I started playing bass at the age of 14 (1974) because some of my friends were starting to play together and they needed a bassist. I played with these same guys all through high school and college ('74-'81). We were inseparable.
We were kind of an a-typical classic rock band. We did Zep, REO, etc., and some originals, but then our guitar player would whip out his 5 string banjo and we'd do some bluegrass and throw in some Heartsfield, Pure Prairie League, Dirt Band, etc. Very funky and a heckuva lot of fun.
In 1981 we all went our separate ways. We stayed in touch over the years and most of us ended up back in our hometown in Wisconsin. Whenever we got the chance we'd love to sit around and have a beer and talk about the "Glory Days" (just like the Springsteen song). We realized in 2000 it was going to be our 20th anniversary of not playing. I failed to mention I had not taken my bass out of it's case (literally) in those 20 years.
We were able to talk the one guy who lives out of town (he lives in Nashville and currently works for RCA Records) to come back for a reunion gig. We were able to put together about three sets of music together in 3 nights of practice. It took me several months prior to that to get back to acceptable form. The first month or so was painful for me because it was like learning to walk all over again....I was basically starting over.
The night of our reunion was an awesome night. We were all pretty nervous, but after the first song, it was like we had never stopped playing together. The local media picked it up because we were pretty popular in our days (and it doesn't hurt that our drummer is an anchor for one of the local TV stations).
Now we play together once or twice a year (and the drummer, guitar player and myself will do a jazz trio-thing every once in awhile). We have a standing invitation to play at one of the local festivals, and while there would be a ton of people there anyway, a lot of people are still there to see us.
Anyway, the difference between now and the old days is now, because I have a real job, I can afford to buy stuff and semi-satisfy my GAS. It's definitely good to be back.
