Dan Gracia

Holy crap have I been up to a lot of stuff since 1968.
- Went to San Jose State 68-70
-worked in the Forest Service fighting fires summer of 70
- Moved to LA to work as a "unit-dose processor" in summer of 1970. That lasted until I got a call from Steve Bivins asking me to bring my bass, my amp and meet up in Fallon, Nevada to play music and get paid for it. Threw everything in my 69 VW bug and never looked back.
- Made a living in a traveling night club group playing bass and singing from 70 to 73. Bought a Standell bass amp while we were playing Little Bo's in Lincoln Nebraska. Guitar (Steve Bivins) and keyboard player (Bill Burns) had recently bought Vox Super Beatle amps and they were drowning me out - kept telling me to turn up. Bought my Standell and got told to turn down. Met my wife August 1, 1972, talked her into coming on the road with me at the end of the week. I married her 3 months later (still married!)
- Managed a number of record stores around the LA area from 73 to 76 and had two kids. Cassaundra (Casey) was born in '73 and David was born in '75. Played bass and sang in a local group called the "LA Smogg".
- Moved to Oregon in 76 and had my 1965 Jazz Bass, my Standell amplifier, and my two microphones stolen one night...left me a microphone stand. Discovered fly-fishing when I bought a rod for my brother-in-law only to have him buy a better one a week before his birthday. So I kept it and turned into a fly-fishing nut.
-Got a 12 string guitar for Christmas about a year later. Youngest son was born in 1978. I worked as an assistant manager for various Fred Meyer stores until 1985 when I went back to school to pursue a degree in computer science. Stopped by the music department and next thing you know I'm singing in the Vocal Jazz Ensemble. Even had a solo in our rendition of the Manhattan Transfer song "Until I met you". Worked at a Music store in 1985 and managed to pick up a spectacular 1978 American-Made Fender Jazz Bass with Maple Neck and vintage controls. Had the same fast neck as my '65 but the maple gave it much more sustain than the rosewood fretboard on my '65. No amp though...
- Moved to the SF Bay area in 1987 and started coordinating and teaching fly-fishing schools for Orvis. Did that for 10 years. Enjoyed it immensely and typically spent about 120 days a year on the water. Most of it was teaching others to fly-fish, but I certainly got my licks in.
-Fly-fished for trout, salmon, and steelhead extensively throughout California, Oregon, and parts of Washington. Went to Alaska and fished for Sockeye, grayling, trout, and Northern Pike in August of 1990. Went to the Kola Peninsula of Russia to fish for Atlantic Salmon at the invitation of a premiere lodge there in 1993. Started doing some internet consulting for Orvis in 1995. Fished Ascension Bay on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico for Bonefish, permit, barracuda, Jack Crevalle, and Snook in 1996.
- Moved to Lake Shastina in 1997 after our youngest left to attend the University of Arizona, and I opened the Mt. Shasta Fly Fishing Schools. Also pulled my bass out and joined the Mt. Siskiyou Blues Society which had a jam session every Wednesday night. First time I'd had played in 20-years. Used their amp every Wednesday night. Forgot how much I enjoyed that.
-Had a fly-fishing article published in American Angler in 1998. Also had a fly-tying article published in California Fly Fisher in 1998. Authored the chapter on Hot Creek in Seth Norman's book "Fly-Fisher's Guide to Northern California".
- In August of 1998 moved to Vermont to become webmaster for the Orvis Co. web site. Helped take the site to $20 million in annual sales by end of 2001. $0 to annual sales of $20 million in a 3 year period...not bad.
- moved from web to Orvis Travel in 2002 to become the fly-fishing expert for Orvis Travel. Sent people all over the world fishing and wingshooting but didn't get to go to even one of the locations.
- moved to Southwestern Virginia in June 2005 to become Rod and Tackle Supervisor for the Orvis Contact Center. Rented and moved into an old country store in the Blue Ridge Mountains about 15 miles south of Roanoke,Va. Started playing bass and singing in a group called "Mid-Life Crisis". Sunk a fair chunk of dough into new equipment as we started getting good paying gigs. Then group broke up. Then group got back together with different bass and lead player....typical musical group stuff. At least I've got a good bass set up again if another opportunity comes along.
- Orvis Rod and Tackle department was split up into its component parts during recent "restructuring" and I am now one of two "Sporting Traditions Specialists" for Orvis. I am now handling all inquiries about and booking the Orvis Fly-Fishing and Wingshooting Schools throughout the country, answering the Orvis fishing Technical Line, and handling Fishing and Hunting live chats from the Orvis web site...I've worked for them for almost 22 years now.
- who knows what I'll be doing tomorrow.......

