It's amazing how far an acoustic guitar, a VW bus and 40 songs can take you.
From the late 1960's at Beaux Arts Coffee house in Florida where Jim Morrison sang to present day digital recording sessions it's been a good trip.
In the 1970's, it was college campus clubs and play anywhere you could. Opening act for a few big name bands and a stint in the Virgin Islands rounded off the decade. It was exciting being one of Fantasma Productions first acts when they were just getting started. They're huge now.
Standing on the stage of a Holiday Inn Lounge in the 1980's playing to a happy hour, chicken wing eating, drunk crowd or a loud restaurant packed with families of screaming children right in front of the stage, I was there. Lots more opening acts and 20+ years of nightclub work with my brother in arms Mark Zumberg [alias Zoom]. As an acoustic duo you can get a lot of work if you're brave enough to take it.
www.SalLive.com
I can't imagine a situation we haven't seen and dealt with from the stage. Club owners with no cash at the end of night wanting to pay you in cocaine to girlfriends shouting obscenities at you from the audience. Or play until 1AM in South Carolina then break down and drive all night to Tampa Florida to play an 8AM morning television show [you know none of your friends are awake to watch] then drive to Sloppy Joe's in Key West for the 5PM happy hour gig only to arrive and find the house band is already occupied by the friends of the drug dealer / biker who lives in the back apartment.
I was there.
Play in a European country where no one speaks English. You'll find yourself changing words to famous songs to break up the monotony. I wrote some great songs doing that. This is why there's a brotherhood of performing musicians.
"He who shares the stage and lives the day will surely be my brother."
It was a highlight to play the Woodstock 25th reunion at the original site in 1994. If you were around in the sixties you'd know what a big deal that is for an old hippie. Of course, there's a bunch of stuff I left out that I can't tell you.
You had to be there.
Now I have a CD out and it's ready for the world to hear!
leo
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