I'd Pay Anything to See This Show by McCartney - by Wal Ozello

Sir Paul McCartney is embarking on one of his last tours around the world and he’s picked Columbus, Ohio as one of his few stops in North America.  Tickets go on sale to the general public Monday, August 31.

My immediate reaction was to pay whatever to see this show.  This is my last chance to see a Beatle.

But after a few minutes, my mood changed. Why would I pay good money to see him play songs I have heard over and over again on my record player, tape, CD, or iPod?  I recently watched Paul crash & burn during the SNL 40th anniversary show and this made me wonder if his Columbus show would be everything I would want it to be.

I know Sir Paul is a Beatle and has a vast amount of experience, wisdom, and gut instinct when it comes to live performance, but he’s getting up there in age.  Comparing him to his peers, he’s really like 150 in rock star years. This may be the last time any of us will get to see him. And I’d like it to be more spectacular than anyone’s ever imagined.

So what would it take for me to put down my hard-earned money to see Sir Paul at Nationwide Arena?  The perfect set list (clear and free of anything post-Wings) and the perfect band to back him up.

Here’s a dream set list of all the Beatles and Wings songs I’d love to hear… in the perfect order… and even a few covers.  

Open:
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
A Hard Day's Night
Back In The U.S.S.R.
Day Tripper
Satisfaction (The Rolling Stones)

(Break)

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
Live And Let Die (Wings)
Eleanor Rigby
Penny Lane
We Can Work It Out

(Break)

Blackbird
I'll Follow The Sun
When I'm Sixty-Four
Here, There And Everywhere / My Love (Wings)

(Break)

One (Three Dog Night)
Helter Skelter
Good Day Sunshine
Jet
She Loves You
Paperback Writer

(Break)

Michelle
Oh! Darling
All My Loving
Silly Love Songs (Wings)
Can't Buy Me Love
I Saw Her Standing There
Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Queen)

(Break)

Got To Get You Into My Life
With A Little Luck (Wings)
Get Back
I Will
Lady Madonna

(Break - Close)

Yellow Submarine – (Ringo)
The Long And Winding Road
Yesterday
Band On The Run
Hey Jude

Encore:
Imagine (Tribute to John)
While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Tribute to George)
Why Don't We Do It In The Road
Carry That Weight
Let It Be

I know I threw in a few weird covers. A cover of "Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones makes perfect sense.  But "One" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love?"  After listening to those songs many times in my life, Paul’s voice would sound amazing on a McCartneyesque version of Three Dog Night’s "One." And his casual baritone phrasing would make "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" ten times better than the Freddie Mercury version. 

And think about how Paul could totally blow everyone’s mind when he comes back to the encore with a piano riff of "Imagine" and simply saying, “This is for John.” And then following it up with George’s "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." It would be one of the most poignant moments ever in rock n roll history.

THE BAND
This spectacular set list needs a band that can step up to the task.  Paul needs more than just session players, he needs the best.  Any one of these guys are stars in their own right and have filled stadiums across the world, but each would leap at the chance to play with Sir Paul McCartney

Lead Guitar – Eric Clapton
There’s only one person in the world who could fill George Harrison’s shoes and that’s Clapton.  First, it’s well known that he played on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." But Eric could also shine on songs like "Blackbird," "Back in The U.S.S.R," "Day Tripper," "Oh! Darling," and all the older Beatles songs.  Everyone knows Eric’s connection to Columbus (his wife is from here), which is why Paul may have picked it as one of his stops.

Rhythm Guitar – Izzy Stradlin
You need a guy who knows how to play rhythm and not another lead guitarist. The rhythm guitarist from Guns 'n' Roses should fill Lennon’s shoes. John was a tremendous player to George’s lead which is what Izzy was to Slash.  Izzy is widely respected in the guitar world for being one of the best rock rhythm guitarists alive with amazing feel and groove. He can nail songs like "Paperback Writer," "Eleanor Rigby," "Band on The Run," and add hardness to songs like "Live and Let Die," and "I Saw Her Standing There." And seriously, imagine him on "Helter Skelter."

