The Story Behind The COLD SHOTT CD

“If You Got The Blues…”

By Rich Brydle

This is a short depiction of how we came to honor Ted Kowal, his family and the musicians in the band through a heartfelt live recording session in 2002. As the band has been for 16 years, this story is also a work-in-progress. It is certainly not a biography, but the highlights of one man’s desire to achieve a goal……..

PART 1

Being a friend of Ted Kowal’s since our chance meeting in 1989, I have been fortunate to have observed and to have experienced a final chapter in Ted’s musical world and to eventually become part of it. Keep in mind that Ted’s career as a pro musician started in the 1960’s!! I was just the lucky one to have seen up-close what 30+ years of experience can reveal.

After I met Ted, he set out on a ‘mission’ of sorts to introduce me to as many people in the Phoenix music scene, past, present and upcoming, ever since I showed an interest in 1990 in the 3-piece band, The Cold Shot Blues Band, featuring Ted, Tim Dustin and Rich Olsen. I was Ted’s tag-along guitar player buddy introduced to all of the artists and club owners in the 1990’s Blues-R&B-Soul scene. As Ted would say, I was his ‘project’. It was like a college class that started in 1989 and continues for me today.

I was able to experience every incarnation of “Cold Shot” since its very beginning. In the early 1990’s, the band headed into a local studio to record primarily a blues offering, “Out of Control”, which helped establish an identity and to get a product to the fans and prospective clients. Over time, the band evolved: add a harmonica, add a guitar, add some horns, add more horns, oh hey, how about keyboard, or maybe a female singer, add “Hurricane Horns” to the band name…….scores of great local musicians all took turns adding their spice to the mix; some stayed for a while and some are still in the band after 14 years. I was the “groupie-roadie” for all things Cold Shot off and on until 1993. After sitting in on many jam nights hosted by Ted’s band and hacking around in a couple of start-up rock and blues bands, I was officially offered a spot with Cold Shot in 1994. How about some hardcore traditional electric blues, or some great roadhouse blues, or some soulful singing, or just a kickass rocking horn band with the drive of any B. B. King-type big band? Ted had it all in his musical toy box and he enjoyed change and how his fans reacted.

In 1995, when the band started to feature Leah Santos, a great female vocalist from LA, there was suddenly a ‘product’ to sell. Into the studio the band went to test the theory and came out with a 6-song ‘demo’ CD, “Full Circle”. Fun, raw and funky and with a new direction towards a rockin’ soulful blues. Larry Elyea of Minds Eye Digital was our recording engineer and we dug working at his new studio. The demo was only a taste of what the band could do and Ted was getting closer to his ultimate vision of presenting a rocking roadhouse blues band sound, like Delbert McClinton’s band, for instance. Finally.

PART 2

Well, as with most projects, the one thing you can count on is change. Legendary Phoenix Soul Man Small Paul Hamilton came out of a short retirement and replaced Leah in 1997 as our lead singer. Paul solidified the R&B-Blues-Soul presentation of the band. He had been used to leading his own bands since the late 1960’s so it was surely a change for him and the band. But we all fell into a comfortable groove, with Ted at the helm, and soon developed a big, sassy, bluesy and soulful style that grew in popularity; often imitated but never quite copied. Being best friends, Ted and I found that we leaned on each other in keeping the band focused, managed, and promoted. Little did I know that this was for a very real reason down the road. ‘Focus on the music, the product……….and the bookings will come’ was Ted’s forever saying. Ted had more patience than anyone we had ever met. Ted was convinced that the world will always fall for the next ‘gimmick’ or fad, but true musicianship will win in the end. By 1997, Ted had restructured his band at least once per year striving for that perfect ‘product’. Of course that always meant that there were scores of promo pics used as members would change here and there. We always laughed after each photo shoot; it seemed that a new picture meant someone would be leaving the band soon! I am sure most bands can relate to that.

The band went into the studio again with 1999’s band line-up and we recorded another 8-song demo, used solely for promo and bookings. This demo served the band well for several years, but again, only as a demo. As our fans and friends experienced the band locking down an undeniable powerhouse sound at each and every gig, we kept hearing the demand for a ‘real’ studio recording….. to finally showoff the band. We experienced more personnel changes, mostly drummers, from 1999 through 2002. It was hard to maintain a focus well enough to head legitimately into the studio. Waiting for us, however, when we got our line-up stabilized, was the great local recording engineer, Clarke Rigsby (Tower of Power, Kim Wilson, Jimmy Smith and the best of the best of Arizona’s musicians). Clarke’s industry-wide reputation and recording credits seemed endless and intimidating but we all looked forward to the day he would guide our first real full-length studio offering. Especially since Ted had been dreaming about it since his early-90’s recording and Paul was 20+ years overdue for a professional recording himself. False starts, personnel issues, and a rugged economic scene in Phoenix kept the dream for a recording on a roller-coaster ride until early 2002. All this time the band kept getting tighter and widening its fan base due to regular scheduled appearances at the main clubs and outdoor festivals in town.

