Put the band together-

*Get a job on music row-

*Be discovered-

*Go on tour-

*Make it big!

Fame & fortune right around the corner (or is it?) if you work on west 48th street- MUSIC ROW!   That is the dream of just about every one that has had a job on the street….

I will never forget the day about ten years ago when a man in his late 50’s or early 60’s approached my counter at the music store. “Hi are you Steve?” he asked me. “Yes I am I answered’ “I see from the photo taped to the computer that you are in the band ‘Dagger’ “Yes we are playing through out the area and are putting the finishing touches on a recording project.

“Well I am Mr. Katz with Sony records and I would be real interested in listing to your music. I have seen your band listed in the rock newspapers for some time now.  At that point I explained to him that Dagger was indeed in the studio recording and I passed him a work in progress cassette.

We exchanged business cards and I said to him to call me anytime. My brief meeting with him was so insignificant in that I did not even mention it to my fellow band members at the time. A week or two later I got a call from Mr. Katz and he said, “The good news is that you do have some quality material on the tape, the bad news is the hard rock scene is dead.” “Well then thanks for the listen,” I said back to him while shrugging  my shoulders.

After mistakenly thinking our conversation was over he continued on, “since you guys are so far along with the project I believe Sony might be willing to release this anyway.”  My jaw dropped to the floor, “What do you mean?” I asked.

” I would be willing to work with Dagger because realistically you guys are on the way to a finished product and I would be willing to get involved.”   “Send me all of the band members Social Security numbers and I will have the contracts drawn up.” Bingo- just like that I was on my way.  “So is this how it happens?” I remember thinking to myself. A chance    meeting on a given day on music row?  My mind wondered back to the early years of Dagger, when a bunch of my friends got together in my basement to jam just for the fun of it.  Later   those fun jams were followed by  years of dedication and hard work.  We practiced and refined our sound, grew our hair and played a few gigs at my local high school. As we polished up the act  we caught a brake and opened for the popular band “Twisted Sister.”

As time passed on we found our selves a mainstay on the local rock club circuit. We played all the popular rock clubs on Long Island. We headlined the ‘Rock capitol of the world’  “Lamour’s”, in where else? Brooklyn New York!   During the those years while we were performing we were also recording ‘demo’ tapes to send to the record companies and to sell at the gigs .  Every now and then our frustrations were apparent. As you might expect by this time all of the band members had full time day jobs and were ‘rockers by night’.   We constantly poured money into the project. At one point we even hired a publicist that did manage to get us on a few cable TV shows and nothing much else. Needless to say it was a very hectic schedule and I knew that the years of frustration were finally catching up with the band.   In my heart at this moment the news about this guy from SONY no matter how vague, was just what    Dagger needed  -a shot in the arm!  Later that night at band practice I sprang the unimaginable news on the guys.  After exchanging high five’s, and a sigh of relief we all agreed to pursue this opportunity and see where it might lead.

A few days later a messenger delivery service arrived and I signed for the package. In side was a contract for each one of my band mates. I called the guys with the good news. “Our dream has come true!” I remember us telling each other. “The contracts are now in our hands!”

We all agreed the next move was to run this by my good friend and rock n roll mentor, JJ French of “Twisted Sister.”   I knew that JJ’s experience and guidance is just what Dagger needed most at this point.

I called JJ at his office and excitedly explained the situation. He suggested having his attorney review the contracts and he would get back to us in a few days. I sent over the contracts and the wait began. The next few days seem to be in slow motion. All I could think about was finally ‘making it’ in the business and going on tour to perform my music. As I soon found out my fellow band members were sharing the same dream.  The talk at band practice the next few weeks was of  becoming rich and famous and living the life of rock stars!

Finally the call I was waiting for, “Stevie this is JJ, round up the guys and get up to my office right after work today!”  Could this be it? Every musician’s dream come true-a signed record deal?  I almost picked up the phone right then and there and placed a call to the owner of the company I work for to tell him : “I just got signed!”  “I am out of here!”

The guys in my band picked me up at the store. Their were hugs and smiles all round. We made our way  to JJ’s office on the upper West Side of Manhattan all the while discussing our big plans for the band.

After greetings, we   all sat down and got comfortable. JJ looked at each of us and said, “My lawyer and I would first like to congratulate you guys.”   At that point my band mates and I all nodded our heads and smiled very proudly at each other. Then I will never forget what JJ said next,  “We would like to congratulate the band that was offered the worst contact in the history of the recording business!”

I sat there stunned and after my heart resumed beating,  JJ went on to explain the dreaded details of the deal:

The contract was loaded with ‘clauses’ beneficial only to the management. The agreement would have tied the band members individually to the management for an incredibly long term even if the group was to disband. The band had to give up all rights to the songs. And so the dismal list went on and on….. (I am not sure but I believe the company would also have the rights to my first born son!)

Needless to say we did not sign that bogus contract. But with JJ French & Mark Mendoza now   producing the band -Dagger did release a rocking CD titled ‘Fate of a violent world’

The band also had the opportunity to live a dream of any musician. To go on tour (two concert tours of Europe) to support the CD.    Dagger never did hit the ‘big time’ and I went on to be the ‘greatest salesman in the history of music row”  – but at least I did have a small taste of the rock star life!