SYRACUSE – The Next Best Thing

Music has always been within my blood.  The one whom influenced me directly was my brother Blaine.  Blaine started was very intelligent.  In addition, everything he would relate with the Beatles.  Who couldn’t help but appreciate music?  As we shared one bedroom for a couple of years as kids.  Blaine would come home every weekend with at least one or two 45’s in those days and then it progressed to several areas of music – which were off shoots of the Beatles. 

Blaine got his first set of drums at the age of 17 – a grand set of Ludwig’s.  Ironically, our parents didn’t mind for one hour after school learning to play them.  That was my start with the drums and for anyone that has tried to play drums for the first time.  There is that feeling that you can play automatically – yet it doesn’t work that way.  When we first had drums, we placed a record player to the right and placed headphones on and after a week, I really got into it.  Those were days within Syracuse, New York.

When my father retired and decided to bring the entire family back to a city named Yorkton, Saskatchewan.  I had taught myself how to play guitar. My sister was the best musician of the family – she could listen to a piece of music and then literally play from note to note on piano or a twelve-string guitar.  As the youngest within the family, Lorna had a part within the learning curve with sound.  Ironically the first song I learned one the drums was by the Beatles and then the first song I learned by guitar was by Fleetwood Mac.  Lorna was too shy for performing - yet she was gifted.  Blaine had dabbled with other musicians but never took it to where he would have liked.  I think he was more interested in being a rock star than a musician.  I was more of the thinker within the family and by the age of 17, I had formed my own little company called John George Productions. 

I liked the idea of promoting good young bands and arranging school performances within a few towns as well as nearby cities.  It was rather fun associated with some of this talent while making a few bucks on the side.

I myself was asked to do a performance with three other performers within my high school.  Most of my friends always forewarned me not to do it as I would make a mistake or something and that would be the end of it.  I never followed the mainstream.  After this one performance to a audience within the theatre within my high school – I had never experienced how being on stage and how a crowd reacts. I was so thrilled with it – that the following night I went to my brother and convinced him to form a band as well there was Francoise whom worked at the television station.  Between all three of us, we sat down and drafted up songs that we would wish to play.  Blaine as drummer thought everything would come by osmosis – which did lead to some struggles.  Yet, Frank and I were more serious in creating something different.  When we finally got Blaine to be serious about when by request, I began planning our performance within this auditorium.  The hardest thing is having many people giving their opinions of the arrangement.  Frank and I worked for a week just in deciding the songs and an act, which was rehearsed repeatedly until we knew it the back of our hands.  The band came to be a fit.  It literally came down to where the Beatles meet KISS.  Not entirely as we did wish to be something, which was raising the bar in comparison to any unknown musicians at that time.  One of those evenings while we were wrapping it up I had cautiously placed out a name for the band, which was SYRACUSE.  To my surprise there were no questions everyone loved the name.

There after there came several requested performances.  The one mandate that I made was that the band would never play in a bar.  What we were going to do was high school dances and performances in Theaters.  The guys liked the idea but never thought it could be pulled off to the extent that it did.

Yet I did.  I made barter agreement with a local lighting company in return for the business that I had given them with other band, which I promoted on the side.

One of two of the largest performances was within what was called the Anne Portunoff Theater, which held 1,000 seats.  It was located within my high school and here as well after a group of my friends who saw how we took off during out first couple of dances – which really was a stand only performance – they were eager to be associated with the group.  I guess when they saw the effect we had in performing then they were right behind me. 

Before the Provincial Fair, we were asked by my high school to do a live performance for the Hockey Queen Contest ceremony.  It would include all the schools staging plus our own, dry ice makers and the entire lighting system.  I was trying my best to have a stage, which was like KISS’s.  Everything was set up and we practice two weeks in a rented hall and then were afforded three days privy to the A.P. Theater.  We made sure that no one got to see what we were doing and I will admit I was very timid as I was the lead singer and it hit me that if this didn’t go over – I would live with it till I graduated the next year.  That didn’t happen. 

One the day prior to our afternoon performance, Frank and Blaine arrived late as they had work.  I had the morning off from class along with Bruce whom came to be the lead guitarist.  Someone that morning left one backstage door unlocked and before you know it there must have been 50 kids and teachers listening to us and in awe of the size of the stage as well, no one knew I was in this band.  The other three were in heaven as far as they were concerned this was as good as it gets.  Blaine especially loved the adulation.  The lights went out one local radio host as well was a part of the entourage.  Everyone had their positions.  I looked through the curtains it was packed, it was seated 1,000 people - yet the else were jammed with people - you couldn’t fit another person in there.  The other guys saw this as well and I think they felt like they were within a dream.  Then Bruce and I headed up 15 feet of metal stairs.  Blaine took his position at the drums in the center.  As the MC was beginning to introduce us before the curtains opened up between us, all we looked at each other and there was that big yes.  The intro to the show was with five flame pods, lights galore to over 1,000 seated.  When you’re in the midst of the first song there is nothing like that adrenaline rush.  Things then just kick in and there is something to be said of the relationship between an audience and yourself.  We really tied what we saw as the Beatles combined KISS.  After the first song, which was, “Let them Rock & Roll” the entire place went from seated to standing and dancing in their seats.  I was the spokesperson and always had a routine of what I would say, as I loved that tease to the audience.  And it worked.  After we were done, there was teachers asking me how long I had been doing this as well there was a lineup of kids and adults which wanted an autograph believe it or not.

We played as a band for four years.  During my first year of University – the band went to another level.  We went into a studio to do a few songs.  Then Blaine and Bruce would attend four radio interviews.  Here again I was placed on the fair boards advisory committee at 18.  Syracuse was allotted a huge budget to play the arena.  I literally had an open budget for this one.  Three truckloads of lights, amps, and gear came in from Maple Leaf Sound.  As well, the local television company had four-camera operators tape the performance from all angles.  At that point many people were claiming that we would were the next big thing.

Blaine thrived on it – I knew the work that went into it and understood the odds versus and education.  I started the band and I ended the band. Yet there is nothing like before a performance and all that goes into it.  That’s the fun and when you have a sell out and all the people are standing in awe.  Later on, we just went our own ways.  I have done sound checks for the Junos as well I have done studio work but I never wished to chase a dream.  Mind you, I did make one of my own dreams can come true.

 

Yet that was then and this is now.

 

The Digital Edge - Part Two