Former Ravyn Lee Townsend was recruited to play bass. His
'southpaw
but strung right-handed' melodic style was deeply rooted in the Beatles
and Cream, making him the most authentic choice for the bass guitar
chair.
It was a perfect fit. The search was on for a drummer who could
handle
the heavy Zeppelin list. While auditioning drummers, the band
appeared
as a trio at their first gig (The 15-Mile House in Reisterstown) with
Spike
on drums and lead vocals. (Note: David and Spike were also still
playing with Word of Mouth at the time).
Tim Steele
(also a former Ravyn with heavy 70's Cream/Zeppelin roots) had been
asked
to join the band. He was skeptical, but the Zeppelin list lured
him
out to the second gig and by the second set that night, he was a member
of group.

With the
line-up complete, Never Never began to play weeknights that weren't
filled
by the Word of Mouth schedule. The new line-up had much more
crowd
draw than anticipated. Packed Wednesdays at the 15-Mile House and
Thursdays at the Dulaney Inn were testament to the addictive quality
the
group had. The new group quickly went into High Heel Recording
Studio
to record their first original songs. It was obvious that the
four
had great musical chemistry. When Rob Fahey decided to move to
Los
Angeles to pursue his music career, Word of Mouth disbanded, and Never
Never eagerly took on a full-time schedule. The band became one
of
the top area club bands in its first few months of playing.
In
late
1988, original guitarist David Bell left the band to move to Huntington
Beach, California to pursue a music career. The guitar slot was
temporarily
filled by Tony Sciuto, a long-time veteran of the east and west coast
music
scenes. Tony was very involved in the LA songwriting scene and
joined
the band temporarily under the condition that they search for a
permanent
replacement. The search ended five months later.

Ron Zebron
was the first guitarist to come along in years to make the veteran
guitar
players on the scene stop and take notice. He had been the first
choice to replace Bell but wasn’t sure if this new band had the goods
to
make the living he had become accustomed to. He'd spent the last
few years playing in full-time dance/top-forty bands. Ron was
invited
to come to the 15-Mile House and sit in one night and was hooked.
He took over guitar duties in late 1988. With the chemistry
stronger
than ever, the foursome began to make its mark on the local music
scene.
The new chemistry with Ronnie on guitar lived up to the public's
already
very high expectations of the Never Never sound.

The band
was playing a full schedule, writing songs and expanding the song list
very quickly with the new line-up. Never Never enjoyed all the
privileges
of a seasoned rock and roll band such as full road crew, and the pro
sound
and lights needed to play the large clubs. Duane Regula mixed
sound
and provided commentary throughout most of this period. Spike's
voice
proved capable of handling the difficult song list and schedule.
The Never Never machine made it look easy to the amazement of many who
either struggled to start bands, or said that the scene wouldn't
support
such a band.
Hurricane
in my Heart was the first full-length CD effort by the group.
Financed
by club owner, fan, and good friend Doug Adkins, the disk includes ten
original songs and one cover (of the Terry Reid song; Lovin'
Time).
The quality songwriting on the out-of-print disk is strong enough that
the less-than-desirable sound quality doesn't detract from the
legitimacy
of this effort. It's still a coveted addition to many a die-hard
Never Never fan's collection. It was also during this
period
that the "gate" band photo was shot. Originally slated as the
cover
for the CD, it was used on the inside instead. This portrait
captured
the essence of the group during this period: focused, together,
legitimate.

