Nashville

The Bone Bazaar Journals

NashvilleNashville

 

The second time I crossed paths with Devin was in Murfreesboro, Tennessee at a place called Main Street Music.  We went to see Tora Tora, and as a matter of coincidence, Star-Crossed Lovers was the opening act. They had recently changed their name from the previous Saints of Valhalla earlier that year.  

I remember liking the music, but I honestly wasn’t paying much attention. I had been distracted by the bartender, with slightly more self-serving thoughts.  Although my memory is slightly hazy from my intoxicated state, the bartender was either a goddess, or her drinks were very potent. Or both!!  

I was living in Nashville at this time.  I did a short stint as a bass player for a band called Sibling Rivalry.  My path to Nashville was an interesting turn of events. 

Mike Ramirez is a good friend of mine and an incredible guitarist.  In 1988, we had been trying to start a band, but had been unsuccessful in our attempts.  We went through a variety of different players, but continued to come up empty handed.  

One day, he told me that he got an offer to play guitar in Nashville.  Sibling Rivalry needed a lead guitarist, so he was going to pack up his gear and move to the music mecca.  

Sibling Rivalry was not just some random band.  They were old friends.  They had history.  

Mike had established himself as the guitarist in a band called Grafitti, but after splitting with that band, he joined Holly Roxx as their second guitarist.  

Holly Roxx was a well-known band in the local music scene. They had been expanding their reach regionally, and were playing shows throughout Texas.   

Mike met Bobby and Pat after a Holly Roxx show in El Paso.  They struck up a friendship and had continued to stay in touch.  

Bobby Chavira and his sister Patricia, had been recording demos and landed a spec deal with The Box Office in Nashville.   

Nashville might be known as the country music capital, but many folks overlook the fact that Nashville also has a thriving rock scene.   

Bobby reached out to Mike because they needed a guitarist.  It was an excellent opportunity for Mike to advance his music career, and we didn’t have anything concrete at that moment to hold him back.  

Mike let me listen to their demo and it was good.  The recording quality wasn’t the greatest, but the songwriting was strong.   

Bobby was a talented songwriter, and Pat was an excellent singer.  She had the pipes and the looks, and together they had a blue print for a successful career.  They just needed to put a band together.  

Mike was a shoe-in for the guitar spot, they had already seen him play, but they also needed a rhythm section.  I saw the need and I offered the solution.  

They didn’t need me as a guitarist, or a singer.  So I found myself asking, how hard could bass really be?  By the end of the week, I had traded my guitar gear to become a bass player.  

With the addition of another one of Mike’s friends, Don Rios on drums, we loaded up the truck and began our drive to Nashville.   We would become the backing band for Sibling Rivalry.  

The five of us shared a small one-bedroom apartment, although Don’s stay was short-lived.  Don would eventually leave to go back home within the first month.  This left us with the inevitable task of searching for a drummer.  Needless to say, we had a lot of downtime.  

Bobby was the only one of us with a full-time job.  Mike and Pat were closer friends, so they spent a lot of time together.  I had brought a small 4-track recorder with me, so I spent a lot of time writing and recording new material.  Although none of it would be used in the band.  

Our attempts to find a drummer were fruitless.  I was unemployed and my finances were running low.  We had a potential tour on hold and I was running on borrowed time.  

Eventually, most likely out of frustration, Mike and I got into a heated argument.   

It was a rash decision, but I decided to quit the band and head home.  After the decision was made, I was on a plane home the following morning while still upset over the matter.  

Looking back in retrospect, my decision to leave was very foolish.  If I had just waited to calm down, it might have saved a friendship and kept the band alive longer.   

It took years, but Mike and I put that fight behind us and remain friends to this day.

Leave a comment

One of the great things about music is that it lives on forever!!”

— Dodd Michael Lede