Kingfisher: A Small Account of the Struggle (7)

A Typical Practice (early on):

We were a 3-person group with no name. We practiced 3 times a week. I left work and arrived shortly after 5:30. I was usually first to arrive and would hang out with Tiffany on her back porch as she would smoke cigarettes until it was time for her to sing. On hot days I would jump in her pool for fun to cool off. She made me take a shot of vodka as soon as I got there. Jay would arrive within 15-20 minutes. Instead of taking a shot of vodka, he would take a couple of big swigs straight from the bottle. He carried with him a big gulp sized mug filled with wine. He also wanted to smoke one last cigarette before practice could begin.

While outside we discussed new songs we wished to play. We took turns each week learning each other’s music and deciding on songs to add to our set lists. We used the pre-practice smoke breaks to be honest with each other about the music we would play for the evening. And we used them to drink before the serious work began.

Jay always rushed inside once his cigarette was done because he liked being the first person to play his instrument. He set up his microphone and would sing the blues loudly and obnoxiously. I think it was his favorite part of each practice session. I plugged in my bass and joined him. It did not sound good without drums, but did not sound bad enough for us to not play. Tiffany would come into her living room and watch us play. She tolerated it because she knew Jay loved it.

We began each session playing through the songs we learned the previous practice. Afterward we would play through everything we knew. The first couple of months this was not difficult, because we did not have many songs to choose from. We played Desperado, Midnight Special, Elderly Woman, Ain’t No Sunshine, and 3 originals. After playing through these we would work on the new song of the week. Sometimes they would make the set list. Sometimes they would fail.

After playing for an hour we would take our mid practice cigarette break. This is also where we would refill drinks. I was the only member to have a job, but Jay and Tiffany did not care. They would force me to drink with them so that we could all have fun. The first few practices I drank and would have a hangover for work the next day. That did not last long for me. Instead of telling them this and ruining the band dynamic, I would make my first two drinks very weak, and my last two drinks with no alcohol at all. Needless to say, I drank a lot of coke during the early formation of our band.

Practice ended each night after playing through the same 7 songs. We were surprisingly proactive considering we did not have a drummer and the music sounded hollow. The alcohol had something to do with that. But also, the three of us got along well. We each anticipated our practices…me because it was a break from my work life, them because it gave them some sort of direction. Plus, we loved playing music together.

After a couple of weeks of this our cigarette breaks were dominated by the discussion of how badly we needed a drummer.