Living in a Band House

The next best thing to living on the road is living in a band house. I have had several opportunities to live in these environments. The first such opportunity was at my friend, Mike’s (aka Mehsikronic’s) house. Mike was extremely generous. I didn’t have a place to stay, and Mike allowed me to stay with him.

The third member of my band, Pete, was there all the time. We had nothing in the refrigerator, but the basement was bursting with music. We would spend hours down there creating, learning and practicing original music in that sacred place. Pete and Mike were excited and inspired by my bottomless well of songs. The writing style was unique. I would sing the words and hum the melodies that accompanied the words in my head, and they would mimic those melodies with their instruments. The whole time I was recording with my 8mm video camera. After each 3–6-hour session we would head upstairs and plug the video camera into the TV.

We would spend just as much time watching and reviewing the music. Those long days went by fast. We were living, eating and breathing music together. We set many songs free in that magic house. When I am recording as fast as I write it is very liberating. As a songwriter, I always worry about songs getting lost. Knowing that we were recording everything allowed me to write without this worry. Being with my two band members for these long sessions was also very special. There was trust, respect, excitement and hope. That hope lives on in a big box of 8mm video tapes, a pile of notebooks and an undying fire in my heart.