Rockin' around the Stake Center

the year 2007 marks a significant time for me and my friends. it has been ten years since we formed what is now known as Lindsey Pool. Hard to believe that I am old enough to have been doing something for ten years. In August of 1997 we spent a week in my parents house recording our first demo, and then in October we played our first gig at the Hillsboro Stake center. There was a man there with a decibel meter telling us between every song that we needed to turn down (a situation we found ourselves in many times as we tried to blend Mormon Dances with Rock Bands).

Ten years, four wives, four babies, 3 band names, and five albums later... we played our ten year anniversary show in the same spot as our first show. It was nice to play a show without a man with a decibel meter, and it was at least good to see that we sounded better than we did ten years ago.

Often times we have been confronted with the fact that we have played together for years and don't seem to be any more "successful" than we were when we started. Still playing stake centers instead of sold out formal venues, still flipping the bill for our own recordings, and still hauling our own gear up and down the stairs at Greg's house before and after every show. The explanation for that is that even if we never make a dime at this (and to date we are finally breaking even on our investments) we are doing what we love to do, making original music and exploring the creative process of bringing a song from inception through to production.

Ten years ago, we all got together because we loved music, and wanted to play. Ten years later, that is still the reason we are here. We have seen tons of other bands in Portland form, sparkle, and then die like shooting stars because they couldn't get the immediate huge gigs and big money they were expecting. I'm still in a band with my best friends because it wasn't ever really about the money, it was always about the music. I like that about us.

Maybe someday someone who is really about the music will hear it, and we might get a piece of some of that action, or maybe we never will, but I will never regret the time I've spent with my friends making music.

For your listening/viewing pleasure... ksenia was nice enough to run the video camera at or last show. This is our rendition of MUSE's time is running out, and our own little number Political Satire. Enjoy. Rock on, Rock hard, and Rock always.