The Birth of a band... (or maybe the afterbirth of several others... lol)

I keep forgetting that I’ve been on hiatus since last November… so Over time, I’ll try to fill in the gaps.. in addition to keeping this dribble current gong forward…

Here’s one of the gaps…

Some time ago, I had an idea… (the whole Bongwater concept)

Fed up with playing the same old cover tunes as everyone else, Wayne and I thought, a couple years back.. “Wouldn’t it be great to pick songs that WE LOVE, with no regard for how hard they are to play and/or dance to”

Problem with that, is that it limits your gig-ability… and as a result, fewer musicians want to be a part of that…

We tried a couple times.. but we had the wrong mix of guys each time.. (well, there were a couple bizarre experiences, but I’ll keep this out of the gutter and say that…) For the most part, good players and good people, but they just had, respectfully, different ideas and agenda’s, and, selfishly, we were sticking to our guns on this one.. with the mantra… “If its stops being fun… then we stop” plain and simple…

So We gave up on the concept for a while, and got together as a duo, writing some, recording.. mostly just trying to stay doing something musical.. I ended up getting recruited by a semi acoustic rock band to play bass… then Keys on Bernie Doucettes CD, and a few other projects, and that was fun…

The semi acoustic-rock gig was fun.. Good People and as we were without drummer, the bass was especially important ..and also allowed me to bring out the Gibson hollow-body.. (My Fav axe, but least used)…. Anyway.. We played the Casino, opened for Trooper, had some Studio time at Sonic, and all was going well… But it fell off the rails in July..

I’d just gotten the studio put together in the new place, was settled, and had talked to Wayne about re-starting our weekly pow-wow sessions… with intent to maybe make a CD and eventually, build a band around it.. As were typically slower then cold molasses, Id estimated a 2 to 3 year time line on the whole concept.. So as an act of good faith, and straight up-ness, I gave the semiacousticrock band’s leader, of sorts, and the other two members, a heads up that A) I was looking forward to getting into the swing of things with semi-acoustic rock band,(after a little break) and B) oh, by the… 3 years from now, I might have a 2nd gig on the go.. but I was in with them for the long haul, or at least as long as they wanted me, but if you ever feel that I can’t keep up, by all means, you can fire me, and no hard feelings…

Anyway… I thought I was being all Honorably, giving 3 years notice that I ‘MIGHT” have another gig competing for my time, maybe.. but at that, it was a long shot.. No one does that in music.. they should, but typically, you find out your “____” quit the day before a key gig…. It can be ugly.. Anyway… The other members thought… “Cool, see ya next rehearsal” but the band leader blew a gasket and just plain fired me, together with a good f—king chew-out. I was shocked and pissed, but not because I needed the gig, But because it was fun, they were good people, and his reaction was, just Bizare? Anyway.. I tore a strip off him, right back… and that was that… The other two members were blameless, and in as much shock as I was… and to their credit, kept respectfully out of the mud altogether…

Anyway.. I’ll spare the rest of the details… as it all came out in the wash.. At the end of the day, (well, a month or so later) The band leader came clean, that there was actually a hidden agenda on his part (and his alone), and he’d simply exploited the opportunity to make a line up change.. Which is unfortunate.. I mean, I know Im a half decent on the bass, but I’m also aware that I’m no pro… So if he’d simply said.. “Look Rob, we love you, but we want to advance to better gigs, and to do that we need….” Well, you know what I mean.. I would have been a little sad over it, as anyone would, But I would have understood, respected the call, and at the end of the day, supported him with it… But he didn’t play it that way, and I was pissed with him for it.. as more then “band mates” were were friends… and friends don’t do that shit.. ..I guess I was more disappointed really, as were the other two members… but, long story short, as much as he did do dirt to me, I have to give credit that it took a lot of balls to finally come clean, so we made nice, we all got over it.. hugged the shit out..as they say, and moved on..

I ended up hiring the guitarist to do ¾’s of my Kitchen reno (Great Carpenter.. wicked job) and gave a bunch of carpet to the key-player.. and the singer/leader came to my xmas party, and were bud’s again… which is cool.. but I think it all happened for a reason… and, the shocker, it was all worth it…. As Im very content.. very VERY f—king content, with what’s evolved since…

See, with every band I’ve ever been in over the last 10 years… I’ve subconsciously been “Somewhere’s else”

So I’m bandless, getting set to do the duo thing with Wayne when one day.. the guitarist from the band I’d just been turfed from said… “Hey, remember your idea for that band you had.. I think I know “THE” drummer for you”
Normally, if any ordinary joe said that, I’d say.. “Um, ok… yeah” But you also have to understand, that as a person, and musician, I have Tremendous respect and admiration for this guitarist… so for him to give that kind of endorsement… Carry’s a LOT of weight with me…. Needless to say.. It got my mind back on the original “bongwater project” maybe there’s hope afterall…..

