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Happy 2026!!!
It’s been a Hell of a ride since 1975!!
What’s the plan going forward?? I wish I knew…
Judging from audience and band member responses over the last 6 months of 2025, I’m still drumming my ass off and with dynamics, taste, precision and, most important (to me anyway), passion.
Yes – the gear’s getting heavier because I’m admittedly getting older AND because I’m too stubborn to give up my preferred kit (at right)…
Next up – a reorganized packing scheme for better weight distribution…
And yes – there’s a potential band on the horizon that’s just what I’ve been looking for… stay tuned… š
January 21… in non-music news, Julie had her first knee replacement a couple days ago… everything went very well and her recovery is much better than I had anticipated… she’s moving around in the house with just two canes but uses a walker when we venture out for PT and other appointments… first follow-up is tomorrow morning but I think she’s doing great!! š
February 16ā¦ Julie and her new knee are doing fantastic!! No walker or canes and PT says sheās way ahead of where most people would be which I give her all the credit forā¦ sheās been doing the exercises on her own regularly and using the cold water circulating knee wrap which she says feels greatā¦
Musically, I’ve booked a couple fill-in dates but the band I had high hopes for seems content with their current situation… I know their drummer has stated that he doesn’t want to drum all the time so all I can do at this point is be prepared to jump in when the sub call comes in and be patient…
February 20… I found a Facebook Messenger text this morning that I had to read a couple times… my friend and drummer Bruce asked me if I could cover a show at the Lamp Theater in Pittsburgh in 2 weeks… I’m sure it would have been a great time (even with the 8 hour drive) but, unfortunately, I already have a commitment for that weekend…
March…
April… I’m still hopeful for finding a good fit by summer… I’m still practicing but there’s nothing like live situations with live people… š
April 22… no playing updates but tonight checked a lot of boxes… Selena wish, Christmas present, etc…
Selena’s been bugging me to double date with her and Mikey… since we don’t share a lot of the same tastes in music or comedians, I took the initiative and, knowing that she and Mike like Queen’s music, got us all front row tickets to the Killer Queen concert at Proctor’s in Schenectady!!
It was a great show!! We all loved it though Mikey was exhausted from work and nodded off in the middle… š
Here’s a picture of the 4 of us – including Selena at 3 months pregnant… š
May… I’ve reached the point where if never having to deal with the load in / out and other general nonsense that has become Caroline Street in Saratoga means I’m done playing live locally, I’m good with that. I’m still doing fill-in travel dates with solid groups that rarely frequent our little part of the world and that’s enough for me. š
June 13…
2026 Saratoga Flag Day Parade…
We were down a few members but still excited and proud to take part in the annual parade!!
July…
August 5th… Tonight was my only band gig for the year… what’s becoming an annual event as Aged In the Hills and the Schacher family reunite for one night only for the Warrensburg Summer Concert Series… George is playing with multiple bands included Electric Rodeo and the New Whiskey River Band… Cherry dusts off the bass for the occasion… and Darcy makes the trip from her NY City home… and I’m happy to be there as I’ve been filling in longer than I can remember and feel like part of the family… š
It was a beautiful night for a summer concert which has been rare the past few summers with so many dates being canceled due to storms or severe heat, etc… it was nice to be able to setup and not have to wonder about the weather for a change…
