I look forward to the Saturdays when we get together and struggle through our song list. in the three or so months we've been meeting we have got about 15 songs down. That's not a lot for professionals who play several shows a week, but for us who are lucky to get time for 4 or five hours of rehearsal on a Saturday it's not bad.

And for me personally, I am lucky that my left hand strength and coordination deficit from my stroke is not as bad as it could have been. In one month I've managed to improve it quite a bit to where it is about 80% as strong and fast as my right hand. Thank God my band-mates were instantly understanding and patient about the whole thing. Also, my years of experience let me do things on the drum set to compensate for fast or complex things so they won't really be missed.

Anyway, it's a far cry from the dreams of rock-n-roll stardom I had as a youth, but it is one of life's great blessings. If you are in a similar situation, enjoy every bit of it!

Here is some of the stuff we are playing:
Carry On Wayward Son - by Kansas
Hooked on a Feeling - by Blue Swede (yes, we sing the "Ooga chaka" part)
Show Me the Way - by Peter Frampton
Oh What a Night - by The Four Seasons
Hold The Line - by Toto
Suspicious Minds - version by Dwight Yokam
Stairway to Heaven - by Led Zeppelin
Magic - by Pilot
Frankentstein - by Edgar Winter Group
Lights - by Journey
Stone in Love - by Journey
Play That Funky Music - by Wild Cherry
Brown Eyed Girl - by Van Morrison

Songs for next rehearsal:
Benny and the Jets - by Elton John
Sledgehammer - by Peter Gabriel

I used to play bass in a band with my brother. He died in '91 & I've only played with a few people since ..just not the same. anyway keep on rocking LB! looks like a good list.

Do you guys gig? Pretty cool playlist. I've been learning and playing guitar (acoustic and electric) a lot for about three years now, and I can say that I can play, or could practice a little and play a few on that list right now...and could learn the others in a fairly short amount of time. "Carry On" has some crazy solos that are pretty tough so I might have to strike that one off my list...LMAO!

I don't have anyone to play with...or I could probably find some friends who play but I'm still a bit self conscious. I did have a friend who was in a band a couple years ago ask me if I''d like to do some stuff with him after he left the band but I opted out saying I wasn't ready yet. I probably should give it a shot some time...lol. I do have two newish electric guitars (Fender Strat and an Epiphone Nighthawk Custom) and a couple acoustics (Fender T-Bucket and an old Ovation Applause) so I really should stretch my wings and jam with some people.

Glad to hear your stroke isn't affecting you that badly and you can still play! Rock on brother!

Thanks Weasel Keeper. We are not gigging yet. Johnnie (guitarist) and I have a long history of gigging around the Southeast, so we are pretty good at gauging when this band will be ready, and we have a little ways to go. But still, everyone is pretty dedicated so we will get there slowly but surely.

Yeah, the Kansas guitar work on Carry On is pretty intricate, especially during the instrumental break, but Johnnie is the strongest of us all on his instrument and very meticulous about learning things like they are on the album.

Are you guys putting the band back together?

Yeah, all we're missing is Mr Fabulous and Matt Murphy.

Kansas, Toto, Journey, Zep, etc.

Nice setlist, I'd go hear your band play.

I'm in a live music dry spell until next week and it sucks.