Of Drums, Iron Maiden and Much Wattage
Jun 12, 2010 Just Sharing
So here’s the scene: it’s the Fall of 1982 in the south wing of Queen Elizabeth Senior Secondary School. I’m hanging with Kevin Axelson, Stan Sullivan and Rob Gunn after Mr Heatherington’s Commercial Art class when up walks this lean tough-looking dude. Kevin, the quintessential master of introductions, says, “Hey Ack, I’d like you to meet Karl Watt. He’s a drummer too.” Cool.
We hit it off instantly. We talked about drums and drummers. Pearl. Tama. Neil Peart. John Bonham. Clive Burr.
“Clive Burr? Who the fuck is Clive Burr?” Karl asks.
“Iron Maiden’s drummer,” I say.
“Who the fuck is Iron Maiden?” Karl asks again.
That very next weekend, I hauled my 13 piece silver Tama drums over to the The Blue Garage on 92nd Avenue in my dad’s 1974 yellow Ford pickup, with Karl’s mom, Misty, rolling her eyes as I unloaded my stuff.
I set up my kit across from Karl’s red Pearl kit so we could jam to his cranked stereo like the Doobie Brothers or something, and have drum duels. But I also brought with me, two records that would forever change Karl’s musical destiny… Killers and The Number of the Beast.
I can’t take all the credit for introducing Iron Maiden to Karl because Stan and Kevin got me hooked on the band the year before. I remember us heading to Kelly’s Stereo on Main Street in Stan’s Datsun B210 to meet Bruce Dickinson, Steve Harris, Dave Murray and Clive Burr before they opened for the Scorpions at the Pacific Coliseum for their Beast on the Road Tour. That show is forever etched in my mind with Bruce “The Air Raid Siren” screaming “Yo, Yo, Yo, Yo!” while wearing Stan’s jean jacket with Eddie inked on the back. The ticket stub above is the one I had Clive Burr sign. I still have it.
Of course, Karl got hooked on Maiden too, especially after we went to the World Piece Tour together the next summer, me with my broken right leg. Karl and my brother, Andy, carried me to the front row. Ironically, 25 years later Andy and I returned the favour and carried Karl to the Coliseum to see Maiden’s Somewhere Back In Time tour in 2008. Somewhere back in time indeed.
Karl became so immersed in Maiden that his progressive metal band, OSIRIS, was inspired by Maiden’s 1984 Powerslave album. We jammed and drum-dueled in The Blue Garage often and always, especially along with those early Maiden classics. I learned a lot about drumming and rudiments from Karl. I could tell he was unbelievably talented the first time I heard him play. His attention to detail and timing was impeccable. I learned how to play paradiddles by watching Karl play along to Triumph’s Little Texas Shaker. He was a damn fine teacher.
I ended up selling my silver Tama drums to Karl before I graduated and before the World Piece Tour. I broke my leg. Karl got my drums. The rest is history.
Wow… I just realized how much I miss hearing Karl play.
\m/ KARL ROCKS \m/
Tags: blue garage, Bruce Dickinson, Clive Burr, Dave Murray, drums, Iron Maiden, jamming, John Bonham, Killers, Neil Peart, Number of the Beast, Osiris, Pearl, Queen Elizabeth High School, Steve Harris, Tama
my crazy friend
Jun 12, 2010 Just Sharing
I met Karl through my dear friend Achim. Achim I’ve known for I don’t even know how long, maybe 18 years or something like that, time flies when you’re having fun. So through him, I met Karl. I can still remember the 1st time I met him. Right away, he and I clicked instantly. You know, when you laugh at each other’s dumb jokes and no one else in the room really gets it but you, or you can just look at each other and know exactly what you’re thinking. Karl and I have that kind of connection, even still today.
I remember a fun outing we had, just hanging, not rehearsing or performing, just taking a night and saying lets go out and have some fun. Karl and I went out to watch a friend of his, that was in a band It was a fun night, I wore my yellow freak glasses that he kept bugging me about. Said it made me look really smart, god, I’ll take that compliment anytime.
For the Head Traffic cd release party, I was so sick, if you saw any of the pics, I look as white as a ghost. My temp was 104 and the show had to go on. He rocked that show, it was so much fun. We had Jennifer Hodge on bass, Steve Bush keys, Ray Roper guitar and David Wills vox and guitar, It was a great night, down at the Red Room in Vancouver. Ah memories….
Love you Karl!!
Tales From The Blue Garage
Jun 11, 2010 Just Sharing
The Blue Garage was the premier neighborhood jam shed in Cedar Hills back in the 80′s. It was a fully detached room on the other side of the carport of the house where Karl basically lived once his drum kit moved in. Many infamous characters jammed that room on route to their own dreams of stardom, Stan (The Man) Sullivan, Henry (Degas) Levesque, Rob (Gunner) Gunn, Pete (Konehead) Konings… just to name a few.
Some of them made it, some came close, some lost interest, and most drifted their separate ways in the end, but ALL were a part of Early Wattage and all benefited from each other’s early ambition and desire to be part of a group of dudes cranking out some rock and roll.
I recall a lot of the sounds that blasted thru those walls on a Friday night were better pre grunge than anything coming out of Seattle years later. No cell phones, no computers, just pure GARAGE! And after jamming, beers and doobs on the nice grass of Robertson Drive Park, and then maybe off to the Surrey Drive Inn to watch Karl deke the security while we hiked the beers over the fence.
It certainly was a great time to be a teenager growing up OUR way in Surrey. This is what Surrey Pride was all about…
\m/ KARL ROCKS \m/
Tags: blue garage, Cedar Hills, grunge, jamming, pre grunge, Robertson Drive Park, rock and roll, Seattle, Surrey