The Roadmasters June 24, 2006

In October of 1976 The Roadmasters were born! The four-fathers were Don Latner, Johnnie Eastteam, Syd Marsh and Glenn Vickers. Although they had known each other for many years, they had never played together before. Originally they intended to focus on playing dance clubs, weddings and private parties, avoiding the nightlife that inevitably came with playing the local bars and taverns. In 1980 Don Latner moved to Washington State , so Johnnies son Douglas Eastteam stepped in as the bands rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist. In time Syd and Johnnie moved on, leaving Glenn Vickers as the only original ROADMASTER.




Glenn and Doug went through a number of different drummers and bass players, as the bands local popularity steadily grew. In 1989 The ROADMASTERS competed in the True Value Hardware Showdown. The band won the local level in Fortuna, traveling to Bakersfield where they won the state finals. Next came the regional competition, which was held right here in Eureka . The band came up just short of winning, taking second place (due, ironically, to the fact that they didnt have any original material). After the Showdown, the band spent some time traveling before deciding to stay at home in Humboldt County .




However, when the next drummer/bass player combination came along (Michael Smith in 1997 and Jerry Lowitz in 2000), things started to change. Mike and Doug discovered they shared a passion for songwriting, and the new foursome discovered that they worked together remarkably well. With Glenn and Jerrys help arranging the songs, they decided it was finally time to record a CDof original material! We finally had the songs, so we started practicing over at Glenns and when we had the arrangements down we went into the studio, said Doug. It took a lot longer than I was expecting, but I couldnt be happier with the results. I really like this CD. Entitled ALMOST HOME, the band will be hosting a CD-Release/30th Anniversary Party on Saturday, May 20 at The Blue Lake Casinos Sapphire Palace . The band will play from 9-1, and the event is free and open to the public. The CD is also available locally at retail and at all the bands live shows.




So, as fate would have it, 2006 finds The ROADMASTERS celebrating their 30th anniversary as a band AND the release of their first-ever, all-original CD. As Mike sums it up, 30 years, and were right on time!




The Roadmasters






Event submitted by Eventful.com on behalf of humcity.