Piano and Keyboards - Paul Shaffer
There is no keyboardist alive with the diverse range of Paul Schaffer. This set list calls for someone that can groove out the clean, classical sound of "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," then go right into the power synths of "Live and Let Die."; someone who can add deep emotion to "Hey Jude," "The Long And Winding Road" and "Let It Be,"; someone who can then rock out "Lady Madonna" and "Good Day Sunshine."  Plus, Paul can lead the band.  That’s what he did for The Blues Brothers, Saturday Night Live, and The Letterman Show.  There’s no short list here – there’s only one name and that’s Paul Shaffer’s. Paul doesn’t have much going on now since his Letterman gig is over and I’m sure he’ll do it for just the chance to get stoned with McCartney.

Drums – Dave Grohl
Dave says his entry into music was the Beatles and his reference to everything musical. His respect for Ringo runs deep. (His words, not mine. Take a listen here.) He can lay down the backbeats of "Penny Lane," "Get Back," "Can’t Buy Me Love," "Got To Get You Into My Life," and just kill it on "Day Tripper," "Live And Let Die," "Eleanor Rigby," "Hard Day's Night," and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."

That's my wish and I doubt it will ever come true.  But I'll still be going to the show in Columbus in the event any of it actually happens. If I can get a ticket before it sells out.

Wal Ozello is Music and Lifestyle contributor at pencilstorm.com. When he's not blogging about rock n roll or supporting others, he's writing science fiction novels. His suspense filled time-travel books, Assignment 1989, Revolution 1990, and Sacrifice 2086 can be found at Amazon.com.

Director Wes Orshoski Talks to Brian Phillips about The Damned and Lemmy

Tomorrow night - Wednesday, August 19th - for the Reelin' and Rockin' film series at the Gateway Film Center we're screening Wes Orshoski's new work "The Damned: Don't You Wish We Were Dead." The "Lemmy" director shot me a call recently to chat about the film. In making the movie Wes unearthed some cool stuff I did not know, most notably how close The Damned came to being produced by noted recluse Syd Barrett. 

The reviews have been across the board excellent. Listen to the interview over on CD1025.com (or just click below) and then join us for the screening! Happy hour at 7pm in the Torpedo Room. Movie begins at 8. $5 admission, proceeds to CD1025 for The Kids.

Colin here, full disclosure: Wes is a longtime friend of Watershed, going back to the almost underage beer-drinking days at Frankie's in Toledo. He was hanging around rock clubs with a camera back when you had to use this thing called "film." I can personally vouch for his rock n roll bona fides. Nobody is more legit and it's no surprise critics the world over now rave about his movies. I'm a fan. Brian is a fan. Bono is a fan. Lemmy is a fan. And if you aren't already, you are going to be a fan of Wes Orshoski. Dig it.

Official trailer for the film THE DAMNED: Don't You Wish That We Were Dead, the authorized documentary of the punk pioneers.

Click here to listen to Brian interview Wes about his acclaimed rock n roll movie filmography. 

Watershed at Ace of Cups 8/15/15 - a Review by Pete Vogel

watershed \’wot-er-shed \  3 : a crucial dividing point or line

My watershed moment came on 8/15/15, watching Watershed perform to a sold-out crowd at Ace of Cups near campus.  I’d seen the band a half dozen times in the past, but it was usually at some polite outdoor event such as Comfest or the Independents' Day Festival.  This was the first time I’d watch the band at an indoor venue, filled to the rafters with rabid Watershed fans. 

Needless to say, this experience was far different than the others.  

For starters, you never really “know” a band until you see them with in their element, playing at a local venue, surrounded by their biggest fans. Watershed plays only one or two shows a year in town, so this was an extremely hot ticket. The bar was packed full of rabid fans, and this show was a different type of initiation for me, a personal watershed of Watershed.  

I arrived at 9 pm and waited in line outside the bar, along with a steady stream of young and middle-aged fans that had grown up with the band.  Their love and enthusiasm for Watershed was unabated; many in line were without tickets and stood outside hoping in earnest to get inside.  The show had sold out hours before and the long line was an indication that this was a very hot ticket indeed.

