The History of the Six Shooter Band-logo

The History of the Six Shooter Band

Music Podcasts

Ever wonder what its like to be in a band? These are the entries of a diary of Dave Jackson as he started and grew the Country Band Six shooter. Get the behind the scenes stories and all the drama and suspense of trying to be successful in the music business

Location:

United States

Description:

Ever wonder what its like to be in a band? These are the entries of a diary of Dave Jackson as he started and grew the Country Band Six shooter. Get the behind the scenes stories and all the drama and suspense of trying to be successful in the music business

Twitter:

@davejackson

Language:

English

Contact:

234-542-0893


Episodes

S4E2 - Cheese Festival Blues

7/17/2018
May 30: Prepping For the Cheese Festival Well, it’s been a fun few weeks. Seth got married, Dave had to go to Columbus, John missed a practice also. The band reforms and starts to put the pieces together. Dale has done a good job of playing catch up. While there are still a few rough areas, none of them sound like mistakes. Basically, he is in the same boat as all of us. The band pulls a Thursday practice trying to get it all together. Dale picks the tunes we do, and practices is over early at 8:30. There is some discussion about the hiring of one of Dale’s friends (Lou) who will be running a system that is partly his and part Dales. Originally we were going to pay him 50 bucks to run our sound, but that has changed to 100 bucks to run his system. The benefit (we were thinking) was that we wouldn’t have to haul anything to the gig but our bodies and amps. It turns out this is not the case. We need to bring mic stands, microphones, and cables. Everything but speakers and power amps. Since the sound guy is getting 220% more than I am, I am a little miffed. However, I choose to wait and see how we sound before I decide if I want to complain or not. The good news is that after the gig, I pack my amp and I am homeward bound. Kevin will still have some things to unpack at the house. So yes, there are some mixed feelings. On the positive side, it will be so nice to get back on stage. One of the greatest things about this band is -well this band. It’s cool playing and getting off on everyone else’s talent. Dale blows Lee’s playing off of the planet. Some of the stuff we thought Dale was playing wrong, but it turns out that Lee was playing it wrong for months (And we thought it was right). The awkwardness is gone, and we’re all pretty pumped to take the stage. With a veteran soundman and a working sound system, it will be nice to set up at the festival (some type of fireman’s cheese jubilee) in Brewster and just PLAY. Rain Rain Go Away The day of the festival arrives with a constant rain that lasts the entire day. Dave drives to the festival just in case the stage was under a tarp. Instead, he finds a hollowed out truck trailer under water. While a few dry spots were on the stage, there is no way we could set up and play. Dave, Seth, and Kevin (along with their significant others) go to the movie “Scream.” The height of the excitement that the band felt had only lifted them further up for a fall. We’re all bummed out. The Blur that was the Spring of 1997 As mentioned before, Dave had gone to Columbus, Seth had got married, we replaced Lee, Mary at the Tangled Spur died, John moved, John got ill (to the point of lung damage), and now Kevin is getting married and leaving the band. July 1rst the band meets with what will more than likely be the last practice at Kevin’s house. Seth serenades Kevin with different lyrics to songs begging him not to leave. While it is great to finally all be together, it is a very gloomy practice. The band has a discussion on what direction to take next. We talk about hiring a female singer but decide to bypass that option. We need to run an ad for a singer and knock on some doors to try and get a gig. Through our trials of occasionally practicing, our chops have gotten rusty, and we’re sounding pretty awful. We all agree it’s time to bump up the priority of the band. Dale mentions that he may be leaving for Tennessee in February. This is solidified in a few weeks when he begins selling furniture to his house. The devastation of the festival getting rained out has multiplied and robbed a great live band of all its momentum. Kris asks Dave one night, “Why...

Duration:00:06:48

S4E1 - That Smell

7/16/2018
April 3: DAVE, Johnny, and DAVE Dave puts together a “Fan Letter” to send to the guy at the bar that wanted our schedule. In honesty, the “Fan Magazine” is really a flyer for a drummer. Dave sets out to the local music stores and tacks up the flyer. While he is there he gets a few numbers. In calling the first number (guy looking for a country/oldies rock band) Dave finds “Dave” who just moved to the area from Tennessee. Sounds like a real country boy. He sounds hungry for a band. Unfortunately, he lives near new Philadelphia (deep south Ohio). Meanwhile, Kevin has finally made contact of Johnny Rodregous. Johnny is the drummer of a band called “Little Country.” It’s nice to have prospects. Dave also has another number to use if needed. John on the other hand has now received a call from Glen at the Tangled Spur. Glen has talked to this guy, and he wants in the band. The drummer again named “DAVE” was in the house band at the tangled spur. “Tennessee Dave” will be coming over this Tuesday to audition. Unfortunately, Seth will be having his wisdom teeth pulled this weekend and may not be functional by Tuesday. He’s really worried about “going under the knife.” John will be moving into his new house in Boliver this weekend. April 7: Tennessee Dave Stinks Dave walks in behind John. Tennessee Dave has beat everyone to the house. As Dave and John move towards the stairs, they hear the sound of a dead groundhog being thrown into a fan (thump, chunk, gutta, whack). Dave voices, “that didn’t sound to good” to which John mutters, “maybe he is tuning up.” Tennessee Dave (who will be referred to as TD) is one eager beaver. He’s really nervous. To make it easy on him, we let him pick the first song. He picks Margaritaville. While not exactly a hugely technical piece, we will be able to test his meter. The song starts and TD takes off. While his meter isn’t too bad. He is playing some kind of “cha-cha beat” on acid. The band mentally scratches its head. The launch into another song. It’s official he sucks. He says he has been playing for 17 years. Apparently, he plays one day a year. The band launches into Grundy County Auction - at warp speed. Kevin and Dave giggle as they try to keep up with the pace. The meaning behind the looks as the band glances at each other is priceless. TD makes remarks between songs that make Lee’s comments sound like he was related to Einstein (more head scratching). TD is into Merril Haggard. The crowning touch was as we did “Fast as You.” It was just awful. As John put it, “I don’t think he could hold his meter for more than a measure.” He was really making Lee look good. Dave usually ready to blast off, cuts the lead short. That’s how bad he sucked. Realizing the practice was a waste, the band plays The Dance ala Maggot brain. At least we all get a good chuckle. We also get a good whiff. Dave was curious before we started to play, but it’s official now. Not only does TD suck on the drums, HE SMELLS. NOW WHAT DO WE DO? The band politely interviews him (realizing that Hell is not freezing over, and he’s not getting hired). Seth had left after two or three songs to attend to his diarrhea (thanks for sharing). TD strums Dave’s guitar and sings. Dave just wants to scream IT’S OVER! YOU SUCK. HOW CAN YOU NOT KNOW YOU SUCK?!! Kevin and John remain polite. Dave is trying to send the body language to get this guy out and let's make some phone calls. The band finally gets the hint when Dave starts turning off the lights. He finally leaves. Wow, that was a truly memorable experience. April 14: No Luck Dave and Kevin have been phoning different numbers they have picked up, but can’t get anyone to return their calls. Oh well. April 21: Good News Bad News Dave gets a call from Kevin. We have a drummer coming over tomorrow. This relieves Dave who was getting ready to resurrect the...

Duration:00:07:27

S3E9 - Good Day Sir!

