The Metal Files

I’ve been a Firefall fan since the 70s.  AM Gold from Mom’s car radio or in the house.  I love a lot of this 70s rock and obviously Firefall is no exception.  I’ve never seen them although I’ve had plenty of opportunities over the years.  It needs to be stated that Strange Way is one of my favorite songs ever.  The simple keyboard part in the chorus just makes that song intense for me.

Last night’s show was at the One World Theatre on the outskirts of Austin.  It’s a small venue (400ish?), all seated and not a bad seat in there.  It’s a non-profit venue and I love seeing shows there, although they are always a bit more expensive.   I didn’t make the decision to go last night until just a few hours before the show started.  After doing some quick research of the band members, I saw that their bassist, Mark Andes, was in Heart during the 80s, and Spirit and Canned Heat in the 70s.  I looked him up in The Book and he’s listed with Randy California, so that solidified my decision to go to the show.

The band hits the stage and I was a curious as to how they’d sound vocally with all of them being in their 60s.  That curiosity was quickly satisfied.  Those dudes can still sing.  Non-original guitarist/singer, Steven Weinmeister, nailed the high vocal singing duties.  He’s been in the band since 93.  Original members Jock Bartley, David Muse and Mark Andes all sounded great vocally and Jock’s guitar solos were killer.  Solid drummer, Sandy Ficca, has been in the band since 85.   The band just nails it.

I was happy to finally hear Strange Way live, but also Cinderella and Mexico.  They told cool stories about playing Austin in the 70s as well as playing on Austin City Limits.  I had a huge smile on my face the whole show, albeit it was a short set.  At the end, they said to hang out and they’d meet everyone afterwards.  Everyone came out except for David Muse.  I did speak to him at the stage right after.  That guy is a killer saxophonist and flutist.  Sitting in on percussion with Firefall was One World Theatre executive director, Hartt Stearns.  That was obviously not his first time playing percussion and was quite impressive.

After the show I met Mark Andes and as usual I get, “What book is this?”  and “Why am I listed in here?”  haha.  I showed him the Randy California page and he smiled and said, “Wow, that was a long time ago.”  He signed the book, we spoke for a minute about his years with Heart and I moved on.  The rest of the band was sitting at a table signing autographs and taking pics and I had the rest of them, sans Muse, sign my ticket.  Cool dudes and they were all in good spirits.