Cardinal Bob
Glutton for Punishment
KLL said:
I used to bartend with Kay at a pub in Boston back in 1989-90 (late in my college days) She's a sweetheart!
Ever Known a Musician Before They Became Famous?
- Thread starter Cardinal Bob
- Start date
I used to bartend with Kay at a pub in Boston back in 1989-90 (late in my college days) She's a sweetheart!
Well.. first.... we all may be in the midst of knowing quite a few musicians before they achieve superstardom/fame (Vince56, Jttsaz, blindseyed, Rivercard, andikrist, boisesun, and jon_nyaz).....
Anyways... this is inspired by how Cardinal Bob tended bar w/Kay Hanley, before she achieved fame with Letters To Cleo... Also, Russ Smith mentioned on a few occasions (including this post in complete detail) on how he attended school with drummer Brian Mantia....
Are they anyone else who may have stories to share about knowing (could possibly be related, friends with or dated)/or attending school (at any eductional level) at the same exact time of someone who eventually went on to hit it big in the music industry in some capacity?
A few excellent bands or performers from my graduating class reached some level of popularity which are the following:
Synthetic 16
Small Craft Sighting
The first band, former bassist, Eric Gutman played in several bands while he was a fellow student of the Class of '95 at Farmington Hills Harrison in the Detroit suburbs, but he was in this New York based band for quite a few years, however, I just found the following out from another website:
The 2nd band's drummer, Courtney Cahill was also in my graduating class... Here's their band's bio:
Anyways...anyone else at one time knew someone who ended-up hitting it big in the music industry?
Edit: Being casually acquainted on any level certainly does count....
Oh wow.. it's a small world afterall as they say... Any interesting stories/details to share about her? I guess that would be right around the formation of Letters To Cleo, do you actually remember her discussing her musical aspirations or that you thought then she had the potential talent to acheive some form fame?
Anyways... this is inspired by how Cardinal Bob tended bar w/Kay Hanley, before she achieved fame with Letters To Cleo... Also, Russ Smith mentioned on a few occasions (including this post in complete detail) on how he attended school with drummer Brian Mantia....
Are they anyone else who may have stories to share about knowing (could possibly be related, friends with or dated)/or attending school (at any eductional level) at the same exact time of someone who eventually went on to hit it big in the music industry in some capacity?
A few excellent bands or performers from my graduating class reached some level of popularity which are the following:
Synthetic 16
Small Craft Sighting
The first band, former bassist, Eric Gutman played in several bands while he was a fellow student of the Class of '95 at Farmington Hills Harrison in the Detroit suburbs, but he was in this New York based band for quite a few years, however, I just found the following out from another website:
The 2nd band's drummer, Courtney Cahill was also in my graduating class... Here's their band's bio:
Anyways...anyone else at one time knew someone who ended-up hitting it big in the music industry?
Edit: Being casually acquainted on any level certainly does count....
Oh wow.. it's a small world afterall as they say... Any interesting stories/details to share about her? I guess that would be right around the formation of Letters To Cleo, do you actually remember her discussing her musical aspirations or that you thought then she had the potential talent to acheive some form fame?
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Michelle Branch
She was a fan of the Moffatts and we met waiting in line for a concert to start in Aug of '99. She was the first person there and I was the second one there, and we just talked and she told me she was in a band. When more people came, and the line got bigger, she started singing some Moffatt songs, and I was like... "wow she's pretty good!!" So I gave her my e-mail address and told her to sign me up for her newsletter.
I'd say 12 months later and BAM Michelle Branch is opening for Hanson and soon releases her first cd on a record label. I have a pic of me and her somewhere... I should post it
edit: i didn't really "know" Michelle per se, but I at least met her and talked to her and stuff before she got famous, so that counts, right? lol
She was a fan of the Moffatts and we met waiting in line for a concert to start in Aug of '99. She was the first person there and I was the second one there, and we just talked and she told me she was in a band. When more people came, and the line got bigger, she started singing some Moffatt songs, and I was like... "wow she's pretty good!!" So I gave her my e-mail address and told her to sign me up for her newsletter.
