Today is the anniversary of what I will remember for the foreseeable future as one of the better gigs I have played. The fact that it was with the best band I've played with to date helped, but the reason for the downer of a title, is because this band was so short-lived.
Rockets Fall, the experiment in mathy, indie, loud and obnoxious rock that I joined in the Spring of 2007 was eerily like its name. There were a few months of preparation as we were found our target, and set about dropping ourselves out of the plane. Then it was just a huge rush, like free fall. We played a load of gigs, got our names and faces in the paper, had fights over getting our names in the paper, drove hours to play gigs in disused Portugese retaurants, and broke at least one cymbal. Finally, like our name, we exploded for our last show at the Rainbow in Ottawa and then faded into the obscurity we came from as 2/3 of us decided to move to London.
The reason I will remember our July 1st 2007 gig though, was because it was in the midst of our free fall. We'd collected a set of great energy packed songs; we had become tight friends despite the fact that I'd only known my musical partners for a short few months; and although we had inklings of what would come in the autumn, it was still hazy enough to believe that the ride could last forever. It's funny to think that a gig at a seedy joint in Ottawa in the middle of the afternoon on Canada Day can rank as a high note to our short-lived career, but we really jelled as a band, and had a lot of fun. Kevin wore his Canada themed hat, we had a plentiful supply of baby duck, and our most furious fans in the front row. It was a great afternoon.
The small tinge of regret when I think about it, is that the fun couldn't last longer than it did.
So here's to Rockets Fall, Canada Day, 2007.
Comments