Nightingale had moved from Adelaide to Melbourne not long before I had arrived in town. She had a difficult upbringing, with a wicked witch alcoholic step mother and a father who had all but abandoned her to the world. She was a couple of years older than me and she was a good singer. She had done a bit of acting work and seemed very worldly to me. She knew all these session singers, who did all the ad work on telly and I was very impressed.
Nightingale was a survivor. She was doing the night shift at the local 7/11, as well as the odd gig and hawking around town for acting work. I was so lucky in comparison. I had family support, a job and I was resourceful.
My first gig came about as a result of the Entertainment section at the back of ‘The Age’ newspaper. This 20cm column was the repository of hopes and dreams for musicians all over Melbourne. Every Saturday cover bands and original bands seeking singers, drummers, bass players etc.. would post an ad. The ones to look out for had ‘work waiting’.
The music scene was healthy, with gigs for up to three or four nights a week not uncommon, six or seven nights a week if you were really in demand. There were about 40 singers turning up for lead vocalist auditions for cover bands, usually in someones garage or in a grungy rehearsal shed where you’d inevitably end up playing next to some heavy metal wannabes in the next tiny cubical. The PAs were small and crappy, the Marshall stacks were huge and the drummers only played at 11. It was a nightmare for a singer. In these early days I often got the gig. I didn’t think twice about it. For me, being in a cover band was just experience, it was never the end goal.
So soon after moving to the big smoke, I got my first official gig in a cover band. Woo Hoo! I remember rehearsing with them for a couple of months and then it all fell apart. I can’t remember why. It gave me valuable experience with a full professional band. Learn your songs, turn up for rehearsals, negotiate relationships – all good.
The day that first professional band fell apart, I remember receiving a letter from my summer romance saying that he had moved to the USA and was getting married. So this is life huh? © 2009 Riley Jordan All Rights Reserved
