1st. photo around 1965. At that time the entertainment section of the newspaper would have a space for nightclubs to advertise their bands. What a concept!
this is my first band.. it was 1968 and all the band members met in the same 9th grade class. In '68 we were going for the british invasion look, in case you're wondering. ;-(
One of the popular girls in our class made out a list of songs the other girls liked, and that was our first set list. It worked. All the chicks showed up at our gigs to hear their favorite songs, and all the guys showed up to meet the girls. We drew a crowd so we always got return gigs.
The bass player's dad had connections, so he became our manager. He kept us booked all through high school 2-3 gigs per week. Society was looking for ways to keep all those baby boomer kids entertained, so it was easy to find gigs if you had a band.
We were terrible, mostly because I was the singer and my voice hadn't matured yet. Imagine the Stone's SATISFACTION sung in a falsetto, and you have a pretty good idea what we must have sounded like.
I also had a heavy-duty central Pennsylvania accent.. so when we played FIRE by Hendrix, I pronounced it as "Fi-yerrrr"
My only effects pedal was a fuzz tone. I used it on every song. My dad worked in a factory and my mom stayed home, and they sent 5 kids to private schools, so there was no money for gear. My guitar and amp were bought from the classified section in the local newspaper. No-name brands, the kind that department stores might have sold at the time. I had to earn my own money from performing to upgrade my gear. Which I eventually did.
On this machine I can only get back to 1982 or so.
I'm the scary one with the Algonac shirt on .. the rest of the band had either a master or doctor degree. I was like 19 or so (meaning I had no degree back then). I was always lucky like that. We even played a couple jazz songs I wrote, after they helped me refine them .. great learning experience.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 2026!
It's the perfect time to expand your Band-in-a-Box® style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs. These additional styles for Band-in-a-Box® offer a wide range of genres designed to fit seamlessly into your projects. Each style is professionally arranged and mixed, helping enhance your songs while saving you time.
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XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-10 includes 1,000 styles!
Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 includes 3,700 styles (and 35 MIDI styles)!
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Note: XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version as they require the RealTracks included in the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
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With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
Whether you're exploring new features, checking out the latest RealTracks or Style PAKs, this is your go-to guide for Band-in-a-Box® 2026.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac is here and it is packed with major new features! There’s a new modern look, a GUI redesign to all areas of the program including toolbars, windows, workflow and more. There’s a Multi-view layout for organizing multiple windows. A standout addition is the powerful AI-Notes feature, which uses AI neural-net technology to transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI—entire mixes or individual instruments—making it easy to study, view, and play parts from any song. And that’s just the beginning—there are over 100 new features in this exciting release.
Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac and save up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special offer—available until May 15, 2026. Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page to explore all available upgrade options.
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
Our Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK are loaded with amazing add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is included with most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac packages, but you can unlock even more—including 20 unreleased RealTracks—by upgrading to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!
If you're already using Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, make sure to grab the latest update! Build 904 is now available for download and includes the newest additions and enhancements from our team.
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