Never Never
was starting to suffer from the politics of the music. Agency
wars,
club owners and managers were making it increasingly difficult for the
group to do what it did best--play for the people who loved the
band.
Overexposure in some areas, underexposure in others, combined with the
constant stress of a full-time band and all the excesses that go with
it,
were taking their toll. In 1994, after a Christmas visit to
California,
Spike made the decision to leave the group and move to San Francisco to
try to establish himself in the west coast music scene. The band
briefly looked for a singer, but no suitable replacement was
found.
The band played its farewell gigs in early spring '94. It was
during
this period that Ron would join a band that would play a crucial role
in
the continuation of Never Never.
Zebron was
an assembly of top-notch talent headed by Ron and Cathy Zebron, husband
and wife team, musicians extraordinaire. Cathy handled lead
vocals
and played keyboards and guitar. Ronnie played lead guitar and
sang.
The rhythm section was Angelo Cammarata on bass and John Thomakos on
drums.
Drummer Tim Steele helped out by filling in when John couldn't play,
but
soon moved to Tampa, Florida. Zebron would play through most of
'94-'95
before disbanding.
Spike's
California experience was cut short. He was starting to audition
for bands and move in the scene but lack of funds made staying
impossible.
He missed singing with his friends and soon he was on his way back east.
Dave Rode,
Spike’s close friend and long-time supporter of Never Never,
volunteered
to help organize and book Spike’s next project. Spike and the
Pipefitters
worked up a song list heavy on Pink Floyd, Who, Neil Young, Zeppelin,
Doors
and Bad Co., and started playing the clubs. The band was Sandy
Cormack
on guitar, Phil Anderson on bass, Dave Loughoff on drums and Spike on
vocals,
guitar, keyboards, and harmonica. Just as they were starting to
play
out, professional differences temporarily sidelined the effort.
Spike
and Sandy enlisted the help of Lee Townsend to take over on bass and
Edgar
Meyers to play drums and the band started playing again.
Several
of the clubs began to express an interest in a Never Never
reunion.
With the help of Dave Rode, three shows were scheduled. The Zu in
Dundalk hosted the first two shows. Both were a huge
success.
The third show was in Ocean City at the new "Scandals" (now occupying
the
old "Samanthas" on 45th street.) The O.C. show was marginally
successful
for the room (now a dance club), but was a huge success for the
band.
This series of shows re-ignited the fire and it was agreed by all
parties
concerned that Never Never still had the magic chemistry and should
consider
reforming permanently. Spike and Lee Townsend were playing with
the
Pipefitters only on weekend nights due to the schedule limitations of
the
players with day jobs. Ron Zebron had been filling in the lead
guitar
slot in The Brian Jack Band and was ready to play with the Nevers
again.
Tim Steele was ready to move back from Florida. Under new
management
with Dave Rode, the foursome began to play to an audience that was
hungry
for Never Never.
When Lee
Townsend left the group in September, 1996, the search was on for a new
bassist. Angelo "AJ" Cammarata had been working with Ronnie for
years.
He was the bassist in Zebron. He and Ronnie had also worked
together
in The Brian Jack Band. Angelo's experience, easy-going nature,
and
schooled bass guitar style made him the natural choice for Never Never.

During this
period, the band worked with local producer Drew Mazurek on a studio
project
that was to be the new CD release, complete with a remake of "Nobody's
Fault But Mine". The sessions proved successful even though the
band
never released the final product.
Tim Steele
tendered his resignation in April of 1998. Manager Dave Rode also
left. Ron, Spike, and AJ began auditioning drummers. The
search
didn’t take long. Sherry Band assumed the management duties and
the
Nevers landed on their feet again.
Shawn Hughes
was a different drummer. He came from a background of 80's metal
and old school hip-hop. Shawn knew what it was like to work a
full-time
schedule, having just spent two years playing in one the
longest-standing,
travelling full-time bands to ever work a club: Great Train
Robbery.
He was stoked to play the challenging Never Never song list. His
aggressive sound and style added a whole other dimension to the classic
Never Never sound. Along with the Zeppelin songs (that now had a
heavier, modern sound), the band also added many early Black Sabbath
and
Van Halen songs to their song list during Shawn’s tenure as drummer.
Shawn was
a very high-energy person. If he was not immersed in the pressure
of the gig (which he handled with ease), he found other less fortunate
ways to spend his time. Although he didn't stay with the band
long,
they were able to record and release an EP-length CD that captured the
power of this incarnation of the band: Never Never 1998. It is
also
a continuation of the band’s work with Drew Mazurek at the
controls.
Spike and
Ron continued working with a variety of top-notch drummers
and
bassists.
Erik
Krakau began filling dates with the band in 2003, and in June 2007 he
became the band's full-time bassist. In October, 2007, longtime guitarist Ron
Zebron moved to Tampa, Florida with his new wife and is pursuing other
interests. He returned to Baltimore to play one last gig with the
band on New Year's Eve-Eve, 2007. We wish him all the best.
It
seemed like this would be the end, but the band was thrilled to learn
that original guitarist David Bell, who had co-founded the band with
Spike, was available and he rejoined the band in November, 2007, after
an 18-year absence. (He's on the right in the very top
picture on this page.)
In 2008,
they added a new show to their repertoire: An all-Zeppelin show
with good friend Brian Comotto on keyboards.

2009 UPDATE
Currently, original guitarist David Bell is still with the band. Erik Krakau plays bass. John Davis and Nick Bertling share the
drumming duties and Spike handles the vocals, harmonica, and rhythm
guitar.
Never Never continues to play
great rock music. They will always be grateful
to
the many people who have contributed to their success over the years,
especially
their fans.

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