Sirent, Court Jester
Sources ,Blind Owl,
Blind Owl 2003
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SIRENT

The year is 1985, I’ve been playing Bass for ten years now ! I ran in to my good friend Jimmy Bradshaw and he told me his band needed a Bassist. I went to a place called the Ranch, Auditioned and became the Bassist for the Rock band SIRENT. We worked hard through the summer of 85, and in the fall played our 1st professional show opening up for a Band called Pranxster. It was a good show and we shocked verybody including Pranxter.
After this 1st show Lead & Rythum guitar Jimmy Bradshaw and Drummer Greg Braswell quit the band.
Greg said all he was getting from the band was dirty laundry. Jim stated there was an inbalance of power.
So we found a new Drummer Tim Johnston, and Dave  took up the slack from the missing guitar and we went back out in two months. We played the local circut of clubs in the Baltimore Baltimore & Ann Arundel counties, Prince Georges &Harford counties, well all over M.D. we reigned for a little over two years when an old bat ran a stop sign, and took me out . That was the end of SIRENT.
COURT JESTER
Well about a year and a half has passed since the end of Sirent. I just got a call from Dave Braswell about recording 4 originals he and Doug Guckert were working on . I met up with the boys and started working on the 4 songs, they turned into eight and that turned into releasing an album. The album release turned into having to form a complete Heavy Metal Band called Court Jester !
Court Jesters first release was called The Jokes On You & that lead to Radio & Cable Video and lots of next to free live performances to promote the album.
We had the recording for sale in several markets, but they were not rolling off the shelves. Since I financed the better part of this endevour, When the sales went flat and even I bailed out half way through the 2nd release Where Witches Dwell.
SOURCES
So Court Jester is now in my past by a few months and in pops Jim Bradshaw and plops himself down on my couch and says he needs a Bassist !!! He’s got a project going called Sources and would like me to join forces. So I whip my leather out of the closet, grab my bass and here we go again. after a few weeks of practice we decide to take Sources out for a test ride by the way of the 8x10 on Cross & S. Charles St. in Baltimore. As expected the Drummer was not going to cut it live, But no worries I’ve had my good buddy John Etzel warming up for weeks. We moved practice to White Marsh studios ( this is where Court Jester recorded their 2 albums ) After a couple of more weeks we were out doing shows in mostly biker bars. Sources was a Classic Rock band and the material was widely accepted here. Our shows always set new attendence and sales records at the venues we played at. Sources played from 1991 to 1994, when I was seduced into recording another album with the owner of White Marsh Studios ( Jay Wise ) The project was to include members from Quick Fire, Juicy Lucy, Paper Cup, and several other popular Baltimore bands. The recording schedule was relentless, we had all the time in the world as Jay Wise owned the studio.I was playing with Sources at night till 3/4 am. Then in the Studio at 8:30am. This kind of continuious playing couldn’t last so I decided to put all my efforts into the album and leave Sources. I still think they Never Forgave me.
Blind Owl

It’ is now the winter of 1994 and I’m not playing again ! The phone rings and it’s Dave Braswell. He tells me he’s playing in a blues band called Blind Owl, Dave goes on to tell me their Bassist is leaving in two weeks to join another band. I’ve never played the blues before, so I went out and got some blues CD’s and picked up some Blind Owl practice tapes and spent the next 13 days cramming my head full of blues. On the 14 day we opened for Court Jester at the Sparta in Edgemere ( small World ) I stayed with this project until Oct 99 when I traded in my Bass for a Scout Uniform to become a leader for my sons Webelo Pack 172.
One day soon my boy will be more interested in his friends than his dad, and I’m sure either Dave, Jim or some one else will need a Bassist and the saga will continue !!!




The Saga Continues

    It's October 2002 and Dave Braswell calls me up to tell me Blind Owl is playing right up the street from my house, stop by and have a beer ! Ok all I have to do is drop my son off at the school dance he wants to attend and I'll slid by for a beer. I got there about  half way through Blind Owls 2nd set .After the set as Dave and I had a beer he mentioned their lack of bassist Hank, who had recently left due to some family crisis.  I hear your boy is out of Scouts and doing his own thing, it's about time to brush the rust off the cables and do your thing isn't it ( or something like that  ) The lack of  Bass in the band was cramping  Dave and Mikes style as they have to play in a bassier EQ to take up the slack.
    So I went home and started downloading the 140 songs on the set list, dug around in the garage for my Stevie Ray hat Dave's Brother Greg of Blind Owl 1,2 & 3 had given me in 1995 and on November 15th 2002
THE SAGA CONTINUED as Blind Owl 4 Played Stingers with JAKE.

The Finale'
On January 26th 2003 as I watched the Super Bowl, I stood up and had a bad head rush. Within seconds I lost 100% of my hearing in my right ear, and 35% of my left. I can now only hear frequency's from 1Kh and lower, which excludes me ( for now ) from being able to play music !

The New Beginning 2009

It's been 6 years and I finally adjusted to my hearing loss ( sort Of ). At the persistence of my longtime and bestus friend Dave Braswell I've started to practice my craft again. It really is like riding a bike , in no time at all I was confident enough to hit the stage with Blind Owl once again. The only difference is - Blind Owl is primarily an Acoustic Act Now, so I found myself an Acoustic Fender Bass and what an adjustment that was. But the fact is it sounds GREAT!!!