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Happy 2021 (I hope)!!

Well it could hardly be worse than 2020 but I probably just jinxed myself… 🙂

Sitting home (actually in bed at 7:30) on New Year’s Eve for only the 2nd or 3rd time in 43 years felt strange and empty…

And you may be wondering about the title… I’m referencing the vaccine that’s already being administered – if you’re lucky enough to catch on appointment through the online system… definitely a challenge… Save Our Stages was given billions of dollars supposedly for small venues… with any luck, that will translate to there being places left to play whenever we’re allowed to do so… 

Last year everything was in place for the single best year I’ve ever had as a performing musician but COVID killed all of that… and Broadway… and Cirque De Sole and so many others… and I haven’t seen my Mom in person since last MARCH because her assisted living facility is locked down due to COVID precautions!!

So what will 2021 bring?? I’m afraid to look but here goes nothing…

SPOILER ALERT: It was the END of the dream and a dawn of ENLIGHTENMENT… you’ll see…

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Mid-January… as the month unfolds, here at the half way mark the band’s April weddings are already cancelling – some moving to 2022… so this is how the year starts…

The vaccine is being deployed but, here in New York where there are 17 million people eligible for it, only 300,000 doses are given to the entire state each week… 

January’s end… the vaccine continues to roll out but good luck getting an appointment online – those sites are regularly crashing… or appointments are disappearing almost immediately… if you are lucky enough to schedule the first of two shots, it’s usually an hour or 2 or 3 drive away as well as several weeks down the road…

Numbers continue to climb yet the governor OK’s high risk sports in schools BUT leaves the final decision up to the individual counties… I get this… he isn’t the bad guy for saying ‘no’ nor is he responsible for any further outbreaks should any counties say ‘yes’ to those sports…

And now word comes from the state Attorney General that there’s evidence that the state misreported or miscounted nursing home deaths and that the number reported may be off by 50-65%!!  And with all this going on the governor has decided to lift the colored zone restrictions AND is relaxing restrictions on restaurants… we’re told to mask, distance and avoid gatherings yet he continues to relax the rules… none of this makes any sense to me… weddings can now have 150 guests or 50% venue capacity… but still NO DANCING…

On the band front, Rocco has scheduled a Zoom FE Refresh meeting to get a feel for everyone’s interest going forward after having been off for almost a full year with the exception of 3 or 4 gigs… I am feeling totally out of shape and wonder if I’ll be able to move gear again and even play but am moving everything back into school with the intent of making some adjustments that should relieve my leg issues and giving it a go… I’ve seen some places advertising bands online at venues starting in May which seems highly optimistic but I hope to be ready just in case…

Regardless of what happens, I will be forever grateful to Rocco and Funk Evolution for taking a chance on an older, admittedly unattractive drummer, when other bands would audition me, tell me how great I played then look elsewhere. The places I’ve played and cities I’ve visited that I never would have otherwise are memories I will hold on to the rest of my life… Thank you, Roc!! Thank you, FE!! Here’s hoping we’re allowed and I’m still capable of doing it again sometime!!

February… I’ve been adding dates to the calendar – some of which seem highly optimistic but it is a glimmer of hope… 31 weddings currently if all goes well… nope… 30… 29… here we go again…

Mid-February… I just got off a Zoom meeting with Rocco and all but one of FE’s members… he’s been getting calls for club dates and booked a few way down the road and turned down others like Frog Alley who wants us NOW… we all agreed that it might be a little too soon… weddings are still canceling and rescheduling – some for the 2nd or 3rd time!! And some of our brides and grooms are already married and are just trying to schedule the reception… NY is sending mixed messages by allowing sports but not gatherings and no dancing still…

Rocco has spoken to a number of health professionals and they believe that things could start opening up again sooner than expected… we want to be prepared and he was gauging everyone’s comfort level about starting rehearsals again in another month or so and everyone is good with that…

February 20th… I guess I’m doing my part as they say… today I was finally able to get scheduled for the vaccine!! It’s a little over a month from now and a 90+ minute drive (Plattsburgh) but I’m in!!

The state’s restrictions on weddings are relaxing slightly but there are still too many unanswered questions to think we might be playing anytime soon… currently, the first performances remaining on the calendar are a May 7th wedding and a May 8th return to Frog Alley… in the meantime, the band has agreed to resume rehearsals beginning March 6th in order to refresh and get some new members up to speed…

February 24th… we were able to get some clarification on the new wedding guidelines… it’s still 150 guests or 50% capacity… everyone attending a wedding – INCLUDING vendors (florists, band, caterers, photographers, videographers, etc.) – must have proof of a negative COVID test OR a proof that they’ve received their second vaccine shot within 14 days of the event… dancing IS allowed BUT only with people FROM YOUR TABLE… there’s more but it only gets more absurd… no one knows who’s paying for the tests or who’s responsible for policing it all… if it’s the venues, you can bet that many places will start refusing weddings… we’re getting closer but there are still more questions than answers…

From a personal standpoint, my first shot is March 26th so my second is April 16th which puts it 21 days before the wedding (assuming the wedding remains scheduled) so I shouldn’t need a test – just verification that I’ve been shot… somebody shoot me now… 🙂

February 26th… today came official word of the new nursing home visitation guidelines… you need to call and schedule a visit since it’s limited to only 20% of the residents at any given time BUT as long as our county’s infection rate stays below 5% visitors won’t need to be tested!! We’re at about 2.3% so I called The Pines where Mom is, verified that what I’d been reading is correct and that they were also going by those guidelines which they were, so on next Friday – March 5th – I will see my Mom for the first time in almost exactly 1 year!!! Julie is too high risk and in too much pain to get out but Selena (who gets tested weekly for her college culinary classes) is coming with me to surprise Nana!! I can hardly wait but Mom is not as thrilled – at least not yet – because it’s a supervised visit to make sure we stay 6 feet apart, etc. but we’ll be packing a fresh coffee milk shake for her (her request) and a couple spares for those nice enough to get her down to the room where they will be holding the visitations… finally!! This can only get better… like when we can play Farkle together in person… while she drinks her coffee milk shake… 🙂

February 28th… today I was able to move up the date of my first shot from March 26th to March 3rd!!

March 3rd… got the call today… visitation with Mom has to be cancelled… apparently a call-in sub nurse worked there for 2 days and never told anyone she’d been sick and got tested… they found out she was positive today and have quarantined everyone for 14 days… 🙁

Also… today I got my first vaccine shot… Pfizer… drove all the way to Plattsburgh but well worth it… very well organized drive-thru setup and a nice day trip with my beloved… 🙂

March 4th… it’s been almost a year to the day since we’ve seen Mom in person… hoping to give her spirits a boost after the sudden cancellation of visitation by the facility, I dropped off a package with some yarn she needed for a project she was working on and stuffed it with goodies too… Necco Wafers, Butter Rum Life Savers, Twizzlers, cookies and Peeps (those sugar-coated marshmallow treats that appear each Easter)… she called later to say she got it and she reminded me that she and my cousin Rick could never get enough Peeps… and the Peeps were already gone… 🙂

ALSO… today is…

Marching Music Day in America… March Forth!!

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March 6th… stopped on may way to our first band rehearsal to surprise Mom with another box… a refresh of her olive supply (she loves them when they have sandwiches) a half dozen boxes of Peeps and other such treats… 🙂  The next day my brother dropped off another box with more treats including raisin cookies and more Peeps… we may not be able to see her but we can certainly keep her ‘fat and happy’ as they say (and she needs to put some weight back on)… 🙂

And the first band rehearsal went fabulously!! I was pleased that I could even keep time… and our new guitarist Chris Maloy (at left) absolutely killed it – nailing everything thrown at him with only a couple weeks of prep time!!