I'd say 12 months later and BAM Michelle Branch is opening for Hanson and soon releases her first cd on a record label. I have a pic of me and her somewhere... I should post it
edit: i didn't really "know" Michelle per se, but I at least met her and talked to her and stuff before she got famous, so that counts, right? lol
OP
OP
Cardinal Bob
Glutton for Punishment
KLL said:
Well, as we'd talk while working, I knew she sang in bands, and she knew I used to do the same before I cut my hair and went to college, so we used to talk about that a lot....writing songs (which we both did), and the battle with clubs that wanted you to play covers while obviously your band wanted to play original music, performing styles, singing styles, etc. She's really tiny, but she's a tough chick, though you wouldn't know it by looking at her face cuz she looked like she just walked out of Sunday school. But her strong personality and the fact that she was the frontperson, really made her the leader of her band, so I imagine she maybe had a tougher time with club owners who might not have taken her seriously, or thought she was a pushover cuz she was a small woman (like Julianna Hatfield, formerly of the Blake Babies, and also from Boston who had some success back in the late-80s/early-90s).
I was done trying to be a "performer" (I can't call myself a musician, cuz I wasn't
) but I would occasionally help out a friend of mine who was at Berklee, adding vocals to recording projects he was working on...and Kay thought that was cool (I introduced her to my friend Kyle and she talked about doing some stuff with him and his buds at Berklee as well, but I'm not sure that that came about). She was singing with a band when we worked together, but at that time it wasn't Letters To Cleo yet...but I think that band evolved into LTC in short time. As LTC got better known around town (in '91/'92) she bartended much less and was doing the band more full-time. I had stopped bartending at that place in 1990 (when I graduated), but used to stop in with my stockbroker buddies from time to time (we didn't "fit in" at this bar. LOL!) to say "Hey" and catch up in 1990/91.She gave me a rough tape of LTC songs, a lot of which ended up on their first record, to see what I thought of them (I thought they were really good) and she laughed cuz I used to refer to "Here And Now" as "the shumma-numma-humma-numma song", cuz I couldn't at first figure out what she was singing there. I had moved to Arlington, VA and had lost touch with Kay by the time the record came out, and I thought I was hallucinating the first time I heard "Here And Now" on Melrose Place. But I was psyched that she and LTC seemed to be breaking out of being just a Boston band, cuz I knew she worked hard and people like that deserve some success for the BS that they go through trying to make a living playing music. It wasn't a price I was willing to pay.
I used to work the door at Gibson's back when Brian Blush of the refreshments was part-owner (who was the guitarist for the Refreashments before they went "big."). Does that count?
phillycard
ASFN Addict
Black Thought from The Roots. Him and I went to college together. I remember the first time I met him and saw the incredible talent. He was battling this guy Pete, the resident mc at our school who was very good. My girlfriend at the time and her roomates had a keg party, and I remember walking in and seeing them going at it. I told Pete "you better crush this freshman". After I heard BT go, I said "well maybe that won't be happening tonite". Black Thought was and still is nice as hell with it! :notworthy
What an excellent story Cardinal Bob..... It's unfortunate that you completely lost touch with her, however, just to witness her career starting and rising is very rewarding....
That's awesome as well.... I love the Roots (especially "Phrenology")....
Yes.. he's still very talented.. just some of his lyrics and overall vibe/groove he sets off are quite legendary.....
Yeah..that certainly does count... you must post that picture... very cool you gave her your email address.. did she ever happen to write you? She's very talented....
Yeah, that does count..Refreshments are quite enjoyable to listen to.... Did he ever stop by while you worked there?
You attended high school here in AZ, right? I always forget that they were from here... Did they ever perform at your school's talent shows?
phillycard said:
That's awesome as well.... I love the Roots (especially "Phrenology")....
