NO BASS NO PARTY
Sketches of My Life in Music
by
Gary Shea
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Creative NonFiction / Autobiography
Publisher: BWL Publishing, Inc.
Publication Date: April 1, 2025
Page count: 172 pages
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SYNOPSIS:
An outstanding account of the music business.
A riveting story of determination and focus.
Musical teenage dream come true.
Against all odds musical ups and downs.
Defying logic following your heart.
Climbing the musical ladder of success.
Fearless journey on the road to stardom.
You won’t read about the heads of chickens being bitten off or
mounds of drugs being snorted from the naked bodies of sweaty groupies. No,
what you will read about on these pages is the deep and intense journey into
the very heart of rock and roll and what it takes to come out the other side.
Gary Shea took that ride and has survived to tell his thrilling
tale and there is no need for embellishment nor hyperbole—the truth is more
unbelievable than fiction.
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ENJOY AN EXCERPT:
The great bass player Jaco Pastorious had just released his
solo album that set the bass playing world on its ear with his amazing
technique. Greg, more than anyone else I knew, truly flipped-out and decided
that he had to have a bass player that played in this new, jazzy, funky style.
I'll be the first to admit that ain’t me. This added to Greg's frustrations,
and it continues to this day in his endless search for new musicians. I knew
that although we were, and still remain good friends, I was not destined for
Greg's creativity.
I was new in town and getting used to seeing people like
Dick Van Dyke at the gas station pumping his own gas. It was time to branch out
and seek new opportunities in Los Angeles. Other than my East Coast friends I
had a hard time finding a local heavy rock band to join that played the music I
heard in my heart. Most of the music was more laid back, and in a more acoustic
guitar vein like Poco or The Eagles. At The Starwood I watched Quiet Riot. They
were doing very well for themselves with Randy Rhodes on guitar. Van Halen had
yet to be discovered and sign a record deal. It was very frustrating trying to
find the kind of music I had made with Target in the land of the sun, surf, and
beach boys. I saw my good friend Ted McKenna play at The Starwood. He had left
the Alex Harvey band and was on tour playing drums with the great Rory
Gallagher.
A few of my friends from the band Angel and I went to lunch
one day at the trendy Hamburger Hamlet in Century City. It was located on
Century Park East among the towers of movie and music business offices and was
a great place for lunch. We were sitting in the lobby waiting for a table and
someone sat down next to me. I was mildly surprised that it was Sally Struthers
from the television show, All In The Family. We sat and watched the parade of
people go by. An attractive blonde woman in a white business suit, carrying a
briefcase, came up to me. She told me I looked interesting to her and
introduced herself as the editor of Playgirl Magazine. My friends couldn't
believe it. Neither could I. She said she would like to put me in the magazine
and explained the different payments for the three features. The full spread
would pay the rent for a long time. To say I wasn't flattered wouldn't be true.
The best part was that my friends' egos were on the floor. She gave me her card
telling me to send in some nude photos of myself and that selection was done by
a panel of Playgirl Magazine executives. In the world of today’s mores I would
be considered a hero, but back then the world was much more conservative. I
didn't want to jeopardize any future musical situations, and most of all I
didn’t want my mother to endure any repercussions. I thought about it for a
week and decided to decline the offer. I still have the white embossed business
card she gave me.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Gary
is the bassist and co-founder of New England and Alcatrazz, two bands that
burned very brightly during the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Along the way, Shea
walked amongst giants including Steve Vai, Paul Stanley, Todd Rundgren, Yngwie
Malmsteen and a slew of others. He guides us through the machinations, madness
and magic of the music world, beginning with his early fascination for bass
players and rock and running all the way through to standing on big stages in
big arenas in front of big crowds. For every step forward, the industry took
two bites of his soul but owing to perseverance, passion and no little amount
of pigheadedness, he endured and now reveals all his secrets.
4 stars!
Fascinating, passionate, entertaining, and eye-opening!
No Bass, No Party (Sketches of My Life in Music) by
premier bassist and now author Gary Shea is a fascinating, fun, and
passion-filled look back over his more than 60 years creating music. Not a “tell-all”
tale by any means, Shea instead reveals what it was like for him, a kid with
little formal musical training but a lot of heart, desire, and natural ability,
to forge a successful career in one of the hardest industries around.
Gary, who started out playing guitar, quickly transitioned
to bass to fill a need in his first band and was mostly self-taught. However,
his desire and passion for his instrument of choice overcame his lack of
training and pushed him to excel. Throughout the years, he was a driving force
behind several well-known rock and roll bands, including New England and Alcatrazz.
His story and past are filled with renowned musicians, singers, and industry
legends, a veritable who’s who that most readers will recognize. His recounting
includes the many stumbling blocks he and his bandmates encountered along the
way, proving that “the best laid plans” can go sideways at any time.
The biggest surprise for me was reading about how fluid the
composition of bands actually was. These musicians came together, bonded over
music and performing, and became like family to one another. However, an
opportunity for one would entice them away, or a change in vision might see
another member tossed out, abandoned, and left behind. Personal situations
would arise for others that would require them to quit. All good reasons,
perhaps, but each one had a lasting impact on the three or four, or more, others
in the band, a family now torn apart. As Shea explained, some changes would prove
to have happy outcomes, and members remained friends despite the parting of
ways or, at least, reconciled down the road.
I enjoyed Shea’s many tales of writing and creating new,
original material, as well as the story behind the tracks. He even explains how
to access some of the results online when they weren’t included on an album or
from bands that only existed for a short time. It would be great to compile a
playlist of all the music mentioned in the book and listen to it while reading
Shea’s reminiscences. From one chapter to another later in the book, there tended
to be some repetitions of earlier information or stories that could be
eliminated as well as spelling, typos, wrong words, and other production issues
that need to be cleaned up. However, none were difficult to pass over in order to
continue reading about his fascinating life.
I recommend NO BASS, NO PARTY to nonfiction readers with an
interest in rock music.
GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
Gary
Shea will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
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