March 10th… a very special day… yesterday (the 9th) I was surprised by a phone call from the Pines saying that visitation was now open again if I wanted to reschedule… of course I did and they had an opening today (the 10th)!! So, after a full year of not being able to see Mom in assisted living, I was finally allowed an in-person visit!! We were masked and had to stay 6 feet apart but it was still great to be able to sit with her for 30 minutes!! She thought they might wheel her down but she walked it (I knew she would)… she’s had both her shots and actually had COVID last April (and wasn’t told until May)…

I surprised her by bringing Selena with me and of course we brought her goodies… and the coffee milk shake she had requested (and we brought a couple chocolate shakes – one for the girl who felt bad because she had to call to cancel the original visit then called yesterday to let me know they were open for visitors once again and scheduled this one; and the aide who had to stay with us to make sure we didn’t get too close…   They couldn’t drink them while we were there because the masks had to stay on but they went in the fridge and they all – Mom included – enjoyed them after we left… 🙂

I can’t wait to do it again!! Mom will be 89 in June… hopefully by then we can visit without masks because I know we both will be ready for some cake!!  

My brother scheduled one for the following week and we hope to get back again soon… more so, we hope that the quarantine restriction will lift so that Mom can leave to see her eye doctor (and snag an ice cream and such) without having to be isolated in a different room for 14 days when she returns…

March 20th… rehearsals are going great and FE has officially added a new male vocalist to compliment and take some of the load off Sabrina… please welcome Mike (Bear) McNair (at left)!!

As for me, I was nervously shaking for the first hour of rehearsal… I think I’m feeling the pressure – albeit self-imposed – of being part of a rhythm section where I’m about 3x the age of the other players… they’re all early / mid 20’s or so and I’ll be 61 in about a week… I’m really hoping to be able to keep up… feeling good so far… made some tweaks to my kit and added a back rest so it should be even more comfortable than it already was… the loading and unloading will be the tell-tale sign… fingers crossed…

We’re still focused on a May return to full time gigging and it’s going to be a non-stop month… then again, everything could be shut down again by June… I’m doing my part though…

March 24th… second shot is in the books!! Someone told my brother that there was now a 2 hour delay but I had no problem… I arrived in Plattsburgh 45+ minutes early just in case, was in and shot in 5 minutes (because I had all the necessary paperwork in order) and back on the road in 20 minutes total (after the waiting period) and headed for McSweeney’s!!

I’ve been hearing about McSweeney’s in Plattsburgh for years but never been… all three locations were closed for the week when I got my first shot so we called on the way up today to make sure they were open…

The food was excellent!! Julie and I were eating on the highway to get home to the dogs and, before we were even half way through the food, Julie wanted to know when we were coming back… 🙂

So now I am totally vaccinated!! And have had food from McSweeney’s… 🙂

April 10th… rehearsals continue to go well… the excitement about playing out again continues to build… I’ve been practicing at school and don’t think I’m embarrassing myself at rehearsals… we’re still looking at the May dates for our public return…

I’m liking the new tweaks to my kit… lower toms, back rest on my throne and sitting a little further back… one more chance to practice today then I have to pack and load it all since school is going back to in person learning in a couple days…

I’m grateful for the space to practice but worried about having the kids together and moving about again – especially coming off spring recess since, in my travels and since the warmer weather has returned, I’m seeing kids outside and playing together and no one is masked… we shutdown a couple rooms and the entire 7-12 right before breaks so I’m not sure we’ll make it to the end of the year without another outbreak… 

Julie jus had her second shot… her fever went over 102 for about 5 days last time… it’s a little lower this time but she’s more nauseous…

Selena’s getting her first shot in Plattsburgh this Wednesday (April 14th – all the local sites were booked full)…

April 23rd… Today was an even MORE special day… after almost 13 full months as a resident in a rehab / assisted living facility where no one was allowed to leave due to COVID (if they did they had to go to a separate isolation section for 14 days), I was finally allowed to pickup Mom and take her wherever she wanted to go!!! We were scheduled for the previous day but a positive test on another floor locked the place down and sent Mom into an emotional tailspin so this day was especially important…

I wasn’t sure how much actual walking she would want or be able to do… or in general how quickly she might get tired (she is 88 after all)…

I called when I was a few minutes away and by the time I pulled up they already had her downstairs and she and her walker were heading for the van!! I had the 4 inch step stool ready for her to get in the van… she flung the walker aside, grabbed the van door, spun around and sat in the van in one motion as if to say, “I’m in!! Shut the door and hit the gas before they change their mind!!”

Here she’s just happy to be in the van and seeing anything besides the facility and the street directly outside and breathing fresh air…

Our first stop?? Joann’s Fabric of course for some yarn shopping…

I pulled right up front, got her and her walker in the door then went to park… I got in the store to find her sliding the walker down the isles already… she’s walking very well… the new hip that started this whole process has never given her any problems… she could probably walk without the walker but is probably more comfortable having it to hang on to but she was upright and moving and the walker was just rolling and sliding along for the ride… 🙂

Then it was a tour around the old neighborhood… a stop at the Stewart’s she used to frequent to cash in $55 in scratch off winnings and get some more of course… one of Mom’s favorite employees had retired but another was still there… I asked if she remembered my Mom and pointed out the window to where she was seated in the van at which point they exchanged waves then like a shot the woman was out from behind the counter and visiting Mom at the van… 

Then a quick stop to our house (that we bought from her when she decided to move to an apartment several years ago) so she could meet our new dogs…

By now it was getting near lunch time and I knew just where she wanted to go – the Country Drive-In off exit 8 of the Northway about 40 minutes south of here… between COVID and the wind the big umbrellas were down but they were open for business just the same and using a new beeper system (on the dash)…

She was worried about over-doing it since she hadn’t eaten ‘outside’ food in over a year so she stuck to a ‘sampling’ of all her favorites – a single mini dog, a couple onion rings and a couple fried clams… and a hush puppy… I told her to just eat as little as she was comfortable with knowing Selena would be re-heating whatever came home that night…

For dessert we headed another 10 minutes south to Guptill’s for ice cream and her favorite Butter Pecan… this was the smallest kiddie dish they could make and I kept telling her that I didn’t care if she only took a couple bites – I was just happy she was out and could have it… she polished off about half the dish before eventually thinking better of continuing… 

We headed back north… she had asked to see the new Stewart’s on Ridge Street in Glens Falls that was finally built and open after a lengthy battle with a neighbor so I also showed her the new one at Exit 17 (a former truck stop) on our way through… and with we headed back to the center just in time as she knew she’d be ready for a ‘potty break’ by then…

A perfect day and I don’t think she could have enjoyed herself more… then again, I think we could have just driven around town for an hour or two and she would have been pleased just to be out in the fresh air and a change of scenery.   As long as the facility can stay COVID free we’ll be doing this again soon – hopefully on a night when one of the local ice cream joints has her MOCHA!! Keep smiling, Mom… 

April 27th… Julie had more scans today so I took the day off from work… hopefully the doctors are headed in the right direction to resolving her ongoing abdominal pain… this set of scans is supposed to confirm their suspicions and convince the insurance company to once again approve the next level of treatment… everything is a fight with them and I don’t know how they think they know more than doctors but it’s a game we’ve had to play for years…