Yes.. he's still very talented.. just some of his lyrics and overall vibe/groove he sets off are quite legendary.....
thirtytwo said:
Yeah..that certainly does count... you must post that picture... very cool you gave her your email address.. did she ever happen to write you? She's very talented....
Pariah said:
Yeah, that does count..Refreshments are quite enjoyable to listen to.... Did he ever stop by while you worked there?
Ryanwb said:
You attended high school here in AZ, right? I always forget that they were from here... Did they ever perform at your school's talent shows?
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He was there all the time. Remember, he wasn't anything but a guitarist in a successful local band then. Heck, he was never much more than that; I think he made his exit after the first album was released.KLL said:
AZCB34 said:
No... they met Lorena Bobbit.....
I always forget that you lived in Chicago around that time... Of course..Chicago has always been major in throughout the history of music, but so many bands other than Smashing Pumpkins became popular around that same time and I'm wondering if you saw them before they hit it big as well....
The ones that immediately come to mind are Liz Phair, The Mekons, Veruca Salt, Loud Lucy, and Jesus Lizard, and Ministry who emerged from around that time or somewhat later on.....
KLL said:
Veruca Salt was after I had left Chicago. Ministry...yup, definitely. Mekons...never heard of them.
Jesus Lizard...yeah. I saw them a couple times at Cabaret Metro back in 89 I think. They were pretty good. A good buddy of mine was a huge Jesus Lizard fan.
Liz Phair, everyone was big time on her but I never got into her music at all. Was she from Chicago?
I used to manage Fiddlestix in Flagstaff before it became Mulligans (before it became a pawn shop) and I booked Barenaked Ladies years before they hit it big. Pretty nice guys.
I'm been friends with drummer for Gin Blossoms, Phillip Rhodes (his brother Mike was my best man the first time that I got married), for a long time. Used to be kind of an aquaintance of Robin Wilson. Jesse Valenzuela married my ex-sister-in-law.
I'm lame.
I'm been friends with drummer for Gin Blossoms, Phillip Rhodes (his brother Mike was my best man the first time that I got married), for a long time. Used to be kind of an aquaintance of Robin Wilson. Jesse Valenzuela married my ex-sister-in-law.
I'm lame.
Pariah said:
Yeah.. I guess I need "RIF" (Reading Is Fundamental) for that since I didnt completely read your post... Just noticed at a quick glance guitarist and Refreshments without noticing specifically who and the other details....
AZCB34 said:
Well.. she was actually born in CT, however, was eventually raised in the Chicago suburbs and returned back to Chicago after college and became popular there....
Another band from Chicago that I forgot to ask about was Urge Overkill... in fact a couple members of their band assisted Phair in gaining her fame....
Chaplin
Better off silent
I don't remember which ones, but 2 of the Gin Blossoms went to my high school while I was there...
Macy Gray was a receptionist at the office I work in now (coincidentally, the SAME office you see at the end of Erin Brockovich)...
Macy Gray was a receptionist at the office I work in now (coincidentally, the SAME office you see at the end of Erin Brockovich)...
Ha! While working the door at Gibson's, I got in trouble for not letting the Gin Blossom's drummer in because he didn't have his ID. He put up a stink--not cool.earthsci said:
pfft. I was just doing my job. How was I supposed to know he was the drummer. I always had my back to the band.
It was probably 93. Sometime around then...maybe 94.earthsci said:
Pariah said:
I lived next door to one of the Gin Blossoms. Tall longhaired quiet guy. I was so disappointed when one day at 6 p.m. he got mad at me for making too much noise. Yes he had a baby in his place, but sheesh, it was a preparty before an ASU - U of A game. I forgave him once I saw how much of a jerk I was to not care about waking up a baby.
Just forget it.
Chaplin
Better off silent
earthsci said:
McClintock
Chaplin
Better off silent
earthsci said:
I thought Doug Hopkins went to Corona. Oh well, I think the memory center containing "rock stars I went to high school with" is pretty empty nowadays.