Now, I’d already had a drummer I was gonna call, but he’d just started a new job, and I though he was considering a move to NewBrunswick, so I got connected with this “other drummer” and we pitched our ideas back and forth… Turns out, were on the same page…. Surprisingly soo…. So what next… ??? Build the band… find the line up…

Ok, Waynes a given… Drummer, Singer, Me (Keys and sometimes Bass) Done..

Next, Guitar
Ok, we GOTTA have Steve Furey… Dudes just too insane a shredder not to have on board.. Plus, we got history… Went to SWGC together, AND he’s just an all round cool guy… But we need a 2nd guitarist.. Ideally, a SoulFull, Clapton-esque LesPauller to Round out the blend….

I’d jammed with this dude, Steve Ashton back at the other drummers Jam party, a few years back and KNEW he’d be a fit.. We’d only jammed that night, but sometimes you can tell when it gels…

Anyway.. They were all in… at least for the test drive…. All we needed then was a singing bass player (for harmonies, and some relief for wayne, so he’d not have to sing EVERY song)

I knew lots of them.. but they were all busy with other projects..


Enter Mr. Mac,

I knew he could play guitar and sing. And He was just bugging the Shit out of me to get in on the project and I thought? Hmm..screw it… worth a shot.. “How do you feel about trying the bass out”

Anyway.. flash forward 6 months.. and this new bands working out better then I ever expected… Where not out giging yet, which is way behind early estimates in that regard, but I could care less, as. More importantly, I really believe we finally have the right mix of guys for the intent…

Steve Mac’s become a far better bass player then I’d originally given him credit for… so much that I can almost see the “evolution” from month to month..

The two guitartist are just insane.. They Play very well together.. theres no showboating or competition… its all about the sound… Waynes, well, quietly simply the best singer I’ve ever known personally.. And This New Drummers just freaking incredible…

More over… While I’m an ok keyboardist/bassist.. musically, Ahston, Furey and Pete are quite sincerely, just on a level above me… and that’s cool…. But there’s no ego’s, no power trips… and we are able to get along, and learn from and with each other… Just last Tuesday Asthon helped me find the right phrasing on Hold the line, A song I’ve been playing “Close, but essentially, Wrong” for years now… And its just, well… magic….

More “special” and odd, is that we all seem to be reasonably on the same page with the intent/direction… even when it changes.. The initial “lesser known fav covers” are still a part of it, but we’ve also decided to work as a group to write and/or Finish existing originals and cut our own album…

About the only thing we can’t agree on is the band’s name..

Personally, Im still partial to “bongwater” but the potential negative associations are a legitimate concern to some of the guys.. .. Stilbit has been dropped, as it reads too much like “Still Bite” so “Stillwater”, “Stillwater Lake” and “The Stillwater Project” seem to be the final three options. But even without a name, its still working out great….

Even more exciting, is the evolution of the “intent”.. to be co-writing, and recording is just awesome.. Also, as all the guys have jobs, families… No one get all upset if someone can’t make practice due to work, or baby sitter, etc… Sure, we all look forward to jamming, and get down when it doesn’t happen, but last week it was your turn to bail, so everyone understands, and theres a neat "calmness" about it... … were all “in for the long haul” as they say…

In the meantime, I’ve picked up a few side gigs with a few other artists, keys here.. bass there, sound some times too..Not that I'm particularly into any of these side projects, but they are good experience and exposure, and the money coming in doesn't hurt... But, paycheck or not, I only do it to the extent that it doesn’t take away from this project.. I even backed out of some potentially lucrative/high profile stuff so’s not to spread myself to thin… Not that I couldnt do it, but I gotta have time with my family.. and I gotta make time to rehearse for this band a priority over any other music project... and thats just how I roll!!! lol...

So where will it go from here? Im not sure.. But Im confidently Content that it will be very Cool…. So keep an I out, and start saving up to shell out 20 bucks (or thereabouts) for the CD when its done.. Ideally by xmas... more realistically, next year this time...

Cheers for now..