6/12/2018
March 22: Last Night at the Spur-Last Night for Lee The decision has been made to fire Lee after tonight’s gig. It’s a sad but necessary thing. After some discussion, it is determined that it is Dave’s turn to fire the drummer (John fired Bob, Kevin Fired Jesse). Dave has recently gone through some assertiveness training at work and feels this will be a nice “final exam” to his training. We all look forward to a band without Lee, but no one enjoys hurting Lee (well maybe John ha ha). The band sets up in record time. It’s nice to be able to sit down for a full 45 minutes before we play. As usual, it’s cold in the Spur, and Lee sits apart from the band. The first two sets are tight, and sounding good. This has one fan Geoff Rowlands greeting the band in between sets. It’s Geoff’s birthday and he came to the Tangled Spur because he knew we were going to be here. He is ON FIRE about the band. He has his picture taken with the band (a slight hint of irony as it will soon be outdated). He tells Dave how he came in a few weeks ago, and when he saw that we weren’t there, he turned around and walked out. At one point Geoff takes a flyer and notices that Seth’s name is missing (old flyer design was mistakenly given to the Spur). Upon filling in the missing blanks on the flyer, Geoff walks into the bathroom. While Geoff is still in listening distance Lee blurts out, “What a Freak!” (Nice!). That’s right Lee, the one thing we don’t want is people who REALLY THINK WE KICK ASS. Geoff hands Seth his address and wants to be put our mailing list (mental note to Dave - start mailing list). The drumming is all over the place. Lee stops the song Little Rock for the second week in a row in the wrong place. His playing has been taking a steady decline for the past few months regardless of any comments from the band (slow down - in slow songs). With this kind of playing, he’s going to make tonight’s dismissal easy. By the third set, the band’s batteries start to go low. A few slip ups here and there. Dave goes into “la la” land during Ain’t going Down ‘till the Sun Comes Up. Dave also gets distracted as Kris decides to dance with a scum bag. John draws a blank in My Maria. My Maria goes over very well at this bar (after kind of falling flat at Cappy’s). John’s wife Rhonda surprises us all as she jumps up on stage an sings back up on Mercury Blues. Erin Tippin’s biggest fan is at the bar tonight so the band pulls Ain’t Nothing Wrong with the Radio and Workin Man’s Ph.D. out of their butt. The crowd is much more rock-oriented and wants to hear Sweet Home Alabama or any Lynard Skynard tunes. We probably should learn one frickin Skynard tune. We have groups of drunken men who are blitzed strutting their drunkenness on the dance floor. One guy actually performs the “Watermelon Crawl.” At the end of the evening, many people stop to tell us how good we are- cool. The band rips down in record time and gets back to the house. A dark cloud looms over the house. In the basement, the band distributes the $275 that they made at the Tangled Spur. The band has perched themselves on miscellaneous speakers and such. They all stare at the floor. It’s time for Dave to fire Lee. A brief pause. Then Dave starts his speech. He wants to avoid any arguing. He doesn’t want to hurt Lee (but knows this will). Rather than tell him he sucks, Dave decides to focus that he just doesn’t “fit” in with the band’s vision. When he open’s his mouth, this is what comes out: Dave: “Well we do have some band news, to talk over here, and basically Lee it deals mainly with you. Um, the fact the you used to beat us here to practice... and that time is no more. (Lee nods in agreement). There was a time, in all honesty, that you knew songs better than Me and Kevin and John, who had been playing them for months, - that time is no more. Lee: “Uh, huh.” There was time...

Duration:00:01:37

S3E8 - Lee Digs Himself a Grave

6/11/2018
March 1: Back at the Spur The band begins their four-week stint at the Tangled Spur. This has been advertised on a local radio station K105. It’s kind of cool hearing your name mentioned on the radio. This gig the band is “Sethless” due to a prior commitment. While he has only been with the band for a short period, it seems weird playing without him. Also, there are many songs we have not practiced, that are now added to the setlist. Dave adds a few extended solos to the evening and we make our way through the night. Dave tries to talk to Kevin and John about the severity of booting Lee, and how we really haven’t heard his side of the story. They seem to think his calling John was “his side” of the story. They are set on firing him. Dave feels we will live to regret not thinking this through. It will put us back a few weeks at a minimum. However, in the long run, it may be for the best. Using some of the new toys, the band’s sound is coming along nicely. For the first time in a while, Dave can REALLY hear his vocals on stage which lets him concentrate on his playing. The crowd is pretty decent size, but not much in the way of getting rowdy. In the case of Dave, he seems to be going through the motions despite a full night sleep. He needs to add a few new licks to his arsenal. He is boring himself on stage. In his opinion, while he is not playing bad, there doesn’t seem to be much feel in his playing. The usual “screw ups” happen, but at a minimum. The band was pretty on, but for the Tangled Spur, they were pretty calm. The night comes off pretty well (except for John pressing the wrong button in the middle of a song unleashing an unbelievably loud feedback signal). Dave and Kris get detained on their way back to Kevin’s as they take a detour to avoid the usual riots on Cleveland avenue only to have their path blocked by traffic as a policeman pulls over a car in the middle an intersection. The band is really tired by the end of the night. While the spur will always be a nice place to fall back on, I believe we will be ready to move on to another spot by the end of the month. This will be a learning experience, and I think we will know why we originally decided to only play a maximum of three weeks a month. March 8: Round Two at the Spur The band is back with Seth intact. It’s Chad “the stomping machine’s” birthday. We announce that it is his 22nd birthday when in reality it is his 21rst (thus he’s been illegal all these months -which makes the shit we gave Maria completely unfair). Musically the night is OK. Our tempo is all over the place. Dave has moved over to John’s side, and has a hard time hearing his guitar. It will be nice when we play places big enough to afford a sound guy. It has turned very cold and it has effects on numerous people. Both Maria and Kevin aren’t feeling good to the point where Maria leaves in the middle of the night. Dave and Seth take over on stage as Kevin takes a break to make sure Maria gets home all right. By the end of the night we’re all just glad to have made it through the night. Lee shows the tact of Jimmy Swaggart and announces that the “Perky” party (who usually have a tabled reserved for them) party isn’t there this week. Lee loudly states, “Maybe they’re down at the Red Dog cause they’re sick of hearing Six Shooter.” How stupid can you get. March 10: Ron the Super Drummer Seth knows a drummer with a superb sound system. That aside when the guy comes over and plays a drum set he’s never seen, without adjusting it, songs he hasn’t played in a while, he TOTAL KICKS LEE’S ASS. Not only did we finally get to hear “Grundy County Auction” the way it was supposed to sound, but he SANG THE SONG while he played this impressive drum part. As the song says: SOLD. Unfortunately, Ron is currently filling in for TWO bands, and if he did...

Duration:00:09:03

S3E7 - Where's Lee?

6/10/2018
Feb. 13: Concerns Over Lee Well, it appears that Lee has taken his phone off the hook. Last Tuesday John could not make practice (due to house stuff). Lee wanted to practice on Friday, but due to Valentine’s Day, we practiced on Thursday. Lee never called at 6:30 His phone was busy the whole evening. This combined with the lack of meter on slow songs made for a kind of “Down on Lee” night. John, Kevin and Maria were pissed that he apparently blew off practice. He appeared bored on Tuesday when basically Kevin, Dave and Seth worked on vocals. It is brought up that Linda was kind of pissed that we gave Chuck $50 to run the sound at the Red Dog. Kevin states that he is not looking to fire Lee, but that we should talk to him. The point is made that Kevin helps pimp the band, John and Kevin work on the equipment, and Dave makes posters for the group, and Lee has no “Extracurricular” activities -or even attempts to help with setting up. He never even inquires. February 15: Back at The Spur Another fun evening at the Tangled Spur. Seth has spent all day practicing and is going to attempt to play on every song. As usual, the Canton area gets hit with another two inches of snow. The bar is cold, and will stay cold for most of the evening. The band wives are wearing layers of clothes to the bars now. While setting up the band encounters aloud buzzing noise from the sound system. The band troubleshoots for approximately 30 minutes. Trying different cords and outlets the band is able to pretty much eliminate the buzz, but cuts it very close to starting time. Lots of tweaking to the monitors and main sound. The night went off pretty much without a hitch. John is kicking himself at the end of the night. Due to his busy schedule, he admits his lack of practicing is becoming embarrassing on stage. Seth made it through the evening. If Kevin flubbed any words, it wasn’t apparent. Dave had tried a configuration with his amplifier that destroyed the sound the first set. His guitar was too distorted. He went back to his tried and true pedal board and everyone agreed it sounded better. Dave surprises Kevin at the beginning of the second set by having the crowd sing happy birthday to Kevin. The band performs Where am I Gonna live. The whole evening has needed a “Spark.” Kevin has everyone keep play “G” as he prods people to come up on stage to sing along. Suddenly a whole group of “manly men” rush the stage. It was a nice boost to the show. Seth is now using an amp on stage, and it’s a nice touch as we can now hear what he is playing. The band has added a new ballad Whenever You Come Around which Seth sings. Most of the ballads with reworked vocals are sounding really good. Seth liked So Help Me Girl in particular. Glenn the bar owner wants us to play every week in March (We were previously booked for one week in March). The band is in the middle of playing three weeks in a row. This means after the Red Dog next week, we will get a one week break, and then four weeks straight. Dave is hesitant. He says it’s fine with him if we take a break in April. Seth is ready willing and able. He has a two word plan: let’s go. Lee is all for it, as is John. It is a fun time. So the decision is made, and we will be playing every week in March at the Tangled Spur. The good news is this will be an extra $200 for each member ($50 X 4 weeks). However, if we have the opportunity to book other gigs, we are now tied in to the Tangled Spur. At this point, the band is looking forward to the Red Dog next week. We will get to initiate the new (now paid for) snake. John is going to check on the preamp/effects unit that myseteriously has never showed up at Gatuso’s music. The band will practice at the Red Dog this week as Dave will be going to a Metallica concert on Tuesday. This could be interesting with new tunes. We hope to add Baby Likes to Rock and Be My Baby

