Lug and the Luggettes (1982)
First “band”! This was a group comprised of Casa Manana backstage crew members. The median age was 16. I was 14 at the time. It was made up of Chris (Lug) Davis, Nick “Sasquatch” Brophy, George (Goober) Lindsey Jr and Sean (Pugsly) McCormick (me). I learned from this that the general public isn’t wild about hearing teenagers massacre Black Sabbath songs in public. Fun fact, at my first gig I forgot my drumsticks.
The Agents (1983 – 1988)
As Ft. Worth, TX in the early 80’s had close to zero original music role models, everyone just emulated other cover bands. The Agents were mostly Pascal High students, with me being the outsider that attended Southwest High. We went from drunken gym dances to frat parties and eventually invading Ft. Worth’s rather tepid bar scene, establishing a residency of sorts at the now defunct Pig and Whistle Pub, Billy Bob’s Silver Spur and the White Elephant Saloon’s beer garden. I learned from this that someone needs to take the creative reins in a band and that Generra trench coats and skinny ties will get you the occasional phone number scrawled inside a matchbook.
On-N-On (1986-1987)
Ah, the 80s… This was yet another cover band in Ft. Worth (see above), straight out of a Nagel print. We stuck to the electronic side of things, using an old Apple II on stage to run all the midi gear and the only local band at the time (to my knowledge) attempting Dead or Alive covers. I learned once again, the ladies do love a boy that fusses in the wardrobe department, although it occasionally resulted in a few jealous beer bottle throws.
Tribal Sign (1989)
As a puppeteer living in Hollywood, I began to pine for my drums and hooked up with an intimidating guitar-shredding fellow named Chris Conley from Detroit. A strange pairing but we hit it off famously, adding Michael Collins from New Mexico on bass and a ne’er-do-well local named TJ on vocals. We were there during the transition from hair bands to grunge and funk stuff. We used to get drunk and call the glam bands, pretending to be A&R reps.
