Well, a wannabe teenage rockstar…
I started playing guitar at age 8, my first being a guitar and amp package. The guitar was a Fender Strat copy which was a far cry from the guitars I was lusting after. But it did the job, for a little while.
The story of how I came to own the guitar is a story in itself, so I’ll let that be it’s own post.
In my mid teens one of my close friends was singing for a local band. It turned out that they were looking for a second guitar player, so I was brought in to audition.
Wow, the above paragraph makes it sound like it was very formal. It wasn’t by any means.
The location the band rehearsed was a very large converted home, nestled in the middle of Galston on an acreage, owned by a man named Bruno. The home itself had been converted into a Wedding-Reception building of sorts, and the room that we used was a tiled and brick walled basement located under the house, with access from the outside via a side door.
I remember walking into the room for the first time. On the floor lay large creamy brown tiles. The walls were exposed brown brick. On these walls were sheets of material that were hung like curtains, which I would later find out hid “storage holes” where the owners kept their old things. The drum kit was setup at the back right corner, bass amp to the left of this, and a lone guitar amp along the left wall beside the bass amp.
It was there that I met Avis, Noddy, and Bobby. I remember saying, “Hello” and ensuring I didn’t keep eye contact with any of them. I was freaked out and nervous.
All of them had long hair, all of them together “looked” like a real band. I didn’t believe that I’d be able to fit in. So reluctantly, I finished setting up my gear and plugged in.
Whilst kneeling and facing my amp, with my back towards the guys, I strummed a low E chord, then went into the intro to Master Of Puppets. Looking back I think it was extremely gay of me to play that, but I didn’t know what else to do. Then I stopped and got up, turned, and Noddy broke the ice by saying, “Ok, you’re in” . Everyone chuckled.
…and so began my time with the greatest guys I’ve ever had the opportunity to be creative with, Ambergris.
Here’s a video of an original Ambergris Song. Summer Song – by Ambergris