Spare Change

We were just four kids who really loved music, so we decided to play it. So, from 1997-2000, we were Spare Change.

I was in another band when Spare Change materialized. That’s what you did back then – you got into a band. Sometimes you switched bands. Sometimes bands broke up. Sometimes you went solo and then a band joined you.

But Spare Change was something special. None of us knew what we were doing, but when things got plugged in and turned on – we were everything we needed to be.

That’s the four of us – Paul (Drums), Me (Vocals & Harmonica), Nate (Bass), Bryan (Guitar). We all came up in the same way – Berlin kids who found their way in the Alternative Era. Paul and I were heavily into The Allman Brothers. Nate loved Primus and Red Hot Chili Peppers. And Bryan brought a lot of different flavors to the table – Pearl Jam being one that became a bone of contention (I’ll get into that in a second).

The guys recruited me a couple of weeks before they had their first show. They had a bunch of songs that needed lyrics, so I sat down in my bedroom and got writing:

“Dazed” was the first one I attacked and it’s still one of my favorite tunes. It’s about a girl. All the good songs are, but this one was about a girl that has become many different girls over the years.

“Suzanna” was a love song for someone I hadn’t met yet. I still don’t know if I’ve met her. But, if you listen to the words, it’s a sad, sad song.

“Aspirin” was a reflection of the morning after we had impromptu barn concerts. We would throw these big parties in Paul’s parent’s barn and would play music all night.

“Lifetime in the Sun” was an homage to the good things in life. A positive reflection of what we have in front of us, but sometimes don’t realize we have.

There were a few other tunes too. I can’t remember them all, but when Bryan left the band, we brought in our friend Josh and wrote “Midnight Moon”. I remember it being influenced by Jerry Garcia, but having that Pearl Jam feel.

Then we had a few covers – and this is where my bone of contention with the Great Wozonka (Bryan) came in. He was dead set on having me sing “Yellow Ledbetter” by Pearl Jam and it was a hard no for me. Eddie Vedder was a bit of a wino back then and you couldn’t understand what he was saying. The internet was in its infancy and you couldn’t just find lyrics, so I sat in my room for hours – because I really DID want to do the tune – and I figured out what Eddie was saying. And we fucking nailed it. We played it at a band competition in our high school and I totally got laid over it.

Another absolute slammer – which was kind of a departure for us – was “The Wizard” by Black Sabbath. Paul – who took his inspiration from John Bonham – used to love the heavy, technical shit. So, we picked this one out – which gave me an excuse to buy yet another harmonica. We played it a few times – nailing it each time as if we would have been hung and shot if we failed.

But, the one time we played it for a room full of bikers really solidified our talent in our minds. Those guys loved the shit out of us. Even the softer stuff. We had to play behind a cage because it was a bit rowdy. I got electrocuted and thrown into the drums. It was a scene.

Man, I could go on and on about this. We could have gone somewhere with all of it. But life got in the way, as did egos and we all went our separate ways. First Bryan left, and we brought in our buddy Josh. Then Paul sort of left – followed by me. We tried to bring it all back together a few years ago – but it just wasn’t the same.

It doesn’t mean we won’t play somewhere again. Shit, I sing all the time. I was just singing a minute ago. But, different times – different people. I talk to Nate and Paul daily. Our kids are growing up together. We all lost touch with Bryan, but not for any reason by time. I remember writing this tune “Window” about being able to see right into my heart, with him. It was totally “Can’t You See” by Marshall Tucker. But we didn’t care. We just loved playing together.

That said: I do have a MiniDisc of one of our shows that I should digitize at some point. My friend Jimi’s dad did the sound. Lots of reverb. Lots of fun. But, for now – I have these four tracks which became the demo tape that we didn’t do too much with.

Enjoy.

The legal bit:

All of this music is the property of Nicholas LeFort, Paul Berger, Natale Teodoro, and Bryan Wosczyna. Don’t go and steal it. You can’t handle it. This came out of a period in time that most of you couldn’t resonate with because of all of the elements surrounding us when we made it. Lighting in a bottle.