After college I had moved to Palm Bay, Florida for my first proper day job, and during a visit at Florida Discount Music in Melbourne, a girl walked in and said she was looking for a bass player and did any of the store employee's know of any. They didn't. So I walk over and say, "I'm playing at a guys house this noon in Palm Bay, do you want to come over and check it out?" So she arrives and asks to hear my bass playing so my friends and I launch into Creme's White Room. I get the gig as the bass player. A few weeks into auditioning guitar players with no success, I revealed I was also a guitar player (which I am) first and foremost, and proceeded down the path of auditioning bass players. We found a bass guy and then were discovered by ISC Records out of Cape Canaveral, and landed a deal. We toured the South with records in hand and sold a few. We were getting airplay and had a huge following, where club owners courted us to come play at their clubs. It was good for their business - which is what we all strive for. [Side Note: clubs in FL during the late 70's and through the 80's, had house bands - or "residencies". This is a musicians utopia with minimum gigs for 6 days running, typical 2 weeks and as good as a few months at a time. At the end of the night, you just took your mics and instruments, and left everything else in place. Audiences loved this arrangement too as they frequented an establishment, knowing what to expect and could easily find their favorite band - of course before the internet.]
Just as we got traction, opening for Lynyrd Skynyrd (post their fatal losses) and other So. Rock bands, I took a better day job in New England. Robin Chase continued for a few more months and then shifted into local notoriety.
 |
| Partial set list for an evening at the Speakeasy Lounge - house gigs had 4-5 sets, lasting till 2 or 3 AM |
 |
| That's not big hair, just a shadow |
