Christmas Eve Eve...

... and we're still getting ready. I will do a full-fledged Christmas thingie sometime during the 12 days of Christmas, complete with picture of my tree and all the holly jolly you can eat. Meanwhile, the Work Fairy dinged me in the head with the West Shore water main break emergency hearing, and thereby paid for a lot of Christmas cheer. One man's soggy basement is another man's Troegs.

Still Watching The Wheels Go Round

Today is the 28th anniversary of two events I'll never forget: the death of John Lennon and the purchase of my first electric guitar, the Telecaster. I was on my way back from a hearing in Coatesville, planning to stop in Lancaster to pick up the Fender from Jeff Coleman's place, when I heard the news. It still seems unreal to me, senseless and sad, especially when I hear the song "Beautiful Boy." I still have that guitar, and I suppose the best I can do is keep trying to figure out how to play it.

Speaking of playing, it's back in the saddle again at the Dillsburg VFW this Saturday, then next week, the 19th, a rare Friday night at the Lawnton Legion. As always, anyone interested in getting into the Legion to see us can contact me and I can get you signed in.

Stir Crazy

As the 10th of December gets closer, I'm more than ready to get back on the move and be able to go somewhere without having "Mom drive me to the Mall," as I've been putting it. Last Thursday and Friday, I did some workers' comp hearings in Harrisburg. After three weeks plus of laying around in pajama pants, trying to decide whether to watch Robocop 3 or Ghost Rider again, it felt great to put on a suit and go be useful.

I'm expecting the doctor to tell me on the 10th that I can take off the sling and start easing into regular activity. Bill's wife Sandy, who had the same surgery I did, is back to driving, although exercises don't start for her until next week. It looks like this whole process from surgery to recovery is about 16 weeks, and I've got three and a half behind me.

Christmas is a-comin' and the pundits are getting nervous. Do you get the feeling that we have a civic duty to go spend money on crap, mostly made in China, to save our great nation's economy which was more or less date-raped by a gang of greedy corporations and bungling deciders? Again, maybe I've been watching too much TV, but at three in the morning on Black Friday I felt a little guilty for not going over to the mall and pushing someone out of the way to get my very own DVD of Robocop 3 or Ghost Rider for 87 cents (which is still twice what they're worth, trust me). Well, Christmas will come, and at some point we'll reconnect with its true meaning, which I'm pretty sure doesn't involve a made-for-TV movie starring Tom Arnold.

Since I was well enough to go to work this week, I have no excuse for not going to sing with the choir this Sunday morning, so I'm going to go start getting ready. Hopefully by next week I'll be able to play in church again. I'm planning to play with Just Friends next Saturday in Dillsburg. We'll see how that goes.

Break Time's Over...

... back on my head. (I never get tired of that punchline.) Thanksgiving holiday was a success, beginning with Thanksgiving Darts Wednesday evening, in which Greg Gerstner shot his first turkey:

We had the traditional spread and the traditional intrateam feuding, namecalling and file cabinet kicking (I handled that one).

Thanksgiving Day was also a blast, with Andie, Brian and Theo coming over for breakfast, to accommodate their dinner schedule, and then Mary, John and the boys coming to the turkey dinner later. Of course, I slipped into the traditional nod on the chair afterwards while they did the dishes.

I don't have pictures, but Friday evening Joreen and I went to the brewery to see Bill Nork playing with Soulgrass Freedom Junction, a local band with amazing harmonies. The show was great. I don't know about your chances of seeing them in the near future, because their female vocalist is really, really pregnant, like eight months' worth, so their schedule may be subject to change. They're really good, though, and it was good to hear Bill playing live.

And now, finally, today is my last day of goofing off. I have hearings tomorrow and Friday, and I honestly can't wait. I'm pushing it a little because I don't get out of the sling officially until Wednesday, but I really miss work. (There's a phrase I don't type too often!)

Live Music Again, Finally

Last Friday evening Joreen zipped up my coat for me and we went over to Eckel's in Mechanicsburg to see Ed, Grace, Steve and Mike play.

