36 Hours in the Life of a Rock Star Dreamer (Part 1)

Since a couple of you asked how the show went, here is a rundown of the show and the day . Pictures to be posted when I get them.

7:45AM (Tues, Nov. 1st) - I drag myself out of bed after hitting the snooze three times. As I get ready for work, I try not to think of the big show that night. I don't remember who in the band asked me about whether I was nervous about the show. I replied that I wasn't and that I was more worried trying to get to 42nd Street in Mahattan with a car full of gear.

9:00AM - I start work in Astoria. Thank the stars that my boss let me leave at noon and take Wednesday off. I had tried to get as much done as I could over the weekend and the night before, such as get all my amp/effects patches in order of the setlist, but there was still much to do. Also, I try to not to drink too much coffee so I can nap later. The three hours of work flew by! Granted I have enough work stacked on my desk to keep my busy for three weeks.

12:00 Noon (as opposed the 4:30 noon that everyone gets it confused with) - Out the door and on my way to Guitar Center on Northern Blvd. to get strings and a feedback blocker for my acoustic guitar. Guitar Center, the Walmart of musical instrument stores, is usually quiet during the week. . .which I love! I hate going there on a weekend when it is packed and there is an endless cacophony of guitar players mindlessly riffing. Play a fuckin' song all the way through won'tcha!! God, I hate guitar players!

The one thing I love about this Guitar Center is that the Assistant Manager there is so cute. She's this rocker girl and I'm not going to lie, I have had a little crush on her. (Can't blame a guitarist for finding a pretty girl who rocks on guitar and sings that much hotter! Not that anything will ever happen beyond a little flirting. I don't ask out smokers.) She and I chat a little, and out the door I go.

1:15PM - With strings in hand, I arrive home. I am a little worried because I haven't heard when exactly is load-in and soundcheck. You would think that B.B. King's would have told us that weeks ago, but NOOOO! So I set out to restring my main guitar (the one that I am playing in this picture).

I don't have a work bench in my apartment, so I transform my ironing board into a guitar work area. (This is of course after I iron my shirt, and $25 pin stripe (Salvation Army bought) black suit.)

Let me introduce you to the Zen of stringing a guitar. This is one area that is the biggest pain in the ass for guitarists. However, it is a necessary evil. Old, dead, cruddy strings sound like crap. So I really take time with this stringing. I get out the guitar polish and really clean the fret board. I make sure that there's no dust or fingerprints on the guitar when I am done. When I am done, and I plug it in to my amp, the guitar sings.

1:15PM-3:00PM - While restring my guitars, Jasmine, our bass player, calls me asking if I had heard from Jay, our drummer. It appears that no one has heard from him since the day before. He never made it home last night, his ex-girlfriend was supposed to meet up with him to give some stuff and he never showed, and his mother was getting worried. Now I am supposed to pick up Jay, and his drums, in Brooklyn before the show. Great, why can't we ever have a gig without any drama!?!


Jasmine and I both agree that we aren't going to call Nicole, our lead singer, about this. She has been going nuts about this gig and stressing out completely. She doesn't need this on top of it.

During this time frame I get the email that our load-in is at 9:30pm and our sound check is at 1030pm. I was worried that it was going to be early and smack in the middle of rush hour. God, that would have sucked!

4:00PM - Climb into bed for a nap. Try not to dream about nigtmare scenarios where Jay has been kidnapped by a bunch of midget Columbian druglords that will pimp him and sell him into white slavery.

5:15PM - Drag myself out of bed. I'm excited for the gig, but my bed is so comfortable. The only thing that would make it even more comfortable is if there was a warm woman in it with me. Hmm, maybe I should have stayed a little longer at Guitar Center talking to that manager. . .but I digress. Still haven't heard from Jay yet. Getting worried. I do the three "S's" and get dressed.

6:00PM - Finally hear from Jay. Turns out he partied too hard on Halloween and crashed at a friends place and only woke up at 3:30. I set the time to pick him up between 7:45 and 8. He lives in East New York, Brooklyn and I live in Middle Village, Queens so it is a little trip.

6:30PM - As I leave my apartment to pack my car, Nicole calls me to see how I am doing. I tell her "I'm doing great," as I open the hatch to my doorway, "and . . .EWWWW!! I just squished a slug with my hand!! EWWW!! Ok, Nicole, got to go. See you in a few!"

7:30PM - I make it to Jay's house in record time, after stopping at the bank and Wendy's. Jay is attaching lights to his drum set. I wait there while he finishes. The piece de resistance is the new bass drum head that he had painted with our logo.

8:00PM - Jay and I leave after packing my car with my guitar amp, pedalboard, two electric guitars, an acoustic guitar and his entire drum kit. (You'll see it in the pictures in the next post.) I put emphasis on "entire" because we accomplished this feat with my Chevy Metro! I wish I had taken a picture of it. I will for a future gig.

8:30PM - I am stuck in traffic four blocks south from BB Kings (42nd Street and 8th Ave) on 8th Ave.

9:05 PM - I finally pull in front of BB King's. Jay and I are totally stoked to see "NO DOUBT TRIBUTE" in big letters on the Marquis and our poster in the display. Jay and our friend Mike unload my car and bring the equipment into the club. I drive off to find parking. I luck out and find parking on the street two blocks away. This saves me $30 in parking.

9:20 PM - With my coat and jacket in hand, I make it to the club, get my VIP pass and enter the club. . .

More to follow in Part 2. (Click on any of the photos to enlarge them.)