Summertime and the Living is Not Too Shabby

Here you see the Kellys opening for Laredo at the Hummelstown Fair. Thanks to Dave, Bill, Brian and Scott for having us. There's some videos on YouTube of our performance as well as Laredo. The duet is a cautionary tale about trying to do a song you only think you know. Next time, Johnny, memorize the dang thing.

Father's Day was also pretty cool. Dave and Kathy hosted at their place and we ate hot dogs, hamburgers and the usual summer bounty. Thanks to them for their hospitality. Cookout potluck beats four star cloth napkin every time.

Let's see. Working back, Sunday the 13th of June we saw Phish in Hershey. It was a lot of fun, but not life-changing. I did not see God, collapse in tears of joy or max out my credit card buying every ticket on the tour. They were fun, though. They still can't write their way out of a paper bag, but man, can they operate those instruments.

The night before, June 12th, I did a solo acoustic show at the Cornerstone Coffeehouse in Camp Hill. It was something different for me, carrying two whole sets alone, with about three-quarters original songs. It was hard, but I managed to floop up every single one of them in some way, shape or form. The audience was kind, but since most of them were musicians, I was busted where I stood. Again, it was a lot of fun. Personal highlight was singing a song I wrote about Andrea and one that Mary gave me the idea for while they were there. It was a four-Kelly night. Brian, Andrea's man, was also there. He's just started playing guitar and is making great progress. Also, thanks to Ed and Grace for joining Joreen and I on Homeward Bound, and to my dear friends Rick and Irene Woodard for attending. Irene provided her V-8 vocal stylings on "Me and Bobby McGee." I've just booked another show at that venue for November 12th. It's so nice to play in a place full of sober, caffeinated non-smokers. Thanks also to TK, Mike Miller, Sandy Nork, Nancy and Bill Keener and those nice Camp Hill teenagers who were really into the music. There's pics floating around somewhere. I'll have to post them eventually.

And so we head into the summer. Joreen and the grandboys are pooling it up. Just Friends is playing a festival in Lykens tomorrow, and a wedding at Visaggio's on Saturday. As you know, we're not playing the fireworks at Hotel Hershey this year, but as the Chicago Cubs say, "Wait till next year." I'll let you know when stuff of interest comes up, and at some point I'm going to think about blocking off Greenwood Blvd. and doing a block party. That's something to get around to.

Big Weekends, Past and Future

One of the perks in being in this band is that when one of our children get married, you have a built-in band for the reception. Ten years ago, JF played Mary and John's wedding, and they're still married so we must have been good. Last Saturday Just Friends' founder and leader, Vince Patti, was the father of the groom. Nino is a hairstylist whose celebrity clients include the female vocalist of Just Friends, Joreen Kelly. Autumn Patti (nee Miles) is a chef and caterer who teaches in the culinary department at HACC, which was the location of the wedding reception. You can guess where this is going, can't you?

If I told you in detail what made that meal one of the best I've ever had, this post would be too long. The staff at HACC really stepped up and created a dining experience to rival any country club or banquet facility we've played, and we've played a lot.

John Wilson is still recovering from knee surgery, so Craig Rankin stepped up again and held down the beat. The "first dances" or what we call the obligatos were a trio of sweet ballads: Unforgettable, with Joreen and I doing the Natalie/Nat Cole thing and Vince playing a nice third part on the sax; Just The Way You Look Tonight, a nice song with a nasty bridge that we finally got right; and Blessed, a minor hit for Elton John with a pretty melody and some unique changes. Learning and performing songs like that is what sets our band apart from the rest. Every challenge just sharpens our skills and broadens our repertoire. Sorry to brag a little, but when a musician of the caliber of Dave Kelly tells us he could have sat and listened to us for hours just doing cocktail music, we must have something here.

There's more to talk about, but I have to get to work. I'll tell you about the crazy weekend coming up after I get back from the hearings today.

