Bill
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How do you sum up 23 years? Pissed off parents by destroying their favorite couches with my only pair of drumsticks. I think was 6 or 7; who can remember? ’78 Dad sadly realizes guitar is not going to happen. On my 9th birthday, he scores me real drums. 220 bucks out of the paper - a set of Reuthers made in Taiwan. Skip to ’80 leave local nazi camp (grade school) moved to Saint Paul Open School - life changes completely, diversity ensues…’81 first band “Why”. Print this. Schoolwork goes out window completely, finally met Cos through our bands, started out with comics, Skate Gremlin meets Metal Patrol to sum up our meeting of minds. With a little help from Coffee Girl and Oi Boy, but anyway that is neither here nor there, back to business. Amazing how comics and hacky sack can lead to world domination, or in this case starting a band or two. Speaking of help, the librarian at school was booking our gigs and hence my sick and twisted drum journey began. ’87 Graduation. Entry level shit jobs, Main Advance (formerly Why) dies. John Sweeney, Bobby Tomlin, Sean Cosgrove tried to start a thing or two, I remember a song, Japanese Soldier...
’89-’90 Chaos follows. Sold all my drums to idiots for $300. ’90 two years without touching sticks. I gave it up. Quit post-graduation slave labor at Ciatti’s on Grand Avenue. With other friends, leave Saint Paul for Kenai, Alaska. An unknown five year get rich quick gamble in Alaska sea-food industry. Winter of ’91 asked to play with Vince Bernardi and his brother in a band called the Scarabs. Got back into playing but only for a 6 month stint. I had to quit, it hurt really bad, but I had a ticket to Alaska. I had to go back up. ’94-’95. Home from Alaska/Seattle. Played for first time in over six years. Spent all remaining fish cash on new drum equipment, approximately $3500. It actually happened. I spent it all. Teamed up with Jason Murray and Jeff Scroggins and the band was called Basement Gallery. That was fun. ’97. Met Bob Z, Ananda Bates, John Swartsen, Max Bennet through Jason Murray. Started Blue Dot Trance, it was well over a five year run. 2000-01. Our last show at the Red Sea in Minneapolis. It was poets and special guests, Jason moved to New York then I joined Hot Dish. In between Hot Dish and Homeless Moses (my 2002) project, I worked with Bryan Knisley for a while. Glad for that, I helped him set up his studio. I tried a project out of Edge-a-poetic. Homeless Moses was really busy (not to mention, I was in three bands over a three month period) and right around this time Sean started calling me. I started playing with Dances with Worms, jamming on Wednesday nights. And I became committed. I knew Sean was serious from high school, has always been serious musically. I knew if he called me it was serious shit, not gonna be a waste of my time. He had something that he had been working hard on and I knew I wanted to be a part of it. That was the crux of the biscuit (props to Zappa for that line).
Working with Sean and Sam put me in the learning chair once again. There’s new angles, new ideas and at the same time I am totally proud to work with them. I am finally happy to stick with one project and not spread myself so thin. It’s time to get busy living or it’s time to get busy dying.
Love, Billy 2007
’89-’90 Chaos follows. Sold all my drums to idiots for $300. ’90 two years without touching sticks. I gave it up. Quit post-graduation slave labor at Ciatti’s on Grand Avenue. With other friends, leave Saint Paul for Kenai, Alaska. An unknown five year get rich quick gamble in Alaska sea-food industry. Winter of ’91 asked to play with Vince Bernardi and his brother in a band called the Scarabs. Got back into playing but only for a 6 month stint. I had to quit, it hurt really bad, but I had a ticket to Alaska. I had to go back up. ’94-’95. Home from Alaska/Seattle. Played for first time in over six years. Spent all remaining fish cash on new drum equipment, approximately $3500. It actually happened. I spent it all. Teamed up with Jason Murray and Jeff Scroggins and the band was called Basement Gallery. That was fun. ’97. Met Bob Z, Ananda Bates, John Swartsen, Max Bennet through Jason Murray. Started Blue Dot Trance, it was well over a five year run. 2000-01. Our last show at the Red Sea in Minneapolis. It was poets and special guests, Jason moved to New York then I joined Hot Dish. In between Hot Dish and Homeless Moses (my 2002) project, I worked with Bryan Knisley for a while. Glad for that, I helped him set up his studio. I tried a project out of Edge-a-poetic. Homeless Moses was really busy (not to mention, I was in three bands over a three month period) and right around this time Sean started calling me. I started playing with Dances with Worms, jamming on Wednesday nights. And I became committed. I knew Sean was serious from high school, has always been serious musically. I knew if he called me it was serious shit, not gonna be a waste of my time. He had something that he had been working hard on and I knew I wanted to be a part of it. That was the crux of the biscuit (props to Zappa for that line).
Working with Sean and Sam put me in the learning chair once again. There’s new angles, new ideas and at the same time I am totally proud to work with them. I am finally happy to stick with one project and not spread myself so thin. It’s time to get busy living or it’s time to get busy dying.
Love, Billy 2007
HOT!
