Chronicles of Alan :- So you want to be a Rockstar Part 2 (featuring @awgbibb as author)

My youngest Brother Mike called me one day and asked me if I would play Bass in a band they had put together for a Dance for the youth at Krugersdorp Chapel.

I said I don’t have a Bass anymore having sold my Gear just before I got married, no problem, he would lend me a Bass Guitar that he had. ( Worst Bass Guitar I ever played , action was lousy and sound was not great). Anyhow ,I have mentioned in other Chronicles of Alan that I am LDS , but was not active at the time , (more later).

The Evening of the Dance arrives (held in the Rec Hall) and on stage we go , about half an hour later a whole lot of Gatecrashers arrive, some of them under the weather a bit. LDS do not smoke or Drink, we tell them not to smoke or drink on the premises, but do not tell them to go.

The Dance organiser (think his name was Gavin) says they are smoking in the carpeted entrance area to the Chapel, I have had enough, toss my Guitar to the Singer open the Hall Door , and punch the first cigarette I see in the mouth , Guy goes flying across the room into the noticeboard. Only then do I see how many of them there are .

Next thing guns are out , and I (stupidly) ,offer to shove the gun where the sun doesn’t shine, from there the Dance sort of faded out(went downhill). Much empty threats and the Gatecrashers left.

We then formed an Official Band with Robbie C on Lead Guitar and Backup Vocals, Mike on Rhythm Guitar Henry F lead vocals ( My Brother –in-Law, more on him later) a succession of drummers ,lastly Haydn G ,a very Good Jazz Drummer fastest hands I have ever seen (and heard). We were called“ Orange Peel “
Booked the Florida Town Hall for our First Gig ,and carried on always doing pretty well , had someone at the Door collecting the Entrance Fee, Used to make up our own posters and plaster them illegally ,all over town.
We did a Gig in Rustenburg where we went down well , onthe way back as we reached Magaliesburg, The Transit blew a Headgasket, All the Kit ,inside . We had to tow it back to Haydn’s farm (A Jewish Guy owning a Pig Farm?) I had to buy spares and go sort it out the next day.

I was never happy with this lineup , just seemed to lack some thud, brought in a Keyboard player ,Andre, to try to improve the sound , still no go. By this time we had hired a rehearsal space in Johannesburg, A Building Block where quite a Few Band’s .had rehearsal rooms. The equipment could be safely left there ,and no neighbours to complain about the noise!

Robbie left the Band , and at Magnet’s Music I saw a guitarist looking for a Band ,advert. This is how I met Gordon B a Scot. He came to a rehearsal with ,us, (very Loud) discussed with Henry, Henry say’s “Very impressed”, called Gordon who says he is not impressed, told him I have the same problem and would call him back.

Drummer called Floods, had been kicked out of his band ( probably cause he was nuts) They were really good , Arrange another rehearsal tryout , with Gordon , Henry , Floods and myself, after 2 songs we all just started laughing, all that I had been looking for was suddenly there!

Strangely enough? Floods (Will) did not have fast hand speed but his offbeat Kickdrum work was superb and solid!
Gordon taught me a lot, All brought our Records together we wanted to play. If you can’t dance to it or sing along to it , we don’t play it ( in recent years I have added or jump up and down to, to this creed for a cover band) Be surprised at how much of the music one likes to listen to is not really danceable!

This Band would be called “THOR” We could decimate anyone with sheer volume!

So we rehearsed like crazy for our first real chance to Rule the World!!