Back in the day, well – my younger years, my friends and I impatiently waited for the next new amazing band to hit The Midnight Special, Soul Train, or Austin City Limits. You did NOT dare miss it. There were no VCR’s and rerun season was a long way off. If you missed it, you missed it!
I dreamed of singing in a band. I wanted to be Olivia Newton-John, Tennille, Helen Reddy, Karen Carpenter, or, dare I say it – Carole King! My goodness, I wanted to sing! I mean, my dad could sing. He was a professional! He sang in a Barbershop Chorus and with countless quartets. Surely, that meant I had SOME sort of ability?
Nope. Not one iota of harmonic or melodic wonder would ever be emitted from my throat. So, I watched the percussionists. They were cool. I mean Buddy Rich, John Bonham, Ginger Baker, Neal Peart, Ringo Starr – just to name a very few. And then, there is my brother, Steve. He’s a pretty darn good drummer (and videographer). I followed him all around in a banana-yellow Ford Pinto station wagon – late into the night – just to hear him play. But, we got older and responsibility set in. We eventually got jobs and better cars, but there was not much time to sing (except in the car) or play drums. It was back to watching those late-night music shows which now included Kimmel, Fallon, Colbert, and a number of reruns at our fingertips courtesy of YouTube! Amazing little tool – The Midnight Special for our viewing pleasure, at our leisure, with a soundbar instead of the little tv speaker. And at whatever “reasonable time” (8:00pm) we wanted!
Then, during elementary school, my brother gifted my eldest lad a drum set. And the beat went on. He messed around and learned to hit with sticks. The collection of broken drumsticks, cracked cymbals, and shattered drumheads filled the bins. And he got good. The boy got really, really good. And he moved to Athens, GA to graduate as a BullDAWG. He never came back home. He plays the piano, he plays the guitar, he jams with the knowledge of a true musician, he honors the theory and puts it to the test, he channels his inner Buddy Rich, he tours, and he plays his heart out. Where does he play? Nowhere.
Actually, he plays in quite a few places, but the stage with the plate glass window on North Lumpkin Street in Athens, GA is one of his favorite places to play. It is the Nowhere Bar. Lately, Drew has been jamming with some friends who call themselves The While. Although, to see them play with Vera Soul on July 1, 2023, I am going to have to take a nap. Mama got old and the lads play late. It’s when the kids come out to listen to the newest sounds. To say they were there when. To be nowhere when the next best late night sounds float out of an open doorway in Athens, GA and out into the night.
FreelanceBeth 