
After a year+ of loyal service, I’m retiring from Coastguard.
When Jerome approached me about starting a band, I wanted to play bass. I picked up a Squier bassVI and parts to mod it. I put together a pretty boffo pedal board, which I like to call my “surf board.” We learned half a dozen songs, and I even had a few of my own originals ready. Things were great!
The difficulty we faced was finding a reliable, solid drummer. I played drums at one drummer-less practice so that the guitarists could play with a beat, and I ended up staying behind the tubs.
Playing in this band allowed me to dust off some skills I haven’t used in years. It’s also cemented my interest in instrumental music, and more specifically, guitar based instrumental music. Yet, I don’t love the routine of gigging as the drummer as much as I did in my twenties, and I don’t love how the very loud volume makes my ears feel. So, I decided to quit while I’m ahead.
Our last show was to be this Friday in DC, but someone got Covid and it’s not safe for us to play. As such, the bang with which I intended to go out has already happened.
“That’s #ShowBiz!” as my dad used to say!