Jason Redman

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Every now and then we run into someone who changes our lives completely, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worst. At 13 I met a guy who did both those things at once. His name was Pete (last name witheld 'cause I don't know how to spell it). One day while trying to decide who I liked better, Prince or Michael Jackson, this guy who was a friend of my older brother let me listen to his walkman. What came out of the headphones blew my moonwalking mind. It was Sunshine of Your Love by Cream, and the sound of Clapton, Bruce and Baker layin' down the groove live off the floor hit me like an ever so gentle tap on the nuts. Ouch! Within days I had and old Ludwig drumset that I borrowed from a friend of my mother and with Pete on guitar, my brother on bass and yours truly beating the skins, I had my first band. If there's a word between terrible and horrendous I don't know it but it would be an apt description of our sound. In the meantime Pete, being the typical lazy, wanna be musician, would always forget his 1978 Red Tokai Stratocaster knockoff at our house so I started playing it, and loving it. Bye bye drums. I went from break dancing, to back beating, to guitar weilding front man all in one summer. Auditions soon began for a new drummer. Our first (and only) prospect was a guy who claimed to own a drumset that used to belong to a drummer that once toured with Larry Gowan, so we knew he had to be good. Skipping the formalities of an actual audition we hired Chris (last name witheld just because I can) site unheard. It was then that my brother decided he'd rather be an inebriated admirer of the band than a member so off walked our bottom end. To the music store...post an add...bass player needed...enter Bill Norman (last name included because Bill was the first real musician I played with up to this point). Bill was the kind of bass player who didn't start on guitar and get 'demoted' to bass for being lousy at barre chords, he actually loved the bass. If you've ever played with one of these guys they are frighteningly good musicians, and sometimes just plain frightening. With, I believe it was 3, rehearsals under our belts we felt ready for our first gig. Fortunately, Pete's mom owned a restaraunt in town and she said we could play there on a Monday night after they closed for no pay. Packing a repertoire of 8 songs we loaded up our 'Ross' amps (don't ask) and headed to the show. You know how the first time you have sex, no matter how pathetic your performance is, you remember it fondly for the rest of your life(at least if you're a guy)...well...you know. Incredibly it was all downhill from there. Our reheasals became hazy booze fests with pothead hanger ons and pretty soon I'd had enough. I quit the band and decided to become a folk singer. Pete never quite got over it. His wild ride from anonymous high school nobody to unheard local garage band rhythm guitarist ended way too soon. While I don't miss Pete I do owe him. Even though he introduced me to cigarettes and alcohol he also introduced me to Cream. These were the early years.