Duration:00:15:54

S3E6 - Dave's Birthday at the Spur

6/9/2018
Jan 28: Seth’s First Practice Seth comes over as the band sets up their equipment. We get a chance to talk a bit. Seth was really busy during the holiday season and hasn’t really had a chance to learn any of the songs. Eventually, we all get set up. We plug in and turn on. As we start to do Doomis Walker, Seth asks if we can work out the vocal harmonies first. As we do this Seth slips into his “Choir Director” mode as we sing virtually occopella. It sounds cool. No, it sounds really cool. As we giggle at how cool we sound Kevin blurts out, “The guy acts like a choir director.” Seth then fills in the mystery by informing us that indeed HE IS A CHOIR DIRECTOR. Yes, the newest member of Six Shooter is a multi-talented dude. He sings like an angel, plays guitar, harmonica, and totally KICKS ASS on the keyboards. Boners are rampant. If there was any doubt before, there is none now. It’s totally official. WE ARE THE SHIT. Seth jams along with the band. We work on some vocals. There is such a difference between two and three part harmony. It is so cool, it is hard to put into words. The band picks a few songs they want to work on. John books a gig at the Tangled Spur for February 8 (Dave’s birthday). There is also a chance to play there on the 15th. The money from this gig will go to pay for a snake (should run around 300 bucks). Watch out world - Here comes Six Shooter -cocked and loaded! Feb. 8: Seth’s First Live Appearance Six Shooter takes the stage at the Tangled Spur (704 4th St. S.W.) on a special night. Dave has secured a new snake that passes everyone’s inspection. Dave has bought a hat for the gig (and another new shirt). It’s also Dave’s birthday. It’s also some girl named Tracy’s birthday. The band surprises Dave with a rendition of “Happy Birthday” and a giant cookie that says “Happy Birthday Dave.” Dave has distributed flyers that read, “Come out and celebrate Dave’s birthday and see if the old man can still jam.” He now feels a little pressure to really do something special. The band is pumped to showcase their new keyboardists. While it was in the mid 40’s all week, the weather has turned to the traditional snow and cold. The band has learned three new songs with Seth. These are Desperado, The Dance and Little Rock. The band has been focusing on vocals these past practices. The three part harmonies give Dave goose-bumps. It’s so cool. The band makes it through their first set, and everything seems to be going OK. The bar starts to fill up. Some Graphic people show up (Jeff Aul, Jeff Fritchley and Megan Benten). The second set features Seth. Dave explains how he’s always wanted a keyboardist that he could simply say, “Take it.” They launch into Doomis Walker. At the end, Dave looks over and says “Take it Seth!” Seth takes it, and kicks it’s ass. You couldn’t have asked for a better first impression. Meanwhile, the band has become brain dead in some aspects. Dave starts off Watermelon Crawl on the wrong fret. Kevin is forgetting lyrics left and right. Dave’s not sure when or what to sing for back-up vocals. John has been involved in a lot of activity getting ready to move. He’s been approved for his new house. However, his lack of practice time shows. Just about the time Dave really gets pissed at John’s mistakes, he is informed that John’s problem is that the battery is going dead in his bass (OOPS!). Lee is stuck with the job of trying to keep up with a lot of improvisation on the stage. The band does their traditional speeding up of slow songs. This is something that needs addressed at practice There are couples on the dance floor as the band closes the set with “Fast as You.” Dave passes on venturing on to the floor as he is afraid he will be pelted with a drunken jitterbugger. The band embarrasses Dave with an interesting version of Happy Birthday. They also sing to “Tracy.” Tracy has a group of people with her...

Duration:00:10:56

S3E5 - Freezing at the Red Dog

6/8/2018
Friday Night at the Red Dog Well, Ohio experiences snow, sleet, and freezing rain during the day. Consequently, the bar is very empty. Six Shooter plays to four people (not counting friends and wives). They seem to like us. We sound good. Our stage volume is a little loud, and Dave can’t really hear himself. Dave also discovers that he hurt his wrist last night carrying things up the steps. He should be fine. Kevin’s nephews come out of the gate HARD and build a pyramid of shot glasses (previously filled with whiskey). This provides some comic relief as the band openly talks with the crowd. The in-between song banter is again loose and free (after all who cares NOBODY IS HERE). The band lets “Steve the Harmonica player” on stage for a quick jam session. It was OK, but not overly impressive. All of the friends are partying hard, and having a good time. Jeff Aul, Mike Pisani, Sean McCloskey, John France, and new tech Jeff Fritchley have come out to support their Graphic Enterprises buddies (note: John put in his notice this week). Due to the make of the bar, Dave is standing on part of the stage that is also under the lowest part of the ceiling. Smoke congregates around his head. His vocals are taking a beating. He is still trying to recover from a free coke that tasted like a mixture of dirt and rust. During a stroll off the stage, Dave is asked “Are you really playing or is that a tape?” by some drunken wench in the pool room. The band finds inspiration as Kevin whispers that one of the Red Dog’s regular bands is checking us out. Tammy has told Kevin to “show them up.” As soon as Dave hears this he takes it up a notch on the guitar. Kevin’s singing goes to a new level. It’s time to show off. Dave smiles as he is having a pretty good night on guitar. The band stretches set four out a bit as they field some requests from the floor. One such request from a very “happy” Jeff Aul is to play “Let’s Get Drunk and Screw” by Jimmy Buffet. The band (again - who is going to hear it?) launches into this song (after a quick 10 seconds to dust off some cobwebs) they haven’t played for MONTHS. We pull it off nicely. Everything is really sounding good. No complaints from the crowd. The crowd has increased as the band watches a couple bump and grind through numerous songs. Dave thinks “get a room.” The night ends, as we all hope we can sound this good when there are actual people in the bar. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better. John is kind of disappointed (as is the band) of the low turn out. John remembers when the bar was so packed it would take you a half hour to get to the bar. Dave talks to Tammy on his way out. She says she had a good Friday night (?!). Oh well. Again the boys get to bed in the wee hours of the morning. Tomorrow is Saturday and we can all sleep in. Saturday: January 25-Red Dog Well, there are more people in the bar, and it’s a good thing as there is a general lack of heat. Kim Allen, Heather Davis and Anthony Pansera show from Graphic along with Jeff Fritchley. Kevin’s Mom takes her front row seat. The bar actually has some people, but still far from packed. It’s snowed more today, and the roads are now getting slick. Gremlins show up and possess the snake and board. It’s time to retire this mess of cords and duct tape. Chuckie does his best. From time to time a speaker cuts out. Oh well, what ya gonna do? The band gets to watch “Johnny Disco” strut his gold chains on the dance floor as he twirls and grinds. Except for an interesting rendition of Aint’t Goin Dow ‘Till the Sun Comes Up” which included the second verse twice, everything goes smooth. Dave has brought a boom box to tape tonight’s performance. He takes a listen in between sets and determines that it sounds like a tape that has been made on a boom box in the back of a bar. It gives a general idea of how we sound. Unfortunately, many of the patrons...