I hadn’t touched the kit in about 7 months other than to unload or load it into the van and was afraid I’d be a little rusty… I was happy just to remember how to setup the kit and ever so thankful that I labeled everything… think of it like GrrrAnimals kids clothing (if you’re old enough to remember that)… š Of course I was there well ahead of time to try to get a decent tuning for this acoustic (drums) show – no mics on any of my stuff… the kit came together beautifully and I was able to settle in just like riding a bike… thanks to the memory locks on my custom Gibralter Stealth rack, it fit’s like a glove every time…
The Schachers arrived just as I’d finished assembly and started playing around the kit… hugs and chatting while they setup… Darcy showed me a video she’d put together… she had combined videos of the group playing the same song 20 years apart and was surprised (as was I) that my tempos in both videos were identical!! I thought I had decent timing but nothing like this… it got me thinking about my last full time band and maybe Rocco’s tempos were WRONG after all… š
It was a wonderful night!! My Aunt Claire somehow fell into the coordinator position for these concerts a few years ago and it was great to see her… a few songs into the first set I look to my right and there sits my pregnant daughter and her beau Mikey which was a nice surprise…
Unless something changes, my next play date will be the South Glens Falls Holiday parade with the Alumni Drumline… I passed on a fledgling Billy Joel tribute in the north country and a new Kiss tribute – mostly because I couldn’t find a good key for me to sing ‘Beth’ (IYKYK)… š
I’m still playing travel fill-in dates with my last on-call touring group but, sadly, all of the original members from back when I stared with them back in the late 90’s have retired or passed which makes it more of a tribute band in my mind… but the tunes are still solid and the crowds are amazing!! š
August 15thā¦ a personal detour for a very special day
Today was the day our daughter and Mikey got married!! And Julie was the Officiant!! š
We started with a rehearsal at 9:00am but I was there at 8:00 and, with the help of the bridal party, we setup the ceremony areaā¦
It was an absolutely perfectly gorgeous day!!! Just a hint of an occasional breeze and temps in the low / mid 70āsā¦ it wasnāt until that night that I realized there wasnāt a bug to be found all dayā¦ no flies or beesā¦ nothingā¦ š
I left at about 10:30 to run home, get the dogs pottied, then snag the other half of our finger roll order and pickup the wedding cakeā¦
Then back home, cake in the fridge, a quick shower, get dressed, dogs pottied again and head for the 2:00 ceremonyā¦
Of course I got hung up a Cumbyās trying to pickup 10 more bags of ice with only 1 person working (with the key to the ice) and a steady stream of customersā¦ I made it to the ceremony with the cake, the rolls, 2 meat platters, 2 sub platters, 10 bags of ice and 5 minutes to spareā¦ which I didnāt need because Mikeyās parents didnāt arrive until about 2:30ā¦ whew!!
While I was gone, guests and food started to arrive, tents were assembled and tables setup and everything started to take shapeā¦ lots of homemade food, meat and sub platters, and the smell of brisket and pulled pork from Mikeyās smokerā¦
Mikeās parents brought the star of the day (other than the bride and groom)ā¦ a 4 month old puppy named āDozerā who dressed for the occasionā¦ š
The whole thing was very āchillāā¦ just as the ceremony started, the flower girl melted downā¦ then a large group of motorcycles and pickup trucks bearing American flags rumbled down the streetā¦ they spotted the wedding and started honkingā¦. after couple minutes the group passed and the procession startedā¦ the first song was right then the 2nd tune got messed up and they played the first one againā¦
But when it was all over, everyone enjoyed themselvesā¦ there were coolers full of sodas and juices and beersā¦ there was food for every taste and no one would leave hungryā¦
After the ceremony, the bride, groom and parents ran to Selenaās favorite lake a few minutes away for picturesā¦
When we returned we joined into the feastā¦
Around 4:00 I ran home again to let the dogs out and change clothesā¦
I returned a little before 5:00 and people had already started breaking downā¦ we had everything ā tents, tables and chairs ā packed and loaded onto trailers and secured and Julie and I were home before 7:00.
