Musically Speaking

When I was 13 or 14 my sister got this idea to record her kids while they were young. With this in mind she bought a Wollensak 1/4″ tape recorder. This was a great idea – only she had no clue how to operate it. But you need to realize it was a different world then – you didn’t just pusWollensakRevere3h the button. Being technically capable back then I learned how to use it and started recording all kinds of things. Being in bands I found the perfect thing to do with it. I remember carrying that thing from where I lived on Brian St down to Ridge Rd – to the 414 Club because there was a new group in town – The Show Stoppers. A great group, an instant hit in the area. I don’t remember all the members but at the time I recorded them Bat McGrath and Don Potter where in the group. So one night I drag it down to the 414, set it up on one of the tables and ran a plug over to the wall. It was such a new thing to do nobody questioned it – it was a curiosity thing. I would drag that thing everywhere.

It wasn’t a great machine compared to today I can take my iPad and get a better quality recording – but for the times it was way cool. At one point it developed a squeal – there was a felt pad that held the recording tape against the recording head. That developed a squeal that if you pressed on it it would go away for a bit. But, it always came back. So some of the recordings have that in there. I’ve tried filtering it out but it’s in the totally wrong frequency range. After music discoed out and the family started I was at Kodak and as luck would have it ended up running the Magnetics Lab working with tape of all kinds and sizes.

Some of the later records get a bit better but the majority are with the old Wollensak. A couple years ago when doing another “cleaning” of the garage I ran across my box of tapes. Hadn’t thought about them in years. I thought I check them out and see if they were any good. Talk about oldies but moldies – some of the tapes were actually moldy. During my divorces they spent a few years in my brother Mikes barn, then in various garages.

This group is based out of Holley NY, I’m not sure of  the exact years, I think I first joined them in 2012. We didn’t play out a lot and at very many places but I loved the tunes this group did. A good mixture of Stevie Ray, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi and other like that. We played the Medina Tavern – a great local bar – almost nobody there when we started and by 11:30 it was packed and stayed that way till 1 AM. We also played the Holley Gazebo by the canal for the last 5 years in August. Stat at 7 and play till you can’t stand the mosquitoes anymore. Members  – of course Justin Crossett on guitar, Mike Zona on bass, Zach on drums and me on keys.

It’s Just Not My Cross to Bear

 

Empty Arms

 

Couldn’t Stand The Weather

 

Chase the Rainbow