I Was Into Them Before Anybody

Welcome back to Overdrive Chronicles. Its been a bit since my last post. No promises about the future but I hope to be checking in with you more often. I pray you all have been in good health and that you are continuing to listen to and enjoy good music.
As always, when you are in the Austin, Texas area, come check out my rockin' cover band Big Wig.
Also check us out at www.bigwigband.com
We are always glad to see you and hear from you.

Today I went for a great bike ride in sunny Round Rock, Texas. My iPod shuffled to some live cuts from one of my favorite all time bands, Duran Duran. It only takes the intro line to Hungry Like the Wolf  to take me right back to my high school days when this band broke the scene. Funny to think about now, but there was a time when Duran Duran was quite unknown. One of my best buddies, Wes actually turned me on to them. One day at school he asked if I had scene the video for Rio. I thought that was the bands name. He said he could not remember the band name but the girl in the video was smokin' hot. Of course, I was glued to the set when I got home, waiting for this girl Rio.
He was right. She was (and still is) smoking hot. But something else grabbed me about that whole Rio experience.  It struck me that I was really on to something new and exciting. I was listening to a band that was not even on our radio stations yet. It's like I had this little secret. Of course in reality, those videos were being played to millions, but still I felt a privledge of sorts. Like I knew something nobody else did.
The next day I drove to Craig's Record Factory in Corpus Christi, Texas. It was THE place to get your records and tapes. I searched the bins for my new favorite band but to no success. Yep, Dylan was there as well as Rick Deringer ( we alphabetized properly back then. Not by first name), but no Duran Duran. I found a floor person who, with much attitude, told me she had never heard of Duran Duran.
Oh, honor of all honors for a music fan! They had never heard of it and would have to special order it for me. What! Im that cool? Yes, I am that cool!!
Enough of my self glorification from the pathetic glory days. What I am saying here is that all bands start somewhere and often come out of nowhere. Not enough of the time though these days. Take shows like The Voice and American Idol. These performers (musicians? well.........) are all over the TV before they cut there first album. Oops, I mean CD. Oops, I mean download. Im not really interested in seeing how somebody makes it until, well....they make it.
The last time this happened for me was Kings of Leon and before that it was Black Keys. Now they are household band names, but they were not always. I remember asking people if they had heard of KOL. It was great fun telling them about the music and that they should go and check them out. I fell more connected to the music. More connected to the art.
There is nothing like the joy of being able to say, "Huh? Oh yeah, Duran Duran. I know them. Of course I do. I was into them before anybody" Jonathan Hardy, circa, 1982 or so?

Check out my boys above. Still look smashing. Still playing and recording. I knew they would make it.

"You Butchered Some of My Favorite Songs!"

Man o' man. The life of a cover band musician. Sometimes it is as good as it gets and other nights it is sheer misery. I suppose that is not only true for cover band players. Pretty much any performer can relate to the bipolar nature of the viewing or listening audience. With the same set list in the same club, some nights just rock while other dates are a dull as the point on a bowling ball. Even within the same gig, the reviews cover the whole field of feedback.
This past weekend, my band played to brutal long sets at a local Austin club. At one point we had folks interupting songs to get business cards so they could book us at their next occasion. We had the dance floor packed and rockin' and guys were dumping tips on us to have us pose for pictures with their girlfriends. By most standards, a pretty good night. After our last song we high fived each other and thanked the club owner for the gig. Out of nowhere this chick rolls up to the stage to chat us up or so we thought. She was actually sticking around to let us know how bad we suck. "You butchered some of my favorites songs, man!", she yells over the house DJ's pumping party tracks. At first I just laughed, thinking she was just giving us a friendly jab. Then I noticed she was serious. She was maintaing her disgust with our performance and being more than a little vocal about it.
You have to understand, we are a party band. A cover band that relies on good customer relations to keep our scene rolling. The last thing I wanted to do was piss off a good bar owner by giving this chick the "what for". So I just smiled and played along. What else could I do? She finally got to the end of her liqour fueled bombing run on our egos and then asked us if our hair was real. More like surreal I thought. The whole thing. I have had folks yell, "You suck!" from the dark reaches of the back corner of a crap bar, but this was a first for me. Someone staying after the show to inform us of our lack of talent. However, as the experience sank in and I pondered it a little later that night, I realized the key message. She STUCK AROUND! Good or bad, she stayed to the last song and I am sure had a few drinks ( maybe more than a few) in the interim. At the end of the night, that is what pays the bills. We did our job. We kept folks at the bar until closing time. All and all....job well done.
Maybe a strange and delusional way of seeing the situation but that is how I choose to see it. Truly, it's hard to argue with me on this one. Drink in hand, this chick was there at closing.
Currently I am reading through Duff McKagan's great book, "It's So Easy, and Other Lies". My trials at Saturday's show reminded me of G N R's early shows. Duff remembers his brother asking, after peeking around the backstage curtain, where all the fans were. He recalled one show at The Gorilla something or other where they played to about twelve people. Thats friends, family, and bartenders included.
So in light of it all, if the great Guns and Roses can trudge on and keep the vision, who am I to let one chick get  under my skin. We probably had over a hundred or so folks rotating on and off the dance floor most of the night. By that measure, we kicked Axl and Duff's ass! Of course I jest. Not a apples to apples comparison but you get my drift.
Cover band brothers, and garage band buddies listen up. There will be those highs and lows in any musician's career. Just keep plugging in and turning up. You have heard it a million times and I want to say it again. Screw the critics. We just go back and work on our craft and keep working our chops and maybe someday....and....maybe not. But let'ts commit to butcher people's favorite songs with conviction and a smile on our face. It seems to keep them around and coming back for more.

JCH-2012

    Dig it. Duff and Slash. If this does not make you want to go rock...your in the wrong business.