Last Memorial day (2019) was a big day for me. That was the day when I stepped foot back on stage for the first time in probably 20 years! I know, hard to believe!
A good friend had a cover band called Keep on Truckin’ and they needed a bass player quick! I was game to get back into playing and I really glad I did. I realized how much I missed playing and working on my craft.
There was a time when music was everything to me. It was my dream. It was what I was going to do with my life! Little did I realize how easily distracted I was and what a slow learner I was.
In the mid 1990’s the band I was in at the time was doing great! We were doing small self funded tours through out Texas and up through the east coast. We were playing original music and proud to get up every night and bang our heads as hard as we could.
It all quick fell apart as ego’s and eagerness to go full time with our dreams caused us to make some terribly bad decisions. We hurt people and we hurt ourselves.
My naive view of the music industry was replaced with the harsh reality of the seedy underbelly of society that we tend to visit every night while playing our music. I was tired of bar owners and management stealing and cheating money from us. Got tired of coming home smelling like smoke, piss and vomit.
So, when Wicked Gypsy started to fall apart, I decided to move on. I poured my energies into my day job, into my relationships, and into family.
Fast forward 20 years later, here I am playing with some great people in Austin. Things are easier now, less stress, and lots of fun. I’m just working on being a better bass player everyday. Practice, Practice, Practice.