If you've never been to Eckel's, it's an attraction in its own right, a drug store so stuck in a time warp that it was used as a setting from the Sixties in the movie "Girl, Interrupted." There's stuff to look at all over the place.

Of course, the main attraction Friday was the performance, and I would rave about this act's vocal prowess even if they weren't all my friends, and one of them wasn't my brother. The harmonies were strong, creating and consistent all night -- well, as long as I could hang in, which was one set.

I'll try to give a heads-up when they're playing again. This is an act worth catching, if for nothing else than the fact that you can then claim to have heard a song about an Amish disco. See Mike Miller for details.

The Return of The Two-Handed Typist

My appointment with Dr. Bombay went pretty well. He had the staples removed and said the shoulder is healing well, but still won't let me start rehab exercises for another three weeks. He tried to keep me in the immobilizer and I negotiated a cloth sling out of him with the promise that I wouldn't push it. Well, the punch line is that the immobilizer is more comfortable and better support than the sling, and if I put the laptop at just the right height, I can type this paragraph in a minute rather than ten.

I told him I want to be able to play a gig by Dec.13th and his response was, "Well, I don't know how good you'll sound...." Everybody's a critic. Anyway, I turned in two transcripts yesterday, both prepared before the surgery but it still felt good to turn something in. The goofing off that I fantasize about while I'm working my ass off is more of a pain in the ass than work. There's a real Davey and Goliath moral in there somewhere.

Meanwhile, the calendar marches on. Thanksgiving Darts are still on, and Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday, approaches. Time to gird 'em up and get down to business. Thanks again to all for your well wishes and support.

The Best Little Brother of the Month award goes to David for coming over and raking up those nasty curled up leaves behind the house, as well as filling in for me with the Amici Trio on Friday at Cantone's and with Just Friends on Saturday at the Dillsburg VFW. Thanks again, little brother. Stop up at Cantone's Friday evening if you can for a drink and make sure Dave isn't busting up my jazz guitar. (Easy on the windmills there, Townshend.)

Enough Sickie Talk

All right, I've watched "Bloodsport" twice. That's enough TV. (For anyone!) Went on Youtube and started poking around with the search word B-3. Check this out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU7Wkah_lQA

And this is just the first. I didn't try Jimmy Smith, Joey DeFrancesco or Booker T. yet. This guy is great at faking the bass player, too. No offense to my low-end friends, but in this economy....

Anyway, I'll find out what Dr. Bombay has to say tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Later that same search:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXcsM8MuDRY

There's a line for me in music, a border between passion for your art and just showing off. This is music all the way, although have to listen pretty fast at points.

"How's the Shoulder?"

Well, it's something like this.


This is as of Sunday afternoon when I showered. Getting ready to go to Mass now. I've got stuff to be thankful for.

Knitting Up

Shoulder feels like it's thinking about healing. Uncomfortable, but tolerable. Bill and Sandy visited today. She's 12 days ahead of me in the process, so we compared notes. Thanks also to the Norks for some jambalaya that I'm going to heat up in a little while.

Heads up: Just Friends is gearing up for New Year's at the Sheraton. Details to follow.

Surgery...

...went very well. In at 11:30, out like a light at 12:30, out the door by 3:00. I was finally convinced of the need for the operation as well as for the scalene block. Dr. Polacheck was pleased with the outcome. Not exactly Marcus Welby in the charm department, but he did put the tendon back together and that's what he's paid for.

Block is beginning to wear off, but still not as much discomfort as I was ready for. I'm relieved that it's over. On a positive note, yesterday Fr. Hereshko anointed me, what they used to call Last Rites. It was very moving and comforting, especially when he anointed my hands. Last night, Fr. Bruce Nieli, our parish mission speaker, had the crowd, about 150 of them, pray for me and the success of the surgery, another powerful and humbling experience and certainly why things went so well. One of the people was Alex Szeles, who has been in treatment for cancer for a long time, and for whom I've been praying. That was intense.

I'll be in touch with updates. One-handed typing is slow, but I've got a lot of time on my hand.

