it in their 70's, but hey, they're making the big bucks and they have roadies!
Left to right:  Bruce on keyboard, me on guitar, Randy on vocals, Tod on drums, Jon on bass, Dan on guitar.  Missing from the photo is Brad on percussion.
None of us ever joined this band for the money, that's for sure, but last Saturday illustrates a typical "gig". We played at the VFW Hall in Lomita, CA. We were asked to play 4 sets of music (each set is 10 - 12 songs, one hour long). Set up of the gear takes about 2 hours, and the same for the tear-down. We need a couple trucks to haul the gear (our percussion player has a large heavy-duty trailer he pulls behind an SUV). Adding up the time, it was easily an 8 hour day. Not to mention all the pre-gig practices to get the songs polished up and presentable. Our pay for the night? $65 each. Truly a labor of love. But I wouldn't have missed the experience for anything! Playing in a band to a lively audience out on the dance floor is an experience not too many of us get to experience, and one not to be missed! And getting together with my band-mates every Tuesday night will definitely be missed.
Well, I guess I'll just stay close to the phone and wait for the call announcing our Scoop Deville Band reunion and world tour! In the mean time, I'll have more time for my photography!!
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9 comments:

  1. s.cOctober 2, 2013 at 1:25 AM

    Still it looks and shine like the real works. I wish you a happy reunion sometime in the future.

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  2. TexWisGirlOctober 2, 2013 at 6:16 AM

    awww. bittersweet, i'm sure...

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  3. John @ Beans and I on the LooseOctober 2, 2013 at 8:01 AM

    An interesting look into behind the scene of what it takes for small bands to do what they do. We fans out on the dance floor (or comfortably sitting in chairs more so of late) just do not realize. Well maybe it is time to go solo. See you on a street corner soon :))

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  4. Gail DixonOctober 2, 2013 at 9:14 AM

    That's a long time for one band to stick together. A lot less gear to carry with photography! Maybe y'all could get together for fun once or twice a year. Maybe do a Christmas special.

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  5. StephanieOctober 2, 2013 at 5:25 PM

    Wow! Long time to be in a band. Cool!

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  6. Sally in WAOctober 2, 2013 at 6:38 PM

    You just let us know when that reunion tour starts! :-)

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  7. 黄清华 Wong Ching WahOctober 3, 2013 at 9:59 PM

    19 years of jamming ... that's hard to find !

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  8. Billy Blue EyesOctober 10, 2013 at 11:52 PM

    Rock on dude and fair playe to you for doing that all those years, one of my regets was not learning to play a guitar (can't sing) but you did it and went on the road. Remember old rockers never die they just fade away

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  9. AlOctober 11, 2013 at 5:31 PM

    I wish I had learned to play an instrument and joined a band, but I never had anything resembling that kind of talent.

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