Fans came from as far away as Idaho to attend this gig.  I stood in line next to a brother and sister who’d been attending shows for fifteen years.  The sister proclaimed: “I’d travel to North Carolina just to see them play!!!”

The band took the stage around 9:45 pm and blasted their first power chord to a raucous cheer.  The front-men, Colin and Joe, exchanged lyrics between themselves and the audience, and it wasn’t long until the whole crowd was shouting lyrics at the top of their lungs in unison with the band.  Needless to say, a chill ran down my spine: this was what a rock and roll show looked and felt like.

Watershed moved seamlessly from one song to the next, barely taking their foot off the gas; the crowd joined them tirelessly.  They emphasize dual-guitar, power-rock chords with hook-heavy choruses that must be belted at the top of your lungs:“Now I’m feelin’ so good/ Feelin’ so fine / And this is totally obvious!”  Every song had an exclamation point; every chorus an indelible hook; every lyric a rhythm that throbbed in your throat.  Colin leaped in the air as he thrashed power chords; Joe plucked his bass as he churned out vocals; original drummer Herb Schupp attacked the kit as if he had never left the band; and rhythm guitarist Rick Kinsinger graciously took a backseat to the original trio that first started playing back in the late ‘80s.

“Radio playing my favorite song / I get all the boys and girls to sing along”

Some bands politely ask for your attention - Watershed punches you in the stomach.  Some bands can mildly touch a nerve - Watershed is a defibrillator to the soul.  Some bands quietly grab you over time - Watershed is a two-by-four across the head. 

Watershed has stayed relevant for nearly four decades because they figured out the formula.  They’ve been able to endure because they know rock and roll isn’t just about them - it’s about the relationship between themselves and the audience.  In an age of twitter feeds, YouTube clips and corporate karaoke contests, Watershed pays homage to the traditional paradigm of music’s real magic: to win, you must lose yourself in a song.

The band pulls its influences from a variety of sources - notably Cheap Trick and The Velvet Underground - but they put a twist on their tunes that is purely Watershed.  The way Colin and Joe exchange lines is reminiscent of Daltrey and Townshend, but they do it in their own time signature.  The way they bash out power chords reminds me of The Sex Pistols and The Kinks, but they do it the Watershed way.  The way they belt out choruses in unison reminds me of Green Day or The Clash, but it’s typical Watershed.  It’s refreshing to see a band that has taken its own path while - at the same time - paying homage to their heroes. Watershed has figured that out and - judging by the crowd’s reaction - so have we.

There isn’t a bigger fan of music than Colin Gawel.  A coffee shop owner by day and rock star by night, he keeps a watchful eye on both the local and national scene.  Whether he’s pushing to get Cheap Trick into the Hall of Fame or dedicating his efforts on a Willie Phoenix retrospective, Colin’s got his pulse on the scene.  He doesn’t covet this to himself either; his blog “Pencilstorm” is a forum for anyone to share opinions about music, sports, politics, or life in general.  (Case in point: this post!) 

Joe Oestreich is a successful teacher and author in his own right, and recently published his second book.  (editor's note: That book - "Line Of Scrimmage" - is available for order right now at Amazon.)  His first, a memoir about the band - Hitless Wonder: A Life in Minor League Rock and Roll - is a great read for anybody who’s curious about life in the music business.  It’s a compilation of funny stories and a reflection on the paradoxes of being a working musician.  Both Colin and Joe are paradoxes in many ways; they are so much more than middle-aged rockers who can’t seem to relinquish their dreams.  They are pioneers and visionaries who have a unique story to share about life in the music business.  They still play music for the sheer love of it.  They pay continual homage to their hometown and haven’t forgotten their roots, either personal or musical.  They’re about “bum notes and pounds of sweat” and highs & lows in the music industry.  They are smart and successful in their own right.  Even though they never enjoyed the monetary success of a Cheap Trick or a Velvet Underground, they’ve made a very distinct mark in the music scene and are a proud legacy in their hometown of Columbus.  

