fisher queen & the hooks   In October of '05, after laying off music for over a year, I replied to a post at craigslist: An established Denver blues band, Blue Axis, needed a lead guitarist. I learned five songs from their CD for the audition and two weeks later I was in. Blue Axis was the brainchild of their former guitarist, who wrote all of the songs, hired each member and produced their CD. After some discussion, the name of the band was changed to Fisher Queen & the Hooks. We jumped into the pool, managing to land a few gigs in a short time.

Pressure began to build over the sale of the CD and obvious questions regarding the legality - or ethics - of creating new artwork using the new name. Our singer claimed part authorship, but a phone call revealed that, while we were permitted to perform the songs live, the CD was not legally ours to sell or promote. The threat of legal action left us dead in the water. The "established blues band" was apparently no more than an okay cover band. We played around Denver for almost a year, garnering a modest following, but the initial magic faded quickly. More diva shenanigans ultimately led to my bailing.