The Inimitable Greg Reddin & the Guillotine Cymbal Incident

One of my favorite people in the entire world is my friend and former bandmate, Greg Reddin:  Faithful husband, devoted dad and follower of Christ.  Greg is such a mellow, down-to-earth and kindhearted soul that it's often mind-blowing recalling his animated performances with early Narrow Road:

When the band developed into a five-piece outfit during its early years (1993 - 1994), we were fortunate to secure practice space at the ABS House on the University of Central Arkansas campus.  In time, our practice location would move to my apartment.

It was at my apartment where the Guillotine Cymbal Incident occurred:  We were in the middle of jamming on a song, and Greg was flailing away on a guitar solo.  Adrian, playing my dilapidated drums during practice, hit the cymbal which was attached to the kick drum via a single rod.  The rod was held in place by a single screw, allowing the rod's angle to swing either left or right.

So, Greg was flailing away on a guitar solo, and Adrian hit the crash cymbal.  One moment, Greg's amp was blaring out his fretwork in full force, and the next moment his amp emitted utter silence, yet Greg's fingers were still moving like lightning.

The band stopped, scratching our heads and wondering what had happened.  We examined Greg's amp to see if perhaps a switch had been hit or if the power cord was ripped from the outlet.  It was none of the above.

Tracing the myriad of cords, the discovery was suddenly made:  Greg's power supply cord, leading from his guitar to his amp, had been severed clean in two.  Adrian had hit the crash cymbal, and the cymbal's rod screw came loose, causing the cymbal to swing to the ground like a guillotine.  A cleaner cut couldn't have been made.

L to R: John Huffmaster, Kent Schreiber & Greg Reddin, 1993

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- K -