[Click on the song titles below to hear live tapes and
recordings.]
The
Marble dressing room offered several well-worn couches to rest on, and
plenty of wall space for marking your band’s name. It was usually crowded with
fans and musicians. (L-R, Larry, Dwight Allen, Reesa, and Cherie prepare to
go onstage in a dressing room with much less character than the Marble's.)
When Cherie and I coordinated our miniskirted outfits for each
set, I thought nothing of tearing off my top and changing in front of the
dressing-room clan. But Cherie demanded privacy, and would ask the non-Rooters
to leave.
Roger Anderson would stop by in his congenial way to see if we
needed anything, and to talk about musical issues such as which guitar Larry
would be playing, or what odd props I might use onstage that night. On at least
one occasion, Roger and LesLee's band The Alcoholics, opened the show for us.
We were also approached by people who had serious proposals
for the band to consider. Joe Clem, a student, asked us to record a music video
at Dundalk Community College. When the Rooters played the Marble in August 1981,
we stayed overnight to do a live taping at his school.
Rod Misey, a Towson University radio DJ, wanted a copy of "TMI"
for the WCVT playlist. [Play live "TMI" video from Dundalk Community
College:]
And Rita (whose last name is lost in the haze of my memory)
asked Suburban Wives Club to perform two gigs at Oddfellows Hall in Towson. But
most of the would-be promoters only offered us dreams.
During its three-year life span, the Rooters had many
drummers, including Joe Putiri (the first), Eddie K (Kamarauskus), Mark Stinger
(seen in the above video), Bob Z, Tommy Meyers, and Dwight Allen (the last).
LesLee was tickled by the frequent changes, and would watch each time we
returned to the Marble to see if we brought a new drummer.
From
a More than Occasional but Less than Regular Marble Bar Performer