My Watershed moment came last night.  For me, to watch a musician sing words and have a room full of people sing back to you is a success in it’s own right: a success that few of us can enjoy.  To have a fellow musician such as Erica Blinn leave her gig and come down to watch her mentor play is no small feat, either.  Major league…minor league…whatever:  they’re in a league of their own.  And it’s fitting that track number 11 on their Fifth of July record is titled: “The Best is Yet to Come.”  

Rock on, Watershed.  

below: A clip of the show by none other than Pencilstorm contributor and acclaimed guitarist himself, Scott Carr  

WATERSHED - "SUCKERPUNCH" Ace of Cups, Columbus, OH 8-15-15

Watershed Opens For Cheap Trick. (Again) by Colin Gawel

This piece - from October, 2014 - continues our Onslaught of Watershed Reprints Series

Watershed is performing at Ace of Cups, Columbus OH, Saturday, Aug 15th, 2015

Watershed Opens For Cheap Trick. (Again)

"Ok, Dave, before I ask you to join Watershed, I need to know: what you are expecting from this? Do you have any conditions such as money or time off or how long you are willing to stick this out?"

"Colin, I have two conditions. One, I want to be on TV. And two, I want to open for Cheap Trick."

"I don't know about number one, but opening for Cheap Trick is a done deal. Count on that!"

"Then count me in," Dave said.

Watershed Live Opening for Cheap Trick 2014

That was in 1998. Finally, in October of 2014, Dave Masica got his wish and Watershed opened for Cheap Trick at the House Of Blues in Myrtle Beach, SC. 

At the time when Dave first asked, I was positive we would be opening again for Cheap Trick in the near future. Hell, we had opened for them three times in the past four years and with the way both bands toured, certainly we would be able to slide on a bill again sometime/somewhere.

But it just never worked out. Cheap Trick spent most of their time as hired guns opening for arena acts such as Aerosmith and Def Leppard or playing soft ticket "Wingfest" type shows. And as far as Watershed, well, our career sort of yo-yo's all over the place. One week we have juice to jump on a decent bill and the next week we can barely get a Tuesday night in Baltimore. 

Around 2002, we were actually scheduled to open for Cheap Trick outside Nationwide arena but we got bumped the week before the gig by the local promoter. Funny thing is, they kept promoting Watershed as the opener and our name still appears on that ticket. I went to the show anyway and everybody was asking why Watershed wasn't playing just as a huge thunderstorm washed out the entire show.

Bad karma and a lesson for other promoters: kick Watershed off of a Cheap Trick show at your own risk. Lose - Lose. It did give me the opportunity to drop off my first draft of "My Obsession - The Official Cheap Trick Song Rankings". With the show rained out the band had time to thumb through it on the bus, after which I received a voice mail where Bun E. Carlos said, "It was better than most."

We had another chance at the very end of the Hitless Wonder tour in 2012 to jump on a bill at the Taft Theater in Cincinnati but we had just finished a month of touring and just couldn't escape real life commitments we had been neglecting any longer. As much as it killed us to say no, it just wasn't good timing for us.

Fast forward to Biggie's front porch in the summer of 2014. "Huh, Cheap Trick  just announced they're playing House of Blues in Myrtle Beach October 3rd." "Geez, that's five minutes from Joe's house."

"Should we try to get the gig?"

All together…."HELL YEAH!"

So we called every single person we knew with a connection to Cheap Trick. Our manager Thomas O'Keefe knew the House of Blues folks and worked that side of it with one stipulation, "If we get the gig, you have to let me play with you." Thomas is as big a Trick fan as the rest of us and after 12 thankless years managing Watershed it seemed like the least we could do.

We got the show, and I have to admit, in my car, all by myself, when nobody was watching, I smiled and made a little fist pump. That's about as much of a celebration you get as a Watershed member. Don't want to jinx it. 

I was excited and people were excited for me, "Wow! That is so amazing. You are opening for your heroes. It's a dream come true."