Finally, thanks to all my family and friends for their concern and offers of help. Reminds me of how blessed and lucky I am.

While I Can Still Type With Both Hands...

... I thought I'd just mention that the rotator cuff repair surgery is on for Wednesday. I've been soliciting anecdotal evidence from everybody I can and the bottom line seems to be Your Mileage May Vary. I don't mind admitting that I'm apprehensive about this. It's been over 30 years since I've had anesthetic (no, smartaleck, not counting beer) and I haven't had an incision since my appendix came out. The surgeon does come highly recommended and there's no doubt I have to do something, since normal activities of daily living in the last week, i.e. playing two jobs and typing like crazy, have left me with a pretty constant ache. So, here we go. I'll be in touch with folks as soon as I can; just don't look to this blog for long updates. They might be limited to something like, "Ow."

Keeping On Keeping On

It's been an eventful week for the guy with the "bogus shoulder" as Mark puts it. Wednesday I did a very contentious PUC hearing which got me on television, I'm told, although I was too busy typing to turn on the TV. Thursday, I did another PUC hearing involving some arcane natural gas crap. It was annoying but it helps pay the light bill. Friday, Just Friends played in Shippensburg at the VFW for a small but enthusiastic crowd. Someone yelled for "Hank Williams" and I know they meant Junior but I did "Hey, Good Looking" anyway and it was just as good -- if not better.

Saturday, the trio played at the Verhovay, and today the trio did a 4oth anniversary at the Harrisburg Civic Association, a venue that brings back fond memories from the early eighties of keg parties and loud rock bands. Somewhere around here I have photos of a very young Joreen and John playing while a very young Mary dances around wearing headphones to protect her tiny eardrums.

Coming up this week: Just Friends at the casino on Thursday, and the trio at the Hershey Hotel on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Phillies are winning and Joreen is a happy camper. Speaking of Joreen, she finished a post-grad course on line this week and got an "A." Yes, I gave her a dollar, and you should, too.

Another Radical Lefty Weighs in for Obama

Whichever way your politics lean, you've got to admit it's getting interesting when Colin Powell says stuff like this:

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/10/colin_powell_tries_shaming_big.html

I'm sure Palin will have a snappy comeback to this. You betcha. I have reservations and outright problems with some of Obama's positions, but I really think, after eight years of W. and his masters bringing the country to the brink of collapse, maybe we should try putting some smart people in the White House. The alternative? A vice president who shoots defenseless creatures and ignores subpoenas. Wait, I'm having a deja vu....

Status Report

Many kind folks have been asking how my shoulder is and what's going on with my working and playing status, so here's where I am as of today. Right now, I am able to type and play guitar as well as before (for better or worse). I had some trouble in the beginning with the acoustic due to its depth and the forward roll of the shoulder needed to play it, but I'm doing better. I do have some soreness in the arm, but it's very manageable. The tendon is a complete break and the torn piece has retracted back over the ball of the shoulder, as I understand the explanation. They're going to stretch that puppy back over, put in a couple screws and stitch it up on Nov. 12.,outpatient. As of that point, I will be out of action for four weeks, immobilized. After that, it will be a race to rehab in time for the holiday gigs including New Year's, the Big One. I hear it can be a painful recovery and rehab, but the doctor has convinced me at this point that it's not an unusual or difficult surgery for him, so that gives me confidence. I should be mostly back up to speed in two months.

As of now, I will be playing until the surgery date, then out of commission until right before Christmas. As for work, the doctor assures me that I will get back the movements I have now before I get full range of motion, so I should be able to at least proof-read. I could even envision reporting, although I would have to have someone take me to the hearing room. Driving stick may take a while to get back.

So there's the deal. If I stay in the condition I am now until the 12th, we'll try to find a time to get together and jam before then, but that's still tentative. I have a lot of prep work to do before this fandango on the 12th. Thanks for your concern and prayers, and don't forget to be grateful for things like being able to button your own shirt. It's the little things that mean a lot.