Duration:00:09:43

S3E4 - We Came, We Played, We Kicked Ass

6/7/2018
January 11 1997: The Tangled Spur We Came, We Played, We Kicked Their Ass The whole band is pumped to play a bar the size of the Graphic Enterprises service department (S-M-A-L-L!). Mother nature has blessed us with some snow and a wind chill of at least -20. Luckily we do not have to drag our speakers with us to the gig. While tearing down at Kevin’s, Maria starts explaining how “Everyone Should Get Drunk.” Dave gets a little nervous as the extra travel time involved means he will be getting home later and we will need all parties helping to unload the stuff. Dave realizes that there will probably always be a difference of opinion here. Maria sees this as a chance to party (which it is-which he appreciates her support). Dave will always see Maria as an “Ambassador” of Six Shooter. Any unprofessional behavior makes him nervous. Just as he wouldn’t walk into her job and jeopardize her work, I don’t think she understands how serious we take this. When Dave explains how he is worried about Maria messing with “our business” Maria jokingly lays into him. Dave decides to drop it, and wait and see what happens. Thinking back on some of the issues, there may be an element of a “Microscope” in watching Maria’s behavior. The band sets up using the small board from the bargain basement. It’s very cold. It doesn’t take too long. Dave uses a volume pedal to adjust his guitar for lead breaks. It sounds good. Thank goodness we have that equalizer. The stage is very small and confining compared to Cappy’s. The band has only added one new song (and it’s old) called Good Brown Gravy by Joe Diffey. This was learned for Cappy’s benefit. It’s pretty cold in the bar. Musically it’s a pretty good night. After noticeably speeding up the song Texas Tattoo the band gives Lee a quick sobriety test (who had a shot earlier to get warmed up). With the band focusing on our meter, we do a much better job the rest of the evening. As a unit, we were pretty solid. The band gets another request to learn “The Electric Slide.” Due to the cold, the crowd is a little thin. However, Jeff Fuchs and wife, Anthony Pansera and Heather Davis, Chucky, Mike Pisani, and Jeff Aul show up from GEI. They all seem to think we sound good. The in-between song banter is flowing tonight. We have made a conscious effort to go directly from one song to another. We previously felt compelled to fill all silence with talking. Tonight some silence is filled with Dave playing, and other items. The audience gets a kick as Kevin explains how Dave is wearing a new shirt designed by country stars Brooks and Dun. When Kevin invites Dave to do a quick catwalk, Dave takes him up on it. Dave struts out across the dance floor as Kevin sings “I’m too sexy for my shirt.” We’re having fun. The sound system is sounding good. For once we have more monitor sound than we have in the main speaker (this is a concern for the red dog in 2 weeks). Lee is fired up and is nicknamed “the Animal” as every song is finished with a thunderous drum roll. Upon tuning his guitar for the last set, Dave notices that the screw that his guitar strap is attached to is very loose. He wiggles it and it falls off in his hand. YIKES. This means that Dave’s guitar could fall off any time during the set. He decides to pull a chair on the stage and sit down for the last set. This is very foreign. While the stage was small, the option of having ZERO movement is not a pleasant thought. The audience seems understanding as they enjoy a “Tutor” (a drink) special. Kevin jokes that since the whole bar is getting “tutors” that this will be one of the smartest crowds we’ve ever played to. Dave attempts his “Rocky the squirrel” imitation as he chimes “Now here’s something you’ll really like” only to realize that the smoke and cold are getting to his voice. To finish the set Dave and

Duration:00:10:21

S3E3 - Working Our Way Back to Fun

6/6/2018
October 26: Kevin Keeps his Foot in the Door Dave goes over to Kevin’s to get his amp for the Southern Heart practice-steal your keyboard player session. In talking with Maria and Kevin, Dave and Kevin voice some items that have been brooding in their minds. Dave hasn’t always been 100% thrilled with the fact that John has never really learned what is on the record (in terms of bass parts). While he has learned enough to stumble through, he’s never learned that extra 15% that can make a difference. Other issues are discussed, and Dave explains how he’s not upset at Kevin, but more the situation. He’s kind of excited about looking at different options. The thought of singing with someone else is still a very foreign idea. Dave realizes that Kevin is part owner of the drum set. Yet another complication to work out. Kevin explains how Tuesday John, Dave and Lee can decide what direction they will take. With John moving, moving practice back to John’s may not be an option. Suddenly the Southern Heart audition takes on a different meaning. Dave is 100% positive John will jump back into bed with Dan and revive their band “The Bends.” “On to a new frontier,” Dave thinks as he walks across Kevin’s front lawn. He embraces the fear of the unknown and decides to make the most out of a depressing situation. During their discussion, Maria explains that with her current work schedule and band practice, she only sees Kevin one night a week. “AHA!” Dave thinks - the missing objection. Dave pats himself on the back for using his “handling objection” skills. Later that day................................................ Kevin calls Dave to explain some things. After thinking a few things out, Kevin realizes that it’s not fair just to say “I quit” and bolt out the door. The band has never had a chance to change its ways. Consequently, Kevin wants to sit down with the band and discuss some of the issues that he and Dave had discussed previously in the day. While the band has got along great, played above average, Dave and Kevin realize that communication is really lacking. We need to put ALL of our concerns on the table. We need to polish up on being a band and strengthening the four-way-marriage that is the band. In a sense, if we addressed all his concerns, Kevin feels the band would fun again. This pretty much shoots the shit out of Dave’s “Handling Objections” theories. Dave kicks himself in the balls and makes a mental note that most salesmen are full of shit. Dave is relieved and looks forward to the communication challenge of the coming practice on Tuesday. October 29: Kevin Goes Public Kevin announces to the band that as of Friday he quit. He has since thought it over and thought it only fair to try to reconcile our differences first. The main problems are: • Stage volume is too loud and the equipment being unreliable adds to frustrations. • The amount of negativity that abounds at practice-usually brought about by bashing Graphic Enterprises for 30-40 minutes. • The lack of practice by all members. • In general -IT’S NOT FUN The band admits that some of the song lists should be readjusted to play songs that people can dance to. It decides that we need to fine-tune our sets, and have songs run into each other. This eliminates the need for “witty banter” in between songs. It also will keep people on the dance floor. The band decides to set agendas for each practice. By having a set amount of items to practice we can focus on the tasks at hand. By eliminating the bitch session, we can focus on the music. The band also realizes that eventually there may not be a need to practice every week. John has some ideas on how we can streamline the sound system to make it more portable, and sound better. The band realizes we need to spend some time “surfing the scene” and see what people are dancing to -instead of what...

Duration:00:10:12

S3E2 - Kevin Quits

6/5/2018
October 18 Cappy’s, Buns, and Bow Ties The band gets a rude awakening when Lee sees that the band’s name on the Cappy’s marquee for October 18 and 19. The band was practicing for the following week (the 25th). We work with the owner, and he ends up putting us on after a Male review called “California Hunks” (from Columbus Ohio). The band waits in the back as men are not allowed in the bar as a group of 70 or so women fondle and paw at the loincloth-wearing pieces of meat. Dave starts off the night on stage with his Ted Nugent imitation, “Mercy mercy, I’ve died and gone to heaven, I’m playin’ to a bar full of horny woman.” This evokes a “Dave!?” from Kevin. The women were sloshed. We were even joined on stage by a drunken wench that the band affectionately referred to as Bambi. She had brown hair and weighed about 45 pounds. As she jumped up on stage and began to wiggle and jiggle, John gave her a “bump” and shot-putted her halfway across the stage. Dave joined John in using Bambi as a human ping pong ball. During Bubba Hyde, Dave was doing the famous James Brown arrangement. He went out and “bumped” with Bambi. As they boogied back to back, Dave realizes that if he moves too quick Bambi is gonna end up on the floor. When he finally maneuvers to get away, Dave feels an arm come over his shoulder as Bambi tires to keep him on the dance floor. Dave does a spin move and catapults himself back to the safe haven of the stage (Glad to get back with his life intact). Later during a break, Bambi helped herself to a microphone. At this point, Dave went up on stage and said enough is enough. Later Bambi would try to get a whole sentence out to explain that she want’s us to sing “Bappy Hirthday.” Later John witnesses as Bambi’s female traveling partner bites her tit on the dance floor. The owner explains that things were getting a little overheated in the parking lot. The band has a blast, but without a sound check, they don’t sound as sharp as usual out front. Chucky works out the bugs, but the stage volume is too loud and again, the monitors are almost useless. Dave has an extremely hard time hearing his backup vocals. When he does hear them, they’re pretty rough. The band performs 3 new songs. These were My Maria, Daddy’s Money, and On a Good Night (show opener). Saturday has the band moving the board to a new spot. In the process, the band’s sound clears up and it sounds awesome! The band turns down their stage volume, and the monitors are heard loud and clear. Unfortunately, it’s sweetest day, and the crowd is beyond shy. The band is treated to the pleasure of asking someone to turn off the jukebox. Dave tries to get a giggle by insinuating that Madonna has a venereal disease and that’s why she had a cesarean delivery of her child (he refrains from making a joke about finding missing super bowl rings). Unfortunately Ernie the DJ is short on CD’s and asks the band to play a little longer sets. Hmm... the band enters the lovely land of improvisation on stage. They pull off a version of Boot-Scootin' Boogie that must have lasted almost 10 minutes. Kevin was like a quarterback calling plays at the line of scrimmage. As he announces “Extended version” in the middle of Watermelon Crawl. The band pulls a few songs off the “Left-over” list, and realize why most of them are on the list in the first place (they suck). Dave accidentally cuts Ain’t nothin Wrong with the Radio in half as he puts the solo in the wrong place. However, in hindsight, this was probably a blessing. The band can’t believe the dead quiet after each song. The band would hammer out the final chords of a song, end it with a thunderous crunch and then you would hear the chirping of crickets in the back corner of the bar. Dave receives a job offer to join a band that is playing out 2 times a month. I think they were called Southern Exposure or something. Anyway, he takes the guy’s number just to be...

