Gene and "Doc"

After I paid off the balance that I owed the studio, I booked more recording time there, so that I could get back to work on the album. I was curious to see whether or not changing the personnel on the rhythm section would bring about noticeable changes to the basic tracks of the next few songs. The new drummer for the sessions was an old bandmate, Gene, who I had played with years earlier in my high school days. He had a very high energy level, and was a heavy hitter, and had developed into a very good drummer since I had last worked with him...and I hadn't really played with him since I had removed him from that earlier band, and had replaced him with Tommy, the drummer who I had hired for the first two sessions. I hoped that enough time had gone by for Gene to have let go of his anger over having been replaced in a band he had worked hard in. At the time, although it had been a difficult decision, it had seemed like the right decision for that band...since Gene had very strong feelings back then that drums were the focal point of a band, and his playing reflected that, even though that often conflicted with what the rest of us in that group believed...and were trying to accomplish. Ten years had gone by since then, and we had both grown up a lot, but Gene was still a very aggressive drummer, and for the Avalanche sessions, I thought that might be just what was needed. The fact that he had been living in Boston for a number of years had kept him from seeing Avalanche in performance. Although he knew that the band was well respected, I knew there was a possibility we could still have some lively discussion about what the drum parts should be. When I had first met Gene, we were in elementary school together, an although he was just starting to play, and I had been drumming for years...and in some ways I was an early mentor for him, but his talent soon became obvious, and I had strayed from drumming to play keyboards and guitars, and he developed his own style and views regarding the role of drums in a rock group. Although we disagreed on some points, there were a lot of areas musically that we agreed on, and after Gene got to the studio and we had talked for a while, I was confident that we'd be able to find the common ground we needed for the both of us to be comfortable. Gene was a pro, and realized he was being hired to do a job, and that as his employer, I would have the last word on what went on the record...but I let him know I was open to any ideas or suggestions he might have as the sessions progressed, as long as they didn't compromise the arrangements on the songs. His energy and enthusiasm were great, and the big question mark in my mind was the bass player, "Doc", that he had brought with him for this first session. Doc was a stranger to me...I knew nothing about him or his musical skills, but I had decided to take Gene's opinion of him on faith...at least for the next few days anyway. We all met for the first time at the studio, on the first night of the session, and after talking for a while with the both of them, I knew the only way to see what was up musically...was to start practicing the first song, and see where it led...so after an hour of talking and getting a little high, we walked into the main room of the studio and began rehearsing.