Chronicles of Alan:- So you want to be a Rockstar? Finale

When the Beatles hit the Big Time, Artist Managers went cruising through Liverpool signing up anyone who even looked like a Rockstar .

One of these bands was the Merseybeats ( later the Mersey's) They had quite a few hits. After a particularly successful one a Fan Magazine interviewed them and asked what they were doing with the sudden infux of cash? All of them answered, Fancy Car, New Motorcycle etc except Johnny Gustafson ( the only married one) New Fridge, Washing Machine and the like! You will see why I mentioned this further on.

While playing at Smugglers one evening , a Guy called Gary B (Does a one man band thing) walks up to me and says "I would love to play in a band with you one day"

As mentioned Due East was the Turning Point, and we all started making a not inconsiderable extra amount of "Filthy Lucre" per month, for a lot more fun than our regular jobs. Were often recognized in the Street, a not unpleasant experience.

Washing Machine and Tumble Drier pack in. Instead of repairing them, Buy new out of money that was earmarked for something else. Buy 4x JBL Dual 15: plus Horn Speakers ( 2 for Wayne when he comes back) 6x Soundtech dual 18" bass, Speakers. Got a very special price for buying entire stock, New Amplifiers, new desk and monitors.

Do a few shows at Boston Tea Party and some other clubs.

Places like Smugglers where they have a DJ between sets, in no time have picked up that we have a slightly different repertoire to other bands and started playing the same music in their sets? I remember a DJ playing Beautiful Day by U2 just before we went back on stage. We go back on, Justin says," I heard that song by that little Irish Band a minute ago, Now we'll show you how it should be played" Could not believe what he said!

What do I know, the crowd seemed to agree with him?

We are pulling Bigger and Bigger crowds at Due East.

Grant asks me to sell him a Pair of The Sound Techs as he also wants to start a Christian Band, knows what I paid for them (less than half price) I agree. All our equipment is kept on a trailer in my Garage, Leon starts taking his Drum Kit home, Grant his amplifier, to practice. The Guy's are not too keen to rehearse and learn new numbers during the week anymore.

One Saturday (should I say Sunday) on the way back from Due East 0300hrs in the morning, Lets stop, we're hungry, I'm tired but what the hang, we stop at an all night diner at Princess Crossing.

Sit down to hear...

"Thank You so much for getting us this far Al, but we feel you're too old to play with us !" I was absolutely gobsmacked, taking kit home, buying PA kit from me, not wanting to practice(with me) They had even had a trailer built to replace mine!

This, of course also left me in a perilous cash situation as the extra stream of income I had been making to fund these purchases had just left the airfield and plunged into the sea!

I was furious with them for 3 days (It takes energy to hate people so why waste it) I played one more Due East Gig with them. Ruby and her friends came to say a tearful goodbye , and My Favourite Daughter, Shakira, filmed this last Gig with them.

It was not a week later that I received a frantic call , " We can't get the PA to sound right, can you help? so I went to look what they were doing, and sorted it for them.

Not long after My Departure, those cards I had dropped off at Firkins paid off, a band had dropped them, and they phoned Sandbox to help out, they became a staple at that club for years.

As soon as word got out that I was no longer with Sandbox, (No, The Rolling Stones did not want me) people who needed sound done started calling me.

Another Band also called me hoping I could do the same for them, but there were too many Chiefs in that one!

About 1.5 - 2 years later Grant calls me, " Why are you just doing Sound, You're a Bass Player?

   LEASH

So I call Gary B, hows about forming a Band, Find another Gary G (for Guitar ) and Trevor D(Drums) a Father and Son team. We rehearse twice a week learning at least 8 songs per week.

After 2 months I organise our First Gig at Rock Cottage Keg . Our Second Gig is at O'Hagans ( New Owners ) Justin & Grant are there " We never sounded like this on our Second Gig!'

The Owner is very impressed, I would like you Guy's every Saturday, or every Wednesday, or both!
I am about to clinch it when Gary G and Trevor D pipe up with, Don't want steady Gigs, it interferes with Family Time! I look at Gary B in horror, "no we just like playing for fun, So I kept this band going for about a year and like an old watch, nobody felt like rewinding it again.

I did one more band after this , hardly worth mentioning but my Son Wayne sang in it, with his range, you never really had to change the key of a song!

I hope you have enjoyed my meanderings in this Rockstar Series, I will continue with the Sound Engineer Set, something I still occasionally do.

by @awgbibb