Duration:00:11:23

S3E1 - Week Old Roadkill

6/4/2018
August 7: We’re Going Back to Cappy’s With Kevin in Pennsylvania, John makes the trip to Cappy’s. There is plenty of good news. In talking with John, Chuck (the bar owner) says “People are talking” about our appearance. Consequently, Chuck has asked us to return September 6 and 7 with a raise in pay of $300 ($700 total for the weekend). Cappy’s also wants to hold a dance for teens on a Sunday night sometime THIS MONTH (OH YEAH). This is for an undisclosed amount. Things are definitely looking up. August 10: Dave Gets Boofed Dave and Kevin decide to go to Cappy’s this weekend to see “Phoenix.’ Dave hits the “Red Pepper” in Barberton only to find that it’s closed. He then goes to the Shenandoah and drops off a tape. Pretty much the same tune as before at the Shenandoah (they want us to audition again). The Shenandoah is such a dive. There are never more than 20 people in there at a time. Dave then goes to the Tangled Spur only to find that the house band has pulled it together (thus no room for Six Shooter). At Cappy’s Dave sees Phoenix drummer Jack Beam whom he knows from past experience (he originally talked to Jack about purchasing drums back when Six Shooter first formed). The band opens up with Stevie Ray Vaughn’s “House is a Rockin” and performs other country classics as the Georgia Satellite’s “Keep Your Hands to Yourself.” The band has a front man that sings and plays the harmonica. This means every song has a harmonica part. The band is running the sound via a snake from the front. While their song list may not be as good as Six Shooter’s, their sound is solid. Their in-between song banter is moot. They barely come up with anything to discuss except the bachelorette party going on in the back. They sounded good, but Dave is a little confused on their choice of country songs. Dave is a little pissed at the fact that Kevin and Maria are a no-show. Dave is curious as they decided not to meet at their house (minutes away), if this was preplanned. Dave’s feelings are hurt but will survive. The lack of communication via voice mail or answering machine was the exact thing the band was concerned with Lee last weekend. John was a “possibly maybe” due to relatives in from out of town. After watching the first song of the second set, Dave leaves. On his way to the parking lot, Dave hears the band launch into Sly and the Family Stone's “Dance to the Music” in the middle of Watermelon Crawl. This song did start off with a drum solo that was impressive. Upon returning to the Shenandoah, Dave listens to the “Country Jammers” do (you guessed it) “Keep your Hands To Yourself” by the Georgia Satellites. They also did some Merle Haggart song. It’s been a bad night, and Dave heads for home. Later when talking to Kevin, Kevin explains that they just didn’t make it. As Kevin puts it, “you got boofed.” August 17: Kevin Goes a Pimpin’ Kevin hits the Carriage House and the Elms club and admits that neither sound promising. Meanwhile ,Dave has tried to get the Shenandoah to relinquish their “Must Audition” policy, but they say we still have to audition. I think John summed it up best when he sarcastically said, “We’re not playing the Shenandoah- Boo-Hoo, Waaa.” September 5: Repair Work Well t,he band is rusty due to a cancellation of practice. It’s been a fun time. John and Kevin have been tearing apart the power amps. Two transistors are replaced. After much testing ,it appears that the amplifiers have simply lost their balls. There is no real punch. Then suddenly they came to life (it appears one of the outputs is funky). Unfortunately ,John and Kevin are up late most of the week. The sound check on Thursday night ended around midnight. Oh yes, work will be fun tomorrow. September 6-7 Back at...

Duration:00:10:05

S2E10 - Sabotage in Lousville

5/10/2018
August 3: Sabotage in Louisville The band arrives in the afternoon and replaces the blown speaker in a manner of minutes. They decide to adjust the monitors so Dave and Kevin can hear what they’re singing on stage. Unfortunately, John’s snake is not fully functional and the band won’t be able to move the soundboard. Strangely enough, had they needed to, all the plugs out front are now taken up by Mike the DJ. It doesn’t matter, by the end of the last set last night, the sound was pretty much right on. Now with the monitors up, everything should be great. John and Dave arrive early to play pool only to find the table out of service. A quick run to the air-conditioned Burger King takes place. Chuckie jokes that the cost of Burger King will come out of “Kris’ beer money” (Dave realizes that his performance last night may be the new running gag) An earlier call to Lee’s house finds that he has been working on things and is laying down (this ends the mystery). Hopefully, the Burger King trip will not be too big a mystery for Kevin when he arrives. Mike the DJ plays from 9:30 -10:00. As the band gets ready to perform Kevin switches on the power amps only to have a loud FFFFRRRRRRRRRMMMMMM!!!! Come blaring out of the speakers. John and Kevin look at each other in horror. The question on everyone’s lips seems to be, “What the fuck?” The song on the dance floor ends. Mike announces that Six Shooter will be on in about 5-10 minutes MAYBE. Upon reviewing a reference sheet on the knob settings of the board, it is determined that someone has messed with the knob settings. The band will be going on late as they scramble to figure out what is wrong. Mike the DJ comes up to see what is going on that caused the loud feedback. When we explain that someone has messed with our board, he announces that he was the only one in there today and he didn’t see anyone on the stage. Dave thinks if anyone would have a motive here, it would be Mike. The band puts a band-aid on the system and lets it rip. Unfortunately, the vocals are extremely low out front. Dave pulls a quick “Country Chicken Pickin’” guitar riff out of his ass to fill in the time as yet more tweaking is done to the system. He dubs this the “adjust the sound system song.” John and Chuck tweak and retweak the system trying to find out what got adjusted. John mouths “I don’t know what’s wrong” during a song to Dave. This is too bad as much of the band is really really tired from the previous night, and with a calmer demeanor, is playing much more solid. Except for switching set one and two, the band performs the songs the same. Chuckie is dealing with Chuck the bar owner who is complaining about the sound. This is not looking good. The set ends, and John gets to work at troubleshooting the system. The bar owner later says there were some past employees who were not thrilled about bands coming in to play, in the bar today. John discovers that the cross-over was turned off. This means that both types of sound (bass and treble) went to every type of speaker (usually bass notes go to the bass bins, vocals go through the smaller speakers etc.). This is a possibly damaging situation. We are relieved that we found the problem. Hopefully, nothing is damaged. Meanwhile, it takes everything Maria has not to kick Mike the DJ’s ass. While we have a motive, we have no proof. The band launches into set two. Once again, set two seems to be the one where everyone hits their stride. Musically we’re back on track. John attempts to provide some monitors (which again are almost nonexistent). Mistakes again are covered up. Song beginnings seem to be our weakness. Dave notices that while walking by our stack of speakers Mike pays special attention to the high-end speakers (tweeters). Hmmmmm...John decides to announce that August 21 will be the beginning of the BATTLE OF THE BANDS competition, and thanks Cappy’s for bringing LIVE...

