Everyone has a rock star fantasy, right? I mean, who hasn’t pictured themselves standing on stage before a crowd of adoring fans, awing them with a stunning display of musical talent and insightful lyrics?
Unfortunately, there are a few things standing in the way of my dreams of stardom. Namely that I can’t sing, don’t play a musical instrument and I’ve never been a fan of leather pants. Besides, one musician in the family is enough and I could never compete with my big brother Dennis (who still has a fan club from his Levi Hatfield days.)
I finally had an opportunity to satisfy those long-suppressed yearnings Friday night. Well, sort of. Thanks to Nate Gross, I had the chance to play roadie (you know, the guys in all black that set up?) for the local band Panhandle during a gig at the Stadium Sports Bar in Oxford.
Despite the required heavy lifting, I knew it would be as close as I’d ever get to doing the rock star thing and I jumped at the chance.
First, let me tell you about Panhandle. Nate is the band’s lead vocalist and guitarist. He is joined by his brother Ben on bass guitar, Jeff Landry on drums and Craig Rogers on guitar.
When I first met Nate, he described the group’s sound to me as ‘roots rock.’ I didn’t really understand what that meant until I heard them play. Their music, all original, is heavily influenced by folk, blues, country and good old rock ‘n’ roll.
But of course, I wasn’t going to be performing with the band. I was there to spend some quality time with John Jankowski. What is John’s official role with Panhandle? He laughed when I asked him, and replied that he was “Slash.” As the night progressed, I began to understand why. He performs the duties of road manager/sound technician/beverage coordinator/first aid administrator ... and the list goes on. Basically if the band needs it, John is there.
He’s also an expert at balancing all of those responsibilities with the real reason why he’s there, which is that he’s Panhandle’s number one fan.
Because the Stadium is just two doors down from Nate’s guitar studio, where the group practices, I got off pretty easy. There was no complicated process of packing up equipment in road cases and loading it in a trailer and then reversing the process at the other end. Basically we moved everything bit by bit, walking the equipment down the street. (As Nate was able to accurately judge my physical capabilities with a glance, I carried the light stuff.)
The Stadium is one of the more casual places the band plays and, as they’ve played there numerous times, they are very much at home in the establishment. There isn’t a designated stage, so the band members got started by moving the furniture to make a place for themselves. Tables, chairs, a couch, a pool table and even a couple of empty kegs had to be cleared out before we could begin setting up.
I was surprised at how quick it all went together, actually. But then, the guys have been playing gigs together for around six years; two of them as Panhandle. They’ve had a lot of practice.
I was assigned to assist John with what Jeff called “cable management.” Basically running cables from each piece of equipment to the sound board. Luckily everything was clearly labeled.
Once set up was complete, it was time for sound checks. I never realized how complicated this can be. As acoustics in each venue are different, not to mention other variables, this takes a practiced ear and a bit of patience. (I just watched.)
Friday night’s weather wasn’t the greatest, but that didn’t stop the band from drawing a decent crowd. Before long, the bar had filled up with a mix of Panhandle fans, Stadium regulars and other intrepid souls undeterred by the snow accumulating outside.
The band went on shortly after nine, but that didn’t mean my work was done. Oh, I had plenty of time to sit back and enjoy the show, but there were small adjustments required at the sound board and the band members’ hydration levels to monitor. There was even a need to scramble for a Band-Aid when Craig suffered a minor on-the-job injury.
It was nearly 1:30 a.m. by the time the guys finished their third set. I can’t speak for them, but I was beat and Nate took pity on me. So I got out of lugging all that equipment back over to the studio.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a roadie for the group. Panhandle is a great group of guys, not to mention talented musicians. And I realized that being a rock star (even a local one) is a lot of work.
I’m looking forward to Panhandle’s next local gig, at the Blarney Stone on March 7. I won’t be a roadie for that one, but I’ll still try to get in by saying, “I’m with the band.”