At Last, My Gig Has Come Along

Last night, after what seemed like a lot longer than 33 days, Just Friends was set up, turned on and ready to play for a very packed Verhovay. The band was pumped and came out of the gate roaring. We had a great time. Many of the regular readers of this blog were there: Kathy Patti, Tina Wallish, Reita Wilson, Sharon Evans (the complete Band Wives Club!); some of John the drummer's family, including the brother who introduced him to the band; my little brothers Dave and Bill and sisters-in-law Kathy and Ginny; Ed and Grace McGovern, Karen Gray and Mike Dougan, Cari Longyear, Tom and Bob Roller, Mike Knarr, my daughter Mary and her friend Monica, and probably a few others that my guitar-player brain is forgetting. My apologies if you're one of them. *

Besides three members of the newly formed band Laredo (Dave, Bill and Brian Juran), two members of Jury of Five were present, Mark Sigouin (sp?) and Al Condit. It's always great when fellow musicians are in the audience; it makes me sit up a little straighter and try just a little harder not to clam. We saw many familiar faces at the club and many new ones, and we were very gratified at the positive response to the show.

Special mention goes to two of our long-time fans and friends of Just Friends, Tom and Betty Kresge. They have been following us and supporting live music in general in this area for as long as I've been in the band, and if this area had a thousand more folks like them, central PA would be a paradise for live bands.

Tom has been battling a serious illness recently. As we were setting up, I thought of the Kresges and called Mike and Dottie Miller to get Tom's number, just to let him know we'd miss him. I was pleasantly surprised to hear the Kresges would probably be there, and sure enough there they were at their usual table. As I told Tom, he looks to be in pretty good shape for the shape he's in. Everyone was glad to see him up on the dance floor, along with his wife, who as you know dances like a wild woman but is just as sweet and gracious as her husband. Tom is a real gentleman, and we hope to see him and Betty at our gigs for a long time to come, starting with March 6th when we return to the Verhovay.

There might be some folks around who think this band is not as good as it used to be. That opinion wasn't shared by anyone in the club last night. All we have to do now is rebuild and expand our list of venues. This is going to be a great year for the band, and we hope to see old friends and make new ones as we go along. Watch for some surprises. Do us a favor if you were there, and tell your friends. Befriend us on Facebook, check the website, and if you know any brides-to-be, tell them about us. I don't want to sound needy, but we're excited to be playing and want to do it as much as possible. Fortunately we don't have to wait long. Tonight we're at the Carlisle Eagles, a new venue and a new chance to make a first impression. I wish it was eight o'clock already.

(* I just remembered that Mike Liddick was there. Mike is a veteran of the Harrisburg music scene as a member of the Sounds of Gold and many other bands, including Just Friends. Sorry, Mike. Glad you could make it.)