Live fast Love Hard Die Young - Part Four

After almost 6 months of their departure, things in Porto started to feel a little weird, once they were gone for more than that single month they spoke at the beginning, and also ‘cause it was Christmas time and no one accepted that they wouldn’t return for the season. But they didn’t…They were in Denver at Christmas eve, and this made them feel deeply home sick: no mummy’s Codfish, no family around, no presents given in person, no girlfriends and of course, no Portuguese traditions to made things a little less painful. Between the couple that was most stoned by the girlfriend reaction, things weren’t really going ok. Letters begin to fail in November and in December, conversations rounded about confusion, misunderstandings and pressure. And it was certain that something must be happening, once not even the other boys could explain to her what was going on. So they broke up, and things got a little tense between the boys: not only due to this mess that involved everyone in a problem that got both friendships, but also due to a list of problems that were starting to appear: It was the Visas uncertainty to renovate, it was the money failing, it was the Record that was not done yet, it was the pressure coming from Portugal, and at the end there was the popping question: how will things end up for them? Spite it all, they kept united and proceed doing what they were good at – playing Rock’a’billy music, giving everything they had to leave everybody happy. But as we all know, even then emigration to US was forbidden, and with no more Visas extends, they didn’t have any other option, than to pack…

They stayed with the Oncle in Colorado for just about a year, made the Record and gave to Denver, and any other cities they got to play in, the very best of their unique style of music, and one can say for sure that everybody simply loved each and every one of them in return. After they got back to Portugal, and found a place that they didn’t recognise anymore – the time they spent abroad, showed them how little, stupid and hard things were in their home country, in many aspects, but especially for musicians.

The only thing that they truly enjoyed was the indescribable happiness to return to their loved ones - family, friends and passions – well, all of them except that one that didn’t had a girlfriend anymore, but instead he got a wife - an American girl he fell in love with and with whom he got married few weeks before they returned.
Well, this fact made everything different, because now one of them could return – the one that at the beginning said to the guy willing do so in order to stay there, that he was mad! Now, isn’t that ironic? But no one blamed him – after all, he did say that in fall in love, they knew her and they liked her, so they understood what happened and, at least one of could go on living happy in America.
So, the problem was the Band – how would they manage to play with one of the members away? It seemed that was the beginning of the End…
They got steady for almost a year more, playing all around Europe – in every country Rockabilly was heard, they were invited – people knew them by name, and their reputation followed them wherever they go, and things got firm for them, so they had the need for a new member – and of course, any musician of that kind of music, was willing to fulfil the Band, and they kept on going with the same name. After a while, they once again started to realize, that they couldn’t go one living here just with the concerts earnings, and again the pressure to “get a job, get life” had them go to a point they had to choose what they were going to do. One of them was willing to do whatever it took to do and play music – actually he kept on saying it since the start, right? And as I said, they were all so good in what they did, that he soon got propositions to play with other bands, here and abroad, and he chose to go away, and 12 years passed he keeps on living only by his music!
Yes, that was truly the End. The guys had to split apart the Band and therefore, there was no point on keeping the name they all tattooed on their harms.

The ones that stayed here formed a new Band, but as for the American Dream – it was it: no more living upon that. They felt the need to find Jobs, but never quit playing, also because they had to fill that gap in their hearts, and gigs are just for pleasure.

Nowadays they keep on playing whenever they can, they rehearse every week, they study, they make new songs and the new Band gets bigger as the musicians get better. Today they have new instruments, and play music based in what they have learned in almost 15 years - from Rockabilly, Western, Country, and even Jazz. No matter what, they keep on improving themselves and they are still unique!
As for the old Band, well they get together every now and then in the major concerts over

Europe, always giving to everyone the very best of Rock’a’billy Music!

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaThe End

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Dedicated to The Tennessee Boys aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
This Story that I share with you is from my own personal point of view, but it shows us how difficult it is to be a musician here – whether you’re good or not – though sometimes it seems to be less difficult for the worst ones… It’s very sad to see that our Portuguese men and women have to go abroad, in order to accomplish their dreams. What happened with them is probably very similar with any other Portuguese Groups, and I feel ashamed to see that things unfortunately, are not going easier to any of us...