Fun facts and trivia from my past (as New Years makes me reflective):

The first recording of our band (and we were the first band in our high school! Not perhaps the best, but the first!) in high school was in a dental lab with a drummer/producer called Jay, who often wore mostly red clothes, and was a great jangly local drummer who played in many bands!
It was good in that the teeth and skeletons made a mood that added to the odd mystic of the recordings. Also, I think you could actually hear the dental teeth chattering in the background!
His dad was obviously a dentist, and we were obviously a very young band recording in a dental office.
Our band was called “Busy Hands” from the Dylan line—may your hands always be busy. We got to be pretty good, and opened for a few local and regional favorites.
We disbanded in our college days, but remained friends. Our drummer, after playing with several high profile bands (like, Shudder to Think) in DC, started his own successful label (Morphius Records) up in Baltimore and our bass player writes films and plays and runs a theater down in Charleston. I went on to Art Therapy and other adventures in the arts.
But recording in a Dental lab will always be a lasting memory for me. One that still makes me smile.
Also, for trivia’s sake, the guy who helped us set up sound for our first gig which was for earthquake relief, had played piano on a Rolling Stone’s album (Wild Horses, to be exact). That also still makes me smile.
I recall it being weird, that he did sound for us, and actually liked us, as I didn’t think we played well that day-but it seemed to bless and make a way, or a wake at least.
It’s been a cool life thus far, and I’m thankful for each season of it! I’m rocking in different mediums now, but still thankful I got to record in a Dental lab back then. And to still be creating and smiling and chattering and chatting and making art with friends just like then, after all these years.
Now, hopefully, we can get some free dental work from this long journey!