Cool Weasel |
 |
|
| Cool Weasel was started in the fall of 1986 after the crash and burn of the Reach. We had an idea we that if we put some great musicians together, we could get a great sound. The musicians above were known to be some of the best in San Antonio - or anywhere. And finally, I felt like this was my band, the one I had been waiting years for. |
| I looked up to all the members of the Cool Weasel. We rehearsed a lot, all at my apartment. Mark and I were the primary singers, but Jim and Bobby were very willing to do background vocals. |
| Our focus on material seemed to be the genre that the Reach had been good at. Looking back with 20/20 vision, that was the first mistake. With such great musicians, we should have looked at music that fit our band better. Not that we couldn't play the material, but we didn't have the vocal depth the Reach had. |
| But that didn't stop us from trying! I remember (and I'm sure the other guys do as well) a rehearsal when the background vocals seemed cheesey. The notes were all right, but our vocal blend sounded like a bad vocal band from the 50's. Someone dubbed the vocal effort "the Stink Tones". But we rehearsed and we were getting better. |
| As we got into the late Fall of '86, we were still working on defining our product and, although we knew a bunch of songs, I didn't think we were ready yet. I wasn't actively trying to book the group. Since playing music was our business, the musicians would take other gigs to work. I remember someone even took a gig for a couple of weeks out of town. |
| Rehearsals were postponed and canceled. We would still get together, but there were conflicts and they were getting in the way of us progressing. |
| Finally, in December of 1986, Phil Dalmolin contacted me about playing with Beth Williams. It was on the road, but for some pretty decent money. So, I gave in and decided I needed to make a living, too. Bobby Hargarther and I both ended up joining that effort. |
| I was hoping we could come back and try it all again in a month or two, but it wasn't long before I realized that the moment had passed. I am sure I was the last to get it. Cool Weasel was history - one that had never been written (until now). |