nickelndime

Long ago... I mean long, long ago, before Nick and Keelan, There was... Nick and Jeremy.

My guitar playing was as smooth as my silky long hair.

Jeremy was my old band mate, and what a great band mate to have had. Not only was/is he extremely talented, but it was also fun to play music with him! There's been times when I've played with really proficient musicians, but it just wasn't fun. Recently, I went through some old recordings and stumbled upon some originals we did together. It was such a shock when I looked at the date the files where created. They were almost twenty years old! That made me search my hard drives for anything else I could find and I came across this video which illustrates just how long ago it really was.

To give you an idea of how long ago this was, please observe in the video below what I do with the cigarette that was jammed into the head stock of my guitar at the end of the video

https://www.cinnamon.video/watch?v=342890550141125817

Did you notice that not only am I smoking in the bar, but I actually ashed on the floor? We weren't picky on the types of venues we played.

This was also the first real band I was in. By that, I mean we played gigs for money, earned a good amount doing it. We would play anywhere and everywhere. The main drawback about gigs that paid was that people didn't want to hear your originals. I've discovered through my years of playing, most people at bars would rather hear, “Brown Eye Girl” or, “Margaritaville” back to back, over and over rather than listen to an original.

That was a shame when it came to Nick and Jeremy, because it was fun to write songs with Jeremy. Our writing, voices, and guitar styles complimented each other very nicely. Someone once remark on our voices, “Jeremy's voice has so much range and control, while Nick's voice sounds like someone took sandpaper and tried to sand his vocal chords, but somehow... they work really well together.”

Our stage presence was amazing as well! Jeremy had the tall, skinny, rock and roll look going on, while I went for the gnome look that all the gals fawned over.

NickleNDime performing gnome like tasks before a gig.

We also had great back and forth banter, which is an overlooked aspect to performing live. I've seen very talented players lose a crowd because they wouldn't interact with the audience. It's not like crowds are mean, they will just accept the musician as background music. Nick and Jeremy always had the crowd singing along, clapping hands, or something to show that they were engaged.

So what happened to Nick and Jeremy?

He moved. He found a lovely lady on Myspace (told you it was along time ago) and moved to Florida where they are still happily married today. Years after he moved, I nagged and pestered him to record one of the originals we wrote, not to make a million dollars, but just to have it as a keepsake.

Found Out Today

This was the first song we wrote together, and performed live together. Believe it or not, our first performance was at the Bean that Sophie wrote about awhile back. Such a small world, eh? What made co-writing with Jeremy so fun was that there was no ego on either side. The goal was always to refine an idea to create the best song possible. Take a listen:

https://www.cinnamon.video/watch?v=342896045258179793

Lyrics

Found out today,

that your going away

after taking everything I had to give

When I wake up tomorrow

I'm gonna bury my sorrow

cause it's the only way I know how to live

After all those nights we shared

and to think I though you really cared

Well I ain't no fool

I'm gonna keep my cool

if you think your on my mind

than your wasting all your time

I'm gonna find my old friends

we're gonna watch the night end

we're gonna watch the sun come blazing up all new

they're gonna cheer me up

they're gonna fill my cup

and were gonna toast to how we're all free from you

after all those nights we shared

and to think I thought you really cared

Well now that your gone

I can only move on

I ain't living in the past

cause it never really lasts

Nowadays, when we catch up on the phone, we always joke about getting the band back together. He's had a hell of a time trying to find other musicians he gels with. That can be more challenging than you'd think. After Jeremy left, I was in a couple of train wreck bands until I found Keelan. I will always smirk when he'll say things like, “I shouldn't have to tell somebody who's played their instrument their whole life, that they are playing in a different key than the rest of the band!”

I'm really happy I found these files, it felt like getting in a time machine. It was such an important time for me as a musician, and a person. To all other musicians or creative people out there who have great band mates they are working with may I offer you this bit of advice...

Remember, even the greatest bands of all time eventually call it quits, so enjoy creating with your band mates while you can.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to call my friend.

Take it easy, but take it.

NickelNDime out!

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