Most of JF at VFWs

Just Friends played two VFW jobs this month, one in Dillsburg and one in Chambersburg. The above photos are from Chambersburg, the only two I got before my camera batteries died. Joreen took some pictures at Dillsburg, and they may appear later. We were shorthanded for both of these jobs, as PK was taking care of his lovely wife, who is recuperating nicely from surgery, but we soldiered on.

We enjoyed the Chambersburg show for several reasons: breaking out "Just a Gigolo" for the first time in a while; watching the patrons dance to just about everything we did; and singing "Happy Birthday" to our favorite manager (well, okay, our only manager) Jack.

Heads up to our fans who might be reading this: Just Friends will be appearing at the Verhovay May 4th. Although it's a private club, the public is welcome on band night. The Verhovay is a great club, nice folks, very affordable bar food and extremely reasonable drink prices considering there's a live band. Hope to see you then, if not sooner. Be sure to check the schedule at www.justfriendsband.com for upcoming Just Friends shows.

Go Ahead, Yuk It Up

Funny thing is, I know there are others of you out there with this very same picture, probably on the same pony. Unfortunately, the print I have was cropped, probably to fit into a little frame, so the details of the photographer and dates and such are lost. I wonder who that guy was?

Irish Coffee, so to speak

Well, the coffee wasn't necessarily Irish, but Ed and I qualify. Here is a photo from a recent Coyote Joe's performance. Ed is actually the senior member of this duo, having been playing some time before me. We started in high school, where we would unroll the papyrus lyric charts... well, maybe not that long ago.
Seriously, Ed has been at this for a while and the experience shows in his performance. He's also continuing to learn new material, proof that you can teach some of us old dogs new tricks. Thanks to Ed for asking me to play with him on that gig, and thanks also to our friends for supporting us, some of whom joined us at the ABC Brewery West after the show:


By the way, although I am half-Irish and half-Italian, I have proof of my credentials as a real Irishman. Observe this photo of my mother and myself, which says Sep 56 on the edge of the picture:

Yes, for most of my young life I thought beer was the stuff with three rings on the label. Those are Ballantine Beer quarts. Thanks to my Dad and Rose, I have a great album of many old pictures like this one, including the one that accompanies my profile. As I get better with the scanner, I'll be putting them up for your general amusement. Wait till you see the one with the pony and the cowboy outfit.

Battle Homefries

Chef Hornboy puts the finishing touches on his signature Almost Awful House Homefries dish, garnished with Ted's hot wings.

PK came over last night and we messed around with homefries, smothered, scattered, chattered, diced, sliced, whatever. It was very edible. Also loaded up on Ted's hot wings, the best in town -- sorry, Kokomo's, they just are. Had to have a loaf of Alvaro's Tuscan bread on hand, of course. (We just didn't let the chef slice his own bread; liability issues, you understand).

Guitar sweetness

Just a quick mention of a guitar player my friend TK turned me on to. His name is Andy McKee. If you have YouTube capability, do a search for his name, watch the videos and be amazed. This is what I live for in music, the surprise, the aha, the sign that it hasn't all been done, that there's still something that can drop your jaw, widen your eyes and make you smile. The spirit of Michael Hedges lives on.

Diamonds are Forever...

... but chocolate covered Rice Krispies Marshmallow Treats are easier to make, and work just as well (if you married right).

Yes, the above photo is the traditional Symbol of Luv in the Kelly household, going back more years than we can remember. Actually, the heart shaped cake pan came from my parents' house when I moved out, so I've had that for over 30 years now. The marshmallow treats in the heart pan happened one Valentine's Day when I was a bit desperate, and whaddyaknow? Success! So now it's become a Tradition. The chocolate coating came later. The only complaint I heard today was, "What, no 'I Love You' in white icing?" So, I got some Rice Krispies and made this modification:



Ain't love grand?