I know people were being nice and I was happy to be on the bill with my heroes, but it was bittersweet. My dream was never to open a show for Cheap Trick in my middle age. My dream was to be in the same league as Cheap Trick. Maybe all the way at the end of the bench but still in the same league. We got close but it never happened. And that's OK. But lots and lots of bands open for Cheap Trick. It's nothing to brag about really.

In fact, after we got dropped  and I would go to see Cheap Trick I was too embarrassed to accept invitations to stop back stage and say "Hi" though the crew members were always very gracious. It was just too painful to go from the kid waiting by the Cheap Trick bus, to the guy on EPIC records, back to the fan hanging around backstage. I was ashamed.

But those days were long, long gone. One of the best things about growing up is learning to love what you have got and not worry about what you don't. Watershed made a bunch of great records, played a bunch of great shows and had tons of fun. But we hadn't come full circle to open another show for Cheap Trick….Until…..

We packed up the van Thursday morning and left straight to meet Joe and Thomas at Slim's Downtown in Raleigh. The plan, and we have always had a knack for plans, was to meet there and  play a happy hour show serving as a warm-up for the Cheap Trick gig the next night. Needless to say, it was a typical Slim's blowout and after the gig we headed straight down the highway to the palatial oceanfront condo we had rented for the weekend. 

Being Ohio guys there is NO way we aren't going to hit the beach and milk it for all it is worth even if it is in the middle of the night. Ricki C. and I took turns keeping an eye on Dave Masica swimming in the ocean at 2 am while I took turns swigging various bottles with Thomas and Biggie.

I woke up the next morning in the pitch-black condo room I was sharing with Ricki, opened the door and there was the blue ocean lit by a sun so bright I almost fell backwards as I covered my eyes.

it was a perfect day. The sort of day where you can fall into a deep sleep outside on a beach chair to the sound of the waves. And I did just that after taking a long walk and listening  to the song "Fall in Love" by Phantogram over and over. 

At 4 pm Biggie pulled the van around and we drove the 3 miles to the HOB. The last time we played this venue was opening for the Insane Clown Posse, so it was nice to get another shot with less Faygo being sprayed everywhere.

We loaded our gear on that big checkered stage where Cheap Trick's stuff was already set up and I…. got….nervous. I never get nervous. I could barely say a word. It was like trying to talk to a pretty girl or take an 8th French class oral exam all wrapped into one. I just clammed up and stared at Rick's guitars. I thought, "I would have driven all the way here just to load on this stage and then off." I was in heaven. I wanted to take a picture but that would have been so uncool. So I just stood in front of Tom's bass amps and stared at them, burning them into my brain's permanent hard drive. Move over sexy one-night stand memory, got some Cheap Trick memories coming in. Make way for Rick's checkerboard wah-wah pedal image.

We shot the shit with some crew members and one said he ran sound for us at the Ryan's Ballroom gig made famous in the book Hitless Wonder. Small world. Eventually we retreated to our dressing room when somebody started kicking our door yelling, "Keep it down in there, Watershed , a man can't here himself sing out here."

The door flung open and the real life Robin Zander walked in to ask how we had been doing. He was wearing a custom-fit three piece suit and looked like 25 million dollars. And I'm talking up close and with no stage lights or makeup. He was talking but I was mostly just staring. As usual, he was super cool. Humble. Friendly.

As he left, Thomas, who has worked with all kinds of big-shot rock stars said, "You guys don't understand, NOBODY of his stature does that. Nobody walks out of their way to say hello to a one-night opener. Nobody."

Our pal Bill stopped by and said, "I'm not sure if Rick is going to want to say hello but if he does it's usually about 7 or 7:30, so be around just in case If you want to chat."

We can do that.

Sure enough, around 7:30, Bill said, "Let's go." We walked into the private backstage area and there were 70 or so VIP types waiting to meet & greet with the band, who were a good 25 yards away taking pictures with the various people waiting their turn in line. 

