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NYC
I was 16 years old when I first set eyes on CBGB’s. It was 1987 and NY was still NY. The Bowery in those days was still a tough neighborhood filled with artists, musicians and writers. I was just a kid but I understood the history and importance of the group of musicians that called “CB’s” home. I wanted to prove that my band and I belonged. The first few shows were rough but we committed to playing Hilly Krytal’s club two times a month. Chad, Patrick, Ed and I would drive our old crusty Dodge van four hours up and four hours back from our hometown of York, PA. We justified our efforts and sleepless nights with dreams of a lifetime filled with music and rock n roll excitement. You didn’t play “CB’s” for the money; you played “CB’s” for the honor. Most high school kids would have skipped that part but not us.
After about a year of shows and a steady growth in our NYC fan base, Blondie’s Deborah Harry caught our set and alerted legendary manger Gary Kurfirst of our growing potential. Gary began his career managing Mountain, followed by Bob Marley, Talking Heads, Ramones and Jane’s Addiction. He asked Joey Ramone to catch the band’s next show to get his opinion. I can recall seeing Joey standing right next to the soundboard as we jammed on stage. After our set, I rushed to see if I could meet him but he had left. Hilly told us that he really liked the show (we were thrilled!). A few weeks later, Chris and Tina Frantz from the Talking Heads caught our set and tried to lure us back to their house in Connecticut but we couldn’t go, we had school the next day!
When we turned 18, Gary signed our band to his indie record label and asked Talking Heads guitarist/keyboardist Jerry Harrison to produce. Within weeks we were in the studio with Jerry who began to share his own musical intuition with us. He, after all, was not only in the “Heads” but had been in the Modern Lovers with Jonathan Richman (who remains one of my all time hero’s). Jerry had already worked with who’s who of producers, including Tony Bongiovi, Brian Eno & Steve Lillywhite. He brought his own unique mixture of musical guidance to the table and profoundly influenced how we approached music.
After the album was released, Joey called Gary to offer our band a supporting slot with the Ramones. By the time 1997 had ended, we had also done runs with Johnny Rotten’s PIL, Mick Jones’ B.A.D and Peter Gabriel. We had even managed to become an impromptu back-up band for Velvet Underground’s Jonathan Cale and NY’s own Patti Smith at Carnegie Hall (with Sheryl Crow and Natalie Merchant on background vocals).
NYC was always there for me and I was never more honored than when we had the chance to perform at Madison Square Garden on October 15th, 2001. One month after the 9/11 terror attacks. There was not a dry eye in the house as we sang our goodbyes over chords of sorrow and anguish. In New York, I had reached the highest highs but on that night I had felt the lowest of lows.
Looking back, I owe a ton of thanks to the musical heritage of NYC and the many who helped us along the way (you too Lenny Kaye). I know that the physical structure of “CB’s” may have changed and we lost Gary & Hilly but the attitude and spirit found at the corner of Bleeker and Bowery will live on in my music for a lifetime.
Thanks NYC!
Chad Taylor
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