Life Goes On and On

Back from Vermont and back in the saddle. Rate case in Philadelphia today, was supposed to be big and fat, ended up short and ugly. Speaking in sentence fragments; not sure why, just seems right.

One thing that is very cool right now is St. Catherine's 40 Hours. Fr. Sullivan is doing it "old school," which means that there is round-the-clock adoration between now and the closing tomorrow at 7:00. If you want to see something exquisite, make a visit to the church tomorrow. The Blessed Sacrament is in exposition and it's a beautiful sight. Better yet, attend the closing. After years of being an afterthought to the Easter Season, 40 Hours has become something special in our parish.

Sad News

Most of you already know, but Joreen's sister Jinny lost her battle with cancer, "the beast" as Jinny called it, Wednesday morning at 10:30. It was an epic battle and she went down swinging to the end. Joreen is already in Vermont. The funeral is Saturday, so Mary and I are leaving this morning to head up there.

If there's such a thing as a best friend-of-a-friend, mine is Don House. Don is a close friend of Tom Roller and I see him occasionally, most recently at the Havana Blue gig, which was really good. I've been remiss in blogging, but you already know that.

Don lost his lovely wife Marilyn suddenly some years ago. She was a sweetheart and her illness and death came out of nowhere. Once in a conversation with Don he just came up with this statement: Love your people, and tell them you love them. It's simple and profound and it always comes to mind at a time like this.

Since December 2009 Jinny kept a blog on caringbridge.org. You have to sign in to post comments but I believe you can just read it. CaringBridge is a pretty amazing thing as you can see, providing websites to link friends and families of those fighting cancer. You can read the story of Jinny's journey as a "warrior poet" there. Here is a link to her first entry, page 1 of 8:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jinnyallison/journal/8

I never knew Jinny was such a good writer, but I'm not surprised. It runs in the family. I'm still running across essays and articles that my mother-in-law wrote.

Jinny included this essay in her first entry, which today I think is worth quoting in its entirety.

"Hope is a state of mind, not of the world....Either we have hope or we don't; it is a dimension of the soul, and it's not essentially dependent on some particular observation of the world or estimate of the situation.

"Hope is not prognostication. It is an orientation of the spirit, and orientation of the heart; it transcends the world that is immediately experienced, and is anchored somewhere beyond its horizon.

"Hope, in this deep and powerful sense, is not the same as joy that things are going well, or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously heading for success, but rather an ability to work for something because it is good, not just because it stands a chance to succeed. The more propitious the situation in which we demonstrate hope, the deeper the hope is.

"Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out."

Vaclav Havel, writer, dramatist, politician
Last President of Czechoslovakia
First President of the Czech Republic
Cancer Survivor

Pretty intense, Vaclav. I hope you're right about all that. Thanks for the quote, Jinny, and for the good times we had together over the years. I hope to see you again.

Time Keeps On Slipping Into The Future...

... and some of us are slipping in real time. I made an appointment for a physical back at the beginning of the year. I knew it was for March but couldn't find the envelope/Post-It/newspaper I wrote the date on. Meanwhile, the doctor's office made the usual "hey dummy" reminder call on my home phone number, which I have all but stopped paying attention to thanks to that rat bastard Unavailable. (Until he tells me his name, I'm "unavailable" too.) Bottom line, the physical was supposed to be today, but they were kind enough to reschedule for three weeks from now. It might look like I'm stalling because my spider sense tells me what the doctor is going to have me do, but I'm not. I know it's important and there's no more putting it off. I'll keep you informed. Maybe I'll use that new networking service for all things digestive. I think it rhymes with Twitter.

Enough goofiness. I went out to see David, Bill, Brian and Scott at the Winner's Circle Thursday night. Thanks to the impending weather which never did anything but impend, the room was empty except for a few hardy souls. Laredo is sounding really good and their new material is very impressive. Personal favorite, "Sara Smile." Very sweet. These guys are great and getting better all the time. I get a kick out of Lonesome Cowboy Brian, too.

