Marcello!
Group: Members
Post: 45 of 374
Member ID: 17
Joined: Oct. 4, 2001
Posted Tuesday, October 8, 2002 at 1:30 PM
Post 1 of 7
I've read posts referring to the Features' shuttle bus as "The Featuresmobile". In fact, this glorious bus, the transporter of all things great about rock and roll, enjoys a much more detailed history.
It all started back in the fall of '99. One October Saturday morning, Will Witherow, Rollum, Matt Pelham and myself ventured to the mean streets of Nashville to inspect a "van" that Matt had seen advertised in the classifieds. After an afternoon of record shopping and in Rollum's case, cymbal shopping, we made the trek out to east nashville to inspect the "van". Upon pulling up to the owner's house, we realised that this was no van at all but rather a full size shuttle bus. None of us could believe our good fortune in finding a bus in such good shape with such low mileage that was so big and so CHEAP. It was one of those steals of a lifetime. Matt or Rollum might remember better than me but I seem to think that the previous owner worked as an airport shuttle driver for a hotel and upon his retirement, the hotel awarded him the bus. he barely used it and it collected dust for close to ten years.
Matt test drove it and seemed to be convinced that this was the bus for the features. He called Rory and told him about it on the way back to the Boro. I seem to remember Rory being less than thrilled about it.
At this point, I don't know the exact details as to how and when the guys bought it, but they did get it. Matt or Parrish or Rory could tell that story.
I don't think I was on the first trip with the bus, but I was on one of the first. I seem to remember a lot of trouble with the battery which was always dying out. You could not leave the lights on if the engine was not running. At one point, there was talk of painting "the Features" on the logo light on the front of the bus but that light seemed to drain the battery pretty quick.
In those days, If Rory wasn't around, Matt, Parrish, and Roger would share driving duties. Rory would almost always drive if he was on the trip. He would almost always get lost. Around this time, someone came up with the nickname "Graybeard" for the bus. I don't remember who it was, although for some reason I think it was Roger. I think it has something to do with the gray spray paint on the side of it. There was talk at one point of Matt painting pirate ships or something of that sort on the sides of graybeard but that never came to be.
Some of Graybeard's accessories were/are: a leaking roof that would pour on you if the bus had been sitting and you were in the wrong place. 6 shuttle style seats (Rollum always had the same place and probably still does), A hydraulic door that wouldn't close so it had to be tied shut with a rope. a luggage rack turned into a drum rack, and a heater for the back part of the bus that would warm that sucker up in no time.
Towards the end of my tenure as the Features' roadie, Parrish was doing almost all the driving unless Rory was around. I remember on one trip back from Atlanta or Knoxville or somewhere, Parrish was driving down the interstate late at night when suddenly the headlights went out and we were cruising down the road at 70 miles an hour in the pitch black darkness. Parrish, mechanical whiz that he is, reached under the dash, wiggled a few wires and voila! headlights back on. The rest of us, meanwhile, were having heartattacks, but Parrish simply shrugged off the incident and said "i'll have to check that out when I get home."
Such is the nature of ol' Graybeard, with its moldy stench and assortment of gas station snacks engrained in its carpet. Even though Graybeard is short on luxury, it is the transporter of the best rock and roll band in the world. My last venture on the bus was about a year ago. Lets hope that until the Features get what they deserve (a real 55' tour bus), ol' Graybeard will get them to their destination safe and sound.
It all started back in the fall of '99. One October Saturday morning, Will Witherow, Rollum, Matt Pelham and myself ventured to the mean streets of Nashville to inspect a "van" that Matt had seen advertised in the classifieds. After an afternoon of record shopping and in Rollum's case, cymbal shopping, we made the trek out to east nashville to inspect the "van". Upon pulling up to the owner's house, we realised that this was no van at all but rather a full size shuttle bus. None of us could believe our good fortune in finding a bus in such good shape with such low mileage that was so big and so CHEAP. It was one of those steals of a lifetime. Matt or Rollum might remember better than me but I seem to think that the previous owner worked as an airport shuttle driver for a hotel and upon his retirement, the hotel awarded him the bus. he barely used it and it collected dust for close to ten years.
Matt test drove it and seemed to be convinced that this was the bus for the features. He called Rory and told him about it on the way back to the Boro. I seem to remember Rory being less than thrilled about it.
At this point, I don't know the exact details as to how and when the guys bought it, but they did get it. Matt or Parrish or Rory could tell that story.
I don't think I was on the first trip with the bus, but I was on one of the first. I seem to remember a lot of trouble with the battery which was always dying out. You could not leave the lights on if the engine was not running. At one point, there was talk of painting "the Features" on the logo light on the front of the bus but that light seemed to drain the battery pretty quick.
In those days, If Rory wasn't around, Matt, Parrish, and Roger would share driving duties. Rory would almost always drive if he was on the trip. He would almost always get lost. Around this time, someone came up with the nickname "Graybeard" for the bus. I don't remember who it was, although for some reason I think it was Roger. I think it has something to do with the gray spray paint on the side of it. There was talk at one point of Matt painting pirate ships or something of that sort on the sides of graybeard but that never came to be.
Some of Graybeard's accessories were/are: a leaking roof that would pour on you if the bus had been sitting and you were in the wrong place. 6 shuttle style seats (Rollum always had the same place and probably still does), A hydraulic door that wouldn't close so it had to be tied shut with a rope. a luggage rack turned into a drum rack, and a heater for the back part of the bus that would warm that sucker up in no time.
Towards the end of my tenure as the Features' roadie, Parrish was doing almost all the driving unless Rory was around. I remember on one trip back from Atlanta or Knoxville or somewhere, Parrish was driving down the interstate late at night when suddenly the headlights went out and we were cruising down the road at 70 miles an hour in the pitch black darkness. Parrish, mechanical whiz that he is, reached under the dash, wiggled a few wires and voila! headlights back on. The rest of us, meanwhile, were having heartattacks, but Parrish simply shrugged off the incident and said "i'll have to check that out when I get home."
Such is the nature of ol' Graybeard, with its moldy stench and assortment of gas station snacks engrained in its carpet. Even though Graybeard is short on luxury, it is the transporter of the best rock and roll band in the world. My last venture on the bus was about a year ago. Lets hope that until the Features get what they deserve (a real 55' tour bus), ol' Graybeard will get them to their destination safe and sound.
"Is this what you want you want to do with your life, man? Suck down peppermint schnapps and try to call Morocco at 2 in the morning?"
