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So I’m a white dude…I know its shocking, but I’ve been in a Spanish Rock band.  So how did that work?  It started slightly after I was born.  I came into this world in the lovely city of Canoga Park, CA.  Shortly after I was imported to Oxnard, CA.  This is likely a big reason I ended up in the Spanish Rock band…How so?  I’m the minority in Oxnard.  Good!  I love latinas!  So naturally when it came time to learn Spanish in school I dove right in…wrong!  It wasn’t till I started running cross country that speaking Spanish really came in handy.  Basically there was a whole team of broken English Spanish speakers, one guy fluent in both, and me.  So either the whole team learns English or the guy with long sun bleached blond hair has to learn Spanish.  Learn I did!  So fast forward a few years and my hair is cut and I’ve been playing in bands for quite a while.  So I like Spanish rock.  It started in college and it seems latinas go to the Spanish Rock shows…so do I.  I had been recording several local bands in my studio and had landed a job at the local Guitar Center.  Kick ass!


A girl I was interested in (latina) was going to the Wednesday Spanish rock shows at Ruby’s.  Turns out I know just about everyone in every band that played there.  One night they have no sound guy and I work at Guitar Center…So I end up doing sound that night and got the job for every Wednesday after that because they said it sounded better than the regular guy.  Good times!  After doing a few months of this, a lot of the bands wanted to record CD’s.  So I recorded a few of them and one band was recording without their lead guitar player.  I wank a solo or two just to fill space and record the real lead on another day with the actually band member.  I didn’t think about it at all, but The singer/rhythm guitar player remembered it.  Good for me!


So, about six months later his band had disbanded.  It happens…often.  Problem was he still had gigs lined up so I get a call.  Juan says,” So I have a couple of gigs I have to do, except I don’t have a band any more.  Would you mind filling in for a few?”  So I think for a second…No fancy changes, easy chords, and I kind of know the songs already.  I reply, ”Sure, but where are we playing?”  Turns out we are local, and not so local.  “Why not!” Then I find out the first gig is in two days and we need a drummer.  I pull a guy who played drums about six years before and we have a rehearsal the next day.  Kind of rough, but the show must go on.  The next day I get out of work, load up the gear and head to the best dive bar in Ventura.
I’m stoked to wing the gig!  Its exciting to not know what you’re going to play and to not give a shit because its not your band.  So We start setting up and I notice the girl I’m totally into sitting along the wall.  Shit!  She smiles and I wave and I do a little freak out in my mind.  Ok, time to really get down to business.  Wait, drink tickets!  Killer!  So I go get a Fat Tire and pound it!  Then on to a Vodka cran.  That one is just for sipping.  Ok, go!


We get going and somehow we are pretty tight and the crowd is into it!  I had forgotten the freedom in just playing guitar.  I sing and do the rhythm/lead in my band (Breathing Deep, check us out on myspace) and it’s a lot easier to jump around when you aren’t stuck behind the mic.  So I’m going ape shit on the solos and putting on a killer show!  After we get done a bunch of people come up and tell me how good a guitar player I am!  And now we get to the beginning of the end.  Juan wants to be the star, but he doesn’t move a whole lot and is fairly boring to watch.  Turns out the previous bass player got kicked out because he “over exaggerated” according to Juan.  Now I had seen the previous incarnation of the band and Danny, the bass player was the whole show, and a pretty descent player.  I’m always stoked when I get someone in Breathing Deep who does that.  But, this is Ghoma and I have to tell you the singer’s last name is Ghoma if that tells you anything.  So we play the last three gigs and the story repeats and no one is talking to Juan after the shows and I get praise galore.  So he talks to Carl who has been kind enough to play drums for these shows and gives him the, “He’s just a little too much“ talk.  So Juan flakes on his own gigs because he somehow moved to Bakersfield to get away from his coke habit.


That was it for me weather he wanted me in the band or not.  You don’t break the carnal rule of flaking on gigs.  Ever!  I don’t want to be associated with someone unprofessional like that.  You live by your reputation and a bad reputation will follow you for a long long time.  Juan called me a few weeks ago and wants to record a few new songs for a CD, and I’m happy to record, but that’s as far as it goes.  He’s back to the solo acoustic thing.  Good luck to him.  I really like the experience I got in the band and wish the rock scene here was as flourishing as the Spanish rock scene.   Ironically, I have more latin sounding songs in my set than he does, and maybe someday we can pull the two scenes together.  Till then, I’m going to keep rocking balls and killing it in my band!  BTW if anyone remembers what the hell I did after the Ruby’s show, let me know.  And pretty girl, at the same show,  what the hell is your name?


In closing, I would like to warn people in new bands to be very careful of egos.  It can ruin the best of bands.  Just think of Van Halen with David Lee Roth.  It doesn’t matter how good you guys are if you can’t coexist as a unit.  Having a band is like a marriage between five people.  it’s a real pain in the ass, but It can be really rewarding if it works out.  Good luck to you all and let me know If you have anything more you want to know.


Jeremy Gift