The Underground

By John R. Bolton

John, James, Gary and Rory of The Underground are a typical rock band... technically talented, but doomed to retirement and obscurity. That is until their lives are changed forever in September of 2012 by a passing acquaintance in rural America.

In 'The Underground' meet The Beatles at The Cavern Club and relive the release of some of the greatest music ever written. Be with The Underground at The Ed Sullivan Theatre where history is written and popular music changes forever. Find out how, in only two years, four Americans influenced the entire world and left the planet pondering one of the most baffling disappearances and mysteries.

It's a story about the most important group of all time... The Underground... or as they are known today, ‘The World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band’.

'The Underground' is a story about history, but you may not remember it quite this way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: John R. Bolton
• Release date: Oct 21, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310544620

John R. Bolton

John is a broadcaster and writer originally from Sarnia, Ontario, with a two decade stopover in Cornwall, Ontario and now resides in Calgary, Alberta. He lives in Calgary with his wife Sheila and their three cats: Smokey, Mr. Boots and Cali, where he challenges the hills and mountains on his road bike, listens to rock and blues music and enjoys the western lifestyle.

Book preview

The Underground

by

John R. Bolton

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: From The Beginning

Chapter 2: Somewhere In England

Chapter 3: Ball Of Confusion

Chapter 4: What A Long, Strange Trip Its Been

Chapter 5: Ticking Away The Moments That Make Up A Dull Day

Chapter 6: Just Let Me Hear Some Of That Rock And Roll Music

Chapter 7: The Master Of Reality

Chapter 8: Money, That’s What I Want

Chapter 9: Split Decision

Chapter 10: So You Want To Be A Rock And Roll Star?

Chapter 11: The Train Kept A Rollin’

Chapter 12: Stage Fright

Chapter 13: Let it Grow

Chapter 14: Fun, Fun, Fun

Chapter 15: I Wanna Take You Higher

Chapter 16: The British Invasion

Chapter 17: The Point Of No Return

Chapter 18: Ladies And Gentlemen…The Beatles

Chapter 19: R-O-C-K In The USA

Chapter 20: New York, New York

Chapter 21: I Saw It On TV

Chapter 22: Crazy

Chapter 23: I’m Going To Graceland

Chapter 24: The Stealer

Chapter 25: The Trial

Chapter 26: The End

Chapter 27: Days Of Future Passed

About John

John is a broadcaster and writer originally from Sarnia, Ontario, with a two decade stopover in Cornwall, Ontario and now resides in Calgary, Alberta. He lives in Calgary with his wife Sheila and their three cats: Smokey, Mr. Boots and Cali, where he challenges the hills and mountains on his road bike, listens to rock and blues music and enjoys the western lifestyle.

Chapter 1: From The Beginning

It was the early hours of a rainy Sunday morning when a small and ancient VW Microbus, jam packed with four musicians and equipment rolled into the small town of Abaddon in Midwest America. The head-lights lighting up a road sign declaring a population of 1,232 people. Then again, it could have read 1,237, but the sign looked like it had seen better days… and so did the town.

Most of the time the passengers in the van paid little attention to where they were going, other than the driver who was only just conscious enough to keep from driving off the road. After all, over the years, the four passengers had passed through thousands of towns en-route to playing engagements across the United States and into Canada. None of the cities, towns or villages were particularly interesting, but something made this town special to the members of The Underground, because it was the beginning of an unusual trip.

For many years Abaddon had been plagued with bad luck. Most people who lived there commuted to work and only stayed in Abaddon because it was where they had always lived. The mine on the outskirts of town had closed decades ago and more than three quarters of the people had moved away. So, jobs were scarce, the local economy was weak and general malaise and depression was prevalent. Perhaps depression isn’t the proper word, maybe evil is more suitable. The closing of the mine certainly had a big effect on the lives of the residents of Abaddon and the surrounding area, but there was more to the dark cloud that seemed to hover over the town. The residents of Abaddon focused their eyes on one thing, one person, Lou Iblis. He had come to town decades ago, just before the mine was closed. Iblis was quiet and spent much of his time away from home, a foreboding home that was perched up on a hill. The typical home you’d find in a Hitchcock movie or in a second rate novel… this novel excepted. No one really knew what he did, how he supported himself, many just figured he was the recipient of a huge inheritance or business deal. Iblis oozed charm, but also repelled people simultaneously. It was a strange combination. One thing was certain, ever since Iblis came to town, life changed and it wasn’t for the better. Abaddon was a place to steer clear of and it just happened to be the town The Underground drove through early that Sunday morning.

Imagine for a moment, the life of an uber rock star with private jets, groupies, first class accommodations, the best booze and food available. Now imagine the exact opposite. That was the life of John, James, Gary and Rory the four guys crammed into the van. Even though they were the best of friends, they were lonely and missed their families. They were busy, which only saw them getting home on rare occasions. Keeping in touch was easy with their cell phones and laptops, but it didn’t make up for actually getting home.

