“Nobody does the Sixties better.” - Julie from Syracuse
“If you like the Beatles & the Stones, you’ll love Reprise 60s.”
“These guys are awesome … their harmonies are dead on!”
- Scott from Endwell
“Finally, music I know the words to.” - Terry from Endicott
“This was the most fun I’ve ever had listening to a live band.”
- a fan at McGirk’s
“Better every time I hear them … they’ve got swagger.”
- Dale from Endicott
“This band is welcome back here … anytime.” – Cosmo, owner Cosmo's Tiki Bar, Johnson City
After two straight weekends of back-to-back shows, reality is finally beginning to gnaw its way through my nearly impenetrable skull. This is a young man’s game. Lugging heavy equipment around, setting up and tearing down, standing on our feet and forcing ourselves to remain upbeat for up to four hours at a stretch, with one or two fifteen minute breaks to rest our weary backs and fingers and throats. These past two weeks were especially brutal, not just because of our busy schedule, but because all four of our gigs took place outdoors during one of the hottest late June/early Julys on record. Two of them - a two-hour performance at the annual Strawberry Festival in Owego and a Fourth of July show at Highland Park in Endwell – had us performing under a ferocious mid-day sun. I slept through most of July 5th and 6th.
Yet later that week I began to develop a longing that reminded me of the time I gave up cigarettes for good. How could we have no gigs scheduled for the coming weekend? Or the one after that? I am officially addicted, not to smoke or drink or drugs, but to the stage. Physical challenges and emotional disappointments aside, I cannot wait to get back it, to put myself in a position to succeed or fail in front of a roomful of strangers who couldn't care less about my fragile psyche.
The band is doing well right now. We have had our ups and lots of downs, and we’re still having trouble drawing and holding a crowd on a consistent basis. But we’re getting booked regularly now, and nearly everyone who hears us has something good to say about us.
I’ve collected some quotes over the past few weeks and put them on a poster (see above). A local DJ talked us up recently on his Sunday morning radio program. He says we're "going places." We’re starting to get calls from people who are interested in booking us. Things are looking up for Reprise 60s. But how much longer, I wonder, will we be able to keep up, or possibly increase, the pace?
The answer always comes back to me as the next gig draws near: As long as the rewards outweigh the demands. In other words, for a long time … I hope.
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