Roller was the first “real” band I was in and these are the pictures of my very first show. I don’t have any recordings of this group, no practice tapes and nothing from this event. This was the only show we did together and I’m sorry to say I don’t even remember my band mates names. (I seemed to have misplaced my journal from this time period) What I can say is that this band and event lead me directly into the music path that became my life for the next 30 years.
It was my first year in college at Montana State University in Bozeman (1980-81). I had my drums set up in my dorm room which caused all kinds of trouble as my roommate and I would have extremely loud parties on the weekends. All sorts of crazy things happened and I was getting a reputation as having the best music in the dorm. The music sounded live as I played along with some of the most popular albums of the time. One day a guy contacted me and asked if I wanted to be in a band that he and his girlfriend were putting together. The answer was absolutely yes.
Over the course of about 3 months we put together enough songs to land the opening spot in a 3-band, spring-bash that took place in a field somewhere outside of town. All-in-all I’d say we did okay for our first time out. I remember thinking at least I wanted to look cool. Apparently the white suit vest with no shirt was my idea of cool. And that attention seeking paid off. If not with the audience, with landing my next gig.
The second group in the lineup was a band called “Story” and I (sort of) knew their lead singer, Chuck Fulcher, from Great Falls High School. The third band was some kind of techno group. I don’t remember the name of the band or the music they played. But, boy was I impressed with Story. They were good. The thing I remember most was how versatile they were. Chuck played harmonica and Dan pulled out a fiddle on some songs. And just look at those guys. “Wow,” I thought to myself, “I’d sure like to be in a band like that.” Even if I have to wear a shirt!
Well anyway, sometime after the show, or maybe while the techno band was playing, Chuck and one of the other Story guys, it might have been Dan, approached me “backstage” and asked if I would be interested in auditioning for their band sometime in the future. Sid, their drummer, was thinking of leaving the group due to increasing class load conflicts. Man, I couldn’t believe it. The answer to that offer was also absolutely yes!
That night I partied with my friends back at the dorm after my first ever rock show and being discovered by a really cool band. I don’t remember thinking about it much after that. Thanks to my friends I already felt like a rock star. So it didn’t seem like it, but an entire year would go by before I got the call from Chuck that I was to come and audition. I wasn’t going to school that following year and had done some traveling. I was in Great Falls when I got the call, but I did return to Bozeman in the spring of 82’ for a Huey Lewis concert and an audition for Story. I got the job. And the rest is history.
If not for Roller . . .
Our Set List – my “to-do” list. Begin rock-n-roll life with these 10 songs
Without evidence I have never romanticize our greatness. That we weren’t. But, if there’s something you really want to do you’ve got to be the beginner. Start somewhere. Take risks. That we did. Freebird!!!
~ Story ~