In between appointments I was able to get Mom out again for a couple hours… more yarn shopping and scratch offs, a short ride around our old neighborhoods in Lake George, lunch at Mr. Bills and her other favorite Mocha Twist ice cream from Rob & Deb’s for dessert… 🙂

April 29th… The countdown is on… one more rehearsal this weekend then our first wedding in almost a year on May 7th and a return to Frog Alley on May 8th… curfews are being lifted and restrictions reevaluated… there are still some wonky rules on dancing but, so far at least, 50+ dates (30 weddings) are all still a go right now…

May 1st… FE’s last marathon rehearsal before we kick it in to gear May 7th… great rehearsal and you can feel everyone’s excitement!! Me?? I’m scared shitless!! I’m feeling various aches and twinges when I play but I can tell I’m in no shape to move gear – at least not like I was was pre-COVID… this may be the biggest toll the past year has taken on me personally – at least right up there with not being able to see Mom or having extra money in the bank… it appears, at least at the moment, that the green light for gigs is on for the foreseeable future… now my body needs to survive… fingers crossed… I’ll give it my very best… it may be rotten, but it will be my very best… 🙂

May 4th… It’s an odd evening… home from work, trying to relax and not snack… my mind is spinning – thinking about the next few days…

Tomorrow I have blood work first thing so I’m eating lite… then it’s off to Plattsburgh once more for Selena’s second shot.. Julie is heading for St. Peters tomorrow morning for another exam and to get her scan results from a couple weeks ago – sadly, she has to drive herself since we didn’t want Selena making the Plattsburgh trip alone… hopefully they will find something – ANYTHING – to improve her quality of life…

Ever since Chemo 6 years ago she’s had constant chest pain (tentatively diagnosed as Costochondritis which is listed as a rare side effect of Taxol which is part of Chemo treatments yet the Charles Wood Cancer Center say they’ve never heard of it), is heavily medicated (since all anyone says they can do is ‘pain management’… Oxy and Morpheme just to start plus Chemo pills, etc… 6 years and it still isn’t ‘managed’), constantly nauseous (no one can explain this one), and the last few years have seen increased knee and joint pain (a Rochester specialist confirmed Julie’s Ehlers Danlos Syndrome suspicion a couple years ago)… we’re afraid the cancer is spreading because of the abdominal pain… her cancer is in her cervix but when she had her ‘total’ hysterectomy a few years before the cancer was discovered, part of the cervix was left behind because it was fused to her colon… the office that performed her exams prior to surgery noted the cancer cells in their records but never told us… needless to say our faith in the medical and insurance systems has never been lower…

On a much less significant note I’m extremely anxious about moving gear and playing twice this weekend after not having done it in several months… throw in the added trauma of trying to find parking in downtown Albany on a Friday afternoon… it will be exciting to play again – that’s if I can play after moving everything… this weekend may be the biggest indicator as to whether it will be a long summer or a short one… whether I’ll be able to make it to my 50th year or call it a career… fingers crossed… 

May 5th… good news from St. Peters… sort of… the cancer has NOT spread and the existing tumors have not grown… OK – that’s good of course… they have determined that the internal bleeding is being caused by the Chemo pill… OK – that’s good too because at least we know… bad news is that there is no alternative – no other Chemo med available… and they will only consider surgery as a last resort… bottom line – there is no solution… Julie has to continue the medication despite the bleeding and the pain, nausea, fever and frustration will continue for the foreseeable future… not what we wanted to hear but, sadly, about we’ve come to expect…

May 7th… FE’s first wedding since the rogue farm in Kinderhook last year… this time it’s 90 State in downtown Albany… my least favorite wedding venue because of the parking nightmare but luck was with me today and arriving an hour early wasn’t necessary as on my first pass down State Street I landed an open spot 6 up from the venue!! I just had to sit tight for an hour until the building was opened… 🙂

May 8th… Tonight is FE’s return to Frog Alley… I pulled right into one of my favorite parking spots, rolled in and started setting setting up… as I was loading in a couple guys stopped me at separate times and asked who was the band and who was the drummer…. both were drummers – one in a basement and one for his church… both very nice people and I’m not sure if the conversation put me a little at ease or made me more nervous… they were excited to hear the group and I was hoping I didn’t embarrass myself when it all started…

Dancing is still forbidden in NY apparently as the tables left little room between the band and the first row… and the venue has hired a security company and I watched several members clad in yellow shirts labeled ‘Security’ patrolling the floors – I assume to enforce all the existing COVID rules though I only saw them have to stop a few people from dancing towards the end of the night…

The time finally came and we launched into our new opener – my arrangement of Earth, Wind and Fire’s ‘In the Stone’ into Phil Collin’s ‘Something Happened on the Way To Heaven’ and my jitters started to turn into adrenaline and I could feel some of the performance energy that I used to feel and even managed to smile…

It was a marked improvement over the previous night and more and more things started to come back to me and more and more I was able to recall arrangements that were foggy previously… the new material was well received for the most part… I had one minor cramp in my right calf in the middle of the first set but a slight position adjustment alleviated that and it was fine the next two sets so I think my new playing position, having a back on my thrown and all the tweaks I’d made to the kit while setup at school were paying off…

The audience couldn’t have been more enthusiastic or gracious with their applause and cheers and screams and compliments the entire night!!

As for the two guys from back when I arrived, I didn’t see them again but then I didn’t venture out front other than a late bathroom trip but I couldn’t spot them… hopefully they got a chance to hear us and liked what they heard…

The next day we got word that this was the biggest crowd that Frog Alley has had since before COVID!! There was a 2 hour wait for ANY table and people were hanging out on the sidewalks dancing and singing until just after 10:00!!

At the end of the night I was stiff and exhausted… I rolled everything back to the van but had all I could do to lift the heavier cases but I managed it without anything popping or snapping… I had a tremendous feeling of accomplishment and, though it may take a while, I still might have a few years left in me… 🙂

May 9th… Mother’s Day… last year we couldn’t visit or take Mom out of the assisted living facility due to all the COVID restrictions but this year I made a point of getting her out and letting her decide just what she wanted to do…

The first thing she asked was if I thought we could get near the smaller of the two Walmarts in our area… I knew I could drop her at the door then go park but we pulled right into a handicap space because she insisted she could walk it from there… and she did without issue… she couldn’t find what she was after so we headed back to the van… next stop Joann’s Fabric!!

Back at Joanne’s, I dropped her at the door as I’d done before, got her inside and went to park as we’d done last time… by the time I got in she was already browsing the isles… we hit the yarn isle, picked out several skeins for a project she has in mind (she’s been crocheting afghans like she’s doing ‘piece work’)… 🙂  We checked out and she spotted the van and we walked to it together… I guess that hip surgery was a total success…

By now she was hungry and for that she was craving hot dogs off our grill which we combined with salads, beans, etc… then we took a short tour around West Mountain, hit a Stewart’s along the way to cash in and reload her scratch off supply, then set off to a favorite ice cream place for dessert of course… and that was her day… she wanted to be back after the shift change and they got her back to her room, unpacked and settled in… Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!!!  🙂

May 15th… FE returns to Franklin Plaza in Troy for wedding number 2 of 4 this month…

The place looked amazing of course though there were a couple changes… the corner area with the lit drapes behind where we usually setup was gone… in its place was an actual stage facing the bar – surrounded by flowers from the ceremony… and I do mean ‘surrounded’… to the point where there was no way to get on the stage… as we moved in we brushed against a couple causing their plastic trays full of water to topple of course but we cleaned up our mess and moved on… the whole band process was feeling more normal and I was much more relaxed… it seemed like no time before I had everything up and ready and was dressed and waiting for the evening to begin… we even got a sound check in… it was a great party with great people who danced from start to finish!!