Friday, Joreen and I went over to Ed and Grace's house and hung out, ate Grace's outstanding guacamole and sang harmony (not while we were eating, of course.) It's nice to get together with folks and entertain ourselves, for cheap. Joreen and I are going with a classic fast for Lent, which is why the international flags at the brewery are all at half mast, but we had fun nevertheless. They've got the playpen and baby seat in the living like the rocking grandparents they are.

Sunday, I played with Hemlock Hollow from 3:00 to 5:00 at the HMAC. For the second time recently, I was there in the daytime and all the nice stuff I said about it in the last post still applies. I played bass and sang with Chris and Roger. Highlights were Roger tossing "Ophelia" and "Wall of Death" over his shoulder. I caught 'em both. (The Band and Richard Thompson, respectively.) During the set break, I played some of the new tunes I talked about last post and they went over well. I'm looking forward to branching out and doing some new things musically in the coming months and years, and this feels like a shove in the right direction. It's also nice to have a live bass in my hands again. Chris was also prepared with grandbaby pics for Joreen to dig. It's a grandma thing. Thanks to the Wilkinsons for letting me sit in and try to replace the irreplaceable Mike Miller (Wassup, Mike!). The HMAC is attempting to get an acoustic thing going on Sunday afternoons. If you're interested, do the Facebook thing and follow along.

Finally, Just Friends is playing what is becoming unfortunately one of our rare local appearances Friday at the Verhovay. We're still adjusting to shifting circumstances here and doing the best we can. Frankly, I get discouraged sometimes -- until we show up for rehearsal and kick off a song. Then it's All Good. "When this world turns its back on you, hang in and do that sweet thing you do -- you just roll with it, baby." If you're not doing anything Friday -- hell, cancel whatever else you're doing Friday and come dance with Just Friends. And as always, thank you for your support.

Happy Valentine's Day

Let's try to summarize the last two weeks, which seem to have gone by in a blur. Sunday, Jan. 31st, Hemlock Hollow held their CD release party at the Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center. It was very successful, attended by many of the folks we've seen at Roger's house: Tom Cook, Jefferson Pepper and his wife Lauri (who will see this entry because they have a Google Alert set for Jeff's name -- hey, Jeff and Lauri!), Craig and Cari Longyear, Dave Kluz, and some other HollowHeads who I know by sight but not by name.

I've talked about this venue before. It's a different looking place in the daytime, but still cool. Mike Banks ran sound, I sang some harmony on a few tunes, and it was a nice Sunday afternoon. I am the proud owner of an autographed Hemlock Hollow CD, and it's pretty sweet. The tune selection is representative of the band's show, mixing traditional, acousticized pop songs and originals by Roger, all presented with pristine sound. Jeff Meglio did a great job on the recording. Roger is in great form vocally and the studio recording showcases how good he's singing. Mike Miller's harmonies, Chris Wilkinson's mandolin and the guest artists are all first rate.

Roger told me today that they will be at the HMAC the last Sunday afternoon of each month. March 28th I will be sitting in for Mike Miller on bass, and maybe doing a few songs of my own.

Speaking of my own songs, there must be something in the water. In the last three weeks I've written five songs, the latest being a reggae tune that just popped up yesterday afternoon. I'm shaking my head, and digging it big time. My little brother David just got the drywall for his basement studio. Watch this space for announcement of my own CD release party.

Speaking of something in the water, some of my close friends became grandparents this weekend. Grace McGovern's daughter Maggie had a daughter, Maria Grace; Roger's son Andrew had a son, Henry Thomas. Everyone's doing fine. Look for an uptick in the sale of digital cameras and picture frames in the area this month.

