Niteshade...Stupid Name, Great Band

Niteshade 1991. Left to right: James Casey (bass, vocals), Mark Bronson (vocals, guitar), Gregg Dobbs (lead guitar), Alan Spicer (drums, vocals)

This is a publicity photo of a country band I played in way back in 1990-1991. At the time this shot was taken we called ourselves NITESHADE. Dumb name, I realize. It was the drummer's brainchild. The drummer was also the weakest link in the musical chain...nice guy, don't get me wrong, nothing personal, he just was not a very good drummer. Eventually we replaced him and, figuring he would be upset if we kept playing as Niteshade, we gladly changed our name to MARK BRONSON & THE BROOKLINE BROTHERS BAND. There is a story behind the "Brookline Bros.", having to do with how so many people thought Gregg and I were brothers, but that's really about as much as I'd want to share regarding it's origin.

We played on a regular basis at the Diamond Ballroom in OKC, back when they had huge country music dances every weekend. We were also much beloved at the Watering Hole in Edmond, Ann's Club in Sulphur, the 200 Club (where the Village Inn used to be at the 200 Mile exit of Interstate 40) and were always a big hit at the Continental Club, which was also in Sulphur. There were a few other dives we got booked in periodically, but those were our mainstays.

Niteshade/MB &the BB Band were your typical Okie money-making honky tonk band. We played everything from Merle Haggard and George Jones to Clint Black and George Strait. Our ace in the hole was an ability to play rock songs with authenticity, as we had all played in strictly rock bands at different stages in our "careers". Most C&W acts around these parts sounded like honky tonk bands TRYING to play rock when the inevitable request for a rock song was made. Trust me, there's nothing quite like a honky tonk band playing rock and roll to make you stop requesting rock songs and be content with the country tunes. But we were different, and so everybody was happy regardless of the kind of music they wanted to dance to.

Made a ton of money with these guys and had a great time, for the most part.
Here's to 'em.