In 2009, I wrote this diary.
It was a very sad time for the kids in my neighborhood, and I wondered seriously whether my son would live to be 25.
That's not what this diary is about, not really, but that diary and what happened is infused in these kids forever. This diary is about how those kids turned out.
Since Tony died, the band didn't even know if they still wanted to play. But Tony's death was a wake up call for all of them. A lot has changed in the last two years, and most for the better.
Since Tony died, my son, and his bass player have completed rehab, and the band ended up reforming, adding a classically trained keyboardist, and a Berklee trained guitarist, with a new focus and a new sound. They've gotten really serious about the music, and the parties, not so much.
Blood Root Mother took two years in the studio, and have completed, even if I do say so myself, one freaking great rock album. It will remind you of Pink Floyd, Alice in Chains, Tool, Yes, Black Sabbath, Frank Zappa, and a little Return to Forever just for fun.
Yes, I had a part in it. I played sax and arranged some horns for the album, and a friend of mine also made a guest appearance. I can't tell you how proud I am to have played on my own son's labor of love like this. Also i have a little side story for you.
Last spring, I was part of a homecoming for a local singer, Sueann Carwell, who had been in LA working as a super backup singer, in her Mpls debut as a blues singer. When she was sixteen, she played in a band with me called Cohesion, and was the first artist produced by Prince.
She had been a backup singer for such artists as Toni Braxton, Celine Dion, Chaka Kahn, Rod Stewart, and has written sound tracks for movies such as the Wedding Planner.
So her band was going to kick ass, and she brought the best. On drums, Franikie Kash Waddie (Bootsy Collins), guitarist Ricky Rouse (Chaka Kahn), and her brother Carl Carwell on vocals (Earth Wind & Fire), as well as Steve Boyd (vocals), Lige Curry (bass) and Michael Hampton (guitar) from Parliament Funkadelic, with me and my friend Terry Halvorson on horns.
Not to brag, but we tore up the Dakota Jazz club, and I thought I could die and go to heaven, but it wasn't through being a magical year.
In August, George Clinton came to town, and I had bought a ticket, but Michael Hampton called and told me I had a ticket waiting for me at will call. My son's bass player Bob is a huge P-Funk fan, so I called him from the club and told him he had a free ticket if he wanted to come. He found me at the back, at the bar, and thanked me for getting him the ticket, then he noticed I was standing next to Kidd Funkadelic himself, and lost it.
After Mike had to go on stage, Bob told me they were almost finished with the album but they couldn't get the right solo on the blues tune I had played on. So I asked him if he thought Mike would fit. After he got up from fainting, he said "Hell Yes" and I waited until after the show and asked mike to play. He said yes, and the rest is history.
The band is still Called Blood Root Mother, but the kids have grown up. The album is called Mystic Machine, and the song Mike and I played played on is called Sweet Deceit, which is about Ryan's experience with lying to his family, friends, and the impact it had on his life. It is also a song my band developed for this album.
Update: Here is another song from the album that speaks to Tony's death.
"Render me an ampute for all to see evermore...."
http://soundcloud.com/...
You can buy it here.