Back to School

Well, it's that time of year again....summer is ending and it's back to school.
I have 5 children so this is a big deal. My oldest son, Zach will be a senior in high school.
Riley, my oldest daughter, will be starting middle school. Sophie, my 5 year old, is starting Kindergarten.  This is a big year for sure.
I have been on tour all summer with RSB, but got home a week or so ago and have had some much needed time at home with my family. New shoes, back packs, school clothes....the list goes on.
I'm always happy when I get to contribute to the every day particulars at home.
It seems silly to some folks, but cleaning up after dinner, laundry, getting the kids ready for school,
it really means a lot to me. It helps to feel like I am a part of the family and even when I am apart.

I was never a good student, but I was a good student.........
I did not get good grades in school. Hard to believe, right? :)
I was always in trouble for talking or doing stand up comedy or something.
I wasn't a fighter, or so much a shit disturber, just wanted an audience at an early age.
I never did my homework, never studied for anything, yet I usually did well on my testing.
I have a good memory, but it doesn't always equal understanding the subject.
I can just remember most things I hear or read.
Anyway, I got terrible grades, mostly because I never applied myself.
But.......I loved going to school. I loved going to see my friends everyday. My brother and sisters were all older and I loved going to hang out and play with my friends.
I especially loved high school.
I was not popular, but I wasn't a castaway either, just somewhere in the middle.
I went to Catholic school all of my life, which is an institution in Saint Louis.
My high school was Bishop Dubourg. It was Co-ed :)
I was kinda chubby and dorky and really into music and theater.
I wanted to be an actor almost all of my life. They had an exceptional theater dept. for a high school at Dubourg, and I was in every play all four years. I did 15 plays in high school.
I was the only male to ever accomplish this feat at the time. I received a small scholarship to get me started in college, but with my horrible grades, it didn't help much. But I was thankful.
Dubourg is where I met my first friends who really knew how to play guitar.
I had a guitar but did not know how to tune it even, let alone lay anything.
I just tuned it to an open chord and strummed hard and loud.
Mark Mitchell and Keith Snyder showed me how to tune the guitar, how to hold it, how to pick,
and how to play real chords. They were both very good and had been taking lessons.
Like school, I didn't want to learn anything, I just wanted to play.
They had a band and they needed a singer.
I came over and auditioned after school. The band was called Mas Confusion......
Rob Adler was the drummer and a guy from another high school was the lead guitarist - Jeff Slay.
Jeff Slay is the son of Gene Slay. Gene Slay went to high school with my mother.
The Slay family lived in the same neighborhood as my father's family in Soulard.
My father grew up in a mostly Lebanese/Syrian part of town. The Slay's were always in my life since I was born. I knew who Jeff Slay was and maybe met him when I was younger at Saint Raymond's Church. Jeff was an incredibly good guitar player, even at 14 years old.
He'd been taking lessons and learning how to play for a while. He had an Ibanez Destroyer and a red Marshall Stack!!!
He was the first person I ever saw in real life play guitar like I heard on my records.
He played Van Halen and it sounded exactly like Van Halen!
This was a HUGE revelation in my life. I thought you had to be famous to be able to play that good.
From that moment on, I was determined to lean how to play guitar.
I started taking lessons and practicing with the band all the time.
Needless to say, I did not go to college. I went to work at a local guitar store.
I did not get good grades, I did not do my home work......but I loved going to school.
It was just so much fun. I didn't drink in school, I didn't do drugs in school. None of us really did.
We just played music and practiced with the band in Rob Adler's basement.
I remain friends with all these guys today, and my closest friend is Jeff Slay.
 He never really got into playing in bands much after high school. He's very talented in many ways and has always had plenty of options.
He has been behind me and my music career 100% since day one.
He's loaned me guitars, given me guitars, amps, helped fund my albums and tours.
He's always involved in anyway possible. When I made my first album for Eclecto Groove Records,
Jeff flew to Hollywood to be there with me and give me the thumbs up I needed.
He's always making sure I am playing guitar and not just playing music! As I have evolved into a song writer and singer, Jeff reminds me to play guitar. To let loose and be fun on the guitar still.
I need that push. When I make an album or record a song, Jeff is one of the first people I send it to for approval. It's been 28 years since we first joined a band together, and he's still right there with me.
He's always a phone call away, if I need anything, or just want to share some of the excitement from my latest tour, Jeff wants to hear about it.
He's lived an exciting, interesting life so far and still plays the hell out of a guitar.
Here is a link to a video at Santa Cruz Guitars website:

http://www.santacruzguitar.com/cowgirl/

The story on this website is incredible, and it's all Jeff Slay.
scroll down and watch the video of him playing and telling the story.

I hope my kids enjoy school as much as I did, although I pray they get much better grades!
Mostly, I hope they make good friends, make good choices and maybe they'll make a friend or two
that will stay with them for long haul.
Peace, Love, Zito