Duration:00:09:58

S2E9 - Weekend at Cappy's

5/9/2018
August 2nd: Cappy’s Pub Night 1 August 2nd has finally arrived. To add to the excitement of the day, John rips off half his fingernail on his right-hand pointer finger when the handle of his tool case breaks. John says it should be O.K. because there is so much pain his finger is numb. Dave has a sore shoulder from setting up the night before. Kevin’s back is improving daily but will be wearing the brace on stage tonight. With this in mind, we think of changing our name to Sicks Shooter. The band is excited. Dave has a big banner made in the Graphic Enterprises copy center and later adds foil to the letters. It looks pretty cool. The band tacks this to the stage. Kevin is approached by “Mike the DJ” who asks when the band is starting tonight. He inquires to see if we’re going on 10:00 normal time or “bar time” (which is about 20 minutes fast). Mike DJ’s from 9:30 until 10:00. It’s time. The band takes the stage. Dave wonders into his corner and says a quick prayer. A calm mind will help focus on the task at hand (Kicking Ass). Kevin looks at the band and announces, “here we go” and the band launches into Honkey Tonk Attitude. Much like the December 22 VFW appearance, the first set is used to get the sound set. Chuck is doing his best to feed John with information, and actually helping tune the knobs. While Chuck is not a musician, he listens to music most of the day. By the end of the first set, except for Dave’s guitar being too soft, the sound is set. A large Graphic crowd has shown up including: Jeff Aul, Trisha Berger, Bob and Lori Corrigan, Karen Sarvis, April Long, Kim Allen, Jeff Johns, Kristy Yeager, and Jim Lowder. While this is great, it did add a certain amount of pressure to make a good first impression. With this in mind, Dave is glad his guitar wasn’t quite loud enough as he pulled off one of the worst performances to date. What guitar work he could remember his fingers wouldn’t play, and he seemed to being drawing a few too many blanks on stage. This is especially noticeable on Burn that Bridge. Luckily, the band seems to be developing a skill at covering up each other’s mistakes Set one consisted of: SET ONE 1. HONKY TONK ATTITUDE 2. BIG OL’ TRUCK 3. DUMMAS WALKER 4. THINKIN PROBLEM 5. LIFESTYLES OF THE NOT SO RICH AND FAMOUS 6. TWO OF A KIND 7. AINT NOTHIN’ WRONG WITH THE RADIO 8. BURN THAT BRIDGE 9. PICK UP MAN 10. TRASHY WOMEN 11. WHISKEY AINT WORKIN’ 12. TEXAS TORNADO 13. MERCURY BLUES 14. STICKS AND STONES 15. BORN TO BOOGIE 16. MARRIED TO A WAITRESS . Set one showed the rustiness of Six Shooter. The in-between song banter was rough around the edges. Dave (feeling silly) announces to the crowd “Everybody have fun tonight- Everybody WANG CHUNG TONIGHT.” While it got the laugh he was looking for, it also left many persons asking, “Whaaa???”. Set two found a band whose nerves had settled, a guitar player pissed at his performance and determined to redeem himself (he had to play good now, we had turned up his guitar). The boys saddled up and launched into 3rd Rock from the Sun. The rest of the set included: 1. 3RD ROCK FROM THE SUN 2. WATERMELON CRAWL 3. I LIKE IT I LOVE IT 4. BEER N BONES 5. GOD BLESS TEXAS 6. AINT MUCH FUN SINCE I QUIT DRINKIN 7. HERE’S A QUARTER 8. SO HELP ME GIRL 9. WHAT MIGHT’VE BEEN 10. WALK SOFTLY 11. BUBBA HYDE 12. ROCK MY WORLD 13. SHE’S GOT THE RHYTHM 14. THE RACE IS ON 15. GRUNDY COUNTY AUCTION Again, the band’s beginning are a little shaky. However, Kevin has loosened up, and now is getting the crowd completely involved, as he elicits “YEE-HAWS” from the crowd. Except for a near fatal beginning of Bubba Hyde that was just pure ugly, the band is hitting their stride, and firing on all cylinders. The monitor mix is missing, but

Duration:00:11:38

S2E8 - Christmas in July

5/8/2018
July 13: Dave is Beyond Excited Dave sets up a system to listen to 3 radio stations at the same time. He is trying to catch songs that the band can add to their setlist(which is aging). Dave gets hosed as he calls in a request to a radio station. His voice gets played over the airwaves (but not his request). He ventures to Lentine’s music to buy a microphone stand so John can sing backups. Last week the band had Lee attempt to sing. With some work, the band could pull off some harmonies. He finds some really great music that is getting a lot of air-play and sends it via voice-mail to the John and Kevin. He ends the night by buying two CD with tunes that the band wants to do. He practices his guitar and breaks in the new (used) volume pedal. July 17: Kevin Closes the Deal It seems like Christmas Eve at work. John, Kevin and Dave are wondering if Santa will put a paying gig in their stocking. Kevin makes numerous trips trying to catch Chuck. He finally does, and the band celebrates Christmas in July as Santa delivers a weekend gig at Cappy’s. Yes, Six Shooter will retake the stage at Cappy’s Pub in Louisville Friday, August 2 and Saturday, August 3. Dave is gone from excited to spastic. The band realizes they all need to move the “Six Shooter Project” up the priority scales in their lives. This date is much sooner than expected and the band has been caught with their pants drooping. The only way to catch up is to practice whenever possible. If we stick to Tuesday only practices, it means only practicing two times before playing out. We also need to produce some tapes of tunes to play between sets, and some lights. It’s a tall order to fill, and we need to keep productive. July 20: July Practice The band scrambles to put together a Saturday practice. John, Kevin, and Dave work together while waiting for Lee. They go over and over some rough spots. With Lee on his drummer throne around 5:30, the band launches into sets three, and two. They make sure to correct any spots that need correcting. It’s one of the most productive practices we’ve had. The practicing that has been happening behind the scenes is starting to pay off. The band launches into set one. A few changes are made to the lineup. Along the way a few songs get dusted off, and I feel we’re pretty focused on plowing through the songs. We will always dick off too much during practice. However, this was about as productive as Six Shooter gets. We make some good progress and lay the groundwork for Tuesday. Practice is ended so a slightly miffed Maria can go to a food festival. John and Dave go to KFC for dinner only to find that IT NO LONGER EXISTS!! The two venture over to John’s and duplicate tapes. July 25: Let there Be Light After finding out that Cappy’s Pub has zero in terms of lighting, John and Dave decide they better act now to ensure that some type of lighting is present for the gig next week. They go to Stambaugh’s and Big Lots and purchase colored floodlights and sockets. They then return to John’s house to wire the lights together. The band gets a boost when Dave gets the light-board his old band “Assault” use to use over 15 years ago. Fourteen out of 16 switches work on the board. The band currently has 4 lights now. This may not be enough. Tuesday is the last practice before the gig. Pressure is mounting. Kevin has put a radio in his new (used ) car, and is practicing like a mad man. Dave has made some tapes to play in between sets. Meanwhile, everyone can hear the clock ticking away. July 28: Kevin Throws Out His Back After a night of dancing at Maria’s brother’s wedding, Kevin’s back is a mess. After going to a chiropractor, Kevin finds out he has an enlarged disk in his back. The bottom line is he can’t get out of

Duration:00:08:39

S2E7 - Pimping the Band Part 2

5/7/2018
July 12: PIMPING THE BAND After waiting for John to show up, the band runs off a few copies of the new demo tape, pack into Kevin’s Volkswagen Rabbit and head off to promote the band. They stop at the Red Dog Saloon. We drop off a tape and a bio sheet. The owner says that business is bad. She will need a week to listen to the tape. She’s looking for a band that can pack the place. It was a quick call, and the boys are off to another sight. We decided to stop into a bar called the “Tangled Spur” that Dave heard about from Karen the GEI receptionist. We talk to Mary who is the bartender/owner’s wife. For an older woman, she’s not bad looking. We get a few beers and settle in as Kevin ventures up to sing a Kareeokee tune. He was impressive. We find that the bar has a house band that is currently Bass playerless. This is a darn shame. We offer to fill in while they find a new bass player (cause we’re nice guys). Mary can’t make that decision. We decide to wait for Glen. Unfortunately, the band is subjected to “Mike J the DJ.” Who can’t sing, or run sound. Yes, it’s safe to say that he sucked. A guy named Vince ventures up to sing a song. He’s not bad but hits a few clinkers. Kevin ventures up and sings “Doomis Walker,” After some ribbing from John, Dave ventures up on stage and joins Kevin. Glenn still had not arrived, so Kevin an Lee decide to go to “Toots Pub” and drop off a tape. Meanwhile, Dave and John are tortured with another song by Mike the DJ and another fine tune from Vince. During one of Mike the DJ’s screw-ups (his microphone exploded), John and Dave figure out that one of the members of the house band “Canyon Breeze” is in the bar. Kevin and Lee return and report they did get their foot in the door, as well as possibly find a source for more bars to investigate. The band explains how they could pack the bar with people from work to Mary. Kevin sings another tune, now Mike the DJ has the sound so messed up that Kevin can’t hear himself and hits a few sour notes. John can't believe the level of “SUCK” that Mike possesses. When Glen finally arrives 90 minutes later, the band pitches the idea of taking over “temporarily” for the house band. Glenn is definitely frustrated with his current house band “Canyon Breeze.” Kevin ventures up to sing the Hank Williams Jr. tune “A Country Boy Can Survive.” Mike the DJ has the sound so muddy you can barely understand what Kevin is saying, however he is back on tune. Glen’s head turns towards Kevin as Kevin starts the song and starts to show off his voice. John and Dave smile. As the song continues, Kevin shines brighter and brighter (in spite of Mike the DJ). At the climax of the song Kevin (in true Travis Tritt form) absolutely NAILS THE ENDING! The people in the bar start applauding before he is even finished!. Dave and John are sporting wood, and so is Glenn. The band leaves the bar, and have provided Glenn with something to think about. The band ponders the thought of being the house band for the local bar. This would be very convenient. The bar is small, but nice. The foursome continues on to “Little Rock.” This is a bar that is right down the street from Kevin’s house. The name of the bar is actually “Cappy’s.” This bar is huge compared to the previous bar. It’s very nice. Dave is sporting a woody. The foursome descend upon Chuck the new owner. Chuck has just bought out his brothers, and is putting a lot of money into the bar. He is holding a “Battle of the bands” in September. He is a little frustrated with his DJ. He has an opening the first Week of August. He says he will listen to our tape. Kevin will return to try and close the deal Wednesday. We also get our foot in the door for becoming the “House Band” as Chuck will be looking for one after the battle of the bands is over. Chuck is very impressed that we could be our own DJ during the time when the band would take a break between sets. The “Battle of the Bands” contest will be

