Randy "Smitty" Love - Drums, Lead/Backup Vocals
Back On Earth Original Member. My first step towards getting in a band happened in about 1973, when I convinced Mike Martin (already a local hero) to come listen to me play the drums in my basement. This eventually led to my first actual professional band. It was called Riff, with Mike, Steve Butler, and Danny Vanderpool.
When this ended, (sometime after the great Weber’s of Plymouth bar fight) I got together with Eric, Carl Weber, Jerry Garn and Steve Butler to form The Gran Falloon Band. This band called Weber's Bar home and we went on for quite a while, with lots of memorable nights til Carl decided to move west and we brought Mike into the band, and renamed it Back On Earth. It was then that Mike's Mom and Dad's basement became our practice facility. On and off (mostly on) we were there for the next 30 years. We were loud, hauled equipment in and out of the place sometimes several times a week, and all the time Bob and Mart just smiled and hung out with us. Can't think of a lot of parents then or now that would've put up with us. May they rest in peace. I sure miss them.
After a few years of good jobs, great times, etc., Mike and Steve left to pursue other avenues, and Eric, Jerry, and I hired a husband and wife team (Keil and Randy Robbins) to keep the BOE thing going.
When that ended horribly, I did a road thing with Sweetwater Bridge for a while. (Country rock w/ Chuck Kaber, Russ Hock, and the Hignite boys).
Sometime after that, Eric and I joined with Tom Mossman and Ron Baker in Hand Over Fist, which lasted a while.
After a few stints with other local bands, and some successful BOE reunion gigs, we reassembled BOE (sometime at the beginning of the ‘80s) and have been going ever since. I suppose we'll keep doing this til we just ain't having fun any more. But for now, still having a blast and long live rock and roll.
Album credits include, Chuck Kaber`s "Gray Clouds Rolling", Jerry Garn`s solo album "When a Bridge Burns" and the Infernofest CD.
This is my band history as I remember it. Later, I may be informed that I remember something different. Keep checking!
When this ended, (sometime after the great Weber’s of Plymouth bar fight) I got together with Eric, Carl Weber, Jerry Garn and Steve Butler to form The Gran Falloon Band. This band called Weber's Bar home and we went on for quite a while, with lots of memorable nights til Carl decided to move west and we brought Mike into the band, and renamed it Back On Earth. It was then that Mike's Mom and Dad's basement became our practice facility. On and off (mostly on) we were there for the next 30 years. We were loud, hauled equipment in and out of the place sometimes several times a week, and all the time Bob and Mart just smiled and hung out with us. Can't think of a lot of parents then or now that would've put up with us. May they rest in peace. I sure miss them.
After a few years of good jobs, great times, etc., Mike and Steve left to pursue other avenues, and Eric, Jerry, and I hired a husband and wife team (Keil and Randy Robbins) to keep the BOE thing going.
When that ended horribly, I did a road thing with Sweetwater Bridge for a while. (Country rock w/ Chuck Kaber, Russ Hock, and the Hignite boys).
Sometime after that, Eric and I joined with Tom Mossman and Ron Baker in Hand Over Fist, which lasted a while.
After a few stints with other local bands, and some successful BOE reunion gigs, we reassembled BOE (sometime at the beginning of the ‘80s) and have been going ever since. I suppose we'll keep doing this til we just ain't having fun any more. But for now, still having a blast and long live rock and roll.
Album credits include, Chuck Kaber`s "Gray Clouds Rolling", Jerry Garn`s solo album "When a Bridge Burns" and the Infernofest CD.
This is my band history as I remember it. Later, I may be informed that I remember something different. Keep checking!
Smitty's Gear
It’s a Ludwig Standard Kit. Made in 1963 or early 1964. Ludwig was shipping about a thousand sets a week from Chicago at the time. Mostly because of The Beatles. Back then all drum kits had to look like whatever Ringo was playing that week. It’s a pretty basic kit with a 22” Bass drum, 12” rack tom and 16” floor tom and the old chrome 14” snare; with some upgraded hardware; stands, etc. It was my first kit (got it in 7th grade) and I used it for many years. It went into storage for about twenty years until I decided that with some refurbishing, it would still be a great set. I’ve been using it now for several years and probably will for some time to come. Old Ludwig drums still have a great sound! Gold Sparkle is sexy!
I also have a Roland SPD 20 electronic drum pad with a KD7 bass drum trigger. The SPD 20 has 250 or so different sounds, which you can arrange into 99 different kits. This is very confusing, but easy to carry. I run it through a Roland KC500 amp / drink stand and also through the PA. I also just bought a Noble & Cooley Alloy Classic snare drum, which is the best sounding snare I’ve ever played. My cymbals are mostly old Zildjians, (and I mean old) but, I like to just use two or three and switch them out once in awhile.
My guitar is a …Oh never mind.
I also have a Roland SPD 20 electronic drum pad with a KD7 bass drum trigger. The SPD 20 has 250 or so different sounds, which you can arrange into 99 different kits. This is very confusing, but easy to carry. I run it through a Roland KC500 amp / drink stand and also through the PA. I also just bought a Noble & Cooley Alloy Classic snare drum, which is the best sounding snare I’ve ever played. My cymbals are mostly old Zildjians, (and I mean old) but, I like to just use two or three and switch them out once in awhile.
My guitar is a …Oh never mind.
