Rock n' Roll Tales from the Bay Area!
Listening to San Francisco by Scott McKenzie and San Francisco Nights by Eric Burdon & The Animals the other day took me back to a wild six-week Bay Area tour with my band. We hit San Jose, Oakland’s Jack London Square, and Santa Rosa, where we followed none other than Sly and The Family Stone!
Santa Rosa was our first show, and we were hyped. After our set around 1 am, the club owner invited us back to the kitchen for roast beef sandwiches and a beer. Just as we were about to call it a night, he dropped a bomb: “Time for your 2-6 am set!”
Let’s just say, words were exchanged, and he calmly placed his cleaver on the table that he used to carve roast beef, warning us in a quiet way that if we didn’t complete the gig, we wouldn’t get paid—and we’d never play California again.
Our manager, back in Texas, hadn’t mentioned this "after-hours" gig detail. By 5 am, we were wiped, playing to a tiny group of 10, but we finished the week, got paid, and headed to our next booking in Oakland. Rock n' Roll life wasn’t for the faint-hearted!
This week’s playlist is packed with killer tracks, and don’t worry—I won’t be pulling out a cleaver if you decide to tune out!
Next week, I’ll share the story of our band getting maced in Berkeley’s People’s Park!
Thanks for listening and rocking with us!
