A former store manager used to tell me whenever I had a surprise sale that “Sometimes a squirrel backs into a nut.” Meaning, you get lucky when you’re not looking.

I need to look less often!

Yesterday I got another gig, this time with the cover band Vinyl Renegades. Classic rock, dance, pop tunes, you know the deal. But what makes this gig extra cool for me? It will be the first time since July 3, 2022 that I will be sharing the stage with my awesome friend/singer Deb Tote Harvey! We used to be in the band Naked Glory back then, was a short-lived gathering but a lifelong friendship came from it, which is more important than the music.

She asked me yesterday if her bandleader John could call me to see if we can work things out, and that I could be a sub on this upcoming August 23rd gig. OF COURSE! I chat with John, very pleasant, told me the deal with the band and whatnot. I accepted his terms, and he is aware that I’m not a typical rock player. (Curse and a blessing sometimes!) But that I will always stick as close to the songs as possible, yet my inevitable quirkiness will come through. He was cool with that.

Sent me the master song list and said “What do you know from this?” Obviously I’ve covered most of these songs, and a handful are new to me. But I am a fast learner, plus I will have a little over a month to get new stuff down. Deb told him and the rest of the band that they have nothing to worry about with someone like me. That I am pro, prompt, get good guitar sounds, and easy to hang with. The last thing speaks volumes, if you ask me.

As it stands now, I still have the August 22nd show with Supernova. And then this gig the next day. But wait there’s more…

The bassist in Supernova, Tony Buono, is also filling in with Vinyl Renegades. So we have to see each other AGAIN?!? He’s gonna get sick of me HA! But he’s excited, as am I. It’s nice to be around other musicians who enjoy my company, and not beat me over the head with “I don’t like when you do that” and “Stop playing that shit!”

Mean people suck.

While I don’t see myself fully submerged in the cover scene, I am enjoying it a bit more than I expected. I was your typical snotty “It has to be originals!” but while I am still creative and vital with writing music…if I have to play pubs and bars to see big crowds and make nice money, then fine. I didn’t sell out. I still have my integrity. And everyone knows that.

Will more gigs happen? Got me. If this squirrel backs into another nut soon, then great!

BTW: 5 points if you got the reference in the blog title.

The title of this blog definitely makes its point, doesn’t it? As we have always heard, “If you don’t ask, the answer is always no.”

I asked and the universe listened.

After the Blame It On The Girl gig last weekend, I blurted out (in my car) “I’d like another gig before August!” And well, the universe or some musical god happened to be in a good mood and helped me out…

Enter my friend Bob Lamb, all-purpose bassist who can fill in with any band in seconds flat. I am not kidding. He knows a ton of songs, so he will always be first pick to sub. We’ve known each other for many years, since the MySpace days (!) He and I played together two years ago in Tammy & The Others. This time we’re teaming up again with the band CRASH!

Bob wrote me on Monday with “Aidan (Hand; singer) needs a guitarist for a July 11 gig in Nanuet. Can you do it?” I said “Yes for sure, are you on bass?” and he said YEP! The drummer is Ed Gunderman. We lobbied set lists back and forth, and since we’re only playing one 90-minute set, it will be most likely 30-34 songs.

And the gig is 20 minutes from my house 🙂

The gig is at Nanuet Town Centre, a mall in New York. This is part of the Summer Concert Series starting July 11 to August 15; a different band every Friday. I am excited because it will be outdoors, hopefully a nice-sized stage with a rockin’ PA system. The song choices haven’t been finalized but am sure they will include the tried-and-true ones that virtually every cover band does. Which is fine with me as I know a majority of the tunes. If I have to learn a few new ones, so be it!

There’s no “Free Bird”, sorry.

I’d seen CRASH! before at Rhodes Tavern when my friends James Bruno (Rock Hard) filled in on drums and Tony Buono (Supernova) on bass. Think at that show, they covered Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Tom Petty, Lit, Jimmy Eat World, and the like. So I know what to expect with this gig.

Take it from me…the more you manifest, the better your chances of getting nice things.

I like nice things.

If you’re gonna book a rock band…don’t expect Peter Paul & Mary, okay?

When you’re competing with a very live-sounding room as well as glass and other variables, the sound will bounce all around. This is physics 101. Blame It On The Girl was supposed to play outside but it was considered “too hot” so things were moved inside but not totally. Yes the bay door was open, there was a nice breeze flowing, but seeing people cover their ears and then being told “You’re too piercingly loud, cut it in half” is not the most inspiring thing to hear.

I simply will never understand what people want when seeing and hearing loud rock music. Granted, some acts are purposely too loud, going for Manowar-like levels which is silly. Ah well…onto the good stuff.

This was my first sub gig with BIOTG and it was a lot of fun. Parking sucked though! I forgot how difficult it was to find a spot in Jersey City, especially the Heights. I was lucky to find a space half a block away. Got my exercise! Once inside, we set up shop, and started going through the songs. Yes I loused some things but in the past I would have thrown a fit. Now I laugh it off. I simply stopped caring what people think of me, at least musically. I held my own, played the songs as best as possible, and nobody in the band complained. So I did something right.

