Today we’d like to introduce you to Gregg Oliver.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Gregg. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
The band is basically two sets of long-time friends: Chip (Bass) and Todd (Vocals) worked together at day jobs, and Dave (Guitar) and Brian (Drums) had played music together in a band that had broken up years ago. In a chance conversation between Chip and Dave, they discovered they were not only both musicians but had a common interest in 70’s and 80’s hard rock. They both loved the bands and the music AND could play it.
There were some of the usual conversations about how “we should get together, blah blah blah, here’s my number blah, blah, blah… but Chip actually CALLED Dave and said “my singer buddy can’t wait! Can you get your drummer?” and they made a jam session happen in a couple of weeks. The chemistry was strong and everyone had chops, so they wrote up a songlist and started learning songs. From the very beginning, the idea was to start playing clubs…. working your way up…. that part of the business hasn’t ever changed.
Has it been a smooth road?
First, the easy part – deciding on songs, learning them and playing them with the right amount of reverence without being sappy. This is a cover band, not a tribute band, so you will NEVER sound EXACTLY like ALL of the bands you play (usually 60 songs a night from 40 or so classic bands). So getting them to sound as close to the original as possible AND making them your own is a balancing act. It takes experience.
The struggles come with getting an introduction to a talent buyer so you can pitch them, getting wives, bosses, kids, and everyone else with a hand in your life to understand and support what you are doing because when you are over 50, what we do looks a little crazy to some people. The main struggle is to persevere in the face of difficult schedules, difficult gigs, difficult venues, and difficult moments.
Doing something strictly out of the love of preserving the tradition of providing live music played by local musicians takes a great deal of confidence in the mission. The struggle is to not lose sight of that.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with The Chrome Domes – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
The Chrome Domes are a rock/metal collaborative that embraces the spirit of covers and the legendary artists that made them great. We pay homage to our rock n roll heroes allowing the audience to revisit rock/metal moments with us.The Chrome Domes deliver cuts from Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Bush, Cult, ZZ Top, UFO, and many more. The Chrome Domes raise your adrenaline levels and leave you reflecting on the greatest music icons ever.
Our pride comes from being able to perform music we consider to be great to local audiences in a live format. For the most part, the music we play cannot be heard live by the original bands. We can bring these artists’ work back in a live setting at local venues. We routinely play for audiences that never had the opportunity to see this act is their heyday, so every night we entertain and teach music history to 150 eager students.
What makes us different is our experience as musicians and our experience with this music. Between the 4 of us, we have over 150 years of playing experience and we learned by listening to these records (on vinyl) as kids. Effectively, we were taught by these players and pay homage every time we play a song.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
San Diego could be more open to municipal festivals where live music is played, but other than that it is very difficult to find anything to complain about in San Diego County as far as being in a band.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.thechromedomes.com/
- Phone: 858-245-9802
- Email: gregg@thechromedomes.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheChromeDomes/
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
