Two months ago I was rifling through some old paperwork and a piece of notepaper that had been stuck between the larger pages fluttered to the ground. I picked it up, read it, froze then went into a sort of panic. It was a note from Kevin Seconds thanking me for letting him and his band, 7 Seconds, stay at my house. The panic was because I had zero memory of this. 7 Seconds was my favorite punk rock band during the mid-80s and Kevin Seconds was absolutely my favorite front man. The band and the man were and are legendary, iconic, beyond influential in the punk rock world. They meant so much to so many, including me, back in the day. If they had stayed at my house and I'd forgotten about it then it was for sure time to find me a home because it meant my memory had so deteriorated that I was a danger to myself and others.
When I was in college I put on punk rock shows, a task that had fallen unwillingly into my lap. I hated it and I only did it because I wanted to see cool bands. I let the bands stay at my house to save them money on hotels. Much as I hated all other aspects of show promotion, I enjoyed having the bands stay. I met a lot of fantastic people and nearly everyone was appreciative and respectful. So if 7 Seconds was at my house it meant I'd arranged and attended a show with them and I remembered neither. Not the tiniest glimmer of a memory. How could this be?
I finally did the math that I probably had pictures of the show somewhere so I started digging through a box of old photos and sure enough I found a packet of photos. They had faded away to practically nothing but eventually I was able to make out a pipe organ in the background which meant the show had taken place at the old chapel in the Channing Murray Foundation building which also meant I hadn't organized the show. And then thankfully it all came back to me.
This had all happened my last semester of college during which I'd relinquished my concert promoter career to my friend Josh. I'd also moved to a different house from where all the other bands had stayed. I was trying to picture the band in the old house and of course came up with nothing. I was also trying to picture Kevin Seconds as he looked in 1985 when I'd first seen him in Madison, Wisconsin.
When in fact this was what he looked like in 1986 at the show in question. Also the music was markedly different. They played some of their old hardcore songs but they were touring on their 'New Wind' album which was a huge departure from the standard punk rock formula. They had added melody and tempo changes to the songs, I think one of the first punk bands to do so. They were so far ahead of their time and probably influenced so many of the more melodic punk bands that came many years later. I loved that album. So much. I had forgotten all about it. I've been playing it over and over. Sadly the rest of the punk rock world was not so receptive. Punk Rock aesthetics are so bitchy.
I can't understand why such details mattered to my memory and it's still a bit concerning. The human brain is endlessly fascinating and terrifying. But at least I finally remembered what had happened. About halfway through the show I realized Josh would have nowhere for the band to stay because Josh was still in high school and living with his parents. And yeah, my favorite punk band stay at my house? Twist my arm. I went up after the show and offered up my house and everyone involved was more than happy to take me up on it. Thankfully my roommates, who weren't at all into punk rock, were laid back and used to me and weren't all that shocked or put out when I came home from the show with a band.
My roommate's sister was in town and she'd taken all the cushions off the couch for her to sleep on so there wasn't even a good place to sit other than the floor and I had no food for them since I hadn't been expecting company but they didn't seem to care and were thankful for showers and a floor to crash on. I remember Kevin Seconds asking to borrow a curling iron and I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing. I don't know, I found it funny somehow. The best I could do was lend him my blow dryer with some attachments. I also remember Kevin and I lingering over some cups of coffee and tea on the front porch the following morning while the rest of the band slept. It was one of those beautiful Midwest fall days, sunny, blue skies, warm but with a cool breeze. Perfect. He lamented his upcoming day in the van and I lamented having to spend my day in classes and at the lab. Then I had to leave for classes and I left him and the band to lock up the house after they left. Thankfully he left a nice thank you note (the only band member who ever did) or I would have forgotten the whole thing.
I never saw them play again after that nor did I buy their next album. Listening to it now, I don't care for it nor the album that came after it. I'm not sure how I knew I didn't like it without buying it. I'm also not sure why I never went to see them again. Or maybe I did and didn't like it, I truly don't remember. But I was curious about what had become of them and of course the internet has the answer. Remarkably they kept at it until 2018, just 2 years shy of their 40th anniversary. Sadly they finally had to break up due to the bass player's and drummer's health issues. They kept touring and putting out albums throughout all those years. Kevin Seconds still does solo acoustic shows, the music being very different from 7 Seconds. His voice is still so crazy good after all these years and lifetimes, amazing.
I also discovered that he paints. One of his paintings came up on my Facebook or Instagram or something and I loved it but by the time I saw it many people in the comments had said they wanted to buy it. I checked the website where he sells his paintings and it wasn't there so I assumed he'd sold it to someone in the comments. Then a week or two (or three?) later he posted that it was for sale and this time as luck would have it I'd spotted the post right away. I snatched it up, I couldn't believe my luck. Apparently his good stuff goes pretty quickly.
'First art piece of the new year. I had a great time with this one despite the fact that I actually listened to the insane and delusional Trump Atlanta rally speech while painting, something I definitely wouldn’t recommend.'
It's even more fantastic in person. I was thinking I'd have it framed but now that it's hanging in my house I'm not so sure, it looks good as it is. The crows and ravens around here play such a big part in my daily life. They chase away the hawks that circle over my chickens and tease my derpy steers who love to chase them. I didn't buy it because Kevin Seconds painted it but it somehow makes it all the more special that he did. A bit of my beloved past hanging on my wall in the present.
Now I wonder what other good stuff I've forgotten about?
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