I guess all bands break up eventually...

[Tim Armstrong]

Looks like my band is going to most likely fade out at the end of September, after almost eight years of playing beach town bar band gigs. Our drummer Bubba is in the hospital right now (we have a sub lined up), in very bad shape with congestive heart failure (any prayers, etc, appreciated!), and my brother and I are getting kinda burned out on playing classic rock for drunks. Our lead singer is a great singer but she's capable of diva-ness, and is a constant source of minor irritation, too.

It's gonna be an interesting change for me, I've made half of my meager living as a musician for the last several years! Guess I need to find a real job now...

Tim

[jaygerr]

That's too bad and I'll definitely say a prayer for your drummer.

[Dave Hopping]

Having a sick longtime bandmate and a high-maintenance lead singer(is there any other kind?) can give you a pretty dyspeptic outlook,as can alcoholically impaired audiences,but as someone who's had day jobs and fulltime playing gigs,I always was more eager to go to work slaving over a hot Tele than a hot desk.IMO music is the best "real job" I ever had.Hope things turn out OK for all concerned.

[zook]

Originally Posted by Tim Armstrong

Looks like my band is going to most likely fade out at the end of September, after almost eight years of playing beach town bar band gigs. Our drummer Bubba is in the hospital right now (we have a sub lined up), in very bad shape with congestive heart failure (any prayers, etc, appreciated!), and my brother and I are getting kinda burned out on playing classic rock for drunks. Our lead singer is a great singer but she's capable of diva-ness, and is a constant source of minor irritation, too.

It's gonna be an interesting change for me, I've made half of my meager living as a musician for the last several years! Guess I need to find a real job now...

Tim

Tim,

When that used to happen to me, I'd go find a side-man job playing bass. It kept me playing but left the work of booking etc. to the leader.

Winnie

[FiddlinJim]

Sorry Tim... My "main" band is in un-discussed retirement. We may come together in the future, but we're spread all over the state now. And just when I was starting to add Telecaster and non-pedal steel in to the mix. Oh well.

[Oster]

Sorry to hear about that, Tim. I hope things work out and I hope Bubba pulls through. Positive thoughts your way.

[dbenson32]

Prayers to your drummer, Tim. I'm taking a leave from my band as school starts back up, and honestly, I'm just not accomplishing my personal goals with this group of people.

[Josh Davis]

I had a band "Speedtrucker" that broke up in 2005. Since then we play a reunion weekend every year for twice as much as we ever made. All the BS is put aside when it's one or two shows. You never know.

[hotraman]

Tim;
That's a rough season to go through.
But I am sure you'll find something.
Appreciate your work here.

[Telefone]

Tim; Sorry to hear about your drummer, thats tough to take. Prayers 4 him. Please keep visiting the site you always have a great perspective on playing live we would miss your input.
Good Luck!

[FMA]

Pass on our regards and best wishes to Bubba.

And sorry to hear about the dissolution of the band. You and your brother will probably be back, up and running, in no time. Can't keep a good musician down for long.

And, Tim, someone has to ask: Does this mean no more pictures of the waitresses?

[Big_Bend]

Wow an eight year run is pretty sweet, but man thats gota be a tough way to go out too. I'm very sorry to hear about the hard times. I hope things turn around soon. Good luck with your future musical and employment opportunities.

[Durtdog]

Sorry to hear it, Tim. Maybe you and your bro can cook up a duo or something for fun.

Best wishes to Bubba, hope things go well for all of you.

[TJNY]

Tim,
Really sorry to hear about your drummer. Maybe you and your brother should go in a different musical direction? I play with my brother in our band and sometimes I wish to move away from the blues but that's where we will stay for now.

I will also miss the pictures of the poolside babes...

[dlb1001]

Real bummer about the drummer...hope he pulls through!
Maybe you and your brother can do an acoustic set...our band is contemplating this idea. Two of the members are husband and wife so they have done this in the past so it wouldn't be a big change.

[Shiro]

Good thoughts to Bubba. I would be pretty bummed to think an eight year run was comming to an end. It always sounded to me like you were having a good time. Maybe things will turn around a bit and you could keep it going for awhile longer?

[dan1952]

Sorry to hear about Bubba's health problems, hope he pulls through okay. As Zook said, mabe a sideman job for awhile will help your state of mind. It's not that bad to walk in with your gear and leave 3 hours later with your money.

[woodman]

Dang, Tim, that's like tearing down Mt. Rushmore! ... Best to Bubba, and hope you and your bro can find a way to land on your feet.

There's a spiritual exhaustion that kicks in when a long-running band has to rebuild. The Strags are facing a similar situation, losing a key player who'll be hard to replace. I confess I've thought about sinking the band, but still holding out a shred of hope.

[Tim Armstrong]

Originally Posted by TJNY

I will also miss the pictures of the poolside babes...

Actually, they just released this year's postcard, I need to get one to scan, will post it within the week!



Tim

[e-merlin]

Thoughts and prayers sent for your drummer friend. As for full-time work, maybe you can start your own brewery. Lord knows we could all use a drink about now...