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I've been breaking down a lot of these old videos for a few years and put some up but only recently did I get the software and know-how to restore the audio quality. I sacrificed the video quality to so-so just to get this down to a small size to upload, but the audio quality is much improved due to some major stuff I did that is probably too boring for anyone here to care about. Here it is. Some time maybe we'll do the same restoration to the whole show and the video quality too. For now...
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I'm new to it, so I can't say how much I'll be using it but what the hell...you never know.
In October 2005 The BRUISERS played a one-off reunion show at the Roxy in Boston to a crowd of over 1,000 on a Wednesday night.
That was amazing, and set the bar pretty high for all of us. That's why it's been another six and a half years since we've found another situation that was just right to do it again.
Pete Morcey of Forced Reality honored us with the chance to headline opening night of 2000 TONS of TNT 2012 in Hartford,CT and to play on a bill with some of our favorite bands including of course his own Forced Reality, Stars and Stripes and our close friends from New Hampshire, The Uprisers.
It truly is an honor, and we're going to make sure we rise to the occassion by putting on the best show possible. We said it the first time around, and it goes double this time... if we're going to do a reunion show we need to play and sound at least as good as we ever did back in the day. And that's exactly what we're going to do.
The lineup is of course Al Barr on vocals, Dan Connors on drums, Scotty Vierra on guitar, Johnny Rioux on bass and me (Jeff Morris) on guitar. Al was the one constant member from day one to the bittersweet end. Dan joined right after our first record came out on Patriot Records and was with the band from late '89/early '90 through the "Still Standing Up" record in '97. Scotty and Johnny were both there for the last few records and years and toured Europe with the band as well. I was with the band from '89 through summer of '96, the "Intimidation" record through "Up in Flames".
The logistics are a challenge, I'm living in Chicago these days and Johnny is in Texas while the rest of the guys are still on the east coast. We have a plan and it's already working, that's all we need to say about that.
More to come...
Don't you have any memories you could never throw away?
One of mine... the story behind my 1992 Gretsch 6120 Chet Atkins.
I sent a letter to Al Corey asking for stock list and pricing. I told him I was a guitarist in a band from Portsmouth and had been saving for a new 6120.
A week later I got a reply, he had a brand new 6120 in Sunset Orange in stock and would sell it to me. I called the number on his letterhead and asked for Mr. Corey. He came to the phone and we talked for a few minutes before I asked the price. He gave me a price of $1,100 including hard shell case. This was roughly $1,000 off list.
Sully and I drove the 3 hours up to Main Street in Waterville one night in my '82 Ford F100 stepside with 4 on the floor. We rolled into Waterville around 6PM and parked at an angle facing the storefront like they used to do in midwestern towns that actually took the time to plan ahead and make the main street wide enough to do this while still allowing 2 lanes of traffic free movement.
The store was an old fashioned music store, not a guitar store per se, but more in the traditional style of band instruments, lots of sheet music, and a few guitars. It wasn't loud, buzzing with riffs like your now typical Guitar Center, it was clean, reserved and very 1950's. The girl behind the counter was well dressed, prim and proper. I asked her for Mr. Corey and told her he was expecting me.
She smiled, went into the back room and returned followed by a bounding, spry little white haired man in full sharksin suit, white shirt and skinny black tie. He looked to be about 70 years old with a smile like a kindly old uncle but a youthful spring in his step and urgency in his tone as he spoke.
"Hello Mr. Morris! Welcome!"We talked for at least 20 minutes before the subject of the guitar even came up. He told me about playing saxophone in big bands, touring the world... man was he a character. Finally he turned to the large glass case behind the counter and unlocked the door with a key from his jacket pocket, reached inside and pulled out the brand new, shiny, sunset orange 1992 Gretsch 6120 Chet Atkins guitar, offering it to me with both hands, the guitar reflecting the overhead lights as he held it towards me, palms up.
Here is a more recent photo of the counter where you can just make out the glass case on the wall behind. That's where he kept his small stock of Gretsch guitars under lock and key.
I sat down with it and played a few minutes. Meanwhile he was talking to my friend Sully. Sully said he was a drummer and Mr. Corey asked him what size sticks he used. He told him and was promptly gifted a half dozen brand new pair of his choice.
Several minutes go by and I was eager to make the purchase. Everything was as it should be and I wanted to get back on the road to take my new prize home.
"Have you boys eaten yet?" he asked.
"No" I answered.
He picked up the phone, called the Italian restaurant across the street and reserved a table for 2 as "Guests of Mr. Corey".
"But aren't you closing shop now?" I said.
"Normally, yes. But I have work to do out back so you boys go eat and come back for the guitar when you're full."
No money had changed hands yet.
He turned to me and said "You can't leave here hungry after such a long ride!" and escorted us across the street to the restaurant. He walked us in, the manager waiting and shook hands with him before showing us to our table.
We sat down and ate a delicious meal complete with salads, entre's and dessert. When we were finished I asked for the bill and was told "It's compliments of Mr. Corey". I was shocked, I thought it was enough that he made the call to get us reservations and walked us over personally, but to pay for the meal too? We left a sizeable tip and walked back across the street.
The store's closed sign was in the window but Mr. Corey was waiting for us. He unlocked the door, let us in and we thanked him for his hospitality.
I handed him $1,100 cash and he handed me the guitar with a proud smile and said:"Now you go make some memories with this beautiful guitar."
And that's what I've been doing with it ever since, from the Bruisers to the Cadillac Hitmen and now Death & Taxes. It was there when I wrote "Till the End" with Al, sitting on the edge of my bed with a pen in his hand. It was there when I stood on stage at the Roxy in 2005, looking out over a sea of friends there to help celebrate the memory of our shared experience in the Bruisers. It was there when we entered Jim Seigel's studio to record what would become "Tattooed Hearts & Broken Promises".
1996 Cadillac Hitmen promo shoot
2005 Bruisers reunion at the Roxy, Boston,MA
2007 with Death & Taxes at the Abbey Lounge in Somerville,MA
God bless you, Mr. Corey.
If you're interested in reading more about this remarkable man click HERE and click HERE
