What’s in a Name, Anyway?

We have a penchant for monkeying with our name when playing in front of people. We were “American Standard” once, in honor of the commodes we so lovingly use everyday. In the same vein, we have been “Montezuma’s Revenge” for years now, complete with imaginary codpieces and dramatic poses, a la “Spinal Tap.” There was also “Southern Movement,” last summer. Detect a trend?

Of course traditional names sprout up, like "Parker's Creek" and the tried and true, "Rick Dill and Friends." This last is usually the nom do guerre when appearing in public, if for no other reason than ease and convenience.

Back in the histrionic hair days of the early '80s I took my bad guitar playing into local bars with "Stepper," a reggae band of sorts that strangely enough seemed to capture a moment (Babylon Time Bomb). After four recorded songs and less than two years the original line-up of T-Byrd on drums, Etsmo on percussion, Mort on vocals, Robbie Dib on bass, John Costanzo on guitar, Chuck Marcus on keyboards and me on rhythm, broke up. There were various permutations afterward: some guy came from Arizona to play guitar, a trombone player, various percussion players and camp followers, another keyboard player, Theo Jackson on guitar. Always the music revolved around reggae, until about 1984.

I auditioned for a band called Junior Smoots and the Destroyers. I didn't make it, but shortly after, Smoots absconded with the band's money and blew it all on cocaine.

Then there was a Jamaican called Jah Love. He was "the best reggae singer in the world," (said Jah Love to himself in the mirror). We played several scary shows, including one over by the Delaware River . Theo stayed after my departure, and went on to filch the best players and start his own band, which still plays under the name "Reggae Plus." Jah Love was arrested for cocaine possession and I think was deported.

A few years followed in St. Louis and Texas where I dogged after my future wife and played with various characters. Returning to New Jersey , I reunited with the vestiges of "Stepper" and we recorded about six songs. T-Byrd and Etsmo were there, as were Mort and Dib. I played lead guitar and made a lot of noise about "being ready to play the Garden," (I said to myself in the mirror). After about a year the lineup had changed again, with a different bass player, and Mark DiSciullo on keyboards.

A guy named "Raffi" was raking in the bucks with a kids music show, so I wrote two albums worth of songs with Mark and recorded them on a 4-track under the name "Water View Whalers."

Then slowly the reggae thing turned a little Rocky, and a little Folky. John Perkins started playing guitar. John and his female friend danced to a song I wrote. We picked up Julie Christine on percussion. Etsmo went away. Suddenly, we had a band called "The Vobies." We recorded two songs, and that was the end of that.

One day a short time later an old friend, Rich Scott, was walking by the house. We hooked up and played guitar. Soon Rich, T-Byrd and I were playing a coffeehouse fundraiser and we met a guy selling CDs. From that meeting came a friendship that has lasted almost 10 years to date. Frank Patrouch was going by the name Frank Rafferty then. He was a singer/songwriter with an album out, Barks, Bites, and Hairy Tales.

We started playing open mics. Frank moved over to bass, with Rich and John on guitar, and T-Byrd on percussion. We recorded four songs (I Still Miss Someone). John Perkins went away. T-Byrd went away. Frank invested in a coffee house called "Mr. Moon's," and we started playing there. Steve Brown, the drummer from Frank's album, played bongos with a shaker in one hand. I thought that was awesome.

Then came Doug Baron on dobro, and David Laurance on violin. We played at the Little Silver (NJ) gazebo, and did a benefit at Embury Methodist church, also in Little Silver. Different guys came and went. Steve, Frank and I tried unsuccessfully to start a publishing company. In the meantime we met John Noll, the owner of Retromedia Studios. A lot of new songs were coming, and we started recording an album.

We recorded one song with Bill Harth on harmonica, and another with Joe "Bluesy" Savio on bass. A wonderful singer named Maureen McCrink came in and spiced up "Lonesome Desert Skies." The final touch was to get D.W. Griffiths to play banjo and put his high tenor on "Who Do You Drive For?"

The album, Unfinished Business , was released in 2000.

All through this time Frank and I have stayed together and played together. We did some summer gigs, and Steve helped, Mark was there, a guy named Dave McCarthy played guitar.

I went back to Retromedia Sound in the fall of 2000 and winter of 2001, and slowly started to record another album. In the summer we put together an outdoor tour and kept working in the recording studio. In 2002 we put together a band with D.W. Griffiths on guitar, Frank on bass, and Ed Doherty on drums. Too many people to mention came into the studio to record. Look in the bio section for more details.

To confuse matters, I had a benign brain tumor in September, 2002, and bacterial meningitis in September, 2003. This challenge brought out the best in my friends in the way of food, cards, and even recording time while I was recuperating.

Finally, Long Way Back was finished in early 2004, and was released in July, in time for the summer schedule. Since late 2005 Frank, Steve and I have been happy to be joined by my son, Cliff, on guitar.

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