DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME;

COUNTDOWN TO A DECADE:

Shows 1-5

Sometime around March, 1993, Rusty and I handed Tom Sweeney a demo tape of our
new band, BABY LEMONADE. Tom was booking (although he said he was managing)
Arthur Lee on a regular basis. We noticed him buying LOVE records at the Indie
record store we worked at and couldn't help but shamlessly plug ourselves.
Thre weeks later, Tom called us back and asked if we wanted to open up for the
man himself. We jumped at the opportunity, being big fans of all those 60's
and 70's LOVE records, and really just wanted to meet Arthur. The show was at
the Troubadour in West Hollywood, California, where Santa Monica Bl. and Doheny
street intersect, just 25 ft. from the Beverly Hills city limits.

The date was April 29, 1993. We went on around 9pm and played a 40 min. set.
Someone told us afterwards Arthur was watching our whole set. Later on we
thanked him and Tom for having us, packed our gear and drove back to our studio
in Baldwin Hills, roughly a 20 min. drive. The next morning, our Manager at
the time, Jeff Davis, got a call from Tom Sweeney; Arthur dug Baby Lemonade and
wanted to know if we'd be interested in backing him as LOVE. We thought it over
(can you believe that?) and decided it was a good opportunity (duh) that we
couldn't let slip by and said yes.

The next night, A.L. came by and we did "7 & 7 is", "Signed DC", "Alone Again
Or" and 3 more songs i can't seem to recall. It felt great to play those songs
(as you can imagine) with his incredible voice leading the way, but i have to
say we were all a bit nervous. He went home afterwards and called us a bit
later that night and pretty much said he wanted us to be the band. And, for
all intents and purposes, we have been LOVE since that day. It is worth
mentioning that Arthur has played with Das Damen, The High llamas and Shack
backing him in that time as well. We were his west coast band. mainly for
economic reasons, as there was no real "manager" around with a sense of vision
and a feel for continuity; it was always "What's the best way to save money?"
Of course, all that changed in 1996 when (Manager/ promoter) Gene Kraut, Arthur
and Baby Lemonade began working on a regular basis and toured Europe that
summer. So, the "Countdown" represents the notes I kept on each and every show
we played as LOVE, more or less.

Show #1- June 2, 1993 at RAJI's

The first show! Our friend, Paul Rock, hosted a tribute to Brian Wilson at his
house before the show that also featured "Daisy Chain" and the "Wondermints."
We'd never heard of either of these bands but walked away impressed with the
musicianship and that get together in general. Daisy Chain actually opened up
for us at Raji's later so it was a real fun vibe. I remember us rocking out
like crazy. I also remember Steven McDonald (Redd Kross bassist) in the
audience with a big smile on his face. The line-up was Rusty (guitar), Daddyo
(drums), Henry Lui (bass) and myself, and this is the line-up we used up until
early 1996.

Show #2-June 20, at The PALOMINO

Word has it, the guys in Weezer were at this show, way before they had a record
deal. I remember thinking to myself that i was in a "red neck" bar. I remember
this show as being a lot of fun, alot of energy. I think some weird group
called the Buffalo Cheese band opened up.

Show #3-July 3, at The WHISKEY

Imagine US playing the Whiskey-A-Go-Go and them forgetting to put Arthur's name
on the Marquee. That's exactly what happened. Of course, they fixed it, but
not without catching some hell from Tom Sweeney. We were opening for that
Doors copycat group, WILD CHILD. I remember the Singer, Dave, acting just like
Morrison EVEN BACKSTAGE. Rodney Bingenheimer introduced us and we proceeded to
blow those guys off the stage.

Show #4-July 7, at RAJI'S

This was to be our last show at Raji's, as a 6.7 earthquake hit Los Angeles 5
months later and practically levelled the whole building. Too bad. Raji's was
a cool place. Back in the day, you could go see Stone Temple Pilot every
saturday night for $7. I remember a guy named "Trudy" yelling out songs over
and over again from the audience. And some woman wearing a leopard skin body
suit who asked if i wasnted a ride home.

Show #5-August 20, at The CLUB LONGERIE

We played this on bill with Robbie Krieger (Doors...duh!) and the highlight was
when WE played Roadhouse Blues with Robbie and Arthur trading versus. We also
did "Love me Two Times", which was a little rough, since we'd never played it
before, but the spirit was right there. Afterwards, i chatted with Robbie and
i have to say he was a perfect gentlemen.

=====

Mike Randle
mike@lovewitharthurlee.com

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