The Other Shoe

Turns out I did a real number on my shoulder, or rather on the supraspinatus tendon in the shoulder. Those charts in the doctor's office are chock full of information. I have surgery scheduled for November 12th. I'll be immobile for about four weeks, and we'll see after that. Oh, well, it could have been worse.

Tomorrow tells the tale

My appointment with the orthopedic surgeon is at 8:45 a.m. I'll know whether I have to do the rotator cuff tear repair or not. I'll post as soon as I can and let you know what's up. Having had some time to process the situation and look at contingencies, we might still be able to get through this in relatively good shape. We'll see.

Things have improved

The flu has pretty much passed, seven days on the money. I just ate an orange, which I've been looking forward to for days. Tasted like paradise.

The Italian job went well. All the patrons were pleased. I'm sorry for the lack of coverage, but I was still not up to speed. The band was in good form, though, and Craig and Jim really stepped up to the plate. We have the gig next year.

Speaking of the future, I go for my MRI results Thursday. We'll find out then what's in the cards. Like the Petty song says, "The waiting is the hardest part."

Now, back to typing. Thanks to everybody who's helped me through this, with prayers and offers to help, especially my little brother David who filled in for me at the Singles Dance in Lancaster. He must have been getting some tone; when I turned on my amp yesterday, before I even hit a note, it started growling. You rawk, Dave!

In case you're wondering

I took a bad fall Saturday and bunged up my shoulder, then caught the flu Monday. Say a prayer to St. Rocco that I can play the Italian job Sunday. Talk to you later.

In Bedrooms Everywhere...

... there are folks sitting and making music like this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU9HiwmcLWQ

In a perfect world there would be venues (smoke-free with micros on tap and good house sound) where guys this amazing could play. I don't even know this cat's name or anything about him.* Surfing a Grateful Dead link (rukind.org) I ended up hearing his version of Weather Report Suite. Next break this morning I'll have to check out "Martha My Dear."

The tuning is DGCGCD. Who thinks this stuff up?

*BTW, here's the guitar player's blog: http://tonyrclef.blogspot.com/ Not a very prolific blogger, but there's an interesting essay on arranging songs that gives an insight into the process of coming up with covers this good. Pretty prolific video maker; nice version of "Martha My Dear."

To the non-guitar players out there, sorry if this is boring stuff. Hey, how 'bout those Phillies? They won yesterday! Joreen was in the car and made me narrate the end of the game to her. Instant heart attack stuff. These guys could make you crazy following them. Go Phils.

If I Only Had A Brain and More Time to Watch YouTube

While in the middle of trying to make some serious deadlines, the last thing I should do is go on YouTube. I should have parental controls put on that damn site. You can fall in and get lost. One minute you're trying to find a ballad with something about "morning glory" in the title, next thing you know you're watching Phish's drummer's mom play the above-mentioned song on an Electrolux vacuum cleaner, and then -- this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZsj4jKkXoc&feature=related

Pretty smooth, eh? Check this out. The "morning glory" reference is to this song by Lizz Wright. Years ago, I listened to it all the time, then could not for the life of me remember the title or the singer. Today, thank God and Google, the phrase "she's just a morning glory" dug its way out of my brain and I found the title "Blue Rose." And then I found this. Get comfortable, it's a bit long.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rHqJCPvMnI

Heartbreaking. Humans can be so crude, cruel and vicious, and yet capable of something this beautiful. Until a second ago, I hadn't thought to look on YouTube for the song. Her performance is unbelievable, and the guitar player is tearing me up. Music like this gives me hope.

And now, back to work.

Weekend Update

Friday, the Amici Trio (or, as we were billed on the promo sign, "The Amici Bros") played for a packed house at Cantone's Friday evening. Under the watchful and I hope approving eye of Frank Sinatra, we knocked 'em dead. Watch for future bookings at this location. It looks like we'll be welcomed back.

Saturday, the Trio played for a wedding at the Harrisburg Country Club. Sorry, no pictures, but imagine a very happy couple and a full dance floor and you'll get the picture.