Julieās brother Adam handled the photography dutiesā¦ Iāll be sure to share some of those pictures when theyāre finishedā¦
It was an amazing day!! Congratulations Selena & Mike!!! š
I created a rough video from my GoPro, Tascam audio recorder and my cell phone (I had time and an angle after I gave Selena away)ā¦ we wanted something we could show Selenaās Nana (my Mom) who unfortunately couldnāt make it to the ceremonyā¦
Details of Momās ordeal are belowā¦
Click the image at left to view the videoā¦
(it runs about 17 1/2 minutes)ā¦
Over a month ago Mom started complaining to the nurses about pain in her side and back ā especially when she coughed (at the Pines in Glens Falls where sheās a resident)ā¦ she told one of them that sheād had Pleurisy before and that was what this felt likeā¦ the nurse looked at her like she was crazy but said sheād note itā¦ she didnātā¦ for over a week no one even checked on her ā even when she put her light on for assistanceā¦ I ended up having to go down and raise a stink until I saw the Assistant Head of Nursing who finally went up to the room and told her theyād put a pain patch on herā¦ that eventually came much laterā¦ it didnāt help much be she got a little sleep through the weekendā¦ the admin that saw her Friday had said if she wasnāt better Monday sheād get her āseenā by a āproviderā (visiting wannabe doctors) who visit periodicallyā¦
It was late afternoon Monday when one finally showedā¦ Mom told her the same thing she told the nurse weeks ago ā that it felt like Pleurisyā¦ the provider told her her lungs were fine and leftā¦ after a few more days and no improvement we got the Assistant Head of Nursing again and she agreed that she needed to be X-rayedā¦ the portable rig arrived mid-afternoon and Mom was told the provider would stop with the results before they leftā¦ she didnātā¦ Mom started making calls about 5:00 and was told the provider had entered it in the computer and leftā¦ the results?? You guessed it ā PLEURISY!! I guess the provider didnāt want to face Mom after telling her that her lungs were fineā¦
The next day a different provider showed up and put her on an antibioticā¦ this made her sick as a dogā¦ only then did anyone think to tell her it should be taken with foodā¦
August 18thā¦ Momās been so weak she can barely walk ā mostly because she still canāt eat normally because the antibiotic really messed up her stomachā¦ sheās been walking the past few daysā¦ a little further each timeā¦ and today she made it back down to the lobby after almost 5 weeks and wanted to get out for a bit just to get fresh air and see something different though she still wasnāt ready to eatā¦ I canāt help but think that maybe, if anyone had listened to her sooner, she might have made the weddingā¦ Iām hoping sheāll like the video at leastā¦
September 29thā¦Ā Another very special day… but this one starts a few day earlier…
As you can tell from the wedding pictures, Selena’s either smuggling basketballs or she’s 7 months pregnant with a Sherman tank… š
Early last summer I saw a concert advertised that I thought we’d all enjoy (Post Modern Jukebox or Three Dog Night, etc… I can’t remember)… the date was September 29th and I thought ‘Nope – even though her due date was October 18th, that would be about the time the baby would decide to come’ so I forgot about whatever show that was…
A month or so age she ended up in the ER because her blood pressure was through the roof… after several hours there, they determined that she had some pregnancy anxiety… they sent her home and told her if she got up and was feeling dizzy or nauseous she should come back… about 2:00 the next morning she got up to use the bathroom and was dizzy and nauseous so they headed back to the ER… this time they thought her body was just starting to settle down and she got up a little too quick… nothing to worry about…
A few weeks later they would diagnose her with Preeclampsia and because of her blood pressure issues they made the decision was made to induce labor on September 27th… they also told her that the baby had a big head and shoulders so she might have to have a C-Section…
Selena, Mike and Julie all moved into the Snuggery at Glens Falls Hospital on September 27th at 7:15am and the staff started preparing Selena for delivery… there were a number of painful steps to get Selena’s body to the right size for delivery and it turned out to be a struggle to get there…
The afternoon of the 28th, the delivery team felt Selena was to the correct size and induced labor… movement was slow, then seemed to stall so they put Selena on her side to try to get the baby in a better position…
Just after noon on the 29th they determined the baby was lodged in the birth canal and performed a C-Section… at 3:47pm on September 29th we welcomed Michael Francis Baker III into the world!!
The next day I got to meet him… anyone who knows me knows how I am with babies and animals… š
I was able to stop for a longer visit after work on 10/1… he snuggled up to me, got hold of my shirt and lanyard and didn’t want to let go… š
And my work family has been supportive and loving as always – gifting us a beautiful card and an official onesie… š
Everyone got to go home on Friday 10/2… we knew my Mom was excited about becoming a Great Grandma and surprised her by meeting the kids at the hospital when they were discharged that afternoon…
It’s an exciting time and Julie’s excited to become their daycare provider when Selena goes back to work in February (maybe January)…
