ME 109 wrote:Blues, R+B and funk. That was it.
That was it 12 years ago now.
My two regrets for leaving Melbourne.
1, The blues scene.
2, The fresh food markets.
Yeah; we had such an eclectic mix that I'm trying to recall what would often be lifted for our write-up in the papers; jazz, funk, surf, rock. So really no country or western in there - or at least that hit our set lists. We had an Elvis impersonator come in once and do his thing wich was hillarious, but thankfully a one time deal! lol) Most of this likely had more to do with our set lists than anything else - excluding professionally "stamped" CD's, interactive CDS's and DVD's our song catalog had made it up near the three hundred mark of all originals - and all of us were both humble and wise enough to know -.. First and foremost we were ENTERTAINERS not rock & roll Gods or what have you. We were there to entertain; while we did 90% via the vehicle of music, merchandise and so forth, the real attraction was you were likely not to walk away smiling and un-entertained at the end of the night (and I'd like to say even if we played nothing that was in a person's "bag" as far as likes, dislikes "precisely.") Our shows and sets were so long since we were always headliners EVERYONE found common ground with a handful of songs on each night's set list. And every couple show we would do a big slant on a cover usually after the first encore. Like play Ozzy, or Godzilla; something not at all lik what we were playing, but Ozzy lounge? That was interesting, or Godzilla with our singer's range and ability to improvise an entire songslyrics from start to end - well lets just say, if we were ever aked to eperform such things, usually most was lost as we never practiced any of those sorts of things; just conferred on stage and played it out for the first and last time.
Did not hurt us any that we had two of the most likely esteemed marketing firm owners or top level designers to make us look spectacular from CD covers to postcards and Internet invitations as well as our staple up signs in and around he bar districts. Funny thing was, while I had sen other bands pull down someone else's posters to make rod for their won, they virtually never did (often they might end up being our opener anyhow...) AND because they were super-cool, so all I ever saw got removed never ended up in the trash two feet from a light poll, they would roll them up carefully and have them mounted. I signed a lot of that sort of stuff as we were never opulent enough to produce it with that purpose in mind. Now signatures with sharpies on our T-Shirts, well that was a given every evening...
If they only "really knew" we had never made a tour of Russia or Japan! lol - much fin in those days indeed...
As for our other two comments, I spent several years in LA, so yes, the blues scene no matter where it happens if they are talented is interesting.
Secondly, a fresh food market? Never hear of such a thing!
No, I have, but we only get that sort of "farmer's market" here when food is coming out of the garden and we always plant our own... What, did they do as those folks do in Seattle where they throw your fish, like a salmon 20 feet in the air for some other guy to package it and charge you for it? Odd to think many of the countries so impoverished (no place here...) at least offer all manner of fresh safe and nutritious foods, but no common person can afford them. Oxymoron I guess...
Anyhow been playing a lot more again. Maybe as things settle after the move and I see what is going on - maybe I can plant a studio in the region, for I miss both sides of the ordeal, designing, repairing and modifyin equipment as well as creating my own or engineer and/o producing music.
Totally off topic, but it has been fun to think of the good old days; I really have fond memories of it all nd it was not from what people hear "Sex,Drugs and Rock & Roll" The sex you'd likely want to stay away from the mast majority of them, drugs, well I guess they were available, but the only difference was not at all they were cheaper, it was you now had plenty of money to blow out the window (or up your nose) - so that leaves one with just the Rock & Roll part, which any serious musician is sort of hard-wired for anyhow. I must be as I cannot draw a stick figure1
Still like your name - (THE GROWLERS) maybe if I freelance or do anymore session jobs in the near future, I shroud STEAL IT!
