Life ROCKS Read Count : 114

Category : Books-Fiction

Sub Category : Adventure

"Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations."

- Zig Ziglar



This is without a doubt the most trying time of my life. A circumstance which brings me here to the Cross Roads of Destiny.



Though wicked spirits starve me and watch as I shovel my own grave.

And as the rain falls through the mist of sorrow that surrounds me...



I somehow manage to hang on to  a glimmer of hope.



Deep down inside is a perception of intuition that sleeps, but one day it will wake up. Then I will find my rainbow and the pot of gold that awaits me at its end.



But right now it's The Light or The Dark ~ There are no other choices.





               Chapter 1



Tonight will be the biggest night of not just my life, but Braxton's and our band The Marshmallow Steam Rollers.



At this moment I sit alone.



 I contemplate the importance of the band sounding it's best tonight.

At this time the bar is practically empty... Don't be fooled.

In a few hours not only will every seat be filled, but sitting at tables right in front of this stage will be some of the south's biggest and most influential artist, promoters, and recording label executives.



Not that I'm worried. After a damn near a decade of traveling the southeastern United States playing almost every honky tonk and rock club in the south and most other parts of the Country... We're polished.



But tonight's different.



In the audience of this renowned Rock and Blues Club sits our future as a band.



The King Blues Club on the outer edge of Montgomery Alabama has been the start of many great Blues and Southern Rock Bands...



And we're the next one to play it's stage.



For once there will be no mixing our originals with covers.

We'll be playing a two hour set of 11 or 12 originals either Braxton and I wrote together or Braxton wrote alone. There will also be one written by a previous band member.



We already have the recording contract, but an off night might find record executives having second thoughts.



"Don't even think that Jason!"

I tell myself.



"Everything's going to be perfect," I say trying to convince myself.



Now I'm going to head back to the tour bus, shower, and get ready for tonight.  



Butterflies posses my gut as I walk out of the front doors.



             Chapter 2



Im in the tour bus bathroom tying my shoes when Suddenly, I hear Braxton voice. 

"Everybody ready?"... "Everybody as in Jason Gilbert that is."



The whole band knows I'm usually the last one to get ready and Braxton's comment starts the whole band laughing hysterically.



"Braxton" I'm thinking to myself.



He always has this way of

getting the band to relax and take stress off us before a big gig.



And none more important as tonight.



I open the bathroom door and enter the tour bus sleeping area. As I'm walking through on my to hook up with the band outside, I can't help but flash back to the day Braxton and I gutted this old Greyhound shortly after buying it at an auction in Minnesota. 

The band had played a club there for most of the summer. It was 1977.



Braxton was 23 and I was 21.



Anyway, I remember a family member was at the auction that day. She began to tell the story of how Greyhound was born. 

She told us with great pride how her great grandfather Carl Wilkman migrated to the US from Sweden in 1905 and started the bus line in 1914 in a used 7 passenger car.



I'll never forget Braxton and I looking over at each other and saying at almost the same exact time, "Anything is possible if your willing to work hard for it!"



It was one of our favorite phrases we used back in the day. 



"We've come along way," I think to myself as I'm stepping out of the bus.



               Chapter 3



"One, two... Ah one, two, three four," I hear Braxton belt out after a short introduction by our soundman and manager Jimmy Narvis.



"It's on now," I say to myself as the distinct lead guitar harmonies open up our first original "Cajun Town Blues." This songs a hard driving blues shuffle written by Braxton when he was only 16.

I feel myself drifting into my "lost in the music coma" as I lay down the hard driving backbeat with Pat Witalls thumping bass playing on top of it like stink on shit.

Immediatly following its end Braxton counts of the next original "Parktown." This is a a three quarter time instrumental. Rockin' but bluesy with a touch of jazzy at the same time.

Full of lead harmonies this killer instrumental was written  by one of our former guitarist Chris Alexander. 

Back in the day when we first started writing Originals we tested them out at an apartment complex swimming pool during summers every couple of weeks or so. The name of the apartments were Parktown. 

It was a freebie but we enjoyed it and it got our chops up. Not to mention the hometown crowd loved us. These apartments were right next to the school we attended at the time, Cross Keys High School. Most of the folks at the pool in those days were ones Braxton and I went to school with.

When I look back... This was nothing but a blessing.



The song ends and the crowds going crazy. Braxton takes a moment now to say hello to everybody and welcome them to the show.

He follows this with "Thank you everybody, we love you."



Braxton is the ultimate front man. Long dark wavy hair, piercing blue eyes and the Gift of Gab. Women follow him around by the grove. Not to mention he's a gifted guitarist, singer, and songwriter.



As Braxton counts off the next song, I can't help myself and look at that front table. The first person I  see is the gentle giant, Alex Coolidge. Alex is tapping his foot in time with the music. Sitting next to Alex is one of Georgia's Premier guitarist Jerry Richmond. 

Jerry's up on his feet clapping his hands in perfect sync with our song. 

Suddenly, he yells out at a big "Hell Yeah!"

And if this doesn't top everything, my eyes gaze to the back of the club where standing there with his long blonde hair is Greggory Amen.

Gregory is lead singer and keyboard player for the All Men Band. One of the countries greatest rock and blues bands.



This is almost better than sex I'm thinking as I fade off into my musical trance.



             Chapter 4



The next thing I feel is cold champagne pelting my face. I glanced over and see Braxton in mid-flight heading right at me. The next thing I know I'm on the ground with three other bottles of champagne pelting me and Braxton kissing me on the cheek.

Our manager Jimmy Narvis and spiritual advisor Billy Scores pull Braxton off me and lift him up lift him up on their shoulders screaming, "What's meant to be is meant to be!"

I'm feeling about like I'm in heaven. This is without a doubt, the best day of my life.

Fans, friends, and business associates are all around us. Many have champagne bottles themselves spraying us down. You would have thought it was the World Series.

Actually now everybody's spraying everybody down. It's a sight to see, and one I'll definitely never forget.

"After it's all said and done," I'm thinking to myself, "It's been worth it."

Through all the ups and downs. Through all the times being broke. Through the hell of all the addictions... It's been worth it. 



This day alone has made it worth it.

Comments

  • Jasper/Eowyn Carpenter

    Jasper/Eowyn Carpenter

    👍

    Nov 24, 2018

  • Nov 24, 2018

  • Nov 24, 2018

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