iSLErO
circa: Oct 2001-Sept 2003
iSLErO was my band, well, OUR band. It was comprised of(Left to Right) Kealon Nix(guitar,vocals),John David Cook (bass,vocals) and (me)John Herndon(Drums,i.e. real fast). We played well togehter and over the course of those two years we wrote and recorded 14 original songs. But the story starts long before that...
The summer after ninth grade(2000) Kealon and I decided that it would do us well to start a band, and by do us well I mean get us girls. So Kealon got a guitar and i'd had a drum set (a five piece Sunlite) and we began to think. Unfortunately we were too young to drive so we had alot of good intentions but no means to do anything. The first time I recall us practicing was at my house, in my sisters play house. I set up my drums and Kealon borught his guitar and Peavy Amp and we played James Bond. And it was Good.
This only fueled our adolescent fire. Kealon and I knew next to nothing about music, much less what it takes to make a band. So going off our limited knowledge we thought that you could just pick ANYone to be in a band. It was our mindset, mine at least, that you just had to have people. Talent didn't come into play and neither did their personality. So we rounded up a guy we knew played guitar and had a practice or two. We then discovered why alot of musicians turn to drugs and begin a downward spiral into their certain doom. There are some IDIOTS who play music! REALLY! COMPLETE IDIOTS! And this fellow(who shall remain nameless) is one of them. Needless to say that didn't go over so well, and then we were back to two.
It was during this time that we tried to write our first song, and write a song we did. Goldsteins Ballad was what it was called. Our first creative work:Em,G,Asus,C. It was about a fellow Kealon heard about on a news report who had pushed a woman on a train tracks after he asked for the time, and she ignored him. They arrested him and put him in a mental instituition where he was mysteriously killed with cianide. We worked on this song off and on but over time it withered away only to remain in our hearts(HA HA). Check he lyrics out(when i post them).
So this has bought us to the beginning of tenth grade(2000). Kealon and I played off and on, nothing too serious, but this year we'll make an important discovery...
John Cook moved back to Thomasville, GA our ninth grade year. I had a few classes and was in band with him that year and gradually we became friends. I soon found out that John Cooks birthday was Sept. 4 1984. This may not seem like a big deal...but it is. Basically in High School terms it means that he'd begin driving approximately a year before I would. And having a drivers license in high school is like being the sole-owner of a bottle of Evian in the Sahara. My tenth grade year I rode with Cook to basically all the band events and we had WAY too much fun doing basically nothing. By Christmas of our Sophomore year we were best friends. During this time Cook had been having classes with Kealon as well and they were becoming closer as well. It was only a matter of time.
During the time that we were building the relationship with Cook, another breakthrough was made. Probably THE breakthrough. My grandmother lived in Pavo, GA and she got re-married a few years prior to Kealon and I beginning the band thing. When she got remarried she moved out to live with her new husband. This left a completely furnished and un-used house in the middle of a little town, where no one would care about the noise. So we talked our parents into letting us but our equipment down there in the "Green House"(called this because of the green siding it had on it).
Sometime during the first couple months of 2001 it happened. Cook and I were hanging out at my house and Kealon wanted to play guitar so Cook and I met him in Pavo. At this point Cook to my knowledge had never touched a bass guitar in his life, but we decided that since we had one and he was there that he could probably play along a little bit. Sure it was awkward at first, he fretted with his thumb for a long time, but he caught on. Now were making some progress. We liked this guy and he was picking up bass pretty fast. I have always wanted to play guitar and at this time i was wrestling witht he idea of playing guitar with them. I had found a fellow to play drums with us by the name of Kyle Tyson, and this, tantatively was our band.
It would come to be called PETE , taking its name from my uncle who grew up in the "green house". Kealon, John, Kyle and I played together on a couple of occasions. One I recall was on Peacock Day and another was in front of a few friends at the "green house"...and I'll be honest it wasn't that good. Time past and we even managed to write a few songs and then we got word that Kyle was leaving to move to Dublin(GA not Ireland). WELL CRAP! Back to the drawing board, we found out this news shortly before i wen't on one of the most entertaining trips that I've ever been on. Playing for a bunch of Elementary Students in Norman Park. Some re-arranging had to be done and what would develope is A new song, a new band, and some of the best times that i ever had.
The deal here was that Cook was gonna be a counselor at this Kids Camp in Norman Park, GA. On Wednesday of the week of the camp Cook calls Kealon and I and requests our assistance. Apparently they need like 1000 water balloons and Flour Bombs(Tissue paper with cooking flour inside)for the Kids to play with on Friday. So on Thursday Kealon and I load up to go to Norman Park. We arrive and over the course of the morning make all the water balloons. Well after that we were completely free to do basically whatever we want. So we acquired a golf cart and proceeded to drive this way and that basically wreaking havoc. The best part was that there were all these counselor who had NO CLUE who we were. Well around they way, we talk them into letting us play for the Kids. So kealon and i go to Pavo and get the equipment and head back. On the way back we picked up a turtle who we named Mr.HelmetMan, he was cool. So we go back and play for these kids. We played the JAmes BOnd theme(which would be the beginning of a tradition), Kyles Song(no words) and tried to play this new song that we were working on that didn't have a name. But they cut us off, probably because we sucked. But after it was over, in true rockstar fassion we went back onstage and finished ROCK ON! In essence we reprised this song. A song that would later be known as the Norman Park Reprise(As it is I named this song approximately 2-3 months later. I wanted to call it the norman park reprise just because i liked the word reprise. and Sublime had a "what i got reprise" so i wanted a reprise too. I didn't even realiz how fitting it was. cook brought this to my attention later). Other things that happend on this trip:We watched Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Monty Python on a huge projector and I had Zaxby's for the first time(it was glorious!).
