...18 years ago...

Woke late - 12 or so. We clean up and leave about 2:30. Steve walked with us down to the place on campus with all the restaurants. We eat at a place called "Hungry Charley's" or "Hungry Chuck's" as it's called. I had some great soup. We leave and Steve and I walk to a frat party where John and Pete are hanging out. All the sorority girls got "pinned" today - so all the frats throw parties for them. I decide not to hang out - the others went to stores and Rod to Steve's. Steve goes to library. I leave and go home - Rod is asleep on the couch.

Seems "Chuck's" is back. Steve was in the bands "Mr. Happy" and "Hair Club For Men" who played at our very first show in Harleysville at the youth center.

I take a walk and buy tape for my fingers. I've got calluses. I put tape on them so I won't pick at them. Also - because I'm playing more and hitting harder. My fingers ache - mostly the left fore finger. Jon Wurster developed the same problem and went to the doctor's in North Carolina and got some pills for it. After he moved to NYC with his band he still had it. He went to a doctor in Manhattan - the same doctor that the drummer for Bruce Springsteen's drummer [Max Weinberg] goes to. The doctor told him to play more but don't hit so hard and soak them. He paid $150 for the visit. About a week later Jon bought a magazine with an interview with the doctor and read the same advise for $4.95! I suppose the pain will go away. I've still got to find the right stick though. I'm hoping that "Dean Markley" - who we have a deal with on guitar and bass strings, will have the right stick for me. Dave R. will call tomorrow for samples.

My left fore finger still aches from time to time. The left hand took the most punishment playing the strong 2 and 4's on the snare. We had a deal with Dean Markley to get strings and sticks for cost (looks like they no longer make sticks). I did get a sample of all their stick types and ended up on wood tipped 2B's which are really thick marching drum-line sticks. In hindsight I'd probably go for something a little thinner like a 5B and try to play a little lighter. Even with the thick stick I'd occasionally break one. A pair lasted about a week or two if I was lucky; the wood splintered and wore out from the rim and snare hits.

After I buy tape I find Joe and Dan in a record store. We hang out and meet up with Dave R. and Dave B. in Hungry Chuck's playing pinball. We all get back to Steve's and load guitars and I ride with Steve in his convertible VW to the club. Big place - large stage. We load in and set up for sound check. Scott the sound man arrives - cool guy. We jam while they get the system in order. Go over new material. We sound check - OK sound. We eat at "Chi-Chi's" - decent Mexican food.

I won't go anywhere near a Chi-Chi's these days!

Back to the "Lost Horizon" club. First band on - really bad. I sit with Dave R. in the back of the club and write set lists - tonight's set list is different than usual. Second band on - bad. We go to dressing room with our case of beer. Hang out. We setup and play - sound on stage is not good. I have and "off" night as do we all. The ceiling was low and and the lights were very hot causing the guitars to go out of tune. We made it through the set - crowd liked us anyway. We play and encore. An average performance at best. Load up gear about 2-2:30AM. I stuff the rest of the beer in our T-Shirt bag. We drive back to Steve's apartment. To bed at 3AM. We have an interview at the college radio station at 8:30AM. We plan to trash it because they are now a Top 40 station. We plan to smell and generally be obnoxious. I'll let you know how it went tomorrow.

Minimal info available for the Lost Horizon club. The radio station event was mentioned in a past entry. It is a shame that more and more college radio stations became more mainstream and fazed out alternative music. This one seems to be an early convert.