Born 1970, Albuquerque NM, a place where the waitresses ask if you want red or green rather than sweet or un-sweet.
I recorded, toured, graduated and grew-up playing drums for “The Affections” a love-song sick foursome. (Justin Martinez, Gil Sanchez, Dusty Parsons, and me) We were part of a great music scene in ABQ during the 90’s, which spawned a group of well-known bands like Liar (Eric McFadden), Flake (which became The Shins), Elephant, Naomi (Jason Daniello), The Eyeliners, Hazeldine (Tres Chicas) just to name a few.
Albuquerque... amazing food, great friends, great bars, an abundance of culture, diverse people, a great exit (17 or more now) off the highway.
I guess it was 1992 when we recorded, “Green Eggs and Ham,” a funky-Red Hot Chili Peppers kinda rap-rock parody. It was similar to the Dr. Seuss book yet we changed all the phrases, under the advise of legal counsel. We submitted the track to 94 Rock, a local radio station, that played classic rock and supported local bands. They loved it and it became a staple on their morning show and in their {Rasta Records} collection.
The Affections tenure produced two full length CD’s and an early tape. The first CD, “Undone,” was recorded at Winfield Studios produced by Andy Fietek and mastered by Eric Larson. It’s claim to fame was a track called, “Sides”. The song was featured in a promotional campaign by Shiner-Bock beer, highlighting bands on the rise; we were the only non-Austin TX based band to be featured. The commercial played in the TX, OK, NM, NV, AZ markets. It was a deal that was brokered via our relationship with 94 Rock. Unfortunately, we never really had the reach or energy to capitalize on the promo.
Shortly after finishing, “Undone”, Jason Vitela our lead guitarist and songwriter decided he had enough. He had met the girl of his dreams and was finished writing songs about ex-girlfriends, lost loves, and the like. All of us were fairly bored and needed change, enter Gil Sanchez. Gil played a completely different style and wrote songs 180 degrees from that of Jason. The best way to describe the difference...Gil played a Les Paul, Jason a Stratocaster. One beef and one chicken, (thus the second question that you might be asked by a waitress in ABQ.)
Disk Two, “Bash” was build in the postman’s garage. Gil delivered mail and his route happened to be all around the University. This would turn out to be a great area for Gil and the beginnings of his next gig, Oh Ranger.
The studio at his house is where we recorded, mixed, drank and built “Bash” Listening back to this CD today (2007) we sound just like that band, “Live”. Not sure why that is, hmmm? I don’t think we ever meant for it to sound that way. We toured this record and went to Denver in the winter and Phoenix in the summer, there was definitely NOT a travel agent amongst our crew! James Abrusci, a close friend, managed the mayhem. I can say without a doubt that we were the only rock-n-roll band in the Southwest that owned and operated a 32’ Winnebago. James purchased the beast and we traveled the deserts in style. There are stories that cannot be told about this traveling house. Do you know why small bands travel in vans rather than RV’s? !GAS! We never made a cent on any of the shows we did outside of ABQ, but we loved the quest.
I left ABQ about the same time that everyone else was leaving. Instead of heading to San Francisco or Los Angeles I moved to Chapel Hill, NC. Where I met Scott Friberg, a guitar WIZ-kid and a salt-of-the-earth kinda guy. He was a UNC grad and lived with another gent with NM roots.
It’s 1997 now, I’d been in Chapel Hill, NC, about two months. I was broke, working a sales job pimping computer classes at New Horizons. Desperate for cash, I sold an 18” Zildjian crash cymbal for forty bucks to the Music Loft in Carrboro. I was missing my life back home in Albuquerque, missing the Affections, and I needed to play music again. I left a note on the makeshift classified board at the Music Loft. It read:
... latin, rock, funk, jazz, pop, country, ska...NO Carolina, Sweet-Tea, Sister Hazel bullshit!
A few days later I had a message on my girlfriend’s answering machine. (I couldn’t actually pick up the phone and answer calls myself, but that’s another story altogether.) The message was Scott Friberg, ”Hey, I’m looking for a drummer to do some summer gigs we have scheduled. Come to Spanky’s to pick up a CD and talk.” That night I went for dinner. Scotty was a long, skinny, red-headed chef. He gave me a CD and we talked about a Saturday practice.
...Another answering machine message: Scott tells me he just broke up with his girlfriend, she just packed up and left, “things are all fucked up, no one else in the band can make it Saturday, but if you want to come by and jam I live at...”
I get to Scott’s. He lives in a tiny basement apartment underneath a modest-looking Chapel Hill ranch style house. I unpack and set up...Scott is unsure about everything in his life (just like me). We play thru a few tunes and get to one of The Trout Band’s harder-sounding songs, “Bolt.” Scott and I both knew we had something cool, his heavy percussive-style guitar and my pop sounding drums.
Fast forward 10 years...
We are best friends, both with wives and family. In 2005, we released, “Steel Toed Clown Boot,” under the band name BOOT! The record took over 5 years to make as both of us were figuring out how to be adults.
We’re working on our second CD now, “Lunch” the studio is still in basement, but Scott owns the house above it. Hopefully, it will be released, spring of 2008...but we don’t have a good track record so keep checking the web for updates.
Dawson Roark