Today’s tale is about making music. I’ve been in the recording studio again with a new song, this time with two new partners in crime, a fellow named Dave Forman, and Michael Crespo, my son. Dave is a talented drummer and singer I met when we were both teenagers back in the Bronze Age, when hair was long and amplifiers the size of refrigerators. He and I were in different neighborhood bands, young kids learning our craft and having some serious fun. The years passed and we went our separate ways, surprisingly enough never getting to work together except for a recording session 25 or so years ago. The Brooklyn music scene, while not exactly small, is one both of us have been hanging around for a long time and know a lot of the same people so you’d figure we would hook up sooner or later.

Turns out it was much later. I was delighted when my old friend Gary Kroman the great guitarist put together a gig with Dave on Valentine’s Day of last month and it came off quite well with just a few rehearsals. With Gary, our buddy Ian (the vowel-challenged) Zdatny on bass and Dave on drums we knocked them out. Then Dave invited me to record in his home studio and I jumped at the chance. It’s a small room wired for sound, a hybrid analog/digital set-up that Dave has fingertip command over. He can get any sound you describe, and pronto. Working in a studio with him is fast and seamless. He also surprised me by providing piano and bass tracks for the song. This guy has even more talent than I realized.

We recorded a simple, country flavored rocker of mine, called “Jenny Take A Ride,” sung by me and my son Mike. Now, Mike I know quite a while too, what with him being my son and all. He’s quite a guy, if I do say so myself, and I sure as hell do. Anyway, the song is being mixed by Dave and will be put up on bobcrespo.com very soon. I haven’t prevailed on Dave to sing yet, but hope to in the future. What I also hope to do is play more often with the man on live gigs. He’s a pro’s pro, and adds exactly what the song needs, no more, no less. We’ll be playing next on April 26th at D.J. Ryder’s Rhythm & Brews in Oceanside, Long Island at a benefit show to help fight breast cancer. I’ve got Mike on board too, who’s threatening to make me the second-best singer in the family, the big rat. I’d spank him, but he’s 190 pounds of grown man muscle. Oh well, at least I can still write the songs.

I’ve learned in the music scene to not take anything for granted so I’m very grateful to have finally hooked up with Dave Forman, even if “Jenny Take A Ride” turns out to be our only collaboration. When you’re a musician you find people here and there who just seem to get you and you get them and you can work together real smooth, a pleasure within the privilege of making music. Often recording sessions are stressful and tense, but not this time. Not that stress and tension are always a bad thing, depending on the piece of music, but in general your best work comes out of good vibes. 

Dave being the man at the helm of all the dials and switches and generally directing the action, the good vibes flowed and the music shows it. The man has it all; a ton of talent, great instincts, complete command of his equipment and a great personality. Great ears too, and I learned quick to ask him if he’s hearing something I’m not. When he hears something the song might need or something it has but doesn’t need (equally important), he speaks up and he’s right on the money. He knows what I know, that the song tells you what it needs, not the other way around. That’s how it is with a fresh piece of music. I wish I’d have worked more with him over the years, but for this guitar slinger and songwriter, the wait was well worth it. 

Keep your eyes on this space for upcoming live gigs and on the MUSIC section of bobcrespo.com for new Crespo songs. Hopefully, Dave, Gary, Mike and I can get a good thing going with the songs and some good live gigs. I’ve got a whole bunch of songs I’m dying to record and share, and more to write. Guys like me, Gary and Dave have a lot of rock & roll shows left in us. Mike, he’s no beginner but compared to the rest of us he’s just getting started. He’s got one hell of a voice, so hopefully something good is shaping up here. Bands being bands, I don’t want to jinx anything by wanting it too much, but all I know is that music is exciting and new again, even if I’m only dreaming out loud. I can think of worse things to do with myself. 

And I sure have done worse things, abusing myself and making all the boneheaded mistakes I possibly could, went down in flames a few times and got back up and did it again. For a long time I was pretty thorough with that. Life’s been an adventure, no doubt. But I’m also really, really good at music and picking great people, so wish us luck. And if it blows up in my face again, well, that’s rock & roll, and sometimes that’s pretty damned glorious too. Come see us walk the razor’s edge on April 26, a beautiful Sunday afternoon to catch some expert rock & roll and help some women who are terribly ill. I guarantee a great show you won’t soon forget and the good feeling that comes from helping people who are hurting bad, like we would hope for if it was us in pain. See the ad at the top of this page for the details. We’ll be working hard since we don’t know any other way. Like the man said: “Hey kids, rock & roll, rock on…”