Bands splitting apart is not uncommon in the music world. Members move on, whether it be for financial reasons, clashes with the other members or the desire to pursue solo careers. Tragically, death also plays a big part. Reunions can be just as common, even years after the original breakup.
What is uncommon is those same members getting back together for any length of time. As mentioned, reunions happen all the time. But they’re usually brief. They may include getting together for ceremonies such as induction into the Hall of Fame, benefit concerts or paying their respects to a member who has since passed on.
Those reunions are a dime a dozen. It’s the reunions where members get together to record a new album or reunite for a promotional or farewell tour (how many farewell tours have the Eagles done?) that are less common. Rarely, will you see former members show up in the same recording studio, let alone doing any gigs and sharing the same stage.
Let me give you an example. Back in 1978, 4 young lads from New York got together and formed a rock band called The Hellcats. They were:
Randy Velez 'Velerico' on Bass and vocals, Harold Miller on lead guitar and vocals,
Rick Teezer on rhythm guitar and vocals
Del Thomas on drums and vocals.
I’m swaying off topic for a brief moment because here we have a rarity amongst a rarity. Notice that they all share the lead vocals? Something you rarely see in bands, notwithstanding The Beatles and The Monkees. Anyways, full of spit and fire, the Hellcats met the music world head on. They played hundreds of shows on the East Coast and churned out several singles. One of those songs, 'Down And Out' still gets played by several DJ's around the globe today.
Eventually, the boys split up in 1991 when the frustration of not getting a record deal and lack of recognition took its toll. They all went their separate ways, and most likely, without thinking about getting together in the future.
Now, zap forward 20 years. Three of the original members got back together - Harold Miller, Tom DelFavero and Randy Velez. (And for those of you wondering, Tom DelFavero and Del Thomas are one and the same. Sort of like Batman and Bruce Wayne are the same). And the reunion wasn’t set up to be brief, as in for an induction or funeral. It was set up for the long haul as all 3 had rekindled their passion for music, based on the special bond they had forged years ago.
Though it had been 2 decades since they last played together, they picked up as if it had been only yesterday.
Now called Sons of Morning, they headed back to the studio, spending 3 years writing and recording songs for their self-titled debut album. Harold and Tom wrote all the songs and played 99% of the instruments. The only thing they didn't do was 'master' the album.
I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Harold and Tom, discussing both The Hellcat days and the reunion under Sons of Morning. It was a lively interview with stories that needed to be heard, not read. Therefore, to do them justice, the interview is available on YouTube (listen below).
After listening to the interview, not only will you get a true sense of their passion for music, but you’ll also see how committed to their music these guys really are.
Harold Miller sums it up for us: “One thing, though that I observe about Sons Of Morning that I think makes what we're doing special is the unique situation that we are in. Yes, reunions of this nature- at any level of the food chain are rare.
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