Classic Waxx - A Brief History

          I could tell that Dad was interested, but he didn’t have an electric guitar anymore; all he had left was an old 70s Yamaha acoustic - which is my favorite guitar ever. I had rarely heard the man play. He had taught me a few things when I started playing, but I had never heard him play an entire song. I recognized that there were going to be some obstacles if this was going to happen, but I was up to the challenge.

          For Father’s Day that year, I purchased and Lotus Strat copy off of my buddy and gave it to Dad. That, combined with my constant harassing and my mother’s encouragement, finally got him to call Billy.

          It was a while before I was really involved. I went to a few practice sessions here and there, but they had a lot of trouble in the early days getting a drummer and a keyboard player. I even helped run sound at practice for a while, but with girls and work, and friends and a rotating door of people in and out of the band, I pretty quickly lost interest in hanging out in either a too cold or too hot garage.

          Not too long after I stopped showing up, Dad, Billy, and former rhythm guitar player Ken, convinced a former Scoutmaster of mine, Mike, to join. Mike plays keyboard, organ, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, and typically anything else that is requested of him - he brought a lot to the table. Around this same time, they hired on a steady drummer, Pappy. I have no idea what his actual name was. The band was together! It was really great to see them play. I was, and still am, in constant awe of Dad’s ability.

          Pappy left eventually and in walked Damon. Fantastic drummer. No slight against the former, but Damon just seemed to fit. It was around this time that I took on duties running the soundboard for the band when they played out. Towards the end of 2005 there was a lineup change and I was taken off of the board and put onto rhythm guitar since Ken’s spot was vacant. Sure, I could keep a beat and sing harmony, but I really had no idea at that point what I was getting into.

Classic Waxx - The Formation

          It was probably 1997 or 1998 and my dad decided to take my brother and me out for haircuts. Our normal barber, Avondale, was closed or super busy or something, so Dad took us to a barber shop downtown called Arcade. Neither of us had been there before, but obviously, Dad had. So we went in and sat down to await our turn and started flipping through magazines desperately trying to entertain ourselves and ignore the usual sporting event or news show that was playing on the television or radio.

          I looked up from my magazine, that I assume was either a Field and Stream or a Car and Driver, and Dad was having a conversation with another gentleman. Dad can small talk, but he’s not ever really been known by us to be the chatty type so Matthew and I both thought this was strange. As it turns out, this man was the bass guitar player from the band my dad was a member of in the mid-sixties. It had been a long time since they had talked, but naturally, the conversation turned to music and Dad introduced me to the man. I had been playing guitar for a few years so I think there was a bit of parental pride going on: even though I was terrible. That was the day I met Billy.

I, honestly, will never for the rest of my life forget that day. The details of the conversation and the barbershop are fuzzy at best, but I do remember meeting Billy. I remember seeing a twinkle in Dad’s eyes as Matthew and I recalled to story to Mom when we got home that Saturday afternoon.

“Mom! Dad got asked to be in a band!”

Kind of.

Billy had continued to play music after their original band broke up and was just starting to try to get a new band together. Dad played when he and Mom first got together, but having a full time job and three kids certainly didn’t leave him much time so there were only a handful of times in my youth that I can remember him playing guitar. Billy had asked Dad if he was still playing and expressed interest in playing music with him again. Matthew and I were delighted. Dad was going to play rock n roll! 

After Party

          Wow.

          Yesterday, Grayson’s party went off fantastically. Stacey and my mother-in-law, Kathy, did pretty much all of the work with me and Stacey’s step dad, Lowell, filling in here and there. It was really a great party and I know Grayson had a blast. It’s hard to believe that he’s three years old now. Thanks to all our family who came and made it such a special day in his life. He now has enough toy tractors, truck, and bulldozers to open a construction site. Thanks to our neighbor, Jeff, for bringing his horse over for the kids to check out. It was truly a great party.

          We would be lost without our family and friends. In my early 20s, I was all about my friends. I would actually dread going to family functions sometimes because I couldn’t be out having a good time, or sitting in Michael’s kitchen playing board games. The older I get, the more I realize how important family is. My family has always been there for me, especially may parents and siblings, and Stacey’s has been there for her. It’s nice to have that dedication from people who truly understand what colossal screw ups we can be. My best friends have become like family so much that I consider them brothers. It weird to think that I don’t have many close friends left (most of which is my early 20s self’s fault) but the ones I do have are way more important to me than friendship. Michael, for instance, has been my closest friend since probably 5^th grade. Geez. That’s eighteen years. Even now that he lives in Nashville and I don’t see him that often, when I do see him, it’s like no time has passed. We have that bond that, as far as I’m concerned, no matter what happens in life, we’ll always be here for the other. It’s really refreshing to have that sort of relationship come to the surface again. It was really great to see Michael and Cassie yesterday (and Holden too) and now you guys have me counting down till next October. =)