Common Grounds (#2)  − 5 June, 2004

For our seventh show, Rhythm Method played Common Grounds again.  Little did we know, but this was the last performance.  There were signs all around, if you knew where to look -- not in the people, who gave their best as always, but in the events:

• We played with two other groups: El Robot and a new band called Killarney Star, a piano power trio.  Let's see, trio . . . that means three people.  Kaley on piano and vocals; Andy on drums; and me on bass.  That's right: I was in a 2nd band, doing originals (not mine, Kaley's; my material didn't go public until evolution).  If you read my article on the previous show (at the jazz festival), you know I was fed up with jazz standards.
• Next, it was summer.  In a college town like Gainesville, the world sometimes comes to an end at that time.  A new one starts in fall, but the old one--finished.  Our bass player went away for the summer, and several other members of the group went on vacation -- all of the times overlapped, so we ended up not playing together or practicing together for months.

The two facts added up to the end.  A 2nd band doing originals, and my original band doing nothing.  Things fell apart; the center didn't hold.

However, this did mark my first appearance with Killarney Star, and my transition from guitarist to bassist.  There would be 12 more K-star shows, some of the most spectacular and memorable of my life.

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