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I'm a HUGE Golden Earring fan. The band disbanded in 2021 due to George's affliction with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). Very sad! I always love the way the two equally talented lead vocalists (Barry Hay and George Kooymanns) would trade off vocal lead roles in order to serve the song. If...

I retired early at age 56; about five years ago. I'm now 61. Here's what I learned so far: 1. Learn to say "NO". Your time and skills are actually valuable, but not in ways you might think. People and organizations see you as "free labor" and some will try to take advantage of your...

All three of the guys in my band have serious medical problems. The lead guy is in bad shape and taking a lot of pain meds. He's become increasingly difficult to work with: crazy loud volume, horrible guitar work, blaming everyone else, etc... While I understand it's the meds; not him, I also...

I'm now a true believer in back rests. I bought a Gibraltar throne with a motorcycle seat and back rest for Christmas. I played 3 hours last night almost non-stop and have zero lower back pain! That hasn't happened in many, many years. My only regret is not buying one years ago. Decades...

We were all set to practice Wednesday, but Mother Nature had other ideas. A big snow storm is on the way. Back in my 20's, nothing would stop me from a band practice or a gig. I'd risk life and limb. I was tough, fearless and invincible. Same goes with my full-time job. I can count on one...

Wife and I feel birds all winter long. A couple weeks ago I hadn't yet set up the feeder and was outside building a shed. Apparently, the chickadees took notice. Whenever I turned around, they were buzzing around me, landing on the table saw and making it clear that I was slacking. :) The...

I've been in a 3-piece on and off for almost 5 years. The lead guy is famously difficult to work with and only the bassist and I can put up with his personality quirks. He always seems to say the wrong thing and is short with people. Frankly, we both like the guy a lot. We've both learned to...

20 years ago, I eagerly accepted every band, jam session and gigging opportunity. I lived for being on stage. I was perfectly fine with low pay, playing songs I didn't like, working with people I didn't like and playing dangerous venues. Not any more. I've become "fussy". Just last week...

We practice normally for 2-3 hours with minimal breaks. I ain't gonna lie. My butt HURTS! It hurts BAD! I finally figured it out today. My Pork Pie Drum throne's soft padding seems to be breaking down. After a short time, my butt has sunk down to a hard, flat surface. Very uncomfortable...

Ernie was 70. He had pancreatic cancer and died 6 months after diagnosis, just as Google had predicted. His long term girlfriend and I didn't get along well. During his final weeks, she kept me away and kept close tabs on his phone. In the last days she took it from him. He did manage to...

Last night, I walked into the guitar player's house carrying a load of gear ready for practice. As usual, his four big dogs swarmed me and we began the obligatory pre-practice wrestling match. Guitar player walks in and says "What are you doing here, dummy? We practice tomorrow, not today!"...

I was working security as a reserve deputy at a large outdoor festival. A familiar voice caught my attention. Our old sound guy had moved up in the world and was now running sound for some high-level acts. I was thoroughly impressed! We talked for a little bit and exchanged phone numbers...

I own 7 snare drums. They all take turns being my "favorite". I'll play one non-stop for 6 months. We'll have some sort of "falling out" and it will go back in the case in favor of another. Today, my favorite snare is a 5x14 Pearl Sensitone Aluminum. What's today's favorite?

I'm a reserve deputy. This weekend I was pulling duty at a local outdoor festival. Three other deputies and I stepped into a bar and ordered lunch. As we were getting up to leave, three ladies approached me and asked if they could pose for a photo with me. The bar fell silent and I loudly...

The lead guy texted me and wants me back. The 1-drummer format just ain't working. They want the second drummer. About a year ago, I left them for many reasons. We were a 2-drummer band and perhaps the best in the county. Despite my departure, I've maintained a friendship with the lead...

The bassist let us know that he wants to "take a break" for a while; at least through the Summer. I'm not surprised. He's 350 pounds with lots of health issues. This might be the end of his music "career". He barely made it through our last gig even though we insisted on carrying his amps...

At last night's band practice, I show up and immediately Mike (the lead guy) and I start exchanging insults. I wish him a happy Mother's Day. He asks if I ever learned to count beyond 4. I ask him how his beginner level guitar lessons are coming along. Typical dude-on-due harassment. Then...

I'm very happy with my current band, but it's not going to last forever. The bassist is a super nice guy, easy to get along with and fantastic on stage. However.... He just turned 70, is very overweight, has heart problems, and is struggling financially. He recently called off practice...

In every town, there's the one guy who is an accomplished musician (usually a guitar player/singer) that nobody wants to be around. I got a call from a guitar player buddy of mine yesterday. The topic of "Dave" came up. He'd been jamming with Dave for a couple months and the band agreed to...

My wife and I own 88 heavily wooded acres here in Michigan. Yesterday, a guy down the road asked if he could harvest some of the dead oak trees on my property. Last year, an oak blight swept through and killed maybe hundreds of my 150+ year old black oaks. My place is littered with dry...