I’m working except when I’m sleeping. So you get more YouTube videos of people I’ve performed with at one time or another. At least the ones I can recall. People approach me from time to time and start talking about what a blast they had at such and such a venue for so and so’s fete or whosamajiggy’s convention, and I have no idea what they are talking about. I cashed the check and moved on. Glad you had fun, though.

I remember vaguely a night at least twenty years ago where some R&B combo I was in with too many members and not enough musicians played at a place called The Channel in Boston. It was a great big cave of a joint. I have no idea if it’s still there. We started the show, I think, and then we played with the headliner, John Lee Hooker. I had an elderly aquaintance hear about my job and inquire whether they might be related to Mr Hooker, as that was their maiden name. She was a descendant of Joe Hooker, the Civil War general. I said I didn’t think they were related but I’d be sure to give Mr. Hooker her best. I lied about the last part.

I remember the act that played on the undercard. The Joe Perry Project. Aerosmith got tired of money for a little while in the eighties and made little individual messes like this for a short time, until they got tired of no money.  Aerosmith used to play in my high school gym. I’ve sunk pretty low, musically, but at least I never played in the high school gym for the likes of… well, me.

For the life of me, I can’t remember the name of the band I was in, or the names of any of the other musicians in it. The Dialtones? the Superfonics? ‘Nuff Said? Jay Murphy? No clue. I’d play with anybody at that point. I do remember that the Channel had sidefill stage monitors, which are big stacks of PA speakers in the wings of the stage, instead of just those wedge shaped floor speakers you are used to seeing in front of musicians.

I remember them, because the BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM coming out of them at flight deck level makes my ears ring to this very day.