16-year-old Filled in for Rock Band on a Whim, and the Rest is History
When opportunity knocks.
When I was 16, I walked into a popular nightclub in Vermont on a Friday night and witnessed a band that instantly became a huge influence on me for years to come as I began to claw my way into the music business. No, I shouldn’t have been there, yes, it was a different time. I was in awe of the entire show- the sound, the production, the level of performance. It was inspiring.
The next night, I was in Canada about an hour north when the venue owner had tracked me down and called me up telling me that the same band needed someone to fill in because their bass player’s wife was having a baby. He said, “I know you’re a guitar player, but you can play bass, right?” I left immediately.
When I arrived, the manager of the band that I was in was sitting at the bar because the owner had reached out to him while trying to track me down. He ordered me a shot of Jack Daniels, figuring I’d need it. Again, 16, but no one knew it except for him & me.
I was rushed into the dressing room to get ready for the set and quick introductions were made. This was in fact, the “80’s,” and stage clothing was key. I had none. Someone handed me a jacket to wear. The singer (Randy) was trying to figure out what to start the set with and mentioned something about the Dokken song, “In My Dreams” (remember…80’s). I immediately sang the falsetto part of the intro and he said, “That’s it! That’s Frank’s part!”
We quickly went over a 3-part harmony and Randy realized it had been a while since they’d performed it. I remember him grabbing a walkman for about 30 seconds to get a refresher of the 2nd verse. That was the entire “rehearsal” for the night.
I asked if anyone had any hair spray. The guitar player (Andre`) handed me a bottle and I spent the next 10-15 seconds pumping it into my hair while working on max volume. Less than a minute later, the drummer (Gary) holds up a bottle of actual hairspray, looked at me, and asked, “Is this what you were looking for?”
I had previously been handed a bottle of Martin guitar polish.
We all walked out and onto the stage. The place was for sure at capacity. I remember Andre’ giving a quick guitar note for the key, Gary giving a four count, and us starting the song off with nothing but the 3-part harmony. Then, we were off and running. I looked across the stage to my left at the keyboard player to see the biggest smile on Charlie’s face. I’m sure he was probably thinking, “What’s the worst that can happen here?”
As for my bass playing? I quickly realized that the guitar parts for some of the songs that I knew were nothing like the actual bass lines, and that it had in fact been a while since I played bass. It was mediocre at best and for a couple of songs, less than that. Andre’ turned around a few times to keep me on track when it seemed like I might be straying from it. Randy even asked if I wanted to sing a song. Sure, why not?
For a night, I was a teen-aged kid in a place I had no place being, on a stage with rock stars.
Over the years, I got to know the guys in the band as we crossed paths on the New England circuit. As I continue to push forward in my music career, I still vividly recall that night- a completely unexpected opportunity to see how it’s done, the right way.
8084’s dedication to “the show” is second to none. The band’s hard-earned and well-deserved 40th anniversary show is coming up. If you don’t have plans yet, get tickets.
