Best gig: backing Joe Walsh at mile square park.... worst gig: playin a hall party and being dragged off stage by police cause i told all underage drinkers to get rid of alcohol the police had arrived,they arrested me for interfering in an investigation...assholes

I've played long time alot of tours here and europe so have lots of wild stories,since i was in hardcore punk scene to start my career...

And you've lived to tell about it!

You still got that bass that's in your profile pic?

I played the Orange County, CA club circuit in the early eighties and there some real stinker gigs. For a long while we played 5 nights a week at a biker bar in La Mirada (near Whittier) at the place called The Valley Imp (named so 'cuz it was on the corner of Valley View Blvd. and The Imperial Highway). One night there was a knife fight in the pool room and one of the victims came staggering up to the stage, bleeding all over. It was like Altamont Jr.

I guess I would have to say playing the Fillmore, headin' up my own group, Call Me Bwana, in 1990 was a real thrill. May have been one of my biggest gigs, but when I think back on favorites it's usually small gigs where the band has a chance to stretch out. Lately we've had a periodic Wednesday jam at a local bar, and the guitar players that are sitting in are simply amazing players - comping or soloing - and the people in the audience are blown away by what's been goin' on down there.

My other favorite is the Sat. AM coffee shop gig. We make stuff up on the spot, noodle around to our heart's content, drink coffee and watch the mommies filing in and out for morning joe. The people love it, and we get a free lunch....:)

Its the mid-70s and I lived in a western college town. A buddy and I had been playing the local saloons and roadhouses. We could play & we could sing. Guitars, mandolin, banjo. We had 3 or 4 sets ready to go; Byrds, David Lindley, Amazing Rhythm Aces, bluegrass standards, Dire Straits, Irish fiddle tunes, Stones & Beatles covers on acoustic instruments, ragtime instrumentals, Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry. We took a gig playing at lunch in a restaurant.

I swear we hit those tunes in the *middle* for 50 minutes. No One Clapped. Not Once. Not even 'you-look-like-nice-guys-that-worked-on-getting-it-right-so-here's-a-bit-of-polite-applause'.

We couldn't believe it.

The take-home was 'Never Play For People Who Are Eating'.

Bruce Hornsby has written a couple of great songs about gigs like that: "The Changes" ( I think it's called) on Harbor LIghts, and "Spiderfingers". I have played so many "background" gigs where the music has gone completely unnoticed that I'm numb to it. Great thing about it: if nobody's listening, you might as well stretch out and experiment a bit - sometimes it's just between you and the foiks in the band, and, after a time, that can be good enough. Specially if you still get a check when you're done :)

I've had a ton of fantastic gigs and some where our guitarist was so drunk we would prop him up on stage.....half bent over....and he'd still play his ass off....but one of the best gigs I've had was when we were flown to St. Thomas for an 8 weeks stay.....they gave us our own house and we sat on the beach all day and gigged at night in an open air club where everyone was just kickin' back having fun. It was a piece of cake. Didn't make much money....but we all had a blast!! We snuck so much booze back in our equipment (drum cases, back of guitar amps etc). It was a HOOT!!!!

The craziest gig I've had just happened last week. I'm in a 10 piece band (4 piece horn section) and we use subs alot because someone is always sick or on vacation. Anyhow....we got double booked and no one wanted to change the date......so we split the band....4 at one place (same town) 4 at the other and four subs at each gig.....the other lead singer (there are two of us) started at one gig and did 2 sets by himself and I started at the other gig and did the first to sets and then he and I jumped in our cars and switched place and did the last two sets!!!!!! It was WILD!!!! Both gigs turned out awesome and were sold out!! It was the craziest thing I've done in a band!!! HAHAHHAA