James Bergstrom

This Saturday is the Layne Staley Tribute Show at the Neptune in Seattle. I’m really excited to attend, and I also get to play some drums on some classic AIC songs with Jar of Flies. Ten Miles Wide is also on the bill and they are a really great band I like. Proceeds for the show go to the Layne Staley Memorial Fund. Hope to see you all there. Who’s coming!!!

It’s been a REALLY long time since I’ve dug into my ol memory box way up high in my garage storage (at least a couple decades) and look at the old relic I rediscovered!!! Had no idea I still had one of these 1987 AIC originals. How I was able to wear this sleeveless shirt is beyond me. I don’t think i could get my fat head through it now!! Hahaha

The GRAND FINALE in our 5 year ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY is this A&F Drum Co. 4x14 8-Lug Walnut Club Snare with Walnut Hoops($1380)!!! Just share this post and make sure you’ve entered your email on our website at the bottom of the page. IMPORTANT, WATCH OUT FOR SCAMMERS!!! We will only contact you via EMAIL NOT DM!!!

www.anfdrumco.com

My Mother’s Day Statement: 40 years ago when I was 11 my mom gave me the gift of music when she bought me my first drum set. Over the years to come she embraced and supported all of my music endeavors and made her home available where we would practice in the basement. She was tolerant when Johnny, Byron, and I were 12, new on our instruments, and would jam the opening riff of “Grinder” by Judas Priest for 3 hours non stop for months. Then when Zoli joined up she would hear us play Wrathchild to Armored Saint covers for hours upon hours. In the mid to late 80’s she witnessed the early days of Layne becoming a singer and was patient when we named our band Sleze all while we all were diving into her makeup bag and eyeliner! Fast forward to the 90’s and the many lineups of 2C she enjoyed and endured the volume of our PA system with 4 -18” sub woofers a side, stacked to the ceiling, and Marshall Stacks booming through the house for all of the practices. Then ultimately welcomed the 2C tour bus home when it pulled up to her house to unload. All in all that gift of music has lasted me a lifetime filled with amazing memories, bodies of work, and some lifetime friendships that I’m so thankful for...
So what do I give my amazing Mom for Mother’s Day???

I’m giving her the gift of music back. This last September I asked my mom what some of her all time favorite Gospel songs were and later had an epiphany.... Today at London Bridge Studios I got to surprise her and present to her some of the basic tracks of her favorite songs that we re-imagined and arranged our own way while my great friend Kortney Dowdell crushed it on that beautiful concert grand piano and Kelly Gray produced. Happy Mother’s Day mom and thank you so much for that gift of music. I love you! My heart is full !! I can’t wait to complete this 7 song EP for you!

Throwback Thursday... I love this picture as it was a monumental moment in my life when 2C signed with Capitol Records. My favorite part is my oldest, high energy, daughter cub Mackenzie with her binky/nuk blazing and arm in my shirt with the full on assist. This girl was sharp as she was reviewing terms and conditions way back at the age of 2! Still to this day her binky/nuk hangs on my ol’ DW snare drum. Love Love LOVE her!!!

Flashback Friday....Caption this!

“No Ordinary Man”

A friend of mine last night sent me this review of early 2C posted by the Rocket. A fun flashback for Throwback Thursday. Thanks David! Ya’ all crush it today!

The year “1999” the place “the Hartford Civic Center and home of the Arena Football League New England Sea Wolves” .... Halftime show featuring Second Coming taking on the Hartford rock radio Dj’s in a good old scrap of tug of war. (Let’s be clear it was Travis and I taking them on no offense to Dudley & Johnny 😂...) I was pumped and Trav was like a cornerman building this up in my head... so we are on and and I’m focused jogging out to the field ready to go when suddenly ....BOOM ... Travis does his best Kam Chancellor impersonation dropping me like I’m Don Knotts in the middle of the field in front of the crowd... chaos breaks and I’m chasing him all over the field like keystone cops or the end of the Benny Hill show hahaha 😂 Totally great moment of time and was so funny as he got me really good! For the record 2C did win the tug of war match.
👊😎🤟

Happy 50th KISW! Thank you for bringing Seattle’s Best Rock for 50 awesome years. Thank you KISW and the “Great” Cathy Faulkner for your investment of support to the musicians and bands of the local music scene too! All of us who are, or were, part of Second Coming are so grateful for you as we hold close all of the memories and love ya big time!

Throwback Thursday to the early Second Coming days back in 1994-95.

