Rattlesnakes

Rattlesnakes was my first serious band, with serious players who knew how to play their instruments. We were young, like minded, and fully aware of our situation. According to all the signs, as far as I was concerned, my dream was right on schedule.

After a few rehearsals and gigs we began looking for a place to record our “originals,” as we used to call them. Luck was on our side. With financial support from David Bradley’s Uncle Charlie, we packed up our songs and headed to Nashville’s Eleven-Eleven Sound. We also recorded at Van Atkins’ Weaverville, NC studio.

Conceived and recorded in the late 80s and early 90s you can hear tinges of Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, The Beatles (showing every generation thinks they have a lock on this group) and a mixture of album oriented rock influences, such as Skynyrd, Bob Seger and even Rush, for Pete’s sake. This is southern rock without geography--and, with guitarist Bill Altman, whose skills and sophistication exhibit a mastery beyond his years.

A lot of the lyrics are green, but so was I. It’s weird to listen to the tunes because i’m so far removed from the time. But, basically, you have an uneducated, unenlightened 26 year old wild man in transition with a kick ass band, playing in a kick ass Nashville studio, with kick ass friends. That’s rock’n’roll. Believe me. Ask the Iguana.

Keith Flynn and Jeff Anders of Crystal Zoo produced the Nashville sessions with Eleven-Eleven's super psychodelilicious engineers' Steve Ledet, Rodney Goode, and Mitch Shedd.

On a side note, Anders and I, Bradley, Ledet, Goode and Shedd would later hook up in Eleven-Eleven to record Praying for Rain’s “When a Rooster Crows.” And interestingly enough, I hear hints of PFR in "Nice to See You,” and some of the PFR chord progressions and bridge work in “Get It Right,” and “Reasons.”

This is how I got here.

Finally, I want to thank Van Atkins Productions https://www.facebook.com/VanAtkinsProductions for being so kind as to find these tunes and send them to me. Thanks, Van!

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