Speaking of my little brother Dave, his new band Laredo debuted at the Carlisle Moose last night, with my other little brother Bill on bass. Bill has a new bass and new boots and is doing a great job on harmonies. Brian Juran has stepped out from behind the sound board for the first time in 25 years (!) to play and sing, and apparently it is like riding a bicycle. The drummer Scott Powell is solid and sounds great, and of course David is picking and grinning and keeping the crowd happy like he always does. They sounded better than any band has a right to on their first gig, and they've got the firepower to really light it up. Check out their schedule. Maybe Dave will have you get up and play "Keep Your Hands To Yourself." (Thanks for the guest spot, little brother.)

Since today is Valentine's Day, I made the traditional heart-shaped Rice Krispies Marshmallow* Treats which I blogged about before here. The aforementioned reggae tune, specifically in the "lovers rock" style, was the rest of my Valentine's Day gift to my first wife, my girlfriend and my muse, the amazing Mrs. Kelly. She got me a silicone rolling pin, which may sound strange, but I used it to bake bread this morning and it really did make rolling out the dough easier. I had a nice rolling pin that went missing some time ago, and this is a great replacement. Ain't love grand?

Finally, we have a new administrator at St. Catherine's. Fr. Neil Sullivan, who was assigned here about five years ago, has been assigned to replace Fr. David Hereshko, recently reassigned to Abbotstown. Fr. Sullivan is a gifted preacher, an expert in liturgy, a musician and a real man of God. He's very happy to be here, and the feeling is mutual. He spoke at all the Masses and did a fine job of getting everybody fired up about the upcoming Lenten season. God bless him and us as, in Fr. Sullivan's words, "the adventure begins."

(*Edited this morning to correct spelling. Joreen is not only my muse but my spellchecker as well. What a multi-tasking babe!)

The Good Stuff

If you go out to listen to music, no matter how skilled the player or how good the sound, it seems like there's distractions you have to zen through, things like people talking, and other people talking, and the people next to them talking. The better the performer, the more annoying this becomes. The problem is that there is no unity of intent in the audience. I intend to listen carefully and enjoy the song. The couple next to me intends to entertain each other and ignore the music, no matter how fine.

There are moments, all too rare, when this problem goes away and you have the convergence of a great performer, a quiet room, and an audience who values the music over conversation. Friday night was a perfect example.

You've never heard of Joe Crookston until now. He's a gifted songwriter, engaging storyteller, off-the-hook guitarist and, between sets, a great guy to hang with. Bill Nork introduced me to his music. Bill and Joe Milsom aka Robert Bobby met Joe Crookston at NERFA, sort of a Millennium Conference for folk singers, and maintained contact over the years.

Mr. and Mrs. Bobby graciously opened their basement for a house concert featuring Joe Crookston. All basements are not created equal. Mine is filled with crap. Theirs is a first-rate venue for acoustic music. Around 25 people sat facing a small, well-lit stage, with acoustics so good that Joe didn't even plug in.

After introducing himself, Joe played a beautiful song about why we were together, what we could expect, sort of an opening hymn whose theme was, "We have all we need here." That song, and the encore, a deeply moving song about Michelangelo's David, bookended the best concert of 2010 so far and one that will be hard to top. Neither of those songs are recorded yet, but hopefully that will be remedied on Joe's next album.

For the second set, Joe invited Mr. Bobby and Bill Nork to sit in on a Robert Bobby song, "Sweet Potato Vine."



Bill stayed up to play a few more songs with Joe Crookston, including "Red Rooster in the Mash Pile."




I'm an old Peter, Paul and Maryite, so for me "folk music" comes pre-loaded with some expectations. Joe Crookston meets and exceeds all of them. Folk music to me implies stories of real life, taking actual events and true stories and presenting them in such a way that they become universal. When every head in the audience nods in recognition and agreement at a line, you know you're getting it right. When a performer makes this process look effortless and natural, you can bet there's tons of back-breaking work that went into it. Go to Joe's website and look at his schedule, and imagine keeping that pace for a while.

