Adaptation 101: (I Am Not Your) Slave versions 1-4 (1989-2024)

I won’t get on my soapbox again, harping about how covers should be adaptations of the originals. Instead, I’ll share one of my own songs as it morphed over the years, depending on which band was playing it.

“Slave” began as a warm-up song for a band I was in, Sluggo. It ended up on the set of our first gig in 1989, posted below. I have had the sheer luck of falling in with musicians much more talented than me, and in this band I was fortunate to partner with @kensluiter (keyboards/vox), #BobBraitkrus (bass/vox), and #RandyPayne (drums). So, first up is Adaptation 101: (I Am Not Your) Slave v1 – 1989, Sluggo, Joliet, Illinois.

The next version is Adaptation 101: (I Am Not Your) Slave v2 – 1991, Star Bellied Sneetches, Carbondale, Illinois. SBS was one hell of a band. Singer/songwriters #LincolnLounsbury, #JasonStacy and I shared the writing side. I had a buddy, #TimCarlton, a laid back devotee of John Bonham – a true TATANKA on the skins. Fucking Thunderous. We needed a hired gun on lead guitar and found that in #RichGochee, lovingly referred to as the “Soloing Troll.” He’d turn on like a light bulb, filling any room with brilliance, to just snap out of his trance mid-solo. Too much Schaefer is a good thing. Again, I was one lucky SOB.

This second version of “Slave” was heavier as SBS was heavier. You can hear the tune’s future already… Here too was a live recording, this time where I waited tables at Prime Time Restaurant, in the underused lounge (I think we might have been the only live band to play there).

So, Lincoln and Rich were out of town the following summer, and Brad Cassetto (@sounderaudio) had the great idea of throwing together a band to play just one gig – a local battle of the bands. Jason and Tim were up for it so we practiced like madmen, without any hope of winning any round, but we were wrong! Somehow we squeaked through round 1, but came up against a Death Metal band in the second round, I believe #Phantasmagoria, who just kicked our ass, but we did not care. EW was an end in itself. And it was Carbondale in the early ’90s. You had to be there.

This third manifestation, (I Am Not Your) Slave v3 – 1992, Eleanor’s Whore, Carbondale, Illinois, was almost punk. I should have bellowed “Oi!” but hindsight is 20/20. We cranked it, 110% and as Brad quipped at the end, “That fucking rocked!” That it did.

Thirty-two years since the last model, here is Adaptation 101: (I Am Not Your) Slave v4 – 2024, McCook, Nebraska.

So, yeah, less talk, more action.

If you ever find yourself in a band (or TATANKA – ahem), let what you play evolve, especially the “originals.” I shared the raw tracks with my son, so perhaps someday he’ll lay down some sweet Spanish guitar, and I’ll post v5 here.

#Adaptation #CarbondaleIL #SIUC #EleanorsWhore #IAmNotYourSlave #JJC #JolietIL #OriginalMusic #SIUC #Sluggo #StarBelliedSneetches