I tell you what, “Jolene” is a BITCH to play but once I got it going, it was fine. Definitely one of the hardest songs I ever learned, next to “Sultans Of Swing”. I am not kidding. And…gulp…I had to use a capo for the very first time ever live. My grandfather used to say “Capos are for sissies” and I learned not to like them. But some songs that I teach need a capo, so one of my students got one for me last Christmas. And now I had to use it for “Jolene”, and yes it was a relief of my fretting hand. But I can picture my grandfather up there saying “Oh no” LOL! (It was only the one tune!)

Other tunes I played for the first time ranged from “Pink Pony Club” (you read that right), “Raise Your Glass”, to “Locked Out Of Heaven”, “Home Sweet Home” and “Ring Of Fire”. Many I was quite familiar with but didn’t rely on my memory. I re-learned the parts to be safe. Even my own aging brain can betray me at times.

It was a good first time sub gig for me, and if more happen, then I will be more prepared. I think back to my first gig with Supernova back in December 2022 (!) and every show since then has been better and better. All about finding the groove and locking in.

I need a nap now.

If this happened to me a few years ago, I would have jumped out of my skin. But over time, I learned not to believe a lot of things, even if I have a ton of evidence. All I could think when I opened my email last night was…

Ya gotta be kiddin’ me?!

I doubt very strongly that 1000 people follow me. Some are most likely bots, as to be expected. But one thing’s certain: I have never ever paid for likes or follow anywhere on any social platform. You can tell the ones that do that, it’s really easy. My fan base (if I have one) has always been organic. Slow, yes. But the real deal. I’ve read the stories about bands losing their accounts because of being caught buying likes.

I can’t even recall when I signed up for Spotify. Maybe I can look to see if there’s a date that shows it. Even so, who cares? If at least half of the follows are genuine, fine with me. I earned them. Not like my music was ever meant to set the world on fire but I think I created a tiny spark here and there.

It’s funny that the bottom of the post says “people now awaiting your next release”.

Keep waiting.

I’m in no rush whatsoever to do anything.

I came across a video by a guy named James Michael, completely unaware that he was the singer in the band Sixx A.M. (Sorry but they never factored on my musical radar at all!) But his podcasts were a breadth of wisdom and insight that needed to be said.

Here’s one of his many videos: James Michael This one made me go down the cliched rabbit hole.

I won’t spoil anything for you, but just know that what he says are hard facts, cold truths, and it’s coming from someone who dug through the trenches of the con job that is the music industry.

Why am I talking about this? Because local bands need to hear these things! Chances are they won’t listen. I wouldn’t have been ready to listen either a few years ago. Just being honest there. But time and certain people have a funny way of waking your sorry ass up.

Mine was smacked hard.

Will I stop being creative? No. But will I lay down more boundaries when it comes to my vision? Absolutely. One thing James talks about in another video is the “dark side to songwriting”. I won’t go into detail there, you can scope the clip yourself if you wish. My take is this: nobody cares about your music unless they can worm their way in for even the tiniest credit. All about being seen and heard, no matter the cost. ‘I added that D note! I get a credit!”

Slow down there, Sparky.

These past five years for me have been some of the heaviest in terms of soul-searching, facing hard realities, learning sad truths, and really knowing what people (musicians or not) truly think of me. All of it was eye-opening and eye-watering. I can’t recall a time before 2020 when I was this hard-pressed to reach into my blackened soul and uncover things that laid dormant.

Solitude became my friend without me asking.

The point of this blog is that I hope at least one local musician checks the podcast out. They might shrug and say “Ah, Bello, you’re just bitter because you never got to be a guitar god.” Yeah you’re right but I’m also trying to save someone from the bitterness that I’ve acquired over time. I see a lot of clueless bands, acting like it’s still 1984 and they live in their mom’s garage. “Our band’s gonna MAKE IT, dude!”

You’re my age or older, dude!

I would never deter anyone from trying to get somewhere. Being a musician is hard enough, but the other external factors that compound things make it REALLY difficult to get ahead. It’s not the 80s where you had no internet, no Bandcamp or YouTube. You relied on word-of-mouth, and your band actually had to be GOOD to get attention. Now, forget it. Social media has made it damn near impossible for anyone to get noticed. You have to wade through a lot of dirt to find a diamond.

To put things in perspective: a bass player friend of mine in California said to me a while back that she clicked on my link for the MOOD SWINGS album. Told me that she didn’t expect much because “how good could this be?” but she was surprised that it was enjoyable. Her point was that local bands really don’t have much to offer in the way of anything remotely unique in the original world. Everyone are too busy copying and imitating. No wonder NJ has 2,435 cover bands in a ten-mile radius! But here’s another cold hard fact…

There are a ton of cover/tribute bands because at some point, every musician tried making it as an original artist. And realized “Wow this is tough” so they turn to covers. And guess what? People show up! People get drunk! You get paid! Everyone wins (just please don’t drink and drive…I am being serious here.) I help cover bands out because it is fun and can make a few bucks. For a brief period, I felt like I sold my soul. But since I’m still writing music, I am spared.

I’m not the wide-eyed dude who thinks his music will save the world anymore. I do hope to touch one person’s brain and heart with any song that I write. And to be fair, the local bands around here are doing better than I am as far as marketing, networking, writing familiar material, and all basically looking the same. Easier to digest. I’m the outlier, the black sheep, the one who is difficult to “get” at first. But then when someone does, their minds are torn wide open.

“I didn’t think you were that good, Bello.”

As Prince once said, “Chalk one up for the Kid…”