Getting the Band Back Together

Well, it’s happening. Something that I really didn’t think would happen but, I guess the Universe had other plans for me. Yes, it’s true.

“We’re getting the band back together.”

I’d never thought I would be a part of the famous 'Blues Brothers' movie quote but now I guess, I've come full circle, musician wise.

The band that is getting back together was a group that I auditioned for back in 1993 in a seedy rehearsal room in West Paterson. Well, they picked me and for seven years, we rehearsed in said seedy room and played out in the surrounding area. We called ourselves ‘Gang O’Kids’ after a phrase that the guitarist mom used to say about her neighborhood. “Look at all them gang o’kids running around…”

Nice.

Well, times change and lives change. The singer left in March of 2000 to move to Seattle and I left a month later to move to Colorado with my wife. Fast forward 11 years and I am now back in Jersey with my wife, a five year old daughter, a thirty year fixed mortgage and a dog. Wow. Our first rehearsal is at the end of June and I’ve started to relearn the demos and practice tapes of the band yet again. For this band, I have to break out the five-string bass for the deeper low end that the music demands (Thank You Modulus Flea 5!!) and because of everyone’s schedule, this will be a one-off gig. Ok, no problem. This should be fun. I’d like to thank the Universe for giving me a present during my unemployment time.