This is my little brother, with a genuine look of surprise on his face. This afternoon, his family and friends gathered at the Wallish house to celebrate 25 years of rawking by Dave. I'm not sure on the math, but if you added up all the musicians in the room, I think you could have fielded at least five complete bands, and all of them would be pretty darn good.



This is David realizing that he'll still be able to watch television after the digital switchover. On this TV, we watched a retrospective of Dave's bands from Spellbound to Leghorn, with all the skinny ties and eighties hair you could ever want. Kathy Wallish has a talent for scrapbooking and preserving memories, and it was evident in the DVD. Here's to 25 more, little brother.

Amici Trio at the Iberian Lounge and Other Stuff

I don't have pictures for this entry, but last night was another well-received Trio performance at the Hotel Hershey. The dance floor was filled with folks who: (1) appear to be mature enough to remember when the Sinatra tunes we do weren't classics yet; (2) dance like they know what they're doing out there; and (3) provide an answer to the question, how do you stay young at heart? Apparently, dancing has something to do with it. There are couples out there who have a 20 year head-start on me, doing dips that would blow out my lower back in a heartbeat. Playing for dancers is what I enjoy most, and we had a good time.

Thanks to my friend Sean Sanderson for coming out to the Lounge and making sure my guitar wasn't too loud. It looks like the Trio will be appearing at the Iberian Lounge again on Saturday, November 1st. I'll confirm that later.

Just Friends is on hiatus for what's left of September, and then we have an action-packed October. Unfortunately, most of the jobs are private clubs, out of town or both. There is a strong possibility that we'll be at the Casino on Thursday, October 30th. I'll confirm that later as well after getting the final word from Manager Jack.

The St. Catherine Laboure Choir started up again this morning, and we had so many new faces and voices that everyone, including Joreen, kept saying "Wow." There are a bunch of new sopranos and altos, and we have a pretty neat sound. I'm looking forward to this choir season, knowing that Joreen will come up with some cool music to take advantage of all the new firepower. We do the 11:00 Mass every Sunday. It's a Kelly family thing, now that Mary's singing alto again.

Quick musical recommendation: I just got a new CD, released in August, by a singer-songwriter named Emory Joseph. The disc, "Fennario," is all covers of Garcia and Hunter tunes, reinterpreted but true to the creative flash that inspired the Grateful Dead at their best. For a taste of what I'm talking about, check out this cover of Tennessee Jed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7rsjDY_AUk

It's been a while since I've heard something that made me do the Dead Twirl (nobody home but the dog, of course, who insisted on jumping around with me).

Chilling out with the Amici Trio

The Trio were cool in more ways than one last night, playing on the veranda of the Hotel Hershey as the sun set on a crisp, clear September evening. The above photo was taken by Joreen after dark. Thanks to her, Kathy, Angelina and Jack for listening. They were part of a small but hardy and appreciable audience who listened as we played a variety of smoothies, standards and pop songs.

A Trio gig is a very enjoyable guitar experience for me, because Gio and Vince do all the heavy lifting on vocals, keys and horns. All I have to do is try not to clam. The Hotel Hershey is a perfect location for the Amici Trio, elegant and classy ("classy" as in five bucks a beer).

We will be appearing at the hotel again tonight from 9:00 to midnight, this time in the Iberian Lounge, so you don't need an extra sweater. If you come to hear us, I'll buy you a beer. (Sip it slowly.)

Check out the above photo. I'm the one not showing off his chest hair.

So, How Are Things?

In response to good-natured prodding from my friends, I will begin posting again to the blog, and I'll start off with a sure thing: a recent grandboy photo. Cute, isn't he?

Many new things going on these days. Those of you in the loop know the details, but to summarize:

Just Friends has two new members, Jim Wallish on trombone and Craig Rankin on drums. Both are ace players and really decent guys, and we're busy preparing for a busy October, to include our annual Italian-American Society banquet at the Hershey Convention Center.

The Amici Trio has a new member, me, on guitar. We'll be at the Hershey Hotel tonight and tomorrow.