On this Sunday morning at about 1:15 a.m., the van they drove everywhere, the van that had driven most of the major and minor highways, side roads and dirt roads of North America broke down. Of course the van broke down a lot, this wasn’t unusual at all. After all it was a very old van, but keeping it running became a labour of love for Rory, who did most of the driving. Luckily for The Underground the van broke down in a populated area… that would be Abaddon. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your perspective, the van broke down about a half mile from the home of Lou Iblis. A half mile and it was pouring rain. At this point the band wished they had kept up their subscription with the Auto Club. It was the straw that broke the camels back for Gary. He started on a rant that the other members of the band had heard before, with a few alterations. I can’t continue doing this, I’m 25 pushing 30 and I have nothing, no car, no home, no family, no wife, you know, the American dream. We continue bashing our heads against the wall and going nowhere with our music. It keeps getting harder and harder to find gigs; I’m this far from quitting, Gary said with his fingers stretched an inch apart. Plus, this damn van keeps breaking down, it’s pouring rain and other than knowing I’m in small town USA, I have no idea where we are right now.

The rant got very little reaction from the rest of the guys. They had heard this before. Gary was usually very quiet, but he didn’t have patience and the broken down van had frustrated him again. Gary was the bands bass player and he was a very good one. He’d been in the band from the very beginning, stretching back to his high school days. Even through his teen years during the 90s, he idolized rock and roll’s classic players and loved old rock and roll. Gary is 25, has long blonde hair, is considered handsome by the girls and is the enigma of the group. Isn’t that always the way with bass players? John Entwistle of The Who was known as ‘The Quiet One’, not in his playing of course, but his on stage demeanour. Bill Wyman of the Stones, same thing, planted in one place while Jagger gyrated and Richards staggered. A polar opposite to the rest of the band and a lefty to boot. Gary is solid, the perfect foil for the histrionics of the band.

The first to speak up, as the rain pounded on the windshield and a clap of thunder startled all four guys in the van, was James. James, who was always thinking of the next big thing, jumped in with his usual, Gary, getting what you want is hard, you have to work for it. Good things in life don’t come easy. If James sounded like a Tony Robbins lecture, you wouldn’t be far off the mark and the endless clichés were starting to wear thin with the entire band. The rest of the guys were startled that James didn’t tell them they had to give 110% and that they all had to take things one show at a time. Of the four members of The Underground it is James that holds the band together. James is 24 and he has been friends with John and Gary since he started high school. James looks a bit like Harrison Ford, but with long brown hair. He’s the band’s rhythm guitarist and more than anyone is the glue that holds the sound and the group together. Rhythm guitarists never get their due, they are shamelessly overlooked, but any musician will tell you rhythm is hard and essential to any successful band.

Sitting in the middle row of seats beside John, was Rory. He had little to say as the clock ticked past 1:25 a.m. Gary’s rant had awoken him from a pretty deep sleep. All of the band members had learned how to sleep in a cramped moving van. Rory played drums and had joined the band three years ago when The Underground’s original drummer called it quits. Rory is 25, has dark brown hair and is a walking rock encyclopaedia. While not a lead singer, he has an uncanny memory when it comes to lyrics and rock history. He even knows the words to ‘Louie, Louie’, you might ask him about it sometime. Classic rock is his forte. When it comes to inspiration. the general gods of the drum kit come to mind, the heavy sound of John Bonham, the manic insanity of Keith Moon and the drum kit of Neil Peart. Acres of skin and brass and the energy to traverse those acres at will. His only addition to the conversation? Guys, are we just gonna sit here?

John echoed Rory’s thoughts with Exactly. I’m pissed too Gary, but shouldn’t we decide what we’re going to do right now and then discuss, for the one hundredth time, whether the band is going to break up? John was always getting to the point. As the lead guitarist for the band he was the one who spoke for the group with his masterful playing. As the oldest in the band at 26, John always felt that he had to look out for the band, sort of be a big brother. He wore John Lennon type glasses, which gave him an intellectual look. This was appropriate because John was the thinker in the band and he was very introspective. With John you always knew what was on his mind because he would tell you. John was a great guitar player. When he was younger he spent most of his time practising his guitar while his friends played baseball. John is 24 and has a flair for Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, David Gilmour and Mark Knopfler. Throw in a little Richie Blackmore and Eddie Van Halen and add the power chord prowess of Pete Townshend and you get the idea. No slouch when it comes to jazz and funk and punk either. John is a master at improvisation and fret board impersonation.

To say ‘The Underground’ is an artistically and musically gifted band is accurate; to say they were failures as recording artists is inadequate. When it comes to recording they are, and I paraphrase Keith Moon, Just like a lead balloon. Can they play? Absolutely! Can they write? Not to save their lives. Such was the life of a band member in The Underground. Plus they had a broken down van in the middle of a raging thunderstorm. Four lads, four lifetime students of classic rock, four musicians in their mid-20s on the verge of calling it quits and joining the ranks of the Monday to Friday nine to five set. For a group of rock and roll musicians hell bent for a life on the road with groupies, Playstation and bags of cash, it was a death worse than and endless loop of Britney Spears.

After sitting for a moment another clap of thunder shook the van and John grabbed his coat and pulled it up over his head and opened the van door with James, Gary and Rory right behind. Looking up the road they noticed a light on in a big house about a half mile away and decided to take a chance at