By the way, if you're out shoveling that sheetrock that looks like snow, come the hell back in and wait for it to melt. You'll give yourself a heart attack. I got the message when I hit some of it with the sharp edge of a coal shovel and the shovel bounced off. Fuhgeddabaddit. I'm having a shot of Jameson's and watching the Weather Channel.

Cold, Cold, Cold

Well, what started out as pretty, idyllic and restful has turned crappy and harrowing pretty damn quick. Why can't we just get 20 inches of snow and be done with it? What's out there now is a coat of sno-cone slush so thick we can't get the door open. It's definitely a day to stay in one's pajamas as long as one can get away with it (sorry, no PJ photos available). Prayers to all those who have to go out in this mess, including especially those who maintain power lines. Photo by Joreen, who still covets my camera for the quality of outdoor shots it takes.

Chillin' and Grillin'

Well, the Big One finally hit, and it worked out well for us. My afternoon job went away, and Joreen got let out early, so we had plenty of time to get supper together. Yesterday I picked up these really nice strip steaks on sale for $5.99 a pound at Giant, and it didn't take long to figure out what to do with them. The neighbor said, "I was thinking about doing the exact same thing."

Joreen said it best as we were eating: "It tastes a little bit like summer." The baked sweet potatoes were a nice touch, too.

On the stereo right now: "Snowbound," by Donald Fagen: "Snowbound... let's sleep in today...."

What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

Well, I told you there would be an announcement from the band, and here it is. The Just Friends Band will be hosting a special New Year's Eve celebration at the Sheraton Harrisburg-Hershey, located off Eisenhower Boulevard, near the new Target. I will have more details as the arrangements are completed with the Sheraton management, but the key thing to know is this: We are committed to providing our guests with a great time at a very reasonable price. We hope to see all of our friends and family at this event. I can tell you that the room we are booked into is not all that big, so seating will be limited. Further posts and e-mails will fill you in on the menu, times, room discounts and other important facts. For now, please plan on being with us for this very special event. You won't want to miss this one!

While I'm at it, I might as well tell you that the Just Friends Band will be at Knoebel's Grove this coming July 7th, playing in this amphitheatre:



If you've been to Knoebel's Grove, you know what a cool amusement park it is, with free parking, great rides, good food, picnic pavilions available, a nice swimming area to cool off in, and a really awesome performance area. It's the kind of stage we wish we always had. If you haven't been to Knoebel's, this would be a great time to check it out. More information will be available about both these events at www.justfriendsband.com as the details are worked out, but the dates are definite.

Good Vibes, Indeed

Joreen and I headed down to the Iberian Lounge at the Hershey Hotel last night to catch three of our friends and Just Friends Bandmates in their remarkably cool side project, the Amici Trio. The trio is Giovanni on vocals and keys, Vince on horns and woodwinds, and Barry on the vibes. If you've never been to the Iberian Lounge, you should check it out sometime. Just remember to dress nicely, and bring your wallet -- it's not a place for bargain beerhunters. It's really a throwback to the days when elegance, class and sophistication were what lounges epitomized, and that's why the Amici Trio is such a perfect fit for this place.

Listening to and watching the trio perform shows what three experienced and talented players can do, supported with a little technology in the form of sequencers. Gio's vocals blend the best of musical theatre skills with club band energy. Vince's playing, supported by a bedrock of backing tracks and the other two instruments, stands out and stands on its own, reminding me that one of his earlier bands, the Continental Three, was a trio as well. The format suits him.

The real treat, though, is hearing Barry play vibes. This is an instrument that you just don't hear live around here, and it's a shame. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that they weigh about as much as a small truck, or that you have to be able to aim three or four mallets in three or four directions at once, but it's not something you see and hear every day. Joreen and I just kept saying, "Listen to that sound!" I don't care how good your synthesizer is, you're not going to get the tone you can get with metal bars, fans and mallets. Standards, pop tunes, even Jimmy Buffett songs sound great on this amazing instrument. If you've never heard Barry play anything but drums, you're missing out.

