Tales from the Wasteland |
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| From 1980 to the present I played in numerous
bands and covered most of Ontario and the East Coast as we traveled
from gig to gig. These are just a few hi-lites and low-lites in the Wasteland.
Cacophony - Actually a precursor to The Wasteland. Probably the most fun band I ever played with. I was fresh out of high school (Mayfield) and the other 4 members were still in high school. We played 1 set of Beatles punk covers, 1 set of 50s and 60s punk covers and for the third set we had our punk originals. Most of our venues were basement parties and the odd special engagement. The highlight was going to a Bob Segarini concert at Mayfield and the whole auditorium sing "Peanut Butter Blues" which was our signature song. Maskera - My brother James introduced me to "professional rock n roll". I started out as a soundman for this band until the bassist (Tessa Kimmel) left. I was instructed to purchase a bass and 2 weeks later I was touring as a bassist. We had a bit of fun touring Northern Ontario but we weren't good business people and went broke. The highlight of this band was flying down highway 17, yelling at the top of my lungs at the moose on the side of the road.
Jeannie and the Rubys - This was a band that James and I joined after the demise of Maskera. Jeannie was this Chihuahua type of vocalist with a venomous personality. Byron Marshall was the head Ruby and stressed out husband. Needless to say, the highlight of this band was leaving it. The Fabulous 60s - I played bass for this band and James was the sound tech. James and I lived near Finch Ave, and when the band showed up to pick us up for the gig, Rick Hyslop thought it was funny to call us the Finch Brothers. Upon reflection I thought this to be a catchy handle so there's a story in there somewhere. Dublin Corporation - This seven piece show band taught me a lot about professionalism. We would gig for two months at a time all over northern Ontario to polish up this show set (which was always the second set), and stay current on all the dance tunes. Then we would do one nighters all along the 401 about 2 gigs per week for about six weeks. I believe I learned to play my best bass in this band. Solid Gold, Feat. Louis Curtis- This is where the wasteland concept actually started. My buddies Steve Davey and Baden McCloud were also involved with the shaping of this uneventful phenomenon. |
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(an article by Mart De Haan)...or... A story about a story
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