Interstellar Overdrive - Interview with C Average’s Brad Balsley

Comments

  • Great interview. I was at the Tibetan Freedom Concert in 1999, and the La Paloma shows too. La Paloma is one of my most special memories ever, for several reasons.

    I went to quite a few C Average shows after that, and gave them photos I took. I'll have to find those! Great memories. I can't believe Jon is gone, SO SAD. Carry on, Brad...
  • Foriginal SinForiginal Sin Scottsdale, AZ Posts: 1,793
    Great interview. I was at the Tibetan Freedom Concert in 1999, and the La Paloma shows too. La Paloma is one of my most special memories ever, for several reasons.

    I went to quite a few C Average shows after that, and gave them photos I took. I'll have to find those! Great memories. I can't believe Jon is gone, SO SAD. Carry on, Brad...
    I remember EV at TFC99 yelling at the bassist to “stay there” because he kept moving around 
    Chicago 6/29/98, Alpine Valley(EV) 6/13/99, Alpine Valley 10/08/00, Chicago 10/09/00, Phoenix 10/20/00, Orlando 4/12/03, Tampa 4/13/03, San Diego 6/05/03, Vegas 6/06/03, Phoenix 6/07/03, Chicago 6/18/03, Alpine Valley 6/21/03, Orlando 10/08/04, D.C. 10/11/04, Chicago 5/16/06, Chicago 5/17/06, LA 7/12/08, Chicago 8/23/09, Chicago 8/24/09, LA 10/07/09, San Diego 10/09/09 (Front Row Center, Finally), Phoenix(EV) 11/4/11, Wrigley 7/19/13, Phoenix 11/19/13, Denver 10/22/14, Wrigley 8/20/16, Wrigley 8/22/16
  • demetriosdemetrios Posts: 92,795

    On July 14, 1999 at 510 Columbia Street in Olympia you played a tribute concert to The Who. How was this tribute born?

    The July 14th (wait it was on July 14th, that’s my daughter’s birthday) was a payback for missing it the first time. He said he wanted to do it. we set it up originally at the capitol theater and he didn’t show. we had our friend read to step in and it was fine, the word had gotten out however and a bunch of people showed up expecting to see Eddie and got Steve instead.

    So that show was Eddie keeping his word and it worked out better because that show was really punk rock, and really cool. There’s a recording of it. I’m sorry everything is so fast.

    I’ve recently uncovered a video I have of another The Who tribute show (when John Entwistle died) from the Chop Suey in Seattle with Ed Vedder and Kurt Bloch.




  • demetriosdemetrios Posts: 92,795

    The year after your debut, after a warm up for a few people, you and Jon were Eddie’s live backing band. How did this experience come about? I remember at the Tibetan Freedom Concert, Eddie invited you on stage as if nothing had been planned before…

    We got on an opening slot for with ICU (actually still playing shows). On this tour we played several days with Hovercraft. Beth Liebling’s band. We instantly hit it off with Beth. Talking until late in the evening about everything. Well this tour was headed to NYC where Eddie was waiting. When we got there we went up to Ed’s hotel room to meet with him. My bandmate Jon is a fellow The Who freak fan. So they bonded O’er that. He invites us to jam at his house when we get home and continue to hang with him in New York.

    We actually went to Philly and saw Question Mark and The Mysterians play at the Cold Locker or something like that. Parted ways and hooked up in west seattle at his house later. Three whole Tibetan Freedom audience pull out was a bit, BUT he did make us play Better Man which we only practiced once. I really was just going off of all the times I’d heard it on the radio for that one song. All the other songs we practiced in Eddie’s basement which was slightly different than it is in this video.


  • demetriosdemetrios Posts: 92,795

    That was a great concert but I’ve never seen the video. In 1999 or 2002 did you and Jon go to studio with Eddie to record something? If yes, what did you record?

    We recorded those songs we were playing. Demo recordings at Ed’s house.

    Your second, amazing, album was released in 2001. Among the credits is a certain Wes. One of Eddie’s pseudonyms, often used in the early 2000s, is Wes C. Addle. Isn’t that “Wes” in Second Rekoning really Eddie?

    No that is not a reference to Ed. Wes was the guy who recorded it.


  • demetriosdemetrios Posts: 92,795

    I remember Eddie celebrated his 40th anniversary in a big way. You were present. How was that birthday?


    A huge affair in a tiny little spot in West Seattle. Many famous faces. I can’t remember exactly. Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, maybe a Soundgarden member or two, I can’t remember, maybe Mike McCready was there.

    I’m sorry if you were there and I don’t remember, I’ve subconsciously blocked it out.

    It’s a pretty embarrassing moment for me. Ed wanted C Average to play and we wanted to. We had our friend Tim there too. We couldn’t figure out what to play and choked hard in front of Nancy Wilson and Cameron Crowe. I think Sean Penn was there too. It was bizarre, it was insane, it was crazy. I had to entertain a room full of entertainers with a combined net worth larger than most countries.

Sign In or Register to comment.