I grabbed my clothes and checked the door… open – whew… I was greeted by the owner or manager (or maybe both) and he showed me where to setup and a room for empty cases and we were off and running… I was heading back to the van for the first load when I heard a car start… someone was leaving almost right in front of the venue!! I hustled across the street, fired up the van and U turned right into the now vacant spot!! Parking app… done… I was ready to rock…

I was close enough now that my plan was to stage the wheeled case on the top step then stack as usual… I did the same with the two dolly loads – carrying everything from the van to the top step then stacking them on the carts as usual… my ultimate plan was, at the end of the night, I would be able to gently roll all but my largest cases down the steps and back to the van… worked like a charm… 🙂

It was a great party with great people and the staff at 60 State was very friendly… the rest of the band said the food was excellent…

Here are some pictures – starting with my setup and backdrop… I’m sure from the right angle I probably looked like I was wearing a Vegas showgirl hat… 🙂

The ceremony…

The downstairs still had the original vault which is always impressive but the had taken it a step further and painted the door and added LED candles to some of the safe deposit boxes and transformed it into an appetizer station for cocktail hour… very cool!!

While I didn’t feel like I played particularly well on this night (having only 2 hours sleep) I was still able to pack and load just fine… when this restart began I was worried about the heavy lifting and thought, given my hours of practice at school, that the playing would come back pretty quick… it might have happened in reverse though I was stiff for about a week after the first weekend… 🙂

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Thankfully, the side doors would close and there was heat inside… it’s a beautiful room in an equally stunning location!!

I decided to forego my wedding chapeau (my grey Kangool cap that matches my vest) but between trips to the van without my knit cap, the heat being off for part of the night and having the door directly behind us (where the caterers were working) open all night, it was pretty cold… and, as usually happens, by the end of the night my throat was scratchy and my nose running… aaaaahh – show business… 🙂

I felt like I was playing better tonight… I’m not sure what was different but I thought the drums sounded amazing (thank you, Jeff from Apex Audio) and the sticks just felt good in my hands and I was able to pull off a few of the licks that have eluded me since the COVID shutdown and current restart… I hope it continues… 🙂

May 30th… today’s FE show at Doc Brown’s on Saratoga Lake has been postponed – primarily because of the forecast… it’s going to be cold (MAYBE in the 50’s) and rainy and the possibility of thunderstorms (really??)… we would be in a tent that holds maybe 150 people… we had over 900 people respond on social media that they were going though I can’t imagine that there’d be anything remotely close to that number – even had the weather been better… if memory serves, this happened the first time we were scheduled to perform there… maybe next time…

June 5th… the beginning of FE’s Summer residency on the deck at Dango’s on Caroline Street in Saratoga…

As much as I despise the load in / out (their steps negate the usefulness of my wheels) it never fails to turn into the craziest of parties every time we perform their… 🙂

Here’s a clip from about 12:40am (click the image below)…
Sabrina has the crowd eating out of her hand and they take over ‘Mr. Brightside’… WOW!!!

And here’s a shot someone took from towards the back of the lower level…

June 19th… after my last weekend off until November, FE had an interesting but fun night at the Saratoga Winery for no reason other than maybe a sort of return to normal party…

I was surprised when I arrived to learn that we were outside instead of in the big new addition where we last played… one of the managers greeted me and said it was going to be a beautiful night… my check of the radar looked a little more ominous but, if the weather cooperated, it could be a great idea… we were on a solid deck of sorts overlooking the bar tent and lots of lawn… they had encouraged people to bring their own chairs and by start time it resembled a summer concert…

FE alum Tameka was subbing for Sabrina who was celebrating her parent’s 50th anniversary!! Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Gogan!!! Then another alum – Nick Marrotta arrived to handle the keyboard duties… it’s like a reunion!!

It was an almost perfect night to be outside – just a little muggy but not overwhelming… as the night went on people started dancing and really appeared to be enjoying themselves (though someone was butt dialing 911 over and over which prompted a police response and paused the show briefly…

We were a little more than half way through the 2nd set when I noticed Jeff and Rocco having a mildly frantic conversation and my gut told me that meant RAIN!! Uh-oh… the rains that had stayed south of us for most of the night were now making their way towards us and we had to shut things down about 15 minutes early to avoid and expensive equipment damage.

There was a couple drops of rain during the last song but nothing steady thankfully… I started packing electronics and the other guys with little to move were great in pitching in with sound and lights and then my gear once I got it to where the pieces were manageable… once inside I was able to pack and we all were able to pack and load before the heavy rains hit.

All in all it was a great night!!

June 25th… another crazy night on Caroline Street as we continue our summer residency at Dango’s…

Saratoga definitely has a different ‘vibe’ this year and it’s not good… first we started hearing about gangs of kids in Congress Park beating up girls and putting it on social media… recently I’ve heard first hand accounts of girls being chased in the parking garage and their cars surrounded… tonight about 1:15am as we were tearing down we heard sirens which sadly is common at this time of night as the drunk get drunker and dumber… I was finally packed and loaded about 2:20am but couldn’t turn right out of the library parking lot due to a large police presence so I went the other way and headed home. It wasn’t until the next day that we learned that there was a brawl in the street involving 15-20 people… in the middle of it one person was stabbed which prompted another to pull a gun and fire several shots!! These were apparently in the air but it was enough to send everyone scrambling and make me wonder about Saratoga’s future… kids are one thing but once track season opens things like this may scare off the more adult crowd… time will tell… during the week Saratoga PD announced that they were doubling their force in an attempt to deal with this quickly…

June 26th… back to weddings and civilization…

Tonight we made our first visit in a couple years to the Inn At Erlowest for a reception that may be the common theme for the year… that theme being a couple that had gone ahead and got married during COVID and waited for everything to return to normal before planning their party… today they did have a ceremony down on the lake… as the Minne-Ha-Ha passed a group on the boat screamed in unison ‘Don’t do it!!’ and everyone at the ceremony shouted back ‘They already did!!’ and EVERYONE laughed…

Even though it wasn’t a typical wedding performance it did have the usual speeches – the most memorable (at least for me) was from the father of the bride who welcomed everyone to the ‘reception’ then changed that to ‘1st anniversary party’ but cautioned everyone not to expect this type of party every year… 🙂

The food was buffet style which meant there was no prolonged downtime as the venue struggled to get the meals out before it was time to go home… this also meant that, rather than play 45 -60 minutes total, FE was able to perform two long killer sets!! The shot below was towards the end of the night – after many in the bridal party had changed into their casual party clothes… 🙂

It was another great party with great people and a big part of why we enjoy doing this!!

July 2nd… kicking off 4th of July weekend with the first of back-to-back nights at Dango’s!!

During the week we’d heard of the increased police presence in the city with was encouraging… we’d also heard that the band  that was here last week was visited by 18 of them during their first set that included City PD, Count Sherriff, Park Police and Code Enforcement… at one point we were told that they were shut down and the tent emptied for being over capacity… this got us to wondering what our night would be like…

While we were loading in we could see the increased police activity… someone said that this had been sparked by some sort of gang initiation at the Adelphi earlier in the day… with everything going on I was a little surprised to still see a lot of people milling about – even families with kids walking the streets despite the on-and-off rain showers… 

They moved our start time back up to 9:00 instead of 9:30 and it was pretty lonely when we started but by the middle of the set it looked more like what we’ve grown used to and by the end of the night it was packed and crazy but without any issues of any kind… other than their disappointment that we couldn’t play an encore or two because of the city’s heightened alert and hefty fines for violating the 1:00am noise curfew… 

Altogether it was the most solid performance I’ve been a part of with this version of FE… Jeff had everything sounding amazing and even spoke with the police and code enforcement officers during the set who told him we were well within their limits… a great night all around!! And a big shout out to Mike Perry who filled in on trumpet!! He didn’t miss a note all night and appeared to have a blast from start to finish – even picking up much of the horn choreography!! Fantastic job, Mike!!