Again, thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Bobby for their hospitality, and to the audience for zipping their lips. Jefferson Pepper, seated next to me, did sing a little harmony now and then, but he did it quietly and perfectly in pitch, so that was cool. Karen Gray (hey, girlfriend!) was in discussions with Mr. Bobby about doing a one-woman show there. If and when that happens, it will be a tough ticket, so talk to Ms. Gray about that deal.

Check the news on Robert Bobby's site for a reunion of The Speedboys in Lancaster on May 22nd. Unless you just signed a contract to play somewhere else (#%$#*!), mark your calendars and don't miss it.

It's been an amazing musical week. Two new songs showed up on my doorstep and were debuted at the Midtown Arts Center open mic on Wednesday, and then last night I experienced once again the beauty and power that can be created with "Hands, Metal and Wood." In the words of the prophet Zappa, "Music is the best."

And In Other Muse...

I'm walking around feeling pretty smug about writing two little ditties this week. Joreen sits down at the piano and plays this four part choral piece that she's been wrestling with for at least two years, and it finally came together. It is exquisite, and it's going to sound even better when a choir sings it. There's something going on around here, and I don't know what brought it on, but I hope it sticks around for a while.

Maybe I should write a song about sump pumps, and how important it is to have a backup source of power for them so you don't have to go to Lowe's and buy a battery powered aquarium pump and try to move five gallon buckets of water all morning. Now, that's a hit record.

Be Vewy Qwiet. I'm Hunting Lywics.

The recurring image that comes to my mind about songwriting is that of Elmer Fudd hunting wabbits, when Bugs Bunny is tip-toeing right behind him. Songwriting can be the most frustrating activity in the world and the most rewarding, almost all at once. Case in point: I've been carrying around a fragment, two lines -- two really, really good lines -- for about 20 years. Last night, on the way to the store, the rest of a song just marched up and said, "Okay, Doc, ya got me." Then there's that interesting time between the creative flash and when you can get somewhere to write it down. A few minutes at the laptop, a few simple chords and viola! Bonus: today while tearing down my equipment after a hearing, a second verse started materializing. I think it's done, and I'm pretty happy with it.

I think going to the open mic at the midtown arts center might be helping get stuff moving for me. I've been threatening to "work on my solo album" for a long time. This being The Year Of Getting Around To Things, I guess it's time. The material is all over the place stylistically, but we'll see what happens. I do know this new tune is going to be in there.

Fly, Eagles, Fly

Just Friends made some new friends last night at the Carlisle Eagles. The club is spacious and the crowd is friendly and ready to dance. The usual "first-date" jitters gave way to a pretty good time, and before you know it the set list was out the window as "Proud Mary," "Saw Her Standing There/Slow Down," "For The Good Times" and other tunes just showed up. We had great feedback (from the people, not the amps, thanks to our ace sound engineer, Brian Juran) and we are confident we'll be back. Earl the doorman said, "You sound good and you're not too loud." I tried to be helpful and volunteered to play louder next time.

To those of you who are new to the band, hearing us for the first time or for the first time in a while, we appreciate your compliments and encouragement. The band is working hard in somewhat hard times to find venues and keep people dancing, which we see as a public service. People work hard and they deserve to relax, move around the dance floor and smile for a while. That's our mission.

If you frequent clubs or venues that have live music, mention us to the management. If you get any response from them, please let us know. We're more ready to play than we've ever been. As always, thanks for your friendship and support.

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.)

Best. Leftovers. Ever.

For those of you in the Pampered Chef cult, you may be familiar with the Deep Dish Baker, that ceramic thing that makes a whole chicken in the microwave in a half-hour. Joreen used one of the recipes that came with it, and served it with some misgivings. "It's either going to be good or not." The recipe is this:

Mix one can of whole berry cranberries with a can of cream of mushroom soup and one packet of onion soup mix. Pour over top of chicken in baker. Cover with lid, place in oven, bake for 1.5 hours at 425.

