Happened upon the Web site of an old high school buddy of mine today. Leif Welch has been in a few bands in the years I've known him, including one with me that played for one gig only at Drew University, back in 1992 or '93. It's hard to even call that a band, but it was actually the first time I got paid to perform: $100 total, which I split four ways.
He later had a band based in New York called Trip to Mars, which I opened for a few times at Desmond's Tavern in New York in the mid '90s. I played solo under my own name and also with my friends John Upwood and Helen Nadel in a group known as Rebecca's Key. I don't think we got paid for those gigs, but I got some free beer, which in those days was the same thing as money. Plus I enjoyed having waitresses think I was someone important because I was opening for Leif's band. Ah the joy of angst-driven songs and a halfway decent voice to back them up. Back then I wrote songs that my sister has described as "songs about getting dissed by women." I guess I'm too happy in my love life to write such songs now. There are worse excuses for not playing guitar.
Leif eventually left the East Coast, heading to grad school in Chicago and apparently now lives in San Francisco. Perhaps I'll be able to catch up with him there whenever Maureen and I visit her brother and his family. Hope he's doing well.
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