July 3rd… despite the continued passing rain showers Saratoga was hopping and Dango’s tent quickly filled to overflowing for another killer night!!

July 9th… I look forward to this night more than most… an outdoor concert on a stage where I grew up watching bands and dreaming of the day that I’d get to play there… tonight FE returns to the Shepard Park amphitheater on Lake George!!

Don’t be fooled by the nice picture at right – it’s been raining and storming off and on for the past several days and a hurricane that hit Florida a few days ago is passing us just off the east coast of New England… I fully expected this to cancel (they had to cancel last week’s as well) but when I arrived I was told that the powers that be had stated that they didn’t care if a tornado was coming off the lake they weren’t canceling this show… as much as I look forward to coming back to my home town, I almost wish they had…

I rolled in and started setting up… I hadn’t got far when the skies opened up and it poured for a solid 15 minutes and a light mist was blowing into the stage… I was far enough back to avoid any direct rain but covered what I had up and waited it out…

Once it had passed I resumed construction but the Aces sounds guys and I were both surprised by a couple claps of thunder that continues for another 10 minutes after the rain had stopped… but the sun made another appearance and the park saw people returning once again…

Part of the reason I pulled back was to give the opening act – Tumbling Dice (a Rolling Stones tribute) – room to setup… I knew a couple of the guys in the group including John Newell who I taught with at a local community college a million years ago and played in various concert bands and orchestras… but not the drummer – Ernie LaRouche (someone said a few years back he was the drummer for Britney Spear’s Vegas run)…

I’m not one of those guys who is over-protective of my kit and won’t let anyone touch it or play it so once again I offered my drums to him for his band’s set and making an easy night for him… he was very nice and I invited him to sit down and get a feel for it and some of the licks he was pulling off blew my mind!! He was a beast but not a slammer at all which was comforting… he retrieved his sticks and cymbals from his car and swapped out a couple of my Kasza crashes for 19 and 20 inch Zildjian Sweet crashes and boy were they ever!! I might have to finance some of these puppies as they sounded amazing!! I must say that the newer heads and my refined tuning approach is working as the drums sounded incredible too!! Even the sound guys and Ernie himself complimented me on the sound which was very reassuring to me as I don’t think I really have any clue as to what I’m doing along those lines…

As Ernie settled in I disappeared into the park with an eye on the radar and yet another approaching storm… I got back to my van just before it poured again – just a few minutes before Tumbling Dice was scheduled to kick off the show. but I was dry and in the van eating a light supper…

After about 15 minutes I heard the band start… they were about 10 minutes late and it was still pouring but there must have been people and someone told them to kick off the show… The storm lingered for another 10 minutes or so before it had let up enough for me to open the door and actually hear them and they sounded great… I’m not a huge Stones fan and was surprised by how many songs I did know….

FE guys started rolling in – some of them soaked from the trek to the stage from wherever they parked… John and his band ran over due to their weather delayed start… Ernie and I shared a quick parting conversation and I told him that he made my drums sound so much better than they actually are then he and the rest of the group headed home and we quickly set about transitioning in hopes of getting at least a few notes in before the next blob on the radar hit us… 

As I sat down something wasn’t right… actually nothing felt right and I quickly realized that Ernie had changed the height of my throne… all my months of tweaking and locking angels and heights in just went out the window… The last time someone did this I was more than 2 months getting it dialed back in… but I had to be the ‘nice guy’ and for that I would spend the rest of the night fighting my kit and back and leg pain… aaaaahhh – show business… 

We opened with my arrangement of Earth, Wind & Fire’s ‘In the Stone’ into Phil Collin’s ‘Something Happened On the Way to Heaven’ and with that the show was on!! Thankfully, I don’t think the rain came… it was still light out when we started and I could see the park was well populated and we played one long set that seemed very much appreciated by those in attendance… In then end, Jeff said it had rained at some point during the set but I never saw it though I did feel a sudden cool breeze blow through at one point which was probably it… I could barely stand – my knees and back paying the price for being out of position… hopefully I’ll have time to test, adjust, then test and readjust prior to the wedding tomorrow. It wasn’t the return to my hometown I’d hoped for but still great to be there.

July 10th… another FE wedding at Saratoga National but our first in the event tent… after several days of humidity and rain we had an almost picture perfect day and night which was fortunate for all involved because the forecast for the next several days is nothing but rain… until that makes way for some storms… but tonight we enjoy!!

As for my personal playing position recovery, I was able to get a little closer… the floor in the event tent is thankfully very solid and pretty level… my back and knees were still tweaked but It’s getting there…

I know I say this all the time but it really was another great party with great people and fun to see Mike starting to open up a little… here he’s made his way on to the dance floor for Luke Bryan’s ‘Country Girl’… 🙂 

July 16th… another FE wedding as we return to the event tent at the Adelphi!! You know it’s a great party when the bride and groom are on the dance floor the entire night… 🙂

And now for my personal playing position update… tonight was a challenge as there are very few level spots in the tent and that was just rolling in… look closely at the stage shot above and notice the ground heave in front of the stage… and it slants back towards the dance floor at almost 40 degrees… the stage (or what’s left of it from 2 years ago) has a slight slope towards the back of the tent and a number of sags in the floor… not solid at all… nevertheless, I made my estimated adjustments and was able to play quite comfortably for the evening other than the kick being farther away than normal… more adjusting tomorrow…

July 16th… FE continues its summer residency on the deck at Dango’s – opening weekend of the track…

It has rained everyday but one for over a week and the forecast for tonight was for heavy downpours and scattered thunderstorms… while we didn’t have the storms, I have never seen it rain this hard… it was like a monsoon without the wind – just straight down heavy, pounding rain for most of the night… but that didn’t keep the tent from filling up and raising the temperature therein about 15 degrees!! And these kids came to PARTY!!!

July 22nd… FE’s first of 3 weddings this weekend beginning on a Thursday night a the Crooked Lake House!!

While it was a lucrative weekend, I was wiped out by the time I worked a full day Thursday then got to bed after 2:00am, Friday morning… then went in to work again Friday morning for 3/4 of a day and got to bed about 2:00am again…

I did sleep in a little Saturday morning but there’s no good way to get to Manchester from home and no one knew what to expect for a load in so I went over early but it couldn’t have gone smoother…

By the time I dodged deer for an hour before reaching civilization again, I was done in… I showered and went to bed and tried to get some rest before drum corps camp all day Sunday. What a weekend!! And I loved it!!!!  🙂

We were a little concerned going in as our instructions indicated that the ceremony was in the same room and we would be pre-staging everything behind a curtain, then have an hour to move everything into place and maybe do a quick sound check in the unfamiliar space before guests returned from cocktail hour elsewhere in the building and we were scheduled to play… as it worked out there must have been some confusion somewhere in the communication because when we arrived, the incredibly friendly owner and staff guided us to the area we thought we’d be ‘hiding’ and told us that this was actually where we’d be playing!! That’s good news as the night just got a little easier… the bad news was that there is no other location and cocktail hour was in the same room… they would usher everyone out of the room and into an adjoining hallway for 20 minutes or so while they rolled out all the guest tables that were hiding behind the curtains with us and reset the chairs… apparently this is the way they’ve always done it and it showed as they were like a pit crew and had everything in place in no time while Rocco and Eddie from Apex Sound (filling in for Jeff) dialed out some of the anticipated feedback and with that everyone was ready for the reception.