The inability to find the right mix of players and attitude, as well as missed recording opportunities, always weighed heavy on Ted. But he was tirelessly patient. Many of the musicians that have graced our band were well-known local artists with a long history of performance time with Ted and the others in the band. So, it was easy for Ted to be tolerant because they were, after all, a family. In many ways he always gave people the benefit of the doubt and was ever hopeful that they would ‘come around’ or shape up, as the case may be. His faith in and patience with people seemed to betray him a lot, though. But that was his attitude towards his fellow musicians……a golden heart.

PART 3

By early 2002 the band was getting antsy about recent failed attempts at a recording. Ted patience with the false starts had him ready to ‘throw in the towel’. We all were simply sick and tired of seeing all of the other great local and Arizona bands release truly professional CD’s by this time, EXCEPT FOR US. Time to change that story once and for all. We needed a goal. A target. Something to get the blood flowing and excitement revved up. Too many years of being all dressed up and nowhere to go. We decided in March 2002 to get ourselves rehearsed and into the studio with Clarke for a late 2002 release. Time for the brass ring. Finally.

A dream come true occurred when we were asked in late-March 2002 to open for Delbert McClinton at Alice Cooper’sTown on May 22, 2002! Rehearsing for the Delbert gig was actually the boost we needed to ensure a focus on the recording. That gig went great and cemented the deal in our minds that we were serious and good enough to record. In early June 2002 we made a few more personnel changes to solidify focus and group attitude. When you have a large working band that performs together week after week, you have many personalities and personal needs to accommodate. It is really important that you have a ‘team’…..not a bunch of ‘ringers’ or great individual performers. You need a real team.

What is a team?

"A group in which members work together intensively to achieve a common group goal." (Lewis-McClear, 1998)

The key issue for the band was establishing and maintaining a goal. Our goal was to tighten up our ‘product’ and prepare for a serious recording session. Sometimes you have to accept the fact that a team of good, trustworthy and focused players is a much better arrangement than a band of primadonnas. We had actually learned that lesson well, over many years, and now it was time to put the training into motion.

It was decided to record a ‘live’ performance at our then home-base, The Rhythm Room, instead of in a studio setting. We have always been known to be a great live band and so why not try to share that with the world? This club had been deemed our club-of-choice by the band and our fans for since 2000 and it had a history of good live recordings. It had a sizable stage and dance floor and the staff had always treated us like family. Especially important was that Clarke Rigsby had engineered many fine recordings there. It was a natural choice. We were going to record in our home. The date was set for July 26 and 27, 2002. All we had to do was get there. Finally.

A few rehearsals occurred during June 2002 and a few rough edges started to get smoothed out with some of our song arrangements. Things were getting more real by the day. The band had an ‘expanded’ line-up of ten members for the recording and in order to prep correctly, we planned to enlist all ten at each and every gig up to the recording date. Big club or small, it didn’t matter……we were going to get comfortable with our large band family no matter what. This was Ted’s big opportunity to present all he had worked on musically for 12 years and the train was racing down the track.

PART 4

During the first 5 months of 2002 Ted had finalized some soul-searching and decision-making about his life and health and started to focus on his weight and an exercise program. Health was on his mind from the time I first met him and with the new challenges for the band and a need for extra strength and energy, Ted started to seriously formulate a regular program of exercise and diet. Everything was looking very good for Ted and certainly his band. He took some vacation time in Late June-early July and worked hard on projects around the house. He was in a great mood and excited about the prospect of completing a real recording project. Finally.

On the night of July 4^th, 2002, the band was booked at a newly-opened club in Scottsdale, Sugar Daddy’s. We had played there once or twice before and this was a follow-on booking. We hadn’t heard much from Ted the week prior as he had been on vacation and working hard at his house. That night was what we called an ‘OK’ performance night; the band seemed to be a bit tired (it had been very hot that week). However, there was a decent sized crowd for a holiday Thursday. We noticed that Ted seemed tired and quite reserved. I’d say that he was being ‘economical’ with his movements and actions that night. Resting a lot on breaks and not really saying much. Almost being overly focused on something, like he had something on his mind. We pretty much left him alone and figured it was the heat. Ted got back to being his somewhat normal self during our last set of the night and then we all quickly packed up and headed out. Ted paid us all soon after the gig ended and he left quickly himself; the first to leave, actually. Probably looking forward to getting home and jumping in the pool to cool off.

