October 25, 1981 - Eddie & the Otters at the BBC (British Bicycle Club)

When Decade owner Dom DiSilvio got remarried, he asked us to play at his wedding reception, held at a private club in downtown Pittsburgh. I don't remember much about this performance except that Bryan Bassett (brother of the bride) sat in on guitar for "Johnny B. Goode". Bryan was the guitarist with T. Dice and had previously played in Wild Cherry (post "Play That Funky Music") and various lineups of Airborne, Tumbling Dice, Scarab, Rhode Apple, and other Pittsburgh bands. He later joined the Silencers in their last year or two and went on to play with Molly Hatchet. For many years now he's been the lead guitarist with Foghat.

No tapes, no pictures, no video, no other memories.


October 25, 1979 - The night after we all went to the Otters' debut at The Decade, Jim (B.), Jean, Janet Kabosky and I went to see Jethro Tull and U.K. at the Civic Arena. We got there late, near the end of U.K.'s set, because I had a mid-term exam in an evening class I was taking at Pitt. We ended up sitting behind the stage because our tickets were for seats directly behind the mixing board.

October 24, 1978 - Eddie & the Otters at Phase III with the Human Switchboard

This was our first bar gig, and I guess you could say our first step towards becoming a "real" band. We performed "Little Girl" for the first time at this show, included a short drum solo in "Gloria", and played our first genuine encore - "Hang On Sloopy". This was also my first bar gig ever, and I remember what a thrill it was to drive past the club on my way to Pitt that day and see our name on the marquee, then see an ad with our name posted on campus and in the Pittsburgh Press.

Audio - yes (only "Gloria"), Video - no, Pictures - yes (only the marquee as far as I know)

October 24, 1979 - The Otters at The Decade

The Otters (Jim S., Doug, Jonathan Newhouse, Diane Ford) made their debut at The Decade. Jim B. and I were there - can't remember if Eddie was or not. I certainly went with an attitude and was all set to not like them, but they weren't bad. They played a mix of new material (including some originals) and standards from the Otters repertoire. One particular memory is of Jean (Thompson, Jim's girlfriend) crying when they played "Brown-Eyed Girl", which Eddie had always (or usually) sung for her.

I recorded the show, and the following is a list of the songs (I don't have any information on sets, and it isn't the complete show):

(In The) Midnight Hour

Brown-Eyed Girl

Chance In A Million (Spitznagel)

Dirty Water

Fire (Springsteen)

Gloria (a reggae version that included "Lively Up Yourself")

Heat Wave

I Am A Book (Gebhard)

I Knew The Bride

Lies

Listen To Her Heart

Little Girl

One Way Or Another

and possibly...

Born Lucky (Newhouse)

Hanging On The Telephone

Paperback Writer

Shakin' All Over

Starry Eyes

The Last Time

They Called It Rock

October 20, 1993 - Eddie & the Otters at The Decade

This was the last time we played at The Decade. It was opening night of their 20th anniversary celebration that also saw reunions of Diamond Reo, the Silencers, and probably the Iron City Houserockers. The occasion was documented with commemorative T-shirts and posters that listed all of the national acts and some of the significant local acts that played there. Eddie & the Otters were listed. The Hell Band was not.

Unfortunately, there was no advertising for the show until AFTER we had already played, so attendance was sparse to the say the least. In fact, Dom wasn't even there - at the last minute someone got him tickets to the Phillies - Blue Jays World Series game in Philadelphia that night, so he blew us off.

We played three sets for the few faithful that night, as noted:

1st set

1) Pipeline
2) I Saw Her Standing There
3) Get Off My Cloud
4) Love Me Two Times
5) Summertime Blues
6) Secret Agent Man
7) Mystery Dance
8) I Fought the Law
9) Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby
10) Brown-Eyed Girl
11) Riot in Cell Block #9
12) Shakin' All Over
13) Hippy Hippy Shake
14) Slow Down

2nd set

1) drum solo
2) So You Want to Be a Rock & Roll Star
3) Feel a Whole Lot Better
4) Little Girl
5) Tossin' & Turnin'
6) Roll Over Beethoven
7) Good Lovin'
8) I Think We're Alone Now
9) Fire
10) You Really Got Me
11) Grand Larceny
12) Angel Baby
13) Paint It Black
14) Day Tripper

3rd set

1) Tales of Brave Ulysses
2) Break on Through
3) Rock & Roll Music
4) Shama Lama Ding Dong
5) Gloria/drum solo/Rockin' in the Free World
6) Runaway
7) I Knew the Bride
8) (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
9) Red Hot
10) We Gotta Get Out of This Place

"Day Tripper" may or may not have been the last song of the 2nd set - it's the last song on the board tape that soundman Ed Smith recorded for me.

"We Gotta Get Out of This Place" was used for the "Otterbiography" CD.

Doug graciously (?) suggested that I start the second set with a drum solo, so I did. Unfortunately, the rest of the band was too busy socializing and I got hung out to dry long after I was done soloing and ready to go into the next song. Thanks guys.

Catching up on a few things I missed...

October 18, 1981 - Eddie & the Otters (sans Doug) and the Spuds at Waverly Church

Short sets by both bands for an open house. For whatever reason Doug couldn't make the gig so we played as a 4-piece, the only time we did a gig with Ramone but not Doug.

I have tapes of both sets, but don't have the information handy to post. Maybe someday.

October 12, 1978 - The Psychotic Petunias 45 went on sale for the first time at Jim's Records. The next night Jim B., Jim. S, and I (and Doug??) went to Phase III to see Richard Hell with Diamond Reo as the opening act. I think the next day (the 14th) Hell did an in-store at Jim's then played at the Phase again, but I didn't go. That was the first time I went to Phase III.

October 9, 1982 - Jim B., Eddie, and I sit in with the Flashcats at the Blarney Stone in Etna, at my and Lynda's wedding reception.

October 9, 1987 - I played my first gig with the Cynics at the Electric Banana, alternating sets with the Beatnik Flies (from Washington DC). The next night we played at the Underground Railroad in Morgantown with the Beatnik Flies again, and on the 11th we opened for the Celibate Rifles at The Decade. On the 15th we were back at The Decade opening for the Membranes.

October 9, 1994 - Mon Gumbo opened for Buckwheat Zydeco at The Decade, the last time Jim B. and I played there.

Happy 25th Anniversary Jim & Jean!

October 1, 1983 - Jim Bird and Jean Thompson were married at Waverly Church with the newly ordained Rev. Eddie Townsend officiating (I was the best man). The reception was held at the University Club on the Pitt campus, with entertainment provided by Endless Summer. Eddie, Jim, Steve Fisher, and I performed "Coat From The Cold" and "I Knew The Bride", fittingly enough.