Ryan Malmstrom’s Blog

I intended to include this list in my “Rockfist Announcement” post, but things didn’t exactly go as planned in the end.  I will say that there were more good times than bad, so I am going to take some time to reflect on the good.  This isn’t a list of ”things I miss about Rockfist,” but more of a random list of moments that maybe the fans didn’t catch and will never leave my memory.  Briana and I are less than two months from moving to Austin, so I figured it’d be best to capture these thoughts while we’re still in Minnesota.

- Chris and I liked to do what was called the “Love Gun ending” to close out a set.  When the song was coming to a close, I always looked back to Chris, waiting for him to launch into it.  Sometimes he’d leave me hanging and choose the 2nd or 3rd set to do the ending, which was fine because that strange anticipation would just build inside me.  It was just always one of those little things that made the night fun.

- Rick and Kenner would absolutely nail the harmonies in “Don’t Treat Me Bad” every time, but the highlight was the “oh yeah” right before the last chorus came in.  (2:36 on the original recording)  It was such a climatic moment in the song and they always delivered.

- I always liked to mess around with lyrics when singing lead.  During “Crazy Train,” I always replaced “I know that things are going wrong for me” with “I know that things are going wrong for Ben.”  He’d playfully flip me the bird and smile.

- There were songs that Rick went to another level and to this day, it baffles me how great of a vocalist he truly is.  We played “Mission” from Queensryche maybe once or twice, but I’ve never been so happy performing a cover.  I know my neck hurt for days after headbanging so viciously.  I just wish we would have played that one more often.

- Chris “The Hat” Crooker.  Dude dressed like a rock star and could play the part to boot.  His appearance at every show was stylish and hard to top.  If you tried, you’d fail. 

- When we played  “Faithfully” from Journey, I always liked to catch the eye of Briana out in the crowd.  Sometimes the lyrics of a certain song said it all and this one hit home.  We were by no means a “touring” band at all, but I wasn’t home a lot and that’s always going to be the price of being married or dating a musician, especially when your significant other can’t make a show.  I just know that she stuck by me every step of the way. 

- Rick had some funny little ad-libs, especially in “Faithfully.”  Near the end of the song, he’d say to the audience “the lyrics are really easy on this one, they’re just ‘whoa-whoa-whoa.”  I didn’t actually notice this until I listened to some audio of a performance. 

- Speaking of Journey, we had a couple of fans named Terry and Sue who adored Journey.  Their opinion of how we performed their songs was always very flattering.  These two were such a joy to watch from our side of the stage and it was always worth it to see them smile.

- Ben is easily the best guitarist in the Twin Cities.  I found myself picking my jaw off the floor every time he pulled off the “Radar Love” solo (White Lion version).  It was one of those moments where I became a fan of the band and cheered when he was done. 

- The night Kenner lost two basses.  Strangest thing I’ve ever seen:  he broke a string on his bass, which was rare, and he broke a string on his backup bass.  A very cool fan, who also played bass, let us know that he’d go home and pick up his bass, so Kenner had one for the rest of the night.  But what to do in the meantime?  Take a long break?  We played “Another Thing Comin” and I handled the bass parts on the keys.  Rick did an acoustic version of “Caught” from his old band, Conditioned Response.  I admired the fact that he just busted into it and he performed it beautifully.  Rick always had a way of amazing me and it was neat to hear a CR song live.  Lorde used to practice next to them at City Sound, but I sadly never got a chance to see them live. 

- Dale was probably the best fan you could ask for.  He’d rarely miss a show and it didn’t seem like a true Rockfist show without him.  Just an outstanding man.

- The drive to far away gigs was always a very peaceful experience for me.  It was a nice way for me to have some quiet time to myself and listen to XM Home Plate.  It always made more sense to carpool with someone, but the space allowed me to get in the zone.

- Our first gig at the Xcel Center was an almost Spinal Tap experience.  We’d play after the Minnesota Wild game that night, but getting our gear into the joint was a project.  We’d pull into the underground lot and unload our gear at one of the docks, then take the elevator up to the club level of the Xcel.  The gig was at the restaurant on the club level called Headwaters, so we had to roll our gear through the kitchen and then down a short hallway outsidethe restaurant.  Just so many twists and turns made me want to say “Hello Cleveland!!”  The really cool part of the gig was a few younger kids dancing in front and having a good time.  These kids knew practically every song we played, which was odd because they couldn’t have been older than 10 years old.  After the gig, we asked how they knew all of the songs.  “We heard all of them on Guitar Hero!”  Note to cover bands:  browse the song lists from games like Guitar Hero and learn them.  The kids will LOVE you and they’ll truly appreciate seeing you actually “play” the songs.  These kids made our night.

- Ben’s “Bloody Mary” cough.  I had to be present for that.  Just so I could laugh at him.

- This one always tore the place apart:  the final chorus of “Runaway” from Bon Jovi.  I got chils every time Rick sang that part.  I’ve seen so many bands half-ass that part and it bums me out.  But I do realize how lucky I was to be in a band where the vocalist can pull it off.

- The outdoor show at the Firehouse last summer was nicely halted due to a severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings.  We got maybe 7 songs into the first set and it started pouring.  The previous year, there was a tent.  Not this time.  So we had to rush to get all of our equipment off the stage.  The rest of the equipment rested under a tarp, because we simply couldn’t see anything out there at that point.  Plus, it just wasn’t safe to be out there.  It could have been a lot worse, as no one lost any equipment due to the storm and no one got injured, although I did fall on my ass at least twice.  We spent a few hours inside the bar until the rain let up.  The satellite was down, so we lost TV for a while and I received weather updates from my wife via cell phone.  Some kept up on their iPhones.  Strange night.

- The lineup of Lance, Dave, Felicia, Chris, Kenner and I:  where it all began.  Ok, so it was only one show, but it was the debut of Rockfist.  It was an “80s night” at the musicians co-op, Area 52.  Chris brought down some classic 80s posters and we decorated the stage with them.  We also brought out the spandex and leather for this one.  This was the only show Rockfist ever made an attempt to look the part of an 80s hair metal band.  This was the show that started it all.  We knew we had a good thing going and intended to take it to the next level.  Mission accomplished.

- Speaking of Lance and Dave, I am glad to have had a chance to jam one last time with them.  Dave and I were in a band together in high school and he’s probably one of the most talented guitarists in the city.  Lance and I were in Epicurean together and what started as a goofy idea between the two of us really turned into something special.  I just wish he could have been a part of it for more than the one show.

To wrap this up, I’ve never hidden my opinion of these guys:  Rick, Ben, Chris and Kenner are the best collection of talent I have ever been around.  I look forward to what Austin brings!