Just Friends Summer

Saturday evening we traveled to the Sunbury Legion and played for a small but enthusiastic crowd who stayed and danced the whole night. We've made many new friends with the management and locals of this Legion and we look forward to returning there on August 25th. This is an old-school social club dance hall with a great stage. The building is fifties vintage, and the tiles on the floor take me back to St. Francis of Assisi kindergarten.

Along with the locals, we were privileged again to play for a special table full of fans: Renna Kenyon, Kathy Patti, Pat Roth and Angelina Traino, a/k/a "The Band Wives." These wonderful women have been at almost all the band's performances since the very beginning. By my rough estimate they've listened to some of these songs about 500 times, and applauded every single time. The Wives have been joined recently by bassist Mark Evans' wife, Sharon. The members of the band are fortunate to have that kind of support at home, and we appreciate them.

(There should be a photo here of the wives, but the picture I took turned out to be pretty hideous, and if I put it here the four of them would beat me to a pulp. I'll post one later.)

The Just Friends Band is gearing up for some of our favorite summer performances. We will be playing at the Hotel Hershey on the Fourth of July. These are the best fireworks you'll see in central PA. The traffic is always pretty heavy, but it's a great chance for the general public -- that's you! -- to come and hear us in a unique setting. We will be performing the Patriotic Medley during the fireworks display.

"Saturday, in the Park, I think it's on the Seventh of July." The park is Knoebels Grove, and this is another chance to see the band in a unique setting. If you've never been to Knoebels, you owe it to yourself. Find some kids to bring along so you'll have an excuse to ride the coolest rides around. For more information, contact Manager Jack at 717-985-9797. For park info, check out http://www.knoebels.com/ The park is about 90 minutes from Harrisburg and you'll be glad you made the trip. Hope to see you there. Yes, we'll be playing "Saturday in the Park."

Sunday, August 12th, Just Friends will be playing for a worthy cause at the Car Show to be held in the parking lot of Boscov's at the Colonial Park Mall to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association. This will be an afternoon event and we hope to see all of you come out and support the band and this important fundraising effort. More information to follow.

"I Bless the Day I Found You"

Just Friends played a memorable occasion on June 16th -- the wedding of Chrissy Carbonaro and Joel Worrall. You may hear occasionally of musicians who mock "wedding bands." They've apparently never had the honor of participating in an event such as this. Two hearts became one, two families were joined, and we were privileged to provide the soundtrack for this celebration. Well, okay, some of the soundtrack was pre-recorded, like the theme from Raiders of The Lost Ark, but that was cool, too.



This wedding took place at Visaggio's. You've heard of the restaurant, but may not realize that they specialize in wedding receptions. If you can't afford to fly your entire wedding to a villa in Italy, Visaggio's is the next best choice. John, Rosemary and the entire staff of Visaggio's have continually impressed me with their hard work, attention to detail and staggering skills in the kitchen. Check out this wedding cake. It's almost as classy as our business manager, Jack Traino.




The evening was perfect, marred only by the appearance of an armed robber disguised as a groomsman, who ordered all the dancers to "reach for it!" as he pulled a weapon out of his rented vest. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.) Yes, it's the "Y" in "YMCA."



Playing weddings is more than just a business. Some of the highlights of my playing life have been thanks to brides and grooms. The bride's parents were married in 1977. Their first dance was to the Everly Brothers' "Let It Be Me." The band, unfortunately, did not know the words and so just faked their way through the tune. The bride requested that we play the song for them, a song Joreen and I have been playing since our days in The Cards. When we announced the song and performed it, the bride's mother was deeply touched.



You may not be aware of this, but our friend Parker has been consorting with bluegrass musicians, namely Reese and Dave of the band Heart and Soul. Here we see them performing at St. Thomas Roaster Coffeehouse in Linglestown. This Sunday, June 24th, the Heart and Soul bluegrass band will be at St. Thomas UCC church in Linglestown (6490 Linglestown Road) for a picnic at 6:30 pm. (Go to the square at the Eagle Hotel and turn right.) Joreen and I cannot attend because we'll be at Mass, but if you go, say hi to them for us. Dave and Reese are exceptional bluegrass musicians, and Parker will surprise you with his ability to play I and V without stopping to hit I-1/2 and III-3/4.

Theo's First Road Trip/Just Friends Summer Events

Here we see the world's youngest rock star chilling out on the first night of the tour.


Ah, yes, a hotel room full of beautiful women holding bottles. Livin' the dream.



Meanwhile, Just Friends was hard at work at the Chambersburg VFW, again pleasing the entire crowd (well, except for one guy, but ask me about him privately). I'm playing with the settings on my camera, and took this without flash. If you listen hard, you can hear Vince tearing up "Harlem Nocturne."

The next night we came back "home" to the Lawnton Legion. It was great having so many friends and family in attendance. Ed and Grace stopped by, and my brother Bill and sister-in-law Ginny were there. (I sure hope I didn't just misspell her name or I'll hear about it for the rest of my life.) And yes, we did Route 66, as a tribute to Rudy. "Thank you, music lovers" -- wherever you are.

Coming events: Just Friends will be doing the fireworks at the Hotel Hershey again July 4th. The traffic is atrocious going home, so be ready for it, but the pyrotechnics are the best around. We'll be doing the Patriotic Medley arranged by Joreen in the best possible setting for it. Bring your lawn chairs and prepare to go "ooh, aah" a lot.

Saturday, July 7th, Just Friends plays at Knoebel's Grove. I've mentioned this before here, but I can't stress to you enough what a cool park this is. If you're old enough to remember Hershey Park when it was two words and it didn't cost 50 bucks to get in, you'll love Knoebel's. Free parking, best roller coasters around, bring your own food or buy it there (you're a winner either way, although the pizza is a bit too sweet), and check out the band in a real live band shell. We'd love to make this a reunion of as many folks who can come as possible. Be in touch with us or contact Manager Jack at 717-985-9797 for more information.

Just Friends On Tour

The band will be playing in Chambersburg this Friday at the VFW. Saturday, we'll be at the Lawnton Legion from 9 to 1. If any of you are interested in attending, call me and we'll make sure you get signed in.