At one time, away back when, there were just gigs all over the place…

At one time, away back when, there were just gigs all over the place….there were bars featuring live entertainment on almost every street corner – there were dances everywhere all the time….there were weddings and anniversary parties….

You know, I’ve got a new band together these days, and I’m having a heck of a good time with it. For most of the past 25 years, I’ve played in blues bands – and some pretty good ones at that. And it’s been great for sure. I’ve had some of the best musical experiences of my life playing the blues and I’ve had the chance to do stuff I never thought I would…like go to Memphis to play at Jerry Lee Lewis’ club on Beale Street. That was pretty heady stuff for a small town guy who started his career in the basement of the Queen’s Hotel in Hanover way back in the mists of time. No, I was really, really lucky to be in the blues bands I was part of over the last quarter century.

So the new band is not a blues band….it is a Sixties tribute band and we are currently doing all tunes from that decade – even though that may not always be the case. In fact, band is called, Spirit of the Sixties, and not really just because of the music we do, but also sort of for the vibe we hope to create. And, so, with this band I am sort of going back to my roots, despite the fact that I’ve always told people I learned to play the guitar by mostly jamming the blues in the old days, it is also true that we were smashing out rock ‘n’ roll hits – songs that are now considered classic rock – almost as soon as we’d figured out which end of our instrument was up.

Except for a very brief period after high school, I’ve never been a professional musician. I sort of realized pretty early on – like by the time I was early twenties – that I just didn’t have the stuff to make a career out of it. I’m not nearly a savvy enough musician, just don’t have enough music talent or smarts or whatever to ever play with the big boys. And by big boys I mean the folks in the business, and I’ve met lots of them, who were just born to make music. I’m pretty sure at this point that I’m here to write, and write fairly seriously, while just making music to have some fun – which I have done….

And the business has changed enormously even from my perspective as a part-timer. At one time, away back when, there were just gigs all over the place….there were bars featuring live entertainment on almost every street corner – there were dances everywhere all the time….there were weddings and anniversary parties….there were just a whole lot of places to play. I had a buddy back 40-45 years ago and he’d line up a bunch of band gigs – mostly dances and weddings and that kind of thing, then put together a band, learn a bunch of appropriate songs, and, just like that, you were sort of on tour. It was a lot of work because you had to learn a whole lot of songs in fairly short order. But it was a way to pick up some cash in the old days.

And even when there are gigs these days, they seldom pay what they should and I really am not sure how that happened. You could make sort of “living” money back in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s by working the bars if you were ambitious. Surely can’t do that today when playing in a bar is usually pretty crappy money – unless maybe you can crack the casino circuit….most places that used to be really great venues are gone in this day and age. High school dances – or concerts – were pretty fabulous things back when I was in school. Most of the biggest rock bands in Canada came through my high school and local bands had chances as well – one of my garage bands played the prom at Fergus High School back in the day. I think our kids are missing out not having these opportunities to see really great entertainment of a really high calibre. Plus they’re missing one of the great sociological happenings from when I was a young guy….

Anyway, having a lot of fun in the new band….really getting a chance to rock ‘n’ roll and getting pushed to my limit to learn a whole lot of new material – might be good for the old brain cells to keep them somewhat active….I think that’s what they say….whoever “they” are…..