I have played with many, many bands in the last 30 years or so
starting with a few in my hometown of Richmond, Indiana, but most of
them based right out of Bloomington, Indiana. At the risk of sounding
terribly old to some folks around here, I will say that my start in
music in Bloomington was as an original member of the I.U. Soul Revue
in 1971 as a freshman. I know it's astounding, but yes, we had
electrical instruments even way back then. ;-)
The instrument that I'm most identified with, and really my first choice, is the electric guitar. I came of age during the "Radical Sixties", so of course my music in style and taste goes directly back to then. I still think Jimi
Hendrix is the best modern rock guitarist. But that's just my opinion, and probably my age showing through.
In more recent times I've also become know as a bass player, mostly due to the fact that I was the original bass player for the local group Mojo Hand.
Well enough ranting about what I play. I'll just add a partial list of some of the bands I have played with over the years. Many of them have put out records or CD's. I have also been on a few releases under my own name. Perhaps you'll
recognize some of these names, perhaps not. Probably depends on how long you've
been in Bloomington and if you go out at night.
Most recent bands...
I joined this the first week of October
'94, and it has been a great time. We are a big horn band specializing
in R&B and FUNK, as in James Brown, with a touch of Blues, and a pinch
of Jazz. But mostly, we just make people dance! This band is currently
very popular on the Greek scene, and The Dynamics recently released
its' first ever, self-produced, music release. The was
released in October of 1996.
Mojo Hand
The summer of '94, I briefly re-joined the band to record an album (CD) and play a few local gigs. Doing almost exclusively original material, this has to be the only local "Cajun" music band. They call it 'Swamp-Funk'. That CD was released in Fall of '95. They have a even newer release available now, featuring their latest group of musicians.
This band has actually been an on-going affair for me and the other two main members, Mark Robinson and Lenny Marsh, for serveral years now. We'll play anywhere...as long as they have money. ;-} We specialize in Blues, Rock-n-Roll, and mainly just having a good time. We are on the regular rotation of clubs like the Slippery Noodle in Indianapolis.
Old Bands You Probably Never Heard Of...
...but I enjoyed playing in. So I'll list some of them, in no particular order:
The Screamin' Gypsy Bandits: A "legendary" Bloomington, Indiana
band of the late Sixies and early Seventies. Lead by Mark
Bingham, the band released quite a
few local records (no CD's back in those days...), and several
members went on to play with national and international acts. (still love that name...)
Caroline
Peyton: Caroline was a major part of the Screamin' Gypsy
Bandits. Later, during the late 70's, I toured with her in trio and duo
combinations, criss-crossing the country from California to
Florida, and around the Midwest. Now
based in Nashville, TN, she has appeared in stage shows such as
"Priates of Penzance", and recorded many of the voices in
Disney's animated features such as "Beauty and the Beast", and "Aladdin".
Rick
(Shadrach) Lazar: A native of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Rick is an excellent
drummer/precussionist whom I met when I was in the Screamin' Gypsy
Bandits. He was the drummer for that band, as well as a few others I
played in, including the Grace Davis Band. (See below). During the
70's, Rick was kind enough to invite me to Thunder Bay,
where his family graciously allowed me to live in their home for the 4
or 5 months I was there. Now based in Toronto, Ontario, Rick is an
in-demand percussionist, and has released several CD's with his band
Montuno Police.
The
Ebony Rhythm Funk Campaign: Serious funksters out of Indy in the
mid '70's. This band had a national release in the Mid-70's that I
played guitar on, as well as writing the title cut ""Watchi' You,
Watchi' Me".
The Ruthie Allen Band
Kruise Kontrol
The Grace Davis Band
...and other, short-lived bands too numerous to mention. So I won't.
Some of these bands were/are quite good, I think, and I'm proud to have been a part of the ones that are no more. I look forward to more fun with the present bands I'm in, and bands yet to be heard...