Ah, the the days of my youth. Big thanks to John, my friend and former band-mate, for sending these pics from our college days in Savannah when we were going to the Savannah College Of Art And Design. I do not lie when I say those were good times in large part because of living with him and exploring music and art and life with him there as a part of it.
I'm the one in the striped shirt, John is showing off his sexy man-arms. Yes, the name of the band was "OSABEN", yes, that is my last name. As john told me, if I didn't name our band that, he was going to start another one with that name. I believe he felt it had the right ring, like Van Halen, or Dokken. The shots came from a shared practice space in the basement of a deserted department store. One of the other bands was Suicide Launch Pad, a punk band that got its name from the blowing up of the space shuttle. If I remember correctly, the were fronted by Psycho Jim, and did a great punk cover of "I'm A Little Teapot". A local photographer friend, a guy probably in his late 40's named Teeny would take our photos and we would have parties every so often on the weekends, each band playing a set from their practice area. That's Calvin on drums. He didn't have electricity, or heat or something, so he would heat his apartment in the winter with his stove. I don't recommend that one.
We played mostly originals, and some covers like "Whole Lotta Rosie" by AC/DC and "Lonely Is The Night" by Billy Squire. That last sentence probably best describes why we never got that far, but if you have never been in a band, I suggest you do it. Even if no one comes to see you, you are united with a common purpose. And it's a kick.
Thanks John.
