The Stone Roses

This another one of those bands that I always go back too. Their first album is probably the most perfect record that has ever been made. I'm not kidding. Almost every song on it was a single. And the b-sides to those singles were as solid as the initial album itself. This is one of the few rock albums I'm aware of that has a nine minute song on it and the song isn't boring. I mean, if the perfect pop song has too be less than 3 minutes long, a nine minute song had better be damn good right? Well, these guys pull it off.

When I lived in Cedar City I had a green jacket that I would wear anytime I went out. It had buttons and patches on it for different bands I liked. Most my friends had their jackets covered in ska and punk patches. Mine had a big Stone Roses patch on it. One night, a guy I knew who sang in what was undoubtedly Utah's best ska band noticed the patch and we got to talking about British music of this sort. We talked about Ride, The Charlatans, Lush. We both loved the same British music and in southern Utah, that was rare enough that basing a life long friendship on mutual appreciation for a three minute long obscure pop song about a girl named Sally Cinnamon was not out of the question.

We always wanted to play in a band together but life always got in the way. And I do mean always. It just didn't happen until about eight years after we first met. The band ended up being a lot of fun. It was called Vista:Four. I'd explain where the name came from but it's a long story so you'll just have to trust me that it's a great story.

One time the band opened for The Aquabats. It was the biggest live show I've ever played. It was a blast. Amanda and I had just started hanging out with each other so I took her and she watched the show from backstage. If you know what kind of music Amanda was into in high school you can imagine how confused she was by the Aquabats. They are goofy as all get out. Honestly they drive me crazy, but if I had little kids I'd make my kids listen to them. They're perfect for that sort of thing. Certainly more so than the stuff Amanda liked back then.

Playing in that band was a great time of my life. I've got some old live demos of stuff we did that never was recorded properly. I love listening to those songs. They bring back so many great memories.

There are other funny stories about things like bees and short socialites, but those are perhaps better told at another time. The only reason I even mention them now is because if it hadn't been for The Stone Roses, they wouldn't have happened either.