Our three kids are all over the place. Our oldest, our daughter Casey is a nurse and is currently living in the San Jacinto Mountains above Palm Springs. We had Christmas there this year (it was cold and snowy and great fun). She has a wonderful husband, Phil, and three sons, Jude, Ethan, and Grayson (she really should have had at least one daughter...I have a white beard because of her!).

Our oldest son David is living in Shanghai, China. He has been a video game designer and producer for a number of years and if you've ever played on a Sony PlayStation, you've played his games Crash Bandicoot and Crash Bandicoot II games, as well perhaps as Disney's Monsters Inc., and Syphon Filter which was his original concept. He's also done parts of the Medal of Honor games for EA and did the Beowulf game. He went to Shanghai on a 3-year contract as Creative Director for Ubisoft's Shanghai studios. He's just starting with another company (still in Shanghai) this last week. He was also teaching 4 university students how to build a successful video game and was in Chengdu when that earthquake hit. That put an end to his class. David tries real hard to come home for Christmas and usually manages to pull it off. He's also a "rock star in China". Actually he's a very well known dj over there. He did the dj thing in San Francisco for a number of years and also did that in Montreal when he lived there. His dj name is Slackerton and he puts on some huge events in China.

Our son Chip fortunately and unfortunately met a young woman from Australia while she was working here as a nanny. Fortunately because they are happy and have 3 kids, unfortunately because they moved to Australia and God knows when we'll ever see them again. Skype just doesn't cut it. You can't hold your grandkids over Skype. Chip got out of the property business that he had been in and is involved in a number of plays and musical projects down-under. I think he should have tried American Idol a couple of years ago. He would have done well.

Went to a Catholic seminary in San Fernando my freshman year. That summer, really discovered girls. Went to St. Josephs for my sophomore year. Started surfing in 1965. Spent time originally at Avila to learn without getting killed and eventually made the rock bar and rock bottomed beach at Palisades the surfing hangout.

Played linebacker on the first football team that St. Joe's ever fielded and lettered that year. Bought my first bass guitar but didn't have an amp. Used a closet as a sounding board so I could hear what I was playing. Also picked up a guitar and started learning chords (thanks to Bill Burns!). I met my girlfriend Debbie (my first love) who went to Righetti High and came to almost all the Saints games with me. We were like glue- went everywhere together for the better part of 3 years. I understand she is happily married and living in Italy now.

Transferred to Santa Maria high school in 1966/67 for junior year. Sang in glee club and acappella choir. Bought a 1965 Fender Jazz bass and a new Fender Bassman amp. Started playing bass that summer with the St. James Imfirmary and sang two songs with them. The St. James Infirmary at that time was Kenny Strickler on drums, Bill Burns on lead guitar (remember the smoke coming out of his Jordan amp!), Steve Bivins on rhthym guitar, and Craig Cheadle on keyboards with me on bass. Nancy Bignardi joined us for vocals and we really did a wicked version of the Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit", and the Strawberry Alarm Clock's song "Incense and Peppermint".

Kenny had this great big old Studebaker with the suicide doors and a 4 speed with overdrive on the column. We called it the St. James Infirmary Wagon because it could pretty well carry all of us anywhere. We had a number of parties in junior and senior year at various houses as well as a number of beach parties at Thousand Steps.

I remember singing in the Madrigal group my senior year. Was a whole lot of fun and we took first place in the intermediate class at the Madrigal festival at Occidental College that year. I remember dressing up like Dicken's characters and singing Christmas carols and songs at all the schools and clubs in town.

I really wonder how I fit all those good times in those few years and how in the world it can really be that long ago...