The Soundtrack to My Life

Ridin' the Storm Out with Hybrid Ice

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I had the pleasure of interviewing Hybrid Ice Sunday for a future article in The Express. This was my first time interviewing a band for an article and I wanted to be prepared for any surprises that could be thrown my way.

I went to the store and bought my first digital voice recorder and organized my questions for the band. I interviewed local residents who had seen Hybrid Ice perform at Assante’s and I even contacted Paul Mahoney, who owned Assante’s and originally hired the band, to ask him a few questions.

I also borrowed my mom’s Hybrid Ice self-titled record and listened to their original songs, including my mom’s personal favorite, “Magdelene.”

Sunday morning quickly came and I spent the day anticipating meeting the band I had been studying for weeks. However, I was not expecting buckets of rain, flashes of lightning, and gusts of strong wind at the time of my scheduled interview at the floating stage.

I arrived early to check and make sure the location had not been changed due to the rain. I met with Hybrid Ice’s drummer, Rick Klinger, who I had been in contact with previously over the phone, and he confirmed that they would be performing on the floating stage. After he told me it would be a little bit before they could sit down with me, I rushed home to put all of my electronics in plastic and to grab some chairs and refreshments.

By the time I got back, the wind was picking up and it was starting to rain. The band had some of their equipment covered on stage, while the rest was under a tent and in a trailer. At this point, a burst of wind whipped through the stage area and blew some dirt in my eye, which did not feel good with my contacts. My eye immediately started to water, just as I was invited into the trailer, as Mr. Klinger was rounding up the band for the interview.

Rusty Foulke came in, saw that my eye was red and watering, and jokingly said “There’s no reason to cry!”  I said, “I am so excited to meet you guys that it brought tears to my eyes!”

I ignored the pain in my eye and quickly unpacked my recorder and tablet and laid them on a speaker. Klinger, Foulke, Bob Richardson, and Chris Alburger (Jeff Willoughby had not yet arrived) all introduced themselves and confirmed for me that the red light was shining on my recorder.

I conducted my interview (to be published next month in The Express) in a hot and muggy trailer with the guys sitting on amps, speakers, and various other equipment as we listened to a pontoon boat blaring music and rain beating down on the metal roof.

The band revealed some breaking news for their fans (look for it my article next month) and were very candid and open with their memories and experiences.

They talked about their memories playing at both Assante’s and the floating stage, as well as their experiences opening up for many popular bands of the time period, including a humorous story following Hall and Oates in their limo on their way to the show.

After interviewing fans and the band I have gotten the feeling that they must have had a good time back then because every other story starts with, “I have a story for you…but you can’t publish it…”

I honestly could not have asked for a nicer group of guys to have my first interview with. They are playing music for all the right reasons (the love of music), and after thirty years still perform with the same energy that motivated them in the beginning.

As the interview wound down, I had a special request for them. I asked if they would dedicate “Magdelene” to my mom, who was planning on sitting with me to watch the show. I explained to them that she met my step-father, Jerry, at Assante’s on a night they were playing many years ago. He passed away from cancer a year-and-a-half ago, so the song had a particularly special meaning for her.

Thank you, Bob, Rusty, Chris, Rick, and Jeff (I hope to meet you in September) for being so nice and open and also for the dedication to my mom—it really meant a lot to her that you did that. I look forward to seeing you again in September!

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Member Comments

View Comments: | 1-3 | Post a comment

Grammy
08-01-08 12:20 PM »Report Abuse	Barb, Jackie. Just hapened across your article on Hybrid Ice and was very impressed. I will be looking for your article next month in the Express. eep up the great work.
CALVIN
07-24-08 10:50 AM »Report Abuse	Jackie, once again a very entertaining and well written article. Can't wait to read your Express article. Keep at it, things are going to happen for you.
yorkie16
07-24-08 6:43 AM »Report Abuse	Thank you Jackie for the memories and for the dedication. It meant the world to me. You are awesome and your article is fantastic. I cannot wait to read your article for the Express next month.

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