Where I've been - part I

Hello friends!

I apologize for not posting a blog since July of last year. I used to post something here and at the MySpace page at least every two weeks. I've been doing some work on the website recently, came to the ol' Blogger page and realized: "HOLY SHIT! - I haven't posted anything in six months!" It's time (and I am now able) to rectify that.

Where I've been - a summary... About 2 years ago, we were riding the small, but significant success of a new band with a new record. "Where You Come From" was the culmination of many things: the end of my old band Green Inside, a collection of stories spanning the previous 10 years of my life, and most importantly a new chapter in my musical career. It was essentially released in early 2008 and we (Gerry, Anthony, Lorin, Fred) played many shows throughout the Northeast in support of it. The album also received fair to exceptional reviews from local, regional, and even national press. It was an amazing time.

Behind the scenes, for me, was a different story. A full-time college student trying to juggle school, a relationship, a band, and finding a way to make it all financially work, was taking it's toll on me. Yet, these were all things that I absolutely had to do. I'm not one to throw in the towel on anything. But, I must admit, doing all of this was certainly piling on the stress, and I simply ignored it.

Then in mid '08, there were some changes in the band. Lorin had left. No animosity at all (we've been and continue to be friends for over 10 years). His personal life had more demands on him and he just couldn't make the commitment to the band anymore. I was a bit bummed as he was often the cheerleader and many times the most optimistic. No matter what happened when we were out playing, as long as Lorin was there we'd be smiling.

To fill in bass duties, we employed the talents of Ron Spears (from The Breakfast). Ron is a great bass player and a good guy to know. He shared lots of stories from being out on the road with The Breakfast. He stepped up the the plate as far as bass playing goes, but he too had many outside commitments and could not be a full-time player.

To fill in the bass position, Fred volunteered his left hand. You may be asking yourself - huh? Instead of playing keys with both hands, he played a piano-bass (it's like a small keyboard, but keyed into the bass register) with his left hand, and regular keys with his right. This essentially took away the ability to bring the Hammond organ out. While we lost that part of the instrumentation, we (Gerry, Anthony, Fred & myself) began to grow into a new sounding band, even putting together new material. We continued throughout 2008 supporting "Where You Come From."

Towards the end of the summer in '08, my personal life was rearing it's ugly head again, and essentially changing my life...

...more to come...

-SA