After this trip is when things began to pick up. We had played in front of people(even though it was a bunch of first through sixth graders, and a few VERY unimpressed camp counselors). We got home and decide that we needed to do this more, and that we needed some help singing. So we did some recruiting. We have a friend named Chris Rainey, and his dad was youth pastor at our church. So we arranged a time to play at youth happenings and worked up some songs:
and we took these on the road...to Thomasville. We played these at First Baptist in Thomasville, and At Dawson Street Baptist in Thomasville. Then the Youth Pastor at Dawson Street asked us if we'd play a the "Fifth Quarter" at the Church. OH I ALMOST FORGOT SOMETING VERY IMPORTANT.
After we got back from Norman Park and got back into school, we found out that there was another band named "pete". Apparently they had a single of MTV or something. So then we were nameless. Sad. After a few stabs at names(Smote, Sauna Torches, we even played a show as "Herndon's Underpants")Kealon and I were talking about names and had this breakthrough. We were both takinf our second year of Spanish. And we had just learned about Manolete, a famous, bullfighter in Spain. And we learned about the bull that killed him...
Islero.
Now Kealon and I, or at least I, have a pretty twisted sense of humor. And I know I thought it was great that a bull finally won. So we decided that it would be cool to name the band after him. I can't beleive I almost forgot that part...back to the story.
The Fifth Quarter was the first show we played as 'iSLErO'(the capital letters are completely random, by the way, so don't try to figure it out). We played through our set and then messed around with some different random songs that we knew. But most importantly, we had a blast. Somehow we ALWAYS had a blast.
After this show we became kinda restless. Until now we had only played covers, we wanted to write songs. Kealon most of all i think. And we were sorry to say that as cool a guy as Chris Rainey was, it just wasn't what we were looking for. We wanted something else...
After the fifth Quarter we had a girl ask us to play at her birthday party. She was attractive, therefore we agreed. That can be written like this.
Attractive Girl + Asks a favor --> We agree
By this point we were kinda phazing Chris out(that sounds SO horrible). So we split up the singing amungst us and realized we can't sing. But from then on we were on our own.
This party was good. It was at Jayna's house in her dads shed. Sheds are good. We played through the set that we played with Chris. I must concede that it sounded better when Chris sang those songs. But again we had a great time. This was the first time that we hung out with Patrick(who had just moved down here from Arkansas). I think Daniel played some bass with us too that night. This would be the last time we played those songs, time for some new stuff. Our stuff, and some pretty interesting covers.
The days that followed were awesome. I mean, not much was accomplished. Not much that you could look at, or put your hands on. But with the band taking some type of permanent shape, we had something to work with. Fortunately we didn't have much else to do. Whenever we had a spare afternoon or evening we would run to the Greenhouse and play. This was our Junior year. Kealon was just finding out that he had a knack for writing songs. So he would be at his house, writing or whatever, then he'd bring ud the song and we would try it out. Some we kept. lots we left alone. It wasn't rushed, it wasn't going anywhere in particular and that MIGHT have been the most beautiful thing about it. I'll tell you why...
Cause we had time to develope our sound. Those nights at the Greenhouse we weren't tryin to make anyone happy but ourselves. WE wanted to make it sound like WE wanted it to sound. We were blissfully unaware of the "rules" of music, we were just killing time, having fun. Words that i know are inadequate to describe to you how much fun i had at that house with my friends.
There isn't much to write about that went on in this year, thats not to say that not much happend. Like i said, the things that happened you couldn't touch, and i can't speak. But i believe that our Junior made islero, and more importantly than that, made friends, all kinds of friends...oh yeah, something did happen.
We met Earl. Earl was good. Real Good. They knew what they were doing and we were just guessing. They had harmonies, they had PAUL CABLE for the love of JAKE!! AND his brother, AND ana, AND CHris Hall, AND lieutenant nimble fingers himself!! And they were playing all over the place this year. Churches here and there. YDC. all kinds of stuff. and we'd hang out with them, go to the shows, all that. and for some reason they decided that we were kinda cool. and they would let us play a song everynow and again. well, earl had recorded a cd. and with every cd comes a cd release party. and they wanted us to play at it. this was our first reason to practice....i know i told you we played ALL the time last year. but i mean, practice with an agenda. so practice we did.
we were told that the release party would be in MAR 2002. so in january we began preparing. every sunday we'd drive to the greenhouse and play from our list of songs a list that included: GOOD, LAST KISS, CLOSING TIME, HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THE RAIN, END OF THE WORLD AS YOU KNOW IT..and others that i can't remember. (but if i do i'll come back and put them on. anyone who remembers and reads this please inform me)
the rest is coming as i get time.
iSLErO Resources:
Green House
iSLErO pics...
more iSLErO pics...
iSLErO lyrics...
