On hindsight, when I sit down and think about it, I’ve jammed with many, many different bands over the years, many of which I have forgotten to commit to memory. I used to jam with the vocalist from Quasimodo and the vocalist from Valentine’s Letter (who played drums in this band.) We hung out sometimes. It was fun. We’d write songs together. I wanted to call ourselves Razorblade, or Molotov.

Once I jammed with a rather technical band, playing covers- we jammed at Ebenex studios in Katong, and the guitarist drove me home afterwards.

Before Armchair Critic I’d jammed with my school band. I once jammed with some pop-punk folks. My friend Francesca was the drummer, and I think Darrell was the guitarist. The vocalist was a Malay guy who could really pull off the whole pop-punk vocalist thing. I really sucked at singing back then.

I jammed with some metalheads once, at a studio somewhere in town. It was an interesting experience. I always did secretly want to play in a metal band. Like a really, really metal band.

I put together a band to perform at TPJC’s songfest- we had two singers. We were all retainees. We’d jam at Wee Lee at Simei. That was fun. Nobody had much experience as performers, but we were alright.

I jammed in a band with a drummer named Justin and a guitarist who was a bouncer at a mandopop bar, I think.

I once jammed at beat merchants with just a guitarist. Just me and the guitarist. I can’t remember why. I think the drummer forgot to show.

First band I ever jammed in was called Crazy Rusty, after the guitarist’s dog. They were madly talented, I was really, really bad. I’d go to the studio in Clarke Quay after school. Sometimes I brought my bass to school just so I could lug it with me on the train to go to jamming. I think we’d eat at Banquet afterwards. I’d get home really late. I rarely did my homework. I’d wanted to call us “Icarus Crash”; I’m not sure why.

I started another band afterwards. I named us Revenever. (It’s a palindrome.) I imagined we’d have a really sexy rock&roll album cover.

Gloria was fun. We played a few gigs with the first drummer, and put up a pretty nice show with the second. My favourite part of the band while it lasted were the conversations I’d have with the vocalist.

Now I’m playing with Green Lake- some pretty fantastic musicians. Enjoying myself very much. Thankful for what music has done for me. As they say, music is good for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music.