It was a great night with fabulous guests, great food and a wonderful staff that we look forward to seeing again later this year.

August 5th… COVID is making a new surge… maybe it’s the new Delta variant or maybe the anti-vaxxers, but numbers are climbing and masks are already being required in several areas in the state… we have no idea how the rest of the year might play out but tonight FE returns to Canal Square in Cohoes for their 2021 Rock the Block series!!

We were here 2 or 3 years ago and there was a decent stage behind a beautiful fountain / pond… it states in the contract multiple times that no one should go in the fountain but our last visit was the night after Skeeter Creek who apparently went in the fountain during the first or second song and invited everyone to join them so when we arrived we found an ugly, bone dry fountain enclosure…

In the weeks leading up to this night I had heard that there was a new stage so I texted Skeeter’s drummer Jeff to find out about the load in and it was much better… AND the fountain is gone!!! The new stage and the entire park are absolutely gorgeous!!! My 8 month old iPhone 11 died on the charger the night before so I’ve had to rely on whatever pictures I could find… sorry… I was able to park next to the gate and roll everything right to the stage which was huge…

Then the time came and we launched into a 2 hour non-stop party and I personally was thrilled that the predicted cooler temps never materialized because I really believe that I’m much looser and play better on these hot, humid nights and I felt like I played one of the best shows I’ve played since before the shutdown!!

Here are some pictures of the NEW Canal Square BUT FIRST… last night I learned that the previous stage and fountain were dedicated to local blues legend Ernie Williams and that there was a musician’s hall of fame of sorts… the person relating this to me last night has two plaques there and thinks that the city plans to make them part of the new stage as well… OK – here are the pictures…

August 7th… FE’s first wedding at the Barn at Liberty Farm in Ghent, NY… A beautiful venue with some of the nicest staff going… the building is a converted horse stable and what they’ve been able to do with it is nothing short of amazing!!

August 13th… FE’s first visit since 2019 to Saratoga’s iconic Horseshoe!! It was insane the last time we were here… wall-to-wall people all around us!! Tonight would be a slightly different story…

I moved in and started setting up when the weather alerts started going off on my phone… I knew there were small storm clusters headed our way but couldn’t tell for sure if they’d hit us or just graze us… I had the Stealth rack together when the thunder started and it got very dark… then the lightning became more frequent and some huge claps of thunder at which point Jeff (Apex Sound) and I paused our setup and moved the more sensitive gear away from the back side of the stage and tent because if it blew they would certainly get soaked… then the wind started blowing like I can’t remember being out side for… no rain – but strong winds!! So strong that Jeff and I had to block cases full of gear because, despite their weight, they were freely moving around the stage!! As this ‘doomsday weather’ (Jeff’s term) continued we watched as the track emptied and with it, sadly, a great deal of our crowd…

The rain eventually hit and the whole storm was over after 30+ minutes and we resumed setting up… there was another blob on the radar heading our way so I kept my $900 Roland pad in its waterproof case until just before we started… it hadn’t hit yet but Rocco had brought extra tarps and we were all ready to spring into action if it got real nasty… this one however turned out to be just a rain shower and it barely came in the back of the tent – never getting close to my Roland and that was it for the weather the rest of the night though the heat and humidity came pouring back in making it sticky and uncomfortable for 3 sets but not a bad night…

Audience wise it was a bizarre mix of young and old and a perfect chance to A-B compare the two generations… One thing I’ve noticed (but only at Saratoga clubs which is odd) is that the younger attendees will go from being extremely enthusiastic one minute to totally turning their back to us and talking or checking their phones when we play anything that doesn’t suit there tastes… meanwhile the older generation remains courteously engaged regardless of the material… very strange but welcome to the new age of entertainment…

We’re back in a couple weeks – hopefully with better weather – so we’ll see how that goes… COVID is a thing again and Saratoga County is ‘recommending’ masks at all indoor venues and outdoor events with large crowds… Warren and Saratoga Counties are the two worst in the area with the number of positive cases climbing every day and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that those areas have the largest tourist draw between Lake George and the race track… these areas had it well under control but the increased influx of out-of-towners may be taking a toll… I personally know of people who became infected from trips to New Jersey and Maryland so I have to believe it’s being brought into our area… hopefully another shutdown isn’t on the horizon… my guess is, after tourist seems winds down around Labor Day, the local numbers will drop like a stone.

August 14th… my 17th anniversary and FE’s return to Frog Alley… I had planned to bring both girls now that Selena’s of age but that changed a week ago when I learned that there was a Sublime tribute band on the big outside stage… these concerts typically draw huge crowds so in order to find a decent parking from which to unload Jeff (sound) and I decided that our best bet would be to arrive 5 hours early instead of the usual 3… this worked out perfectly for us but meant the girls would have to stay home rather than sit around for 5 hours with nothing to do while waiting for us to start (none of us are big Sublime fans)…

There were tons of people – not all attending the concert so I thought we might have a decent crowd though I wasn’t expecting much of an increase after the concert as I didn’t picture Sublime fans being interested in anything we might be doing… thankfully I was wrong… 🙂

August 20th… another hot steamy night at Dango’s!! This time with Ian Holmes subbing on keys who must have crammed like crazy to learn everything we threw at him… great job!!

August 21st… FE’s first visit to the Kenmore Ballroom on Pearl Street in Downtown Albany, NY… It’s downtown Albany so parking is a nightmare but after 3 separate attempts totaling about 20 laps I was able to snag a spot a few cars down from the main entrance after loading in through the freight lift in the rear and navigating the half dozen or so stairs to get down to the landing / stage… and after all that I must say it’s a beautiful room!! It’s a little weird having people on 2 levels and the dance floor 100 feet away and higher than the band but everyone seemed to have a great time!!

Here are some shots from the dance floor… the white lettering on the landing is from Rocco’s laser light… 🙂

These are the stairs we had to traverse to get gear setup…

And my view for the evening (the green backdrop was for the ceremony and would be moved to the rear of the room for individual pictures)…

August 27th and 28th – Travers Weekend at the Horseshoe and Dango’s…

It’s been an odd summer as I’ve had the feeling that some in the group aren’t happy with my playing… I’d confronted one member early in the summer but he insisted it wasn’t me… OK – moving on… 

This particular weekend, after the sudden and unexpected loss of local bassist Patrick Nolan, I came into it with a new outlook – treat every gig as if it was your last because you just never know… it was a hot sticky weekend – my personal favorite drumming weather because my muscles seem to naturally loosen up and I played what I would describe as a great show to an insane crowd at the Horseshoe Friday night… I really felt like I was on top of everything…

Saturday night at Dango’s was even better!! I was firing on all cylinders as they say and when it was all done I stood up and leaned on one of my cases as I polished off my last bottle of water… Rocco asked if I was OK and I just smiled and told him I wasn’t even breathing heavy… to quote George Costanza (Seinfeld), “I’m back, baby!!” 

September 3rd… FE’s second to last scheduled visit to Dango’s…

It was a typical wedding and a great party but towards the very end I noticed a key player had stopped playing and was just violently pounding his instrument with his fist!! This was the same member I had spoken with previously and I knew it was time for me to leave FE (thankfully I don’t think it was picked up by the drum mics when I exclaimed, “F$*k this – I’M OUT!!”)

