11/29/2017 8:37 PM
Edited Date/Time: 11/29/2017 8:42 PM
flatout111 wrote:
How long were you on the road? Started clubbing at 15. Played tons of shows every week for years. Never really stopped. Just ...more
flatout111 wrote:
How long were you on the road? Started clubbing at 15. Played tons of shows every week for years. Never really stopped. Just got a bit more picky in gig selection/jobs over the years. I'm 40 now. Only toured consistently for a few years though. That vid was in 09/10 I think. Prob closest I ever got to making it. Like really making it. Along with the CC deal which was just after that.
Biggest show? 22,000 with Queensryche and about 30,000 with Nickelback.
Smallest show? Like 5 people. Seriously.
Best tour? tour of Japan in 08.
Worst tour? A small US tour in the dead winter in Pittsburgh. Small crowds. Freezing cold.
Who did you tour with? Most of the tours were in support but not mega big bands.
Favorite country? Japan. No brainer.
Least favorite country? Played in Hawaii. Cool place but we didn't get much support. I have been endorsed with Sonor drums but they couldn't get a kit there so I played on some real garbage kits. Not fun.
Biggest band you guys opened for? I've played with a lot of different bands and have opened for the likes of Nickelback, Queensryche, Ace Frehley, Buckcherry, Warrant, Pantera, Kansas, Firehouse, LA Guns...God, you name it. I thought we blew Nickelback away, for the record. Lol.
How TF does a rockstar get into moto? Lol. I was into MX as a kid then got into music but never lost my moto roots. And now I do both. But MX/SX is more my passion. Music sorta became a job which is both good and bad.
-MAVERICK- wrote:
Awesome. Thanks.
Lol at the 5 people gig. Guess people got to start somewhere but as long as you guys got paid WGAF.
As ...more
-MAVERICK- wrote:
Awesome. Thanks.
Lol at the 5 people gig. Guess people got to start somewhere but as long as you guys got paid WGAF.
As for Nickelback, I was never into them and the US can keep them along with Bieber.
I think I would of ditched the moto life for a chance at the rockstar life if I had any musical skills. No brainer. Travel the world on someone else's dime and getting paid to do it...who wouldn't sign up for that.
How did you cope with it when it came to an end?
Thanks for your interest, my friend. I hate Nickelback, musically. Good guys, though. Oh yeah, also add Extreme, Alice in Chains to that list. I could name 100 more bands you would know. But back to Nickelback...they knew where their bread was buttered. They wanted to be a metal band but knew what sold.
What's funny is the 5 people show were like two of the bands chicks and like 3 others. Lol. It was funny actually. What can you do??
Did you know that for KISS' very first show no one showed up. Not one paying customer. There you go.
As far as when it was over...well, I still play, record and write. But the crazy touring and partying is over. I wanted it to be. It was a blast but I grew tired of it. I wanted a normal life, to go to Budds Creek and be able to go to races or do studio gigs for hire and not locked down to contracts all the time. I chose to leave. My own terms. It was a bit hard to lose the rockstar feeling like how people treat you but honestly I still get that most places I go. So go figure.
But as I stated, I still record, play, write and teach so I still am super involved in both music and moto. But I am happy to be home more with my Wife and happy I made it thru the craziness relatively unscathed. Lol. But man I did some stupid things. Good times, though. But I am super proud of my past, musically, and moving forward. But I also was getting over all the craziness. The shows, the parties, the photo shoots and locations and ummm....additional ladies hanging around. Man, it was crazy. All the time. It was just freakin' crazy. I loved it but I wanted something more real and someone more real. And I found her. It's funny. She could care less about my music career and that I was a "rockstar". Lol. But that's a good thing. Also, the fact the music became so business like. It wasn't about music anymore which sucked.
This is one of several videos I did with Universal Records with my band at the time, The Fifth. I've recorded several albums with various artists on different record labels, toured the US, Japan and Europe as well as releasing my own solo CD entitled Angel of Mercy. I'm the drummer, btw. Hope you guys enjoy it.
.. But the hardcore scene & the music scene in general here has continued to struggle to really take off so I'm not surprised.
