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On ice

Last week I got a phone call that has traditionally meant that I'm fired from a band. I've received that call a few times, where a bandmate that I don't normally talk to tells me I'm a great drummer but still has to fire me from his band.

Turns out, Kyle (who I talk to regular outside of band stuff, by the way) called to tell me that he had landed a job in Oklahoma City and would move there in a few weeks. In short, that means the Pull Tabs are on extended hiatus.

I can't say this is a permanent hiatus because I'm still friends with Kyle and completely understand his predicament. He landed a pretty good job in a place that he has friends (and it's not too far away from Dallas), so it's not like he's moving to New York for the rest of his life.

As sad as it is to put the band on ice for the moment (or, maybe permanently), I'm not going to make negative, revisionist statements about my experience. There was no waste of time or hurt feelings. If anything, I felt like I got my groove literally back.

I've made no secret that my style of drumming has been to blame for a certain band firing from three years ago. Because of the career path that I wanted back in college, that got me fired from two other bands. Since I helped start the Pull Tabs last year, it would have been hard to fire me from a band that I helped start and had a hand in arranging (and even writing a couple of) songs.

I don't think of this as like a finely-made sandcastle suddenly hit by a crashing wave. I have no reason to stop being friends with Mike and Kyle, and I have no reason to not play with them again. Mike and I have talked about inviting friends of ours to jam in our practice space. I wouldn't say this is an audition process per se. Rather, it's about coming over and having fun. Just like how the Pull Tabs started.

If I were to say the best thing that has come out of this band, it's that I can still play like how I want and not compromise. And that I can have even more fun playing drums (and playing in a band) now more than when I did in high school. That's a very good lesson to have learned in all of this.

Comments

Richard of DM said…
God damn it! I haven't even heard your friggin' band yet and now this.
That Guy Kyle said…
Eric,

The time in the band with you and Mike was a life saver for me on so many levels. I will think of all the times we just gelled and got excited about it, the times we did something so stupid and all of us were in tears laughing, the Van Halen (yes, it's going to happen) single run through.

The Pull Tabs were/are/will be, always, a source of smiles and pride.

I love you guys!

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