I really thought that Dango’s and other like load ins would be the thing to drive me out of the group – never dreaming it would be other players unhappy with my playing… maybe it WAS me but the only way to really know would be to play with other players and I was ready.

September 7th… Over the last couple days I was piecing together in my head how to inform Rocco that I was leaving but I never got the chance as I received a long email from him today telling me the time had come for me to step down. And with that my time with FE is coming to an end – maybe in a few months, maybe a few weeks… time will tell.

I posted on social media that FE and I had ‘mutually’ agreed to part ways… I guess the better term would have been ‘simultaneously’ though, after the overwhelming amount of support I received, I would sadly later learn that neither term would be accurate… 

September 18th… Thankfully tonight’s Dango’s gig was cancelled and, with any luck at all, I’ll never have to schlep my gear up and down those stairs through the garbage and past the porta-potties again!! I’m embarrassed when I’m setting up and have to direct people from the nice upper bar to the indoor bathrooms that would be condemned by most gas station standards… yet year after year it remains the same… or gets worse… but not for me.

September 19th… To say it’s been an enlightening week would be an understatement… among some of the tidbits people now feel able to share, I learned that the search for my replacement apparently started during the summer!! Business is business… I was warned by several other musicians when I joined FE and am learning their reasons now as I prepare to leave… it was still a great run and I’ll go out knowing that I did everything I could to make the group better. Now on to today’s event…

Today FE played its first wedding at Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown… the area is beautiful and we’ve been here or nearby in the past but there’s no easy way to get here and there’s usually fog by the time I’m heading home… throw in the road closures on I-88 and I was able to travel some dirt roads with single lane bridges and I think I saw two bears fornicating… 🙂  OK – it really wasn’t that bad…

The venue was beautiful and my gut feeling didn’t let me down… I packed extra wardrobe in case we were outside and pulled in to find an event tent… I knew the gorgeous day would turn chilly by night – low 50’s – so (as you’ll see in the pictures below) I had to breakout my cap to keep my dome warm…

No trumpet and no sub tonight (I hope no one noticed or they were informed prior) and former FE bassist Josh Herzog was subbing tonight… Josh and I clicked like we did for all those years we were together and I was so happy to get this – perhaps last – chance to play with him… he makes playing with him effortless and lays down the most solid bottom… and provided some much needed reassurance that I still have feel and chops.

The dance floor was packed from the first note to the last with the bride and groom in the middle of it for almost 2 hours non-stop!!

Throughout the night there was a well-dressed 30-something who spent the entire night on or near the dance floor and couldn’t stop moving and smiling… I’m pretty sure he was the Officiant from the wedding… at the end of the night Josh and I were packing and chatting and he came over, thanked us and couldn’t say enough nice things about us and the band then he turned his attention to me and asked how long I’d been playing… I told him that 2025 will be 50 years… he paused and said that, up until that moment, he thought that I also was in my 30’s… when I told him I turn 61 last march he just should his head and kept repeating, “God bless you!! You killed it!! Fantastic!! God bless!!” He thanked me again and walked away shaking his head in disbelief. Thank you, kind sir!!

Another gentleman parked himself just off the left side of the stage for the last hour… he too came over as Josh and I were packing… we thought he might also be a musician but he said he wasn’t but had friends who were and was blown away by our playing and cohesiveness… I’ve said it before and I said it to him, Josh makes it EASY!! These events were all the proof I needed to know I’m ready to move on… and it really wasn’t me after all.

Here are some pictures from the evening… enjoy!!

Sabrina snapped this shot… Good look at my full setup (though I could use a haircut)… 🙂

October 2nd… FE’s first (and hopefully my only) wedding at the Hudson Valley Weddings at The Hill in Hudson, NY…

It’s a beautifully rustic wedding venue made from an old horse barn… the staff was nice – all smiles as they lead me through the maze from the front entrance back to the stairs leading up to the reception hall… yep – STAIRS!! The girl that showed me around smiled and told me I’d feel my glutes today… she was right – this place is a pain in the ass to be sure…

I took my time navigating two flights of stairs just to get to the second floor and another 6 to get to the dance floor / stage level!!! I considered waiting for someone to arrive that could help with my two heaviest cases but that would put me behind schedule and who knows when they might arrive… hell –  no one knew there would be stairs… NINE trips later I was in and setting up… NOPE – one more trip down and up to go park… I was told to park out back along the horse fence which I did but was then told I had to move further back near the horse gate as they didn’t want any vehicles visible from the reception on the front lawn… I guess they gave up on that after a few more vehicles arrived…

The area where the band had to setup had a severe downward slope so I moved forward as far as I could to get to the level part but still ended up sitting slightly on the slope which threw my position off a bit but I got through it… I joked that I hoped the slope wasn’t a sag and the whole dance floor didn’t collapse during the evening and considered tethering myself to the back wall just in case…

Justin (alto sax / vocals) was nice enough to stay and help me get things back down the stairs when it was all over – I owe him big time!!

Here are some pictures… 

The porta-potty wasn’t the best option for getting dressed so I opted to challenge nature and dressed behind the van facing the corral… which attracted some attention… I posted this picture online with the caption ‘I hate a crowded dressing room’… 🙂

October 3rd… FE returns to the State Room in Albany for a Sunday night wedding with about 40-50 guests from all over the world…

After traversing the stairs with all my gear the previous night, rolling everything a couple hundred feet up State Street Hill was a walk in the park… 🙂

It started off a little slow but eventually picked up after the 5 course meal was served – then a good party developed…

For me personally I realized that some in the group are refusing to play ‘with’ me so I have to follow them… so I did… and could only sit back and watch as several songs deflated like a cheap balloon… I used a click on a few but had to kill it because they were ‘straying’… so much for being ‘tempo sensitive’… I was taught to ‘drive’ a band and watch the dance floor but my role has been reduced to just playing along… At the end of the night I asked Rocco if the new guy was ready but no – auditions are in a couple weeks… hope he’s quick learner because playing has become more exhausting than loading via stairs and I told him I was ready to leave ASAP…

October 8th… FE returns to VanSlyck’s lounge in the Rivers Casino… there have been a lot of changes behind the scenes regarding entertainment so we weren’t sure what to expect but everything’s pretty much the same but with less communication…

I learned only days prior that I would be using the house kit still and would need to bring my own cymbals and snare drum… I arrived, had my license scanned and dropped my mask for the security cameras at the entrance and made my way to the stage only to learn they didn’t have a hi-hat clutch – the crucial piece of gear that holds the top cymbal… I ran back to the van, dug through everything and managed to find a spare and was stopped again on my way back in for the whole scanning process again… this happened on every break as I would escape the casino area for a break from the incessant thumping of the DJ, the loud casino floor music and the annoying drone of all the slot machines… I guess this will help with contact tracing should the need arise…

I was surprised to find Jeff (FE’s guy from Apex sound) preparing to run sound while a slew of High Peaks Audio guys were working the stage but I didn’t get a chance to talk to Jeff… we spoke briefly when he informed me that they had run out of mic cables and couldn’t connect my in-ears which was fine since I didn’t bring them or my sample pad… yep – I guess I’ve ‘checked out’ already… there’s usually a stage monitor next to me though, in all my visits there, it’s never made a sound… the only difference tonight was that there was no monitor there…

I’m sadly past the point of actually caring now – I spend my nights focusing on guitar, bass and keys, listening and watching hands and fingers and playing along wherever they set the tempos… it’s an exhaustive exercise in concentration but I hope I’m keeping everyone happy until the new person is ready… I’ll be asking for a sub to cover some dates as I don’t need the money or this aggravation and someone who barely knows the tunes could do a better job if only because the rest of the section I’m sure would work WITH them…

