"What happens in Vegas..."With several years of non-stop singing under my belt by Spring 2005, I made the choice to relocate to Las Vegas and make an effort to pursue singing on a professional level. Vegas would be a natural fit since -- unlike many other singers (especially rock singers) -- I had no aspiration to try to write and sing original material on a professional level, and Vegas is one of the most prolific 'covers' towns on the planet.
audio sample: Jane
Demo Recording January 2006
My first opportunity in Sin City came with an offshoot of an established rock covers band. I jammed with this group a couple of times, but my voice admittedly didn't fit the sensibility of the project's leanings toward bands like Journey and Cheap Trick, and by June I was poking around for another scene. In late June I responded to an ad for a band playing 'everything from Steely Dan to Stone Temple Pilots', and spoke to Nick. While I had never previously done so onstage, the opportunity to perform some great non-hard-rock music with a full ensemble was very attractive to me, and I agreed to an audition.
At our first meeting I saw instantly that Nick, Bob, Mitch and Jozev were certainly capable of going places. It was a refreshing experience to sing songs from Led Zeppelin, Steely Dan and the Police in the same half-hour. Afterwards the band expressed an interest in taking me aboard and conveyed their vision. Their prospects appeared bright, so I signed up.
audio sample: Driven To Tears
Demo Recording January 2006
From the time I joined, I realized that being a Killjoy was going to be a decidedly different experience from my previous bands in more ways than one. In The Real Deal and (to a lesser extent) The Rush Project, I was more or less a band manager. My responsibilities included organizing music to learn, organizing showlists, putting together promotional materials and handling booking. The guys in those bands were happy to leave this "grunt work" to me, and I was happy to be able to get things done at my pace, which I'd characterize as "brisk, but not break-neck". In The Killjoys, however, I joined the band understanding that band management would be handled in other quarters.
So I focused on the music. The band worked up offbeat, upbeat songs from artists like Don Henley, Lit and INXS - many things I'd always enjoyed from a fan perspective but would never have had the chance to perform in the context of a hard rock band. The added personal pleasure in learning this material was the ease with which my voice adapted to it. I am also a huge Steely Dan fan and The Killjoys worked up several great tracks from the Steely catalog.
So I focused on the music. The band worked up offbeat, upbeat songs from artists like Don Henley, Lit and INXS - many things I'd always enjoyed from a fan perspective but would never have had the chance to perform in the context of a hard rock band. The added personal pleasure in learning this material was the ease with which my voice adapted to it. I am also a huge Steely Dan fan and The Killjoys worked up several great tracks from the Steely catalog.
By November Dayna and Cassandra had joined the group, and The Killjoys were 7-strong. At the end of 2005 the band only had about 20 songs in the can; in my own mind I chalked that up to the difficulty in getting seven people together regularly with a songlist that's not mainstream. In January, the group recorded a demo and management secured its first show, which the band played February 1st. A video demo soon followed.
audio sample: Black Friday
Demo Recording January 2006
audio sample: Black Friday
Demo Recording January 2006
Still, an expanding songlist was very slow in coming. Jozev, a rather busy guitarist outside of the group, left The Killjoys in March. Eden stepped in and injected some much-needed energy into the songlist process; after two club dates in the spring, management started to get the booking ball rolling. But the issue of not having enough material to fill looming show obligations began to take its toll on my attitude with the band.
I enjoyed what I consider a solid working relationship with Nick, the band's leader and management liaison. His jovial and generous spirit made being a Killjoy a fun experience. We share common interests in music and sports, and he's a great drummer. Sadly, that relationship soured as I became increasingly frustrated with management's inability to avoid entering booking obligations that the band couldn't fulfill without more preparation.
In May The Killjoys plowed headlong into a series of shows at the new Hooters casino. The band didn't have enough material to cover 4 hour shows, and thus a number of songs had to be recycled at these shows. Despite this being the case, band management ignored a glaring need for time for the band to learn more material, and instead negotiated a 5-night-a-week residency at the Tropicana Hotel to start in four weeks.
Even worse, the terms of the deal that were sold to the players were not the terms the players received opening week, which drove me to strongly criticize management and paved the way for me to leave The Killjoys after the fourth show of the residency.
I was very dismayed by the events surrounding my final month with the band. The most difficult aspect of leaving a group under such circumstances is losing the friends I'd worked and played with all along. These events are easily the most negative I've ever experienced as a musician - I've always pursued music as a labour of love, and not just a labor.
But despite the setbacks I encountered, I value the experience that being a member of the Killjoys has provided.
ROSTER OF MUSICIANS
July 2005 - June 2006
Alan A.M. Rush- Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Harmonica
Nick Brokenshire - Drums, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals
Mitch Wolf - Keyboards, Guitars, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals
Bob Sirkin - Bass
Dayna Collins - Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Percussion
Cassandra Reed - Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Percussion
Jozev Castano - Guitars (...to March 2006)
Eden Stollman - Guitars, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals (from March 2006...)
July 2005 - June 2006
Alan A.M. Rush- Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Harmonica
Nick Brokenshire - Drums, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals
Mitch Wolf - Keyboards, Guitars, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals
Bob Sirkin - Bass
Dayna Collins - Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Percussion
Cassandra Reed - Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Percussion
Jozev Castano - Guitars (...to March 2006)
Eden Stollman - Guitars, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals (from March 2006...)