We were minding our own business, letting everybody press the flesh when a guitar pick flicked off the side of my face and Rick Nielsen yelled, "Hey look everybody, it's Colin from Watershed." Dings me through a crowd with a pick from 30 yards out. The dude is a superhero. Eventually, as it gets closer to showtime, Rick says, "Let's get Watershed up here, they have to go on soon." Once again, just being so cool. 

So we glad-hand and pass out some copies of Hitless Wonder and pose for a picture and as we were wrapping up, Rick says, "Hold on, I want a shot of just Colin and me. Everybody out of the picture except Colin and me. You too, Robin." It meant a lot to me for Rick to do that.  Then once the photo was snapped he turned  and  said, "Tell the guys about the Hall of Fame thing or whatever." 

So, a little sheepishly I explained to Cheap Trick how I had started a band called Why Isn't Cheap Trick in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame? and how we play a free show every year in Cleveland on the night of the induction ceremonies, and so on and so forth.

Basically, I was admitting to being a super-psycho Cheap Trick fan in front of Cheap Trick but I supposed by now they probably had some inkling that was the case.

Anyway, they seemed to get a kick out of the whole idea and I left to get ready to open the show and they went back to being Cheap Trick. It was a magical night, and as Slim Dunlap of The Replacements told me many times when I was a young man, "Musicians get gifts too, you just have to learn to appreciate them." What a gift.

Colin Gawel plays in the band Watershed and founded the group Why Isn't Cheap Trick in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? 

For further reading on this show, click here for "Strange Tales from the Cheap Trick Merch Table"

                                                                                                               My Two Favorite Bands

                 (left to right - Dave Masica, Daxx Nielsen, Robin Zander, Joe Oestreich, Rick Nielsen, Colin Gawel, Tom Petersson, Thomas O'Keefe)

Watershed: Dreams, Generals, and Acknowledgements by Dave O'Leary

Watershed: Dreams and Generals and Acknowledgments

I first met Colin in seventh grade and his rock star dreams were already big. I was just beginning guitar then, knew maybe a D chord and an E but was still having trouble with bar chords. During study hall and at lunch, Colin and I would talk about the possibility of starting a band. He had this idea that we’d one day be opening for Cheap Trick or Kiss or both. He had this far off look in his eyes like he was already on stage and looking out toward the crowd, like he was about to utter the phrase, “Can you hear me in the back?” or “Hello, St. Louis!” He had dreams about it, that and being my manager for professional wrestling. “You’re a big guy,” he’d say, “Come on. I’ll be your manager.” I’d shrug my shoulders, “I don’t know.”

Thankfully, we didn’t choose that route.

I had the music dream too, you see, so wrestling fell by the wayside, and we’d talk about bands and making it big, and we’d compare notes on songs we’d learned or wanted to learn. We talked about the Kinks “Come Dancing,” those three heavy descending chords in the middle. We’d ask each other what we thought they were. All these years later, we have YouTube and tablature on demand, but back then we didn’t. We had to listen. And we did. And we got it. Em. D. C. We’d also talk about Billy Squire’s “Lonely is the Night,” about what a great tune it was with that guitar intro. Colin had learned it, could play it with ease, and that’s when I realized there was something a little more to him, something I didn’t then have because I couldn’t do anything with ease.

We kept talking about bands, about starting a band, but it was less and less. When Colin got to the point of finally starting something, he wanted a second guitar player and would every so often tell me more or less that if I got my shit together, the spot was mine. He didn’t phrase it that way of course, but that’s what it came down to. I didn’t do it, though. I allowed myself to be pulled in a lot of directions back then. I did some of the things I wanted to but also some of the things I thought others wanted me to. I hadn’t yet found my way. Colin had. Eventually our circles changed, and at some point when I wasn’t looking, Watershed was born. They played at the Subway down by Graceland in Columbus. They played at a friend’s house party. They started to gig down by Ohio State. And here’s the thing: they were great. I became a fan.