I started setting and thought it felt a little warm… hey – I’m sweating!! I rarely sweat while setting up… maybe the heaters were already running… I checked my weather app and the temperature had climbed to 72!! I took my time, finished setting up and polished off my first bottle of water but continued to watch the warnings and the radar on my phone… there was a long weather front with a thin line of storms at its leading edge and it looked like it was hitting back home so I called to check on the girls and all was fine – just raining – but I couldn’t help but wonder what the night would bring…

I got changed and thought it might stay warm enough that I could skip my suit jacket and cap (see above)… I stood outside with a few bandmates and we chatted and watched the sky as it would grow ominous then start clear then back… we were supposed to play the first dances at 5:00 but, as with most weddings, things were running about 20 minutes behind but we soon took the stage and as Rocco was lining everyone up and asking guests to take their seats the weather took a turn…

It took us a few seconds to realize what the sound was that started to drown out Rocco (no small feat)… IT WAS RAIN HITTING THE TENT!!! It was pouring… wait – that’s not strong enough… downpour… nope… DELUGE!! Yeah – that’s more like it – it was a DELUGE!! The bridal party must have anticipated it because we could see all these clear domed umbrellas over them and Rocco stepped things up so we could get them inside where it was dry…

The rain was unrelenting as we played the bride and groom’s first dance, watched the mother / son dance then played the father / daughter dance… we were told we could leave after that but where could we go?? The building (and rented restrooms) and our vehicles were all over 100 feet away through the heart of the DELUGE (maybe my new favorite word)… the good news was there was no lightning or thunder and no more talk of tornados… after the blessing and the speeches we decided to make a run for cover elsewhere… I knew I wanted to get to my van and put some food down before the 3 sets that would come later… and I needed to adjust my attire because the temperature was rapidly dropping…

As I stood to leave, I turned around to discover that all our cases that were stacked and covered inside the tent were soaked!! My jacket and cap for later – also soaked… the buckets that were coming down were running down the tent but the flaps were a little messed up and the runoff was pouring IN and all over everything – including Rocco’s laptop which was thought to be safe… my cases are all molded plastic or resin of some kind so I knew the water would dry up eventually but the cloth I hide everything under would need some dryer time later… I put on my soaked jacket and cap and made my way to the van.

I thought I might have to run the heater to warm up and dry out a little but after a few minutes I managed to shake my wet chill… I knew I would need my suit jacket and my cap and Mom’s umbrella which I was never so thankful that she keeps stashed in my van… After a while I dressed for cool weather, broke out the umbrella and made my way inside to hit the bathroom and head to the stage for the first of three sets and almost went on my ass as the gently sloping grass leading into the tent was now about 6 inches of slippery MUD!!

Back inside it was a great party – the bride and groom dancing right in front of the stage all night!! They would text us a couple days later to say that they hadn’t danced that much since high school and the band was all anyone could talk about… that’s very sweet – thank you. We were doing something right because when we took a break no one seemed interested in the DJ music yet, when we returned, the dance floor would pack again… that’s the highest compliment a band could ever hope for!!

By 11:00pm – after over 5 hours of that deluge (I’m going to use it as often as I can) the rain finally let up to a drizzle – light enough that they could have the after party bonfire… by the time I was ready to drag everything across another dryer section of grass to the parking lot (we were sure our vehicles would just sink into the oversoaked grass at this point) the rain was down to a fine mist… Rocco helped me drag the heavy stuff and before long I was loaded, hit the bathroom once more and was on the road home. The moon was out and the skies clearing by the time I reached Albany… The day had gone off without incident for the most part… whew!!! 🙂

Here are some pictures but I have to lead off with my dress shoes… 🙂

And the cold, the rain, the mud, the dampness – none of this could crush anyone’s spirits… 🙂

Anyway, this news was greatly appreciated and – even taking my time – I was setup, cleaned, tuned, mic-ed, cabled and dressed with over 4 hours to wait… I managed to amuse myself in the van… reading, watching videos, napping, eating, etc. and before long it was time to play… after a song and a half (out of 3) we stopped for introductions… then played 2 out of the next 3 to get the party started then found a place to sit to wait out the formalities and band meal… Rocco thought we’d be lucky to play an hour or more the end of the night (which would have had us start between 9:30-10:00pm) but about 8:30 we got word that GSM staff was already CLEARING tables!! Dinner was served and done!! LET’S PLAY!!! We made our way to the stage after the parent dances then sat there through a bunch of DJ’d tunes… I could tell Rocco was stretching things to 9:00pm so we’d only play 2 hours straight… another 15-20 minutes wouldn’t have bothered me but we sat there and eventually played…

Overall it was a pretty laid-back party… I have 4 more weddings before my FE string comes to an end… and I’m already looking ahead to what’s next…

October 28th… we all get an ‘URGENT’ email from Rocco… it seems FE is supposed to play at Vapor on November 6th – 9 days away – and he forgot to put it on the calendar… ‘Who’s available?’ I already knew that Alex (keys) was out… then Sabrina replies that she’s out so Rocco got Tameka… the young guns were in but I had agreed to cover a school function so I was out… so FE’s first appearance at Vapor in about 5 years would have 3 subs out of 9 members – including the lead vocalist!! I wonder if they’ll still have the dates in January, March and April when it’s all over… not my problem anymore… remember?? Not my circus – not my monkeys… 🙂

The party had made a number of special requests and had even gone so far as to PURCHASE everything on the tables just for this one night – right down to the gold flatware which you can see below… hearing things like this gave me a funny feeling about the group so I wasn’t surprised that it seemed like the majority of attendees – especially the bridal party – were pretty intoxicated when they arrived!! I can only imagine what the ceremony was like… they proceeded to invite themselves on and off stage and step on or knock into gear…

But the biggest surprise came back during setup when the manager told us that he was a little stressed out as the head chef of over 20 years had just quit!! On top of that, all the servers were temps so he had no idea how the night would go or if there’d be enough food for everyone, etc…

In the end it all went smoothly – at least to the unsuspecting eye… and we joined in then venue’s glee when the last of this party was on the shuttle bus and out of sight!! Someone in the band said it best, “It was like a Dango’s night but in formal attire.” That about sums it up.

Here are some pictures…

November 13th… FE (and my) first wedding at the Mohawk River Country Club… a beautiful venue with some very nice people in charge but a fairly small ballroom… we managed to get everyone in position and still have room for dancing…

The most interesting part of the day / night for me was the setup… the dance floor came within about 3 feet of the wall meaning there wasn’t enough room to setup on the carpet so I would need to get the racks entirely ON the dance floor in order for them to sit flat… I positioned everything right to the back edge – even hanging off an inch or so but still solid… now my only problem was the front leg of my throne being on the dance floor while the back two legs were a little more than an inch lower… after some searching I found a couple pieces of wood that brought me up to where I needed to be (maybe 1/4 inch too high)… it was stable and I knew I could get through the night… other than one small slip during a song that startled me and caused me to miss the hi hat and toss a stick (something I’ve done maybe 3 times in the last 8 years) it worked perfectly. And the party was amazing!! Italians, Greeks and more… young and old and it seemed like they knew every word to every song!!

I had some sad thoughts as the night went on as this would be the last time I used this kit with FE… due to some personal time constraints, Apex Media is graciously providing and setting up a kit for me to use for my last gig next week… then I’m moving my kit into the studio for some recording with a young girl from NYC over Christmas.