Good morning! My morning routine = raw celery juice and Get Smart Tea. Who out there understands the benefits of celery juice? It really works, but the tea not so much 😉😆... j/k ! Anyway, have an awesome day! *t

The Second Coming discography. What’s your favorite song?

Throwback Thursday 1993-94 to our club band “FTA” (Johnny,me,Maxi,Eric version)Everyone used to always ask what does FTA stand for and someone made a promo piece listing all the possibilities(See 2nd picture here). Once Travis and Dudley joined the band it stood for (Funding The Album) Nothing like playing music 5-7 nights a week 4 hours a night. Who remembers hanging out with us back in these days?! 🍌🍌 ’s

2C self titled released 23 years ago. Time sure flies!

I have to say getting to hang out and catch up this fall with Shad Woodman at his killer studio, Decade Sound Studios, again was an absolute blast! We’ve traveled many miles and played many nights of music with Shad running sound. He, Cousin Dave, and Buddy Brobeck together were our true aces on the road!

2C-2002 Acoustic

“I’ve been playing the blues for 13 years and I need to ROCK!! - Dudley Taft .🖤♣️..Travis Bracht and I in half a second were like “ Lets do this!”

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed getting to be part of this video/music project with Dudley Taft and all the great musicians that I got to jam with in those songs and videos. Especially since music and gigging has been on a lockdown. I know that Dudley has more releases coming so make sure and check them out!!

ALICE N’ Chains 1987
📸 Gina M

Well this little gem has been making the rounds lately on the internet. From left to right Nick Po***ck, some crimped dude pondering 🤔 with the initials JB, Layne Staley, and Johnny Bacolas. Many people have a bucket list item and a skeleton(s) in the closet. My bucket list item is a Great White Shark cage dive while my Skeltons are my 80’s glam rock photos hahahaha.... I mean it could be so much worse lol... we were only 17 &18 years old here. Feel free to share your bucket list item and a skeleton below 🤟♥️🤘

Thank you Nehi Stripes for posting this!!! Definitely a huge highlight of early Second Coming was performing “It’s Coming After” with Layne Staley for a series of shows.

1994 Kerrang! Magazine snippet on as a guest singer on forthcoming album L.O.V.Evil album - yep the song you all know know & love - it’s funny over the years I’ve had people call it the song or the song - haha - with that I thought I’d provide the actual lyrics too- *********************************

”It’s Coming After” Lyrics:

A whispery cat in a burgundy hat, uh
Told her of a race that would die
But she told him instead she's in love with the dead
She's a necromancing slave from the sky

Crying rhymes for the dying times
If it's time to die there's nothing you can do
(It's coming after you) no, no, no
And if you die too, here's what I'm gonna do
I'm gonna stretch your skin across her frame and paint it blue

You're blue on my walls and you're black in my heart
I see red when my girls start to chant
"I'm in love with your way," she heard a dead man say
As she did it with a dog in the dark

Crying rhymes for the dying times
If it's time to die there's nothing you can do
(It's coming after you) no, no
And if you die too, here's what I'm gonna do
I'm gonna stretch your skin across her frame and paint it blue ****************************************

This was a recording project and show I loved being part of....Travis Bracht “the Last Funeral”..One of my favorite songs on the album is Love is Just Religion and it featured the virtuoso sitar playing of Indrajit Banerjee. Seeing Kelly Gray produce and record him on my moms family room floor was the coolest! I have always loved the sitar and tablas in middle eastern music and incorporating those incredible instruments in a rock song gets me going! Check out the song with your headphones on!

Happy Birthday to my amazing daughter Mackenzie....as long as I’m living my baby she’ll be!!!! So proud of you and love you so much! Big number 25!!!

Tribute Cover 4 is a reinterpretation of the Second Coming single “Soft” ...Talk about FUN!!!...this lineup features Steel Panther’s very own Stix Zadinia, the mysterious, whereabouts unknown, EDM Dj Protohype, guitar wizardry of Dudley Taft, Titanium Tonsils Travis Bracht, and myself (a simple ding dong)...For me this isn’t a tribute to 2C but it’s a tribute to all the amazing friends we made at home and on the road during our time in the band. The FU2’s and die hards you all know who you are... much love to you and thank you for always bringing the heart and the energy.

https://youtu.be/tR4B_cqdWnM

Stix Zadinia+ Dudley Taft + Travis Bracht + James Bergstrom Cover Second Coming's Soft~ I call this "Soft 2021" - a reinterpretation of this song I wrote with a band Called Second Coming in 1997. Instead of trying to recreate the original drum l...