WILL POWER.
The words “love” and “work” can explain the drive behind any lifelong passion or vocation. They can be synonymous. There is magic in the love of playing rock music together with other people. It is powerful. Some of us, including me...cannot imagine a time in our lives when we won’t be engaged in it to some degree.
For us "lifers"…it’s about the work. The rehearsals, gigs, tours, and recordings we’ve done make up some of the most transcendent and fulfilling moments of our lives. What is the super nova?...the big bang?...the spark that ignites this fire? How does it begin? Where does it happen?
It starts in basements, attics, and garages. You are 14 and just learning to play the drums. Your school pal has a guitar. You get together for the first time and endlessly play the one riff and drum part you’ve somehow miraculously created. This is heaven. No one knows how to play a lead yet. Nobody can, or wants to sing. It’s perfectly simple. Totally caveman.
Power, energy, and joy. Pure.
Will Mecum captured this lightning...froze it right there, and did it for 30 years with his band KARMA TO BURN. Pure genius.
Julie and I saw K2B for the first time at Middle East Downstairs in '96. They went on early. We weren’t actually there to see them. When they hit the stage and began to play I was stunned. A "this is what I’ve been waiting for" moment for me. Riff, after riff, after catchy heavy memorable riff. No leads. No vocals. Drums, bass, and guitar. No weak link. Every guy an absolute master craftsman. Urgent and intense. Assassins. And zero talking between songs. Just 40 minutes of dropping hammers non stop. A band I was in called THE PEASANTS opened for them at The Drop Shop in Huntington W.V in the Summer of '97. A true K2B experience. I was so psyched to catch them on their home turf. We closed our set with a KISS cover. "Deuce"...with me on vocals from behind the kit. Their crowd dug us and Rich Mullins (K2B bass player) threw us the horns. Whew! I said to bandmates Pete Cassani and Bill Close... "Get ready. You’re gonna love this". I have a vivid memory of sitting on the floor of the mezzanine up top with my arms over the railing looking down as they were playing "Seven" and thinking "These guys are channeling Higher Powers".
It was amazing.
I was on drums in SCISSORFIGHT opening for them in Burlington VT in '98 or '99… and my band CLAYMORE is on PolterChrist Records’ "Songs For El Chupacabra" compilation alongside them. Saw them one last time (with Julie) at Once Ballroom Somerville in 2016. I bumped into Will briefly, said hello and shook his hand. He hadn’t missed a step. Still incredible and fully lost in it. Never saw or heard the Dude (or his band) execute with anything less than absolute destruction. I didn’t know him at all. Just quick small talk in passing at shows. He seemed very quiet and private. Played a simple setup of rock staples. Les Paul. Marshall. No pedals. Same guitar forever. Rig was road ripped and beat to hell.
William Mecum/KARMA TO BURN. Made of 100% pure Rock Power. An unmatched road dog. Forged in Freedom, Ingenuity, Talent and Hard Work. He leaves behind a catalog of quintessentially American hard rock epics. Thank You, Will!
"Riff In Peace". 🤘🇺🇸
Stephen Hart.
This essay originally appeared in a FB post written shortly after Will’s untimely passing in April 2021.
