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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 28, 1981)
Most rock musicians will roll their eyes and shudder when you mention "showcase nights." low-paying gigs that are taken to get the band's name spread around The follow ing is based on actual events that took place this summer during my time playing guitar and keyboards for a local band Our Volkswagen van. fully loaded with five people and half a ton of sound equipment, finally swerved into the tavern's parking lot. right next to the reeking garbage dumpster Oh Gawd, what a dive' said our sound man as he surveyed the place It was difficult to find as it was coated with the dingy gray gunk that covered all the buildings in the neigh borhood. right next to the industrial district of northwest Portland Wriggling out from our perches on top of monitor cabinets and under piles of micro phone stands, we started unloading My dreams of a ballroom filled with mobs of happy dancers started fading when the drummer who had an amazing ability to be totally wrong about any subject, promptly said. "I think it's a strong possibility we'll really pack em in tonight I rolled my eyes and hefted a speaker into the tavern It's difficult enough to weave between tables in an unfamiliar bar while carrying a huge speaker but when the lights are dimmed to their lowest level, the job becomes almost im possible Somehow I managed to crash in to a couple of chairs and a table full of empty glasses before I finally figured out where the stage was My wife, who drove up separately didn't fare much better She fol lowed the drummer halfway into the men's restroom After our eyes became accustomed to the light (or the lack of it) we got a good look at our surroundings What s that white thing in the corner? Is that a huge rat or what?" asked the bass player We grabbed our guitars, ready to beat the thing to death if it attacked A white bunny, the bar's pet. hopped out into the light Everyone at the bar laughed The walls of the room were covered by the works of an obviously amateur artist Oil paintings and charcoal etchings stared at us from every corner, and the subject was always the same an emaciated nude female in various poses Directly behind my spot on stage hung a portrait of a woman with hol lowed cheeks and skin that barely clung to her ribs, stretched into a position that would be fatal for most people I felt myself blushing, although I knew no one could tell I asked the tavern owner if we might take them down temporarily He said he d rather not. as they were done by his daughter and he was rather proud of them He asked if they the view from the other side of the mike by matt meyer offended me Trying to hide another blush, I mumbled something about mixing two art forms, and slunk behind an amp Soon the stage was pretty well set up While assembling the electric piano, I decid ed to put in all the bracing instead of just the essential pieces I normally used I wanted to make it as solid as possible, just in case the crowd got too rowdy By now my dream had changed from a huge mob to about 30 dancing couples, all smiling and enjoying themselves Without throwing beer bottles. We plugged in all the mikes and energized the System for a trial run We were instantly surrounded by the sound of a twenty-story beehive The sound man snuck off to gei a much-needed beer, and the rest of us car efully analyzed the situation While we spent the better part of on hour plugging and unplugging everything, an ob noxious drunk we named The Jerk suggested that maybe the hum was because the guitars were out of tune We finally noticed that the hum grew louder every time someone started playing a vid eo game After stretching a ratty extension cord across the bar. the System was fixed We calmed ourselves and settled down to do a sound check (and fix everything we’d messed up searching for the buzz) My brother was his normal pre-concert image of calmness "OK. OK. everyone got their song lists7 Hey, where's my guitar7 Where's my guitar7 We couldn't have left it in Eugene, could we7 Oh, thanks,” he said as his wife handed it to him 'OK, let's make a quick check All the mikes working7 How's the sound out there7 Well, that'll do Everyone all tuned up7 Extra guitar all set7 You have extra strings? All right, let's get ready, we re on in five minutes ” By the time we hit the stage, my dream had been reduced to being satisfied with 20 people sitting around chatting quietly while we played Instead, we were alone with a solitary couple, the waitress and The Jerk As usual, we ripped through the opening song about twice as fast as we should have I got up from the piano and got my guitar on for the second tune Suddenly I realized what I'd forgotten "Pssst, Dave,” I whispered My brother whirled around, adrenalin coursing through his veins "You got any extra guitar picks7" Horror froze his face as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of Kleenex and a nickel I rummaged through my wallet while my brother pretended to tune for five minutes I found an old I D card and tore it into small triangles Although I'd probably break a few strings, it was better than noth ing continued on page 7b For the Bride elegant 2 pc set features dazzling OQ diamond I w ^ Impressive match _ _ _ ng diamond wed *1 yQ ding band for the groom ChttfH Buy all Three and Save I $299 VAU.tr HIVtH CtWTtA Daily '0 Jo 9 !r*i *0 to (i OOWNTOW* Datilv 0 JO tu 4 JO Fabulous Two-Diamond Bridal Threesomes. . A Magical Place HALLOWEEN BOOK SALE! 50% OFF SPECIALLY MARKED BOOKS 10% OFF ALL 1982 1 U /U CALENDARS OCTOBER 28-21 WE ALSO HAVE BOOKS RECORDS AND TAPES Monda>-Saturday 10-6 790 I . 1 lih Aye. • 48S-4H48 Dr. Carol Marusich A V announces her associateship with Dr. Larry Burr Doctors of Optometry • vision training • general practice • contact lenses 1631 Oak 342-4243 J Ya Halloween Special Send vour favorite Ghoul or Gobblin a Balloon Bouquet Black and Orange Balloons tied to a Sweet Treat Surprise! >•*3 P/tu/lwn {oxfi/ie&k A 23a Ask for our Halloween Bouquet 726-4992 free delivery in Fugene-Springfield Area The ABSOLUTE LATEST in Video Games HALLOWEEN COSTUME CONTEST Win a FREE roll of 40 Tokens Come on in Saturday night and show us your best effort! 6 Tokens for a $1.00 *across from the University Bookstore* Open till 2 am this weekend! ^ HUMP NIGHT ^ Tonight Gaye Lee Russell Band and 99 C Drinks Get over the hump tonight and rock with The Gaye Lee Russell Band, and enjoy 99c Beer. Wine and Well Drinks from 9 to midnight. Meet your friends tonight at O’Callahan’s ... and enjoy! O’CALLAHAN’S Incredible Edibles & Libations 440 Coburg Road. Eugene Phone 343-1221 JS
