Getting through it

In February of 2009, my job, along with 73 other positions, were cut at the hospital. This was getting ridiculous. It seemed every time things got comfortable, the rug would be pulled out from beneath me. I began wondering that even though working on your own, braving the possibility of losing a contract or not getting paid for a contract, was better than being at the mercy of a company that doesn’t know how to manage itself. I started to think that the “recession economy” was simply an excuse to run a poorly operated company. So, I started my own marketing consulting business to help support mom and pop shops who needed help. I helped new and established businesses out with developing logos, websites and ads. I also started filling in for The Source Weekly again whenever they needed help.

Meanwhile, I started a design collaboration with a local vinyl print shop. The owner of the business was a guy who was about the same age as me. He was needing help for his clients designing banners and vehicle wraps. He was also a drummer for a local metal band named Makeshift. James was the perfect person to hit up when Bird and I lost our drummer for KouseFly. He was very interested in recording the drum tracks for our album, not so much performing live with us. As time went on, James’ metal project fell through and he was on the lookout for another band, and was happy to play live with our band. It was perfect. We practiced in the storage room above his printing shop. All we needed was a bassist to complete the sound.

I started to put my own design talent to work, creating really cool posters for our small shows, and wanted to learn how to professionally promote a band, using my own as the test flight. We found a bass player. We had all pieces in place. Our newly formed 4-piece band was getting the best promotion in Oregon, east of the Cascade mountains. We quickly started securing bigger shows.

KPOV The local public radio station was putting on a fundraiser. They pulled in a number of local bands to play four songs from The Beatles while the crowd sang along. Our newly arranged band worked on our songs. I wanted to take the show over the top, and asked the band to dress up like Sargent Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band. I found a blue marching band jacket, and the rest of the guys wore their version of The Beatles wardrobe. When we arrived at the show it was very overwhelming. The room was absolutely packed — though the vibe was not that energetic — with people singing along with a couple singer/songwriters who were opening up the show.

We were the first full band to perform and kicked off our set with “I am the Walrus” and the crowd quickly warmed up, sitting in their chairs clapping. Next, I started singing my song, “I Just Seen a Face” with this leading up to the most magical moment of all my memories in performing up to now. After the first verse of the song the crowd erupted into joy, stood up, and began to dance and celebrate. It was absolutely spectacular, and I got my first dose of endorphin-fed joy from performing. I felt as if my feet weren’t even touching the floor.

Following our set, the promoter of the show asked us to perform at the Bend Summer Festival on their stage. KouseFly quickly became a very popular band, and we were playing almost every local big stage event. I had finally achieved a goal in becoming a real musician, in a real band. It felt great to add music to my life while working hard to make ends meet.