Four hours after the gig his wife and I learned that the reason Ted didn’t arrive home that night was because he had been in a fatal car accident; it was triggered by a heart attack he had only 1 mile away from the club on his way home…..just 3 minutes from the time I pulled away from Ted at the same stoplight.

As you can imagine many, many lives and plans and dreams were affected by this single incident. Scores of tears, communications, arrangements and questions flooded our lives. Tribute articles by the wonderfully kind press magically appeared in the local papers to help ease our pain and to formally recognize Ted’s impact on the music scene. Tribute and benefit shows were arranged to provide the family and the community a time and place to grieve together, to celebrate a great musical life and to help the family raise funds for funeral expenses. It was all too much, but at the same time we all felt there will never be enough that could be done to help each other through this. If only we had pressed him for details on his demeanor that night, if only I had followed him home, if only…………I am sure you can imagine the stack of ‘if only’s’ the family and band have dwelled on since this night. Nothing seemed important because the world felt like it had stopped. But, soon thereafter, for some peculiar reason, everything seemed important and many family and band members operated with a certain drive to capture the essence of Ted. There was work to do and we eventually figured out why.

PART 5

‘What about the band’ everyone kept asking after Ted’s death. Here’s the story, simple but true:

After the funeral, the band attended a family gathering at Ted’s sister’s house. Ted’s wife, Debbie, came up to me and asked me what I thought about the future prospect of the band. I said that we were going to have to cancel the July 2002 recording date and discuss a lot of things first. Well, Debbie cut to the chase and simply said to all of us that she wouldn’t mind if we kept Ted’s dream alive by keeping the band going. We could continue to use the band name; just respect its legacy and Ted’s reputation. She then suggested that since I was one of Ted’s closest friends and knew how the band was managed, I should take over the band. I looked at the guys and they all agreed unanimously, if I was willing to do it. I said yes. It was the least I could do for Ted and his family. That was the moment of clarity for us all. And, finally, Debbie did have one simple and final request……for her family. Would we stabilize the band and complete Ted’s dream of having Cold Shott and The Hurricane Horns follow through with a real, professional recording? Finally? By the end on 2002 ? She got a unanimous YES. And we knew why.

We stabilized the band, focused on the rehearsals, prepped for the October 2002 recording dates and got the job done. It has always been a wonder to us that we were able to immediately secure the ‘band family’ through the addition of bassist and lead vocalist Tony Flores. It is sometimes a miracle in my mind that he was brought in to the band at this time; the perfect addition to the situation and we are thankful for that stoke of luck. Clarke Rigsby provided a calm force of sensibility for the band. He basically let us direct ourselves but was amazingly proficient at connecting with the guys, at the right times, to help ensure our success. He may not know this until he reads this, but the guys took to heart any suggestion he had, and we appreciated him being there. He has an uncanny empathy for and intuition about people. The care that he shows others is displayed in the recordings he has produced.

Regarding the band’s focus, the recording was a true band/team effort. It was self-produced, self-organized and self-propelled out of simple respect and honor for Ted and his family….to reach the goal that Ted had for over 12 years. In all the time I knew Ted, he never sought fame or attention for himself; only for the members in the band, only for the band, only for the team. The recording does exactly what Ted would have ever wanted…it presents what a real team would do and displays the fine talents of the individual members. Little did we know the strong, positive impact it would have on the band and its continued success. We’re sure Ted is watching over his boys.

The entire project of keeping the band together and focused through the recording was our personal grieving process. It was something we had to do. It was something that only we could do. It helped us solidify what has become a tight-knit family of the coolest musicians in town. Each and every member gave everything they had to reach that goal. Check it out…..it’s a timeless recording. You’ll see it to this day when we’re onstage.

We are thankful for the Kowal Family watching over us. For Clarke Rigsby and his comforting assistance during our challenge. For our fans who have supported us since the 1990’s and to a fan-base that has grown in size since 2002. For the businesses who book us. For the guys in the band; we can’t think of a better bunch of ‘brothers’ to hang with. For our families, who all make up the enormous Cold Shott band family; we even hang out together on our off weekends. Special thanks to my brother Jeff who kept me grounded through all of this.

It’s all about the goal. The team. And respect.

It’s that simple. Thanks for listening. See you at the next gig!