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Did We Just Play for the Mob?
- Thread starter 5andFretless
- Start date
They came to visit their SF brethren? Makes sense I guess.
Had a member of a support club suggest I maybe come check them out and hang around. Thankfully a coworker talked some sense into me, because I thought it'd be an interesting life experience, but given her connections, when she said, "you're in for life" I suddenly realized that perhaps that wasn't the best choice.
The funniest part is that I look nothing like the type, but even more so back then. They probably wanted a bookkeeper or something.
It's so weird seeing the "new" 9:30 club described as historic.
I remember going to see bands at the original one on F street. It sucked almost as much as it rocked.
Was just telling my son two days ago about the time I took the stage at the "new" 9:30 club...I mean, I wasn't playing the place. I crowd surfed on stage, sung a bit of a song, and then managed to stage dive off into the crowd before security grabbed me.
Thinking of secure locations for wedding gigs, some of my family lives in Haifa, Israel, and outside the city there is a huge, heavily fortified chemical plant. Inside the plant compound there is a big fancy wedding hall, and this is the place you're supposed to book if you're related to a government official or celebrity who you expect to show up to the wedding. Israeli weddings are really big by American standards (500-1,000 seats being pretty common), so I've met quite a few people who have been there for weddings, and they say it's a trip.
I've been to many a party hosted by pagans and angels out in north Beach and Chesapeake Beach from mid 90s to early 2000s. Rowdy times. Lots of memories
hell, mine is typically right on top of my amp and if it lights up I can easily see it without missing a beat.
Yeah. The family has a lot of buffuhs (I actually have a bit of the Brooklyn accent left).
Was really hoping someone who would catch that. Thank you.
There's a flashback. I think I first went to the 9:30 club in '85 or '86. Don't even remember who we saw. Might have been Bad Brains, or PHLEGM, or maybe Crass. That was a dive for sure. Then it moved to a bigger place and was never the same. When you can't have someone get a running start to a stage dive and hit the metal pole, you've lost something (like a concussion). Thanks for the memories.
ok, i just gotta reply to this as i think you guys might find this fun. in about 1980 when i was a junior high student i did yard work, landscaping and general handyman (handykid?) work for a retired businessman named roy boldt. roy was in his upper 70’s then. one really warm day after a long afternoon of work roy and his wife invited me to their porch for a cold soda and some cool shade. roy knew i enjoyed music and played in the school band. he then told me that as a young man he was a pretty fair drummer and told me about one of his most interesting gigs.
one fall his band was asked to play a gig, told they would be well paid in cash but they wouldn’t know where they were playing and no one but the band could go. being the depression and all the band agreed to the gig. they showed up at the appointed time to a parking lot in northeast illinois (roy lived in what would now be a suburb of chicago). their instruments (big band stuff) were loaded into big cars and the band members got into several cars. they were blindfolded and rode for what roy estimated was about 30-45 min. when they got to the gig men hauled all their stuff to the stage. the band did not meet any of the guests BUT they were very well treated, they had their own waiter, were served gourmet food, and even could have an alcoholic drink if they wished- this was prohibition remember. they played the gig, and were appreciated by the crowd. men helped load up the stuff, they were taken back to the parking lot (blindfolded) and paid about 4 times the going rate for a gig at that time. they were told they were great but for secrecy reasons were not likely to be asked back.
roy never did find out who he played for or where the gig was. he was pretty sure it was mob, esp because of the alcohol but had no idea who. at the time he was fine with not knowing but he admitted in his later years he really wished he knew who it was as it would have made the story better! i never knew roy to be an exaggerator or “bullshitter”, in fact he was more likely to just stay low key and not tell stories at all so i really think this is likely to be a very factual occurrence. it sounded like quite the adventure and i was on the edge of my seat when he told me about it. he said the band would have loved to have done another similar gig for the same folks but, as they had said, the call never came. so he just remembered the experience with a smile.
it seems sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same. hopefully i didn’t wear out my welcome with the long post but this was real musician history to me and not many others can appreciate it!
one fall his band was asked to play a gig, told they would be well paid in cash but they wouldn’t know where they were playing and no one but the band could go. being the depression and all the band agreed to the gig. they showed up at the appointed time to a parking lot in northeast illinois (roy lived in what would now be a suburb of chicago). their instruments (big band stuff) were loaded into big cars and the band members got into several cars. they were blindfolded and rode for what roy estimated was about 30-45 min. when they got to the gig men hauled all their stuff to the stage. the band did not meet any of the guests BUT they were very well treated, they had their own waiter, were served gourmet food, and even could have an alcoholic drink if they wished- this was prohibition remember. they played the gig, and were appreciated by the crowd. men helped load up the stuff, they were taken back to the parking lot (blindfolded) and paid about 4 times the going rate for a gig at that time. they were told they were great but for secrecy reasons were not likely to be asked back.
roy never did find out who he played for or where the gig was. he was pretty sure it was mob, esp because of the alcohol but had no idea who. at the time he was fine with not knowing but he admitted in his later years he really wished he knew who it was as it would have made the story better! i never knew roy to be an exaggerator or “bullshitter”, in fact he was more likely to just stay low key and not tell stories at all so i really think this is likely to be a very factual occurrence. it sounded like quite the adventure and i was on the edge of my seat when he told me about it. he said the band would have loved to have done another similar gig for the same folks but, as they had said, the call never came. so he just remembered the experience with a smile.
it seems sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same. hopefully i didn’t wear out my welcome with the long post but this was real musician history to me and not many others can appreciate it!
One of my favorites in the DMV was Jaxx in Springfield. Was just the right size. Got wasted at the bar with a cool ass dude who ended up being Gary Holt lol. I wasn't big into thrash at the time didn't recognize him and he didn't act like he was anyone special. Ended the night unconscious and my gf got ejected after getting on stage and raising some hell hahahaha great times.
Honestly - between the racecar and music industries, I've dealt with a lot of 'legitimate businessmen'. Pretty much everyone I ever dealt with was professional and paid well, in cash. They don't want any trouble or attention drawn to them, so they treat the 'help' quite well.
I don't ask where the money came from any more than I would with anyone else.
I'll take one of those gigs every weekend.
BTW - in Silicon Valley, it's not uncommon to have to give up your cell phone before walking into a lot of buildings.
I don't ask where the money came from any more than I would with anyone else.
I'll take one of those gigs every weekend.
BTW - in Silicon Valley, it's not uncommon to have to give up your cell phone before walking into a lot of buildings.
If it's legal, what's the problem with security knowing you got it? Or if that could be an issue, why bring it? I can't imagine it's got a tuner built into it.