Duration:00:06:12

S2E6 - The Demo Tape

5/6/2018
Feb 16: The Guy We’ve Been Looking For Our first drummer to contact us from the add is 45 years old, has experience, a drum set, and according to his own testimony is, “the guy we’ve been looking for.” He sounds very impressive. John is optimistic from the phone call. Kevin calls and informs Dave that there is hope. Feb 20: Enter Lee Well, Lee shows up with his wife. We’re all excited about playing, however, Kevin is really tired as he only got two hours sleep. Dave is feeling kind of dull. Lee shows up and really steps in. He’s been playing country for years. His last few bands always seem to disintegrate after 9-12 months. He’s really looking for some dedicated people for the long haul. He’s got really quick wrists and can really tap on the snare (this is more of a country style drumming than mammoth rolls on the toms). The songs he knew (and he knew quite a few) he played very well. His only possible downer is that he works midnight hours. When asked if there was a conflict he simply stated: “fuck work.” If it was up to Lee he’d play music for a living. John says he’s the easiest to play along with out of all we’ve been playing with lately. The band hands him a tape and asks him to learn the first five songs. Due to the past month’s letdowns, Dave feels bad that he’s not more optimistic about Lee’s performance. Dave is waiting “for the other shoe to drop.” It’s a strange kind of prejudice, and Dave agrees he needs to get ready for (what appears to be) a bright future. Dave can’t help thinking, “Bob gave us a good first impression too.” Feb. 28: Lee Delivers the Goods Well, another “moment of truth.” Lee came in and disappointed no one. He actually said he would practice, and -gasp- HE DID. He nailed Third rock from the sun. Every break and stop of that song was “right on the nuts.” He nailed every song he was supposed to learn, as well as many songs he was not slated to know. Consequently, the band now has to get their act together as we are close to knowing 30 songs already (with a little polishing), Many of the songs were ready to be heard. The band is on equal terms now. Lee being new, and the rest of us “fuzzy” on many of the tunes after not playing them for so long. It’s time to step it up. This is cool. March 5: Lee’s 2nd Practice Lees goes with some new songs with the band. He’s not as prepared as last week (he actually did 3rd rock better the first week). However, he is still learning quickly. The band decides to wait until next week to give him the official “go” sign. May 1: Dave Gets Promoted At work, Dave is promoted to “Corporate Coordinator of Training.” He will be developing “Graphic University.” Dave is a little worried as this may require “Some travel.” This would suck if it takes him away from gigs. Dave would have to quit. At this point, it’s a wait and see situation. May 21: The Final Set is Put Together Over the past couple of weeks, the band has designed and been practicing three sets of songs. This week marks the practice of the last set (set 3). At this point, the band knows what songs still need polishing, but are one small step away from being ready to play out. They decide to record the demo tape that Dave did the preliminary work on January 20 this Saturday at 9:00 am. May 25: Six Shooter Turns the Basement into a Studio While tearing down his equipment at his apartment Dave accidentally damages the head phone jack of his 8-track cassette recorder. Upon arriving at Kevin’s at 9:00 am, Dave puts John to work to repairing it. The repair is done around 10 and the band gets to work. The original intent is to record the basic rhythm parts. Kevin is going through some tough times with his voice. The band uses a...

Duration:00:19:18

S2E5 - Who Didn't See That Coming

5/5/2018
Jan 17: John’s Opinion Regarding Beth and Dan John remains level-headed, while Dave and Kevin are ready to jump in head first. John did have a good time. However, John also points out the true test will be next Tuesday when the duo has had a chance to learn some of the material. The band agrees. Jan 20 Dave Does Preliminary Work On The Demo Tape. Dave uses the “magic drummer” to match the tempo of, Pickup Man, Anymore, and Fast as You. These “click tracks” will later have each person's part added to them. Eventually, the drum part will be erased by whoever is playing drums. Jan 25: Beth has an Anxiety attack Convinced that she has to know every one of the first five songs note for note, Beth is close to having a heart attack. She announces at the beginning of the practice that she didn’t have much time practice, and not to expect too much. After playing one song she announces that “She’s not ready for this, and she thinks she’s over her head.” Somewhere in there she almost quit. Somewhere in there, she ended up in limbo. Dan did not have the tape during the week, so he did not improve much. John was sure to point out any variance in the meter. The practice was taped. It sounds horrible due to the tape deck it is recorded on. Listening to the tape there were some meter problems, but we should wait till Dan has a chance to actually learn the tunes. Dave premiere’s a new effects set up. It’s all his effects in one box. Dave spends much of the practice trying to tweak his tone. He needs to sell his old effects to justify buying this new set up. The band will continue on trying to learn a few tunes a week. This practice was missing a tape to reference to (which will be remedied next week). We need to make the practices very productive. I’m not sure anyone is sure exactly what Beth’s status is, there is quite an amount of things that are “up in the air.” Jan 30: Dan Improves while Beth????? The group meets again. They go through the usual set. Dan’s meter has improved drastically. It’s obvious he has had a chance to listen to the songs. He even picks up the intro. to Mercury Blues very quickly. As obvious as it is that Dan is into it, Beth seems bored. This is not such a negative thing, it is just that she has a LOT of things going on with the wedding coming up. She again announces that she is not “committed” to the project. She also states that if we want to bring in another keyboardist she would not be offended. The band leaves it at that. The plan is to see if her decision changes Dan’s position, and hopefully get his full commitment next week. It was a very positive practice even though we did do a lot of “screwing around” with tunes. The practice was actually over by 9:00. February 5th: And then There Were Three-Again Beth calls Kevin and lets him know she needs to talk to him, “Before the next practice.” This added with last weeks comment of, “We need to talk a few things over,” leads Dave to think that they were both leaving the group. Later that day when Dave sat down to talk to Beth, she informed him that he was right. Between getting married, working long hours, and an hour drive home after practice leads to Beth and Dan deciding to bow out of the project. Beth apologized, and then she apologized again. When she was finished with that, she apologized. Dave explained that there were no hard feelings-honesty is always appreciated. She did say that Dan was disappointed since her bluegrass music was not as challenging as our style of country. At any rate, there was no use crying over spilled milk, and it was time to come up with a plan. February 6th: Coming up with a Plan The band puts down there instruments for a practice and focuses on how we are going to select our next drummer. After hours of...

