They called themselves The Unusuals. That’s because their bass drum had a very unusual shape to it, so that was reason enough.
The Unusuals were four guys in their 20s who could play the bejeebers out of some hard rock meltdown tunes including several of their own compositions. Pete, the bass player was the leader and the composer of most of these songs. He also taught guitar and could play a variety of instruments. He was one of the best bass guitar players I’ve had the pleasure to encounter. He didn’t just chord … he played.
The Unusuals tromped their way around southern Ontario, headquartered in Trenton. If my memory serves, one member was in the air force, stationed at CFB Trenton.
They won a local and then a regional “bomb out” music competition, thanks mainly to the fact they had some great original material.
But, like many bands before and after them … they knew a lot about music and not much about the business of music.
I had gone to a few of these bomb out competition concerts and took some typical photos of the guys in action for the local newspaper, since it was part of my job anyway and through mutual friends, got to know this quartet a little bit.
They asked me if I would take some publicity photos for them. I had carte blanche. They would be my subjects for a whole afternoon.
All of a sudden, I envisioned myself as a photographer of the stars. I was hitching my wagon to this team.
There was a cute and leggy blonde who lived nearby. She agreed to lend a touch of sexiness to the photographic exploits, if you will, because every rock band cover and publicity shot required a little bit of that.
So on the required afternoon, Chrissy, the blonde arrived in the mandatory short shorts and the guys were wearing their best shirts and I took all kinds of pictures (in an era before digital mind you). My favourites were of Chrissy standing on top of a riverside berm with the guys, guitars slung over their shoulders, gazing fondly at a sunset, the other way, not at Chrissy. I thought it was hilarious. Then I fell on my back and shot a pic of the four of them in a complete circle leaning over into the camera lens. Another classic.
The next day I headed to the darkroom to develop the photos and came to the realization that not one of my shots included a picture of the drum set … the very reason for the band’s name!
But, they liked the photos, and wanted to know what they should do with them?
It was then, I came to the realization that this was not a business-minded troop of troubadours.
“I don’t know,” was my clever response.
They hadn’t hired me to be their business or promotion manager. I was a guy taking pictures.
“I guess we could get some more posters made up and use one of them,” Pete suggested.
“Good idea, where are we playing next?”
“I dunno.”
“Who does know?”
“I dunno.”
And on it went.
Gee, I thought, they could call themselves One Direction, because it seemed the only way they were heading, was down.
I was right.
As with all great bands, they ultimately broke up. One did a little time on a marijuana bust I think, and another was transferred out of town.
They never did pick up the photos and I never got paid for my efforts and Chrissy didn’t get famous as an artistic model.
But I have some pictures of a pretty talented band that imploded quickly and a cute blonde lady for my photo memory collection.
They were appropriately named and maybe not necessarily because of the shape of the drum.
They were The Unusuals