Vince tells me the Amici Trio is playing once a month at the Hershey Hotel. Give the hotel a call to find out if they're there. You'll see live musicians, augmented with just enough background tracks to fill out the sound, reviving the tradition of standards, pop music, and show tunes played with tuxedo class and Tony Bennett cool. Make sure and request "Send In The Clowns," my personal favorite of the night. It'll make people who use "lounge act" as an insult think twice, believe me.

Living the Dream

Last night after choir practice, Joreen and I stopped at the Brewhouse on the West Shore (great food and good beer selection). They have live music on Wednesdays, and as we were sitting down in walked Rhyne McCormick. Then he walked in again, and again, carrying his gear to set up and play. Rhyne's a great guy, and sat down to talk with us while he waited for the three guys whose table was right where he needed to set up to get done chitchatting so he could go to work. (Lord, I'm sorry for that sentence structure and I'll try to do better. Amen.)

We talked about playing solo, local venues, the state of live music in general, and playing about 20 dates a month. (He does that, we don't.) In fact, as I'm typing this, he's on his way to a job near Syracuse, New York. Check out this schedule: http://www.rhynemccormick.com/

The folks who know me have heard me use the phrase "living the dream" jokingly, but there's something inspiring about seeing somebody really give it a serious shot. Rhyne has a dream of writing, performing, sharing his music and he spends a great deal of time and effort at it. If you get the chance, go catch a performance of his. His material is thoughtful, melodic and engaging, and he has one of the best voices in town.

Those who do this kind of work are in it for many reasons: the money, of course, especially when it's your only gig; but as much or more, so the respect of those whose opinions they value, fellow musicians and music lovers who listen, make eye contact, applaud, request songs, and make the performer feel more like a "live musician" and less like a radio in the background. Here's to you, Rhyne, wishing you safe travel, good tips and an easy load-in tonight and always.

Because MySpace is too complicated...

I've decided to start posting more regularly to this blog. Look for band news, solo gig information, pictures of grandchildren, rants about this and that, and anything else that I'd rather type than transcripts.



Here's a breakthrough. I learned how to move pictures around in Html. Now you can click on and view this amazing photo of Satan being driven out of Tom by his saintly wife, Brenda.

Seriously, learning how to eliminate redeye in photos is on my to-do list. Guess I should RTFM.

Anyhow, about those grandchildren:

What Do You Call a Country Club Full of Lawyers?

Answer: A really satisfying Just Friends Band gig.

The band came out of a brief post-holiday break with guns blazing Saturday night, playing the Annual President’s Dinner Dance for the Dauphin County Bar Association. Thanks to our friend and the outgoing Bar Association President, Thomas P. Gacki, Esq., we had the opportunity to play for many local judges and attorneys.

In my day job, I get to see many attorneys being very "lawyerly," serious and down to business, so I get a kick out of seeing them cut loose and dance, and there was plenty of that. The band played a nice long dinner set, and after presentations and speeches we rocked the Bar.

Highlights of the night:

1) Playing "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You" for Tom and Brenda as they danced. The last time we played that song for them was at their wedding. Brenda is a saint, of course, and Tom knows it.

2) Breaking out a new Chicago song, "Saturday In The Park." It was received well, and will probably see heavy rotation in the setlists from now on.

The band will be on a "VFW tour" this month, playing Dillsburg on the 17th and Chambersburg on the 24th. Many of our upcoming jobs are in private clubs or for corporate events, but I'll do my best to keep you posted when something comes up that "civilians" like our friends and family can come to. For more information, check out www.justfriendsband.com . Also, be on the lookout for some exciting news regarding the band in the near future. I can't say any more just yet, because I don't want to sleep with the fishes (just kidding, Vince).

Again, thanks to Tom Gacki and the Bar Association for making us feel so welcome. And anyone wanting to see some really incriminating pictures of Tom dancing, contact me privately.