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My Life as a Youth

 
Desperado
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Sorry for the double post. Sherifs have mercy on me! I had to say this before I ...
"Any special moments from rock past? "
OMG, where should I begin!?
In 1966 after recording just one more or less good (not terrible) album that didn't sell because of lack of distribution (the producer was arrested for theft), we were the youngest band, actually the FIRST band from San Juan (Puerto Rico) to be asked to play in the US Virgin Island of St. Thomas.
St. Thomas at that time was the "mecca" of musicians of all of the caribbean. Like the Beatles' Hamburg.
Playing there was considered an honor.
The Mamas and the Papas had made a second home of it.
Duffy's was THE place.
Imagine when he came to Puerto Rico (PR) looking for a band to play one or two weeks during the slow summer months...
He listened to the other bands in PR which were in their early twenties. We were 16 (the oldest, me) and the youngest was 14 (the bass player).
He chose us because he couldn't believe that five little children like us could sound so good. And that it would be more entertaining and interesting to the audience to see this in his night club. In the HIP, ADULT world that DUffy's was (as we quickly found out after the playing the first song!).
There were the legal problems that in those days were resolved with money. We were technically too young to play in an adult club.
Money *did* solve that problem. But it wasn't our problem. We were too young. We just found out later. We were just extra-excited to be playing there!
One night Sidney Poitier came in and we dedicated one song "Lillies of the Field".
We were playing the "top-40" songs, BTW. That meant a lot of Beatles of course. When the songs were new.
We grew up at the speed of light in those two weeks! They liked us so much that we were asked back in the summers of 1968 and 1969.
I would like to die there!
 
Tony Alicea
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Some of you rightfully wonder where our parents were!?
Excellent question to which there is an excellent answer.
In those days all of us had two parents and we were never alone.
My father was the one that arose to Duffy and plainly stated that there would be no harm coming to us and that he (Duffy) would have to agree to his terms or there would be no deal.
I will never forget the agreeing smile on Duffy's face; he could see the concerned look on a father's face. I didn't know any of these words in those days but I got the feeling.
Duffy (Hugh is his first name) did everything that my father asked (including paying us in advance) and he treated us like his own children in St. Thomas. And we all had "a thing" for his lady that was barely a few years older than we were!
As I said, we all grew up very fast that summer.
 
Ranch Hand
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I can very well relate Another place, another time, same sh%$t
First, let me introduce you to music scene of post-soviet russia. Early 90th. Yeltsin is fully in power, but economy is still "socialist". Most free business is really free, meaning non-law obiding. There's no rock per se, whatever's left after so called soviet "estrada" (kinda mix of disco and folk). Quality music instruments are barely breaking "the wall", they are to scarce and too expensive to come by. But there are many and many underground bands, with familiar underground sound. Kinda similar to sixties here...
Anyhow, we were "good guys". Meaning, we all had great schools and colleges. We weren't clean-cut though, and we liked Guns'n'Roses and Nirvana. Besides, our vocal and bass were a part of famous Belorussian folk band Pesniary. So we got a one-year concert contract with one of the first producers in Minsk, Belarus. Along with us, they signed 3 other bands, including now famous Lyapis Trubetskoi. The high point was our concert in Minsk on open stage on Independence Day, along with 5-6 other bands, as cover for then "grand" band Krama (for some obscure reason I can't remember year, but I think it was 1994). Among others we played with were "Neuro Dubel", "Buelorusski Klimat", "DJ Klauss"... An article to post-mine era is here.
And then, after 4 years and 3 "dirty" recordings, I went to US. If anyone cares now... :roll:
Shura
[ July 12, 2002: Message edited by: Shura Balaganov ]
 
Tony Alicea
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Wow that was awesome. We can see that home were a part of that place's rock history!
 
Leverager of our synergies
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Tony! You used to have a web page, you should give a link!
 
Tony Alicea
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Thanks Map!!
I have that album in aplus.net.
They have disconnected me (by mistake I'm sure) and they haven't answered my tech support calls! GRRRR!
The URL is http://trapiche.com
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