The Occasionals

Looking Back
(a.k.a. The Occasionals)
1995-1996
The Occasionls with the Janitor

This is the band that never was. It served it's porpose, however, because it's the band that introduced me to George Lewis.

Near the end of my Belair Boys experience, I was looking once again for a permanent band. I auditioned for several bands during 1995, including Rockola, considered to be the absolute best 60's cover band anywhere in San Diego County (I played one chord wrong in the Sam & Dave song "Soul Man" and failed the audition!); The Brewdogs, a very good Beatles cover band with all Hispanic members and Straight Up, a band that played mostly 80's and 90's dance music (I learned a whole list of tunes by Gloria Estafan and Madonna just to audition for this band). While auditioning for yet another nameless band one evening, I met Bob Mesh, who was bidding for the same job I was. Neither of us were hired, but we developed a mutual respect for each other's ability in that single encounter and exchanged telephone numbers. A few weeks later Bob called me to say he was putting a new band together and asked me if I'd play keyboards. Sure.

In the beginning Looking Back (a.k.a. The Occasionals) consisted of Bob on sax and vocals; Ernie Beccerra on guitar and vocals; Jimmy Klempan on bass, George Lewis on drums and me. We rehearsed tirelessly in a rented rehearsal studio in Miramar or in the music room of Conexant Systems, a high tech firm where George worked. Ernie left, and Gene Rochambeau (an excellent guitarist) replaced him. More rehearsal. Jimmy left, and I switched to bass. More rehearsal. The picture you see above was taken one evening during a rehearsal without a guitar player and since we needed four guys in the picture, we grabbed the janitor, gave him a guitar and a black jacket and told him to smile. More rehearsal! We recorded a demo of 60's covers. More rehearsal. Then Bob Mesh died of a massive heart attack. So did the band, right then and there.

About a year went by and I ran into George and his wife in the supermarket. He was still looking for a permanent band. So was I.