Post #5


In this shot, we have my old band, Asylum, minus me because I took the picture, probably.
From the left:  Wayne Weldon, Pete Howell and Wayne "Tweak" McCloud -- Tweak's last name is probably spelled wrong.
We called him "Tweak" legendarily because when we rehearsed, whether it was on purpose or not is left to folklore... he seemed to turn the volume of his amp either up or down to make the other guys have to adjust theirs.  Also it was a way to differentiate between the two 'Waynes'.  I'm pretty sure it was Pete that bestowed him with that moniker.
Wayne was the singer in this group, and played guitar sometimes.  Pete was the bass player, and Tweak was the guy Pete discovered I think one time at the now-defunct Moncton Music Center and brought him into the group.  As it turned out, Tweak was a stellar, technically proficient guitar player, whose playing had 'rock star' written all over it.  And what a nice guy.  There was no one who didn't get along with him.  He's a classic Virgo.
Wayne was a firebrand stage presence for Asylum in that time.  He was probably heavily influenced by Axl Rose in that way, where we were a cover band and we played a lot of that.  He'd always challenge the audience.  If we looked for a sing-along, and the crowd wasn't as participating as he wanted, he'd say something like "aw, come ON, guys, you can do better than that!"  A bit Paul Stanley-ish in that regard, but he was good at waking them up.  
And Pete wasn't in the group the whole time, as he left for Brampton, Ontario at some point.  He's really the one that started the band.  I just happened to be the 'other guy' at the beginning.  Pete and me always had this knack for 'locking in' the rhythm section.  He had a good time onstage every time and you could see it.  I remember us playing and him and me looking at each other a lot and just smiling ear to ear with the joy of the moment.  
We're here in the livingroom on Emmerson Street after a practice, I believe.  And there's more from this classic photo set to come, sure to bring good hearted chuckles.  I need to note, too, that none of us were 'under the influence' in any way here with anything, except maybe Pepsi or something.  We were having a lot of fun laughing and joking and grabbing anything nearby and having a blast for the camera.
I dearly cherish those days.

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