Joreen is taking grad courses on-line and getting A's, making us all proud. You can give her a dollar when you see her.

Joreen and I went back up to Cape Cod for vacation, and I have lots of cool pics to post, but here's my favorite:

Now I have to get back to work, because in other news, I'm up to my eyeballs in backlog.

Sorry for the long delay

There's been a lot going on around here since Christmas. Work has been busy, the baby is growing and getting happier and heavier every day, Easter is coming, I'm getting ready to do a mondo large power line case, the band has changed personnel and we've been working the new trumpet player in, and on top of everything else, yesterday my laptop informed me that a drive failure was imminent. The machine is still under warranty, so I took it to be repaired today, but only the Microsoft gods know what kind of shape it will come back in. So, posts may be spotty for a while.

Big Update, Part 3 - Happy New Year

After much planning, hard work and anticipation, the Just Friends New Year's Eve celebration at the Sheraton Harrisburg-Hershey was declared a success by the band. Kudos to the band management for all the negotiations and legwork needed for such an event.

Here at the front desk are Giovanni (yes, of Giovanni Live Productions), Manager Jack (keeping an eye on the list), Vince and his daughter Megan, and Pat Roth (keeping an eye on Jack).

I didn't take a lot of pictures, but here's a nice shot of the antipasto table. The Sheraton put out a first-class spread, and we were extremely pleased with everything.

Although Mary and John couldn't attend, my youngest daughter Andrea was able to be there, with her boyfriend Dan and, of course, the newest member of the Rat Pack, Theo (shown here rocking the tuxedo).

Here's Vince, celebrating his birthday, and Theodore, celebrating his first New Year's Eve. Is this the picture of class or what?

Many thanks to our friends and family who attended and celebrated with us. I want to especially thank Mr. and Mrs. McGovern, who spent their first New Year as husband and wife with us, and Rick and Irene Woodard, who came all the way from the West Coast by way of the West Shore to attend. Celebrating with our loved ones made this the best New Year's gig yet, and in the words of the prophet Sinatra, "The Best Is Yet To Come."

May we all be safe, sound and still around for New Year's Eve 2008. It's not too early to plan to celebrate with us next year....

Big Update, Part 2 - PK Has Left the Building

Friday, January 4th, Just Friends played for the Republican County Commissioners ball at the Hilton. This was the last official performance for our very own Parker Kenyon, who after twelve years with the band is moving on to pursue other musical interests. All the best, Hornboy. It's been a pleasure standing next to you for the last decade. I'm going to miss your horn parts...

... and the quiet, dignified air of sophistication you brought to the band.

The Kenyons will still be around, so it's not a real tearful farewell kind of thing. We'll stay in touch, and see what the future brings. Hopefully, more cowbell.

Big Update, Part 1- Farm Show

The Prince is sleeping, having just finished this bottle. I am doing child care today as Queen Andi begins her first week of work as a CNA. We both are enjoying what we're doing. Andi has a real gift for caregiving, and I get grins and chortles all morning long. Nice work if you can get it.

Last night, the long-awaited Feast: Supper at the Farm Show. I don't whose bright idea it was to put this event right after Christmas Cookie season. The only New Year's resolution I have in mind during Farm Show Week is not to get as chunky as the Governor of Philadelphia (as one of Joreen's students called him). Pictured here are the breaded mushrooms and apple cider. The roast beef with horseradish (damn, I'm getting hungry) and broccoli/cauliflower salad were also off the hook. Mary and I just had a potato doughnut. "It's a Beautiful Day in Pennsylvania" indeed.

How about this weather we're having?

Any warmer, and this thing might melt.

Last night was the Giant Chicken Dance/Polka 'Til You Drop event in the new arena, and there I was reunited with my long-lost twin brother, shown in this crappy photo playing bass.

Joreen took the opportunity to videotape the polkateers with her Christmas present, the Flip Ultra camcorder. When Hillary goes to reform health care, she should make sure that all maternity wards issue one of these dealies to every new grandmother in America.