The little Purdue chicken came out as moist as could be, and the drippings left behind were delicious as a sauce. The best, though, was the leftovers tonight, chopped up chicken in the drippings (which thickened up nicely overnight in the refrigerator). Served over mashed potatoes with homemade bread. The blend of sweet and savory flavors was outstanding. It was one of the best things I ever tasted. No, there's no photo. I ate it all. Make your own and you can see what it looks like then. Next time, I'm going to make waffles to go with it.

We're getting psyched up for the Verhovay Friday. Hope to see all our friends there.

Joreen's Choice For Dinner Tonight

We've been married too long. She said at lunch, "What do you want to do for dinner tonight?" I said, "Oh, all right, I'll take you to the Farm Show." That's where we're headed. It's actually one of our favorite restaurants and it's only open one week a year. I'm not thrilled about paying $10 to park, I can tell you. We might see if we can scam a free spot on Cameron Street and "stick it to the man."

I've been quiet on the blog, but one fun thing happened recently. I went down to the open mic at Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center and played some of my original tunes to a pretty large and very receptive crowd. I had mostly given up on the open mic experience, finding it not too satisfying, but this has a lot going for it. Mike Banks is a very experienced host and really keeps things moving. The stage is beautiful, very tastefully lit. The sound is really good (as long as you're playing acoustic). The audience is more than just people coming to play and there's talking, but there's listening as well.

Some years ago, Joreen bought me a Boss loop station pedal and for some reason I couldn't wrap my brain around its operation, put it away and said, "I'll get to learning it someday." I've declared 2010 The Year Of Getting Around To Things, and that's one I can cross off. In fact I don't know why I had such a hard time of it earlier. It's pretty simple once you get the hang of synching up the loop. I used it on stage and didn't have any train wrecks at all.

For you Facebookers, the open mic page is here. I don't know if this link will go right to Facebook for you or not.

Anyway, Joreen will be here soon. Better get ready to get in the potato donuts line. Mmmmmmmm.......potato donuts.............

Business/Pleasure to End 2009

I have an assignment to cover hearings in Easton on New Year's Eve. Joreen and I have turned it into a mini-vacation. This evening we are in Bethlehem, having enjoyed a great meal at the Bethlehem Brew Works. Joreen had bratwurst, purple cabbage and German potato salad. She was kind of moaning at the table, but it was crowded so no one seemed to mind. I had the Thai potstickers and they were outstanding. Add in several different Belgians, and you've got a very nice evening out.

Tomorrow I'll go do the hearing, then come back to watch the Peep drop. If you're stuck in the burg and looking for fun, I can recommend Leghorn at the Winners Circle or Havana Blue at Suba. Both of them will do you fine.

Looking ahead, January 15th will be Just Friends' first gig of 2o1o at the Verhovay. Mark your calendars and make an effort. I promise we're going to show you how it's done. This year will be the year of the Kelly Brothers, with all four of us in working bands: Bill and Dave in Laredo, Steve in Element 22, and your humble blogger in Just Friends. This is gonna be great! Happy New Year to you all.

Christmas Tree, Already.

Compared to past years, we're ahead of schedule on the tree. For the past several years we've gone to the Colonial Park Fire Company tree sale, and I can see why people don't wait until the last minute. It was pretty easy to find a fine little tree. We wanted a smaller one this year, and it's nice and straight and fresh. We even remembered the tree bag.

After 30-plus years, the ornaments become their own narrative, reminders of times, vacations, people who gave the decorations as gifts, a time-travel experience of sorts -- the seashell angel from last year's trip to Cape Cod, the cowboy from San Antonio, the Richard Nixon elf from my very first Christmas on my own that I bought at Murphy's downtown, along with the two we call "Overture to a Holiday in Berlin." The ornaments fight for placement on the little tree like minor league ballplayers trying to make the big time. Joreen announced just now the tree is done. She's right.

