than a senior. Within a year’s time, Sean’s skills as a drummer had increased considerably. Inspired by the aggressive way Sean played the drums, the band decided to give him a nickname. This nickname was “the Pound,” but thanks to Chuck, Sean’s nickname was quickly shortened to “L.B.” At that point in our lives, everyone in the band had made great strides as musicians. But sadly, as is oftentimes the case among musicians, problems began to arise—problems that quickly started tearing the band apart. In less than six months’ time, Ryad was history and all of its members had gone their separate ways. Before I knew it, nearly two years had passed since Ryad had disbanded. The four of us had gone on to pursue our individual music careers with different groups, but speaking for myself, none of them compared to Ryad. Sure, a lot of the bands I had played with over the previous few years were made up of some very talented musicians, but at the very core of these bands, something essential was missing. Something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I had often found myself secretly mourning the end of Ryad and the days spent rehearsing in Chuck’s basement. I came to realize that musically, things just didn’t feel the same. But all that was about to change. Chuck Weber and L.B. would soon enter my musical life for the second time. On an overcast morning in the winter of 1979, Chuck and L.B. came to visit me at my home and asked if I would be interested in becoming the lead vocalist and second guitarist for a new band they were forming. Without the The Poem
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