Duration:00:07:44

S2E4 - Next Time Lock the Door

5/4/2018
Jan 15: Kevin Lowers the Boom Dave’s pager goes off at 1:40 p.m. He gets into voice mail to hear that Kevin has finally been able to reach Jesse and let him go (He was at the hospital for a false alarm baby delivery the night before). Kevin tells Jesse that the band has come to an agreement together and that they feel he is moving in a different direction than the rest of the band. He does not share the vision, and that the band is looking for a new drummer. Jesse’s first reply is, “Good.” When Kevin explains how he didn’t expect that response, Jesse asks why he is let go. Kevin explains how it’s not due to a lack of talent, but just a difference of opinion in how the band should sound. Jesse responds with, “Whatever, do what you want.” Kevin tries to keep the bridge from burning and to stop from causing hard feelings. At this point, Jesse simply wants off the phone and cuts the conversation short. The conversation and Jesse’s 18-week career ends. We are without a drummer-again. I think its safe to say that the band has mixed emotions. The uncertainty of not having a drummer (Michael Gorfido is growing colder as a lead), the loss of our friend Jesse, and the task of rebuilding can appear large. The other side of the coin is that Beth is coming over with her fiancé tomorrow to practice. This could be interesting as the now-trio has not played together for quite some time now. We could appear very awful. Jan 16-Beth and Dan Audition with a Surprise Guest Beth and her fiancé Dan show up to audition. Kevin is slightly late due to being in the field with a technician. Dave gets to talk with the duo. Beth admits she is very nervous. Dave is also nervous (after all they’re auditioning us as much as we are them). The night is filled with tunes from every type of music. Kiss, Linda Ronstadt, The Knack, Eric Clapton, Ozzy, Bluegrass, Lynard Skynard, Funk, and Iron Butterfly. The last one had Dan launch into an impromptu drum solo. It was impressive, and his meter was tight. His meter varied a little during the night, but not enough to really alarm anyone (after all he’s never attempted the songs on a set). It takes John and a voltmeter to get Beth’s keyboard operational. While Beth’s confidence in her playing was a little low, by the end of the night she seemed to lighten up enough, and start playing some nice filler piano parts. She was able to harmonize very nicely. The band even pulled off some nice three-part harmony on Linda Ronstadt’s “When will I be loved.” The music portion of the evening seemed to do exactly what it was supposed to do: provide a chance to show off enough to impress everyone. Dan asks the question, “Hey are we gonna do this again?” Everyone agrees it was a lot of fun. During the practice, we had a surprise visit from none other than JESSE GIBBENS. Beth (not knowing this was the ex-drummer) gives him a friendly wave. John quits playing and escorts Jesse upstairs. Kevin follows shortly thereafter. John re-explains how Jesse doesn’t share the vision of the band. Dave eventually joins the trio upstairs. By this time John is somehow throwing in a new excuse that Jesse has “too much going on.” Jesse is almost in tears. It's a very bad situation. A situation that was hard, has become unbearable. Dave wants to cut the bull and explain that time and time again he played songs the way we had stated we did not want them played. On the other hand, he wants this whole situation to be over. He’s having a hard time seeing Jesse hurt. He decides to say nothing (and regrets this later). Jesse wants his sticks back. Jesse explains how he has his schedule in place, he admits HE DOESN’T LIKE COUNTRY MUSIC but is having fun playing it. His last words were, “Whatever, have a nice practice.” I think he was pretty blown away to show up (probably expecting us to be playing along with the magic drummer) and find a drummer and keyboard player....

Duration:00:07:27

S2E3 - HO HO NO!

5/3/2018
December 30, 1995 -HO HO NO! (YOKO’S COMING!) The band battles sickness (John has Walking Pneumonia). After sitting on their frustrations for a week, John and Kevin announce to Dave their frustration with Jesse. His speeding up of songs, his lack of initiative to learn the songs as they are on the record, his purposeful neglect of the recorded version, and his negative attitude are really pissing John and Kevin off. A new problem is looming on the horizon. Yoko received a keyboard for Christmas. SHE IS ALREADY LEARNING OUR MATERIAL. Hello?!?!?! I don’t remember an audition? I don’t remember anyone asking for an audition? For Yoko to be in the band she would have to meet the same criteria. She would have to have musical talent, the same taste in music, the same vision as the bands, and a GOOD ATTITUDE. With this in mind, it is feasible to say it is impossible for Yoko to be in the band. This is without asking the obvious question: “Who watches the kidS in about two months. What a nightmare. The band has taken two weeks off for the holidays. Dave was originally not for firing Jesse, but this new development poses a new threat. Getting a new drummer would also open the door for possibly hiring a keyboardist which Dave still feels we need. After reaching new heights with the first gig, the band is set to derail in 1996. January 3rd, 1996 Talking to Michael With the band not certain about Jesse’s future, Dave talks to Michael Gorfido about the possibility of joining the band in the event that an opening should appear. Michael seems pretty interested. The fact that the band owns a drum set seems very attractive. Dave gives the general sales pitch (Sounding like the record, having fun, while being serious, etc.). Oddly enough it seems the gossip lines have been lighting up about the band. Michael already knew the band owns a drum set. Another coincidence is that Beth Daugherty (Keyboardist/Singer/Steel Player) stops into to talk to Kevin to see how things are going with the band. Dave and Kevin talk on the phone and decide the gossip line at GEI is fiber optic. January 6th Scouting Patrol John, Kevin, and Dave go out to see some of the local talent. They go into the now famous “Kicking Country.” There were no bands, but the owner “Shorty” has heard of the band “Six Shooter,” He would like a tape. Dave attempts to shit one on the spot but fails. The band ventures into the “Red Dog Saloon” and sees the band “Naked Spur.” They are a six-piece band that is very good. The band's set leaves Dave wanting a keyboardist so bad his nuts hurt. Someday we will sound this good. If you were to take away the 2 members they have, it would be a much more even battle. The band stumbles into the “Silver Dollar.” A bar where the bar owner has the house band. This is done in an effort to hear a band that sucks. It’s true; we could blow these guys away. Their guitarist is very good, and Dave realizes he needs to work some more on picking up some pure country licks. The band goes to breakfast and realizes that they really need to make some type of demo tape. They ponder the thought of using “Conjunction Junction (what’s your function?)” as a sound check. By using Dave’s 8-track deck, the band could substitute a different drummer if needed by rerecording the drum tracks only. Upon leaving the restaurant, the band finds themselves in a blizzard. Poor Dave doesn’t get home until 5:00 a.m. Jan 9th Time to Move on Jesse again misses practice. Consequently, the band takes some time to ponder the decision of booting him out of the band. The decision is made to pursue another drummer and severe our ties to Jesse. The band will also pursue Beth the keyboard player (that was put on hold partially by Yoko). It is a hard decision, but in the long run, it will be for the best. On a...

Duration:00:05:51

S2E2 - Our First PAYING Gig

5/2/2018
December 12 Jesse Gets A New Job At the end of a not so productive (boo-koo rock-n-roll tunes to due to some spectators) practice, Jesse announces that he has a new job at Western Auto. This is good as his second child should be born in a few months. He will be making more money. Unfortunately, he will also be working nights. He addressed this very lightly, but the band seemed to become very anxious about this latest turn of events. How can you play out at night, and work at the auto store? The other thing bothering some of the band was Jesse’s attitude about the songs. It appears that he hates playing anything that is slower than a heart attack. Dave and Kevin elect John to find out the scoop and make sure Jesse is in for the long haul. Some announcements were made: Kevin announces that he has decided to take a break from his current girlfriend (Kim), and Jesse announces the Kickin’ Country is booking for July. We need to work on a demo tape as soon as this gig is behind us. December 15 Kevin books a PAYING Gig Kevin gets our first paying job by singing “Anymore” completely by himself in a bar to a bar owner. It’s at the Louisville VFW It’s in a week (Friday 12/22/95). We are not ready, but decide to do it anyway (it’s only the Louisville VFW). We should get paid around 200-250. The band must squeeze in a Saturday practice. We also decide to throw in a few Christmas tunes to fill in the time. After talking with Jesse, John concludes that Jesse is fine. Everything will work out fine. This practice marks the first successful attempt of John singing backup on the song “Good-Bye Says It All.” The band actually produces three-part harmony for the first time (successfully). December 19 - The Blizzard In Ohio parts of the state receive 14 inches of snow. It snows and rains ice all day. This also happens to be the only day all band members could get together to practice before the VFW gig. Bummer. Practice is canceled due to the weather. John, Dave, and Kevin will try to hook up later in the month. Many of the roadways are averaging around 15-20 mph. It’s very bad. By the mid-evening, it is illegal to drive in Medina unless it is an emergency. December 22 -The Louisville V.F.W. Well, John, Kevin, and Dave tried to practice the day before the gig, but it wasn’t very productive. The band is kind of pushed for time to be ready to play by 8:00. Bernie the owner lets us know we can start at 8:30. It’s still snowing, but the roads are clear. The band is greeted by a Christmas decoration on the door that plays (and sings) “We wish you a Merry Christmas”. It’s cute. Also on the door is a sign that reads: December 22 8-12 Six Shooters Our first gig, and already the band’s name has been hacked. The band sets a record-setting up their stuff. The bar is small, but not to the point of being uncomfortable. Many trips are made to unload two pick-up trucks and a car full of equipment. The patrons get nervous as the group drags in two eight foot tall stacks of P.A. speakers. Each time hearing the door decoration sing “We wish you a Merry Christmas.” It’s getting a little annoying. The group is warned to keep the volume low. After setting things up, the band opens the set without an official sound check. Dave starts the set with “The star spangled banner” that leads into God Bless Texas. Due to the size and layout of the bar, it takes the majority of the first set to get the sound right. The set included Dave going into the audience to play an extended solo. This seemed to thrill the crowd as they probably had not seen a wireless system before. The set ended with some not very planned improvisation of “Born to Boogie” where Dave explained how all of us were born (Kevin began singing, Jesse was pounding in his mother to get out, John’s fingers were going, and Dave was born with

Duration:00:11:37