They had this song with a cool baseline and a lyric about a cigarette. I can’t in this moment remember the name of that song, but it was the first time someone I knew had actually created something. And it was a good something. They did a video for it too, and watching it, I began to understand what Colin and Joe and Herb were all about. It was music. They did it. They breathed it, lived it in a way that until then I had not. It took me seeing them, seeing what they did, what they accomplished, to make me realize that dreams could come true, that a few well placed chords could work magic not only on the ears but on the course of a lifetime. It was something I’d always felt, really, but I’d always failed to act on that feeling. I guess I was afraid of failure.

But seeing what Watershed was doing, I got some courage. I started doing those things too. I joined a band, played a few gigs. And then there came this day when Colin and Joe pulled me aside and told me there was a band in Detroit in need of a new bass player. The band was the Generals. They told me the Generals were the most unalternative alternative band. They loaned me a CD and arranged an audition, and then a month later I moved to Detroit. It was the second time Watershed had done something for me. They opened my eyes, and then they gave me a push out into the world.

Over the next few years, Watershed and the Generals played a number of shows together, and we’d often all get on stage at the end to play “Rock and Roll All Night,” so I did, after all those years, finally get to play on stage with Colin, but the Generals eventually broke up, and I moved back to Columbus and then out to Seattle. I played in a number of bands along the way, did some traveling and some writing. By some odd turn, I became a music writer and wound up writing a novel about the power of music, and it’s only now that I sit down to write about Watershed that I realize, I should have thanked them in the book’s acknowledgments because I don’t think it would have happened otherwise: the book and the bands. I might not have done it. I might not have done anything. I might simply have done all those other things I thought people wanted me to do.

But I didn’t.

Seeing Watershed do things gave me heart, gave me the courage to step on stage and then out into the world to see what I could see. And I've seen a lot. It's been a good life.

So thank you, guys. I can never adequately repay you, but I’ll keep doing what I’m doing. Who knows? Maybe somewhere along the way someone will come along who changes the world, and maybe that someone will say, “Dave’s work gave me heart.” And going a step further, that would, of course, mean that it came from Watershed.

***

These days, I have this idea that Colin and Joe will end up in an old folks home together where they’ll whip out their acoustics at every chance and sing “Rock and Roll All Night” for the other lodgers. The nurses will tell them not to do it, but they won’t stop them. Instead, they’ll listen and sing along when they can, and then Colin will start playing a song by the Kinks. He’ll sing of a day when they tore down the pally and about a part of childhood dying. The nurses will pause then because the song will be unknown to them, but it won’t matter. It’ll be infectious. Colin and Joe will then switch to Watershed songs like “How Do you Feel” and “Twister”—my favorite—and maybe even that old one with the cigarette line. There’ll be dancing and laughter and joy before lights out, and the nurses will go home to their spouses and lovers and families and say, "You know, we should look up this band on the internet.”

“Which band?” someone will ask.

“Watershed. They’re patients of mine, but their music is great.” 

Dave O'Leary, author of The Music Book

"Dave O'Leary's The Music Book is the most aptly titled novel since On the Road. Because if it has anything to do with music--or rock music, anyway, the kind that gets played for sparse crowds in dive bars--it's in here. Passion and frustration. Lyricism and criticism. Beer and bass guitar and barstool banter. And love. Lots of love. The real music in The Music Book is the sound of O'Leary's heart--beating loud as a kick drum." --Joe Oestreich, author of Hitless Wonder: A Life in Minor League Rock and Roll

Click here to see The Music Book on Amazon.com

Original Drummer Herb Schupp Playing w/ Watershed @ Ace of Cups. Advance Tickets Online Now!

Hey folks, Watershed is playing their only Columbus show of 2015 on Saturday, August 15th at Ace of Cups. Original Watershed drummer Herb Schupp will be behind the skins, so you old school fans of Hitless Wonder don't want to miss this.  AND... all-around rock 'n' roll bad-ass John Speck (The Generals, Hoarse, The Fags, Skeemin' No Goods) is opening the show. 

Get your pre sale tickets here. 18 and up. Only $10. It might sell out. Seriously playing with fire if you don't get tickets ASAP. 

Click Here For Advance Tickets for Watershed live @ Ace of Cups Saturday August 15th. Just 10 bucks. 8 pm.