Sideman: In Pursuit of the Next

While most successful sidemen are lucky to spend a decade in the music business, multi-instrumentalist Mark Rivera is working on his fifth. Rivera has shared the stage with some of Rock 'n' Roll's greatest performers, including John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Simon & Garfunkel, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Tony Bennett, Sheila E., Joe Walsh, Hall & Oates, and Peter Gabriel. How does he do it while avoiding the typical pitfalls—falling out of favor with the band, burnout, depression? A devoted father and husband for nearly forty years, Rivera's recollections in Sideman demonstrate that while he struggled to balance the two worlds—a rock 'n' roller circling the globe and a regular guy worried about putting food on the table—his body's compulsion to always be playing music kept him in constant pursuit of "the next gig." Full of optimism, humor, and candor, Rivera turns the spotlight on the sideman's life, revealing not only what it takes to climb the industry ladder (and stay there), but something more surprising: a bit of ourselves rocking out amongst all those superstars.