It's Beginning to Smell A Little Like Christmas

I'm off to a later start than usual, but the first batch is done. I began this post earlier this evening, then got distracted and had to go play at the Hershey Country Club. It was a blast. But meanwhile, here's a look at the cookie making gear.



You notice the recipe propped up behind the irons. It's got a date of 12/90, which means I've been baking these fershlugginer things for 20 years now. And the worst part is, I never get tired of them. Especially with espresso. Oh, baby.

I started to get into the Christmas spirit tonight, listening to the Bruce Cockburn Christmas album. It's one of my all-time favorites. I bought it as a cutout years ago and don't know if it's still available. If you're interested, let me know and I can let you, uh, borrow it. Yeah, that's it.

Getting Ready to Begin to Get Ready

Cleared the decks in the pizzelle production corner of the kitchen. Bought mass quantities of sugar, flour, eggs and butter. Got out the Christmas CDs. The first one this year, breaking with tradition, wasn't the Joe Pass disc I got for cheap at a drug store years ago and which always kicks off the season for me. I'm listening to a disc given to me by Cheryl Haviland, who passed away this year. It's a mystery disc, from a catalogue company called Figi's. The musicians aren't credited. It's pure smooth jazz, not my usual thing, but the arrangements are unique and beautiful and the playing is first rate.

For those of you who are family and follow this blog, I'd like to have you over the day after Christmas, Saturday, in the afternoon. I'll be calling you about it, but this is just a heads-up.

Butter's cooled down. Time to start mixing dough. Tomorrow the house will smell like Christmas.

What Aren't You Doing New Year's Eve?

Maybe you've noticed that there hasn't been a lot of marketing going on here for Just Friends New Year's Eve gig. There's a reason for that: we don't have one. Despite our best efforts, the perfect storm of a stinky economy and further fallout from the turmoil the band went through this summer has boiled down to our first night off on 12/31 since 1997. We're bummed, but unbowed. Wait till next year.

To all our fans, especially those who've called in the last few days asking where we were playing, we'd like to say we appreciate your interest. Keep next year open. We won't let this happen again. In the meantime, there's this really cool band called Leghorn playing at the Winner's Circle. Maybe we'll see you there.

A. Thanksgiving, Turkey!

The above title is the answer to two questions:

1. What did Ed McGovern throw at Thanksgiving Darts?



2. What's the best holiday of the whole year?



Thanksgiving Darts was a huge success on all fronts, unless you want to talk about my scores. I'm still eating leftover Mexican meat, cheese, hot dogs, and mustard dip, and that's in between leftover turkey, filling, mashed potatoes and corn. Somebody just cut a hole in the side of the house, will ya?

Thursday, we had a repeat of last year. Andie, Brian and Theo came up early and had brunch with Joreen and I, and then we switched gears and had Mary, John and the boys for dinner in the evening. Yes, it's a little unorthodox, but it works out best for everybody. I'm just thankful that we get to see each other at all. My daughters are the best, and I don't care who knows it. The above-pictured turkey gave Joreen a bit of trouble due to some defrosting issues in the drumsticks, but we fixed that up, and the meal overall was great. My compliments to the chef.

Friday evening, Just Friends played a surprise birthday party for Susan DiSanto at the Colonial Golf and Tennis Club. Thanks to the DiSanto family for contacting us and allowing us to be part of the celebration. Special thanks to Susan's daughter Lexi for requesting that we learn "Wake Up, Little Susie." Joreen and I haven't sang that since the days of the Cards, back when a cell phone was what a convict used to call his lawyer and a hard drive was Route 322 when Penn State had a home game. The DiSanto family are very supportive and appreciative of the band, and we are grateful for that.

A highlight of the night for me was seeing Mr. Frank DiNatale up and grooving on the dance floor. Mr. DiNatale may have blown his knees out years ago playing handball at the YMCA, but he was still up and dancing, and I was impressed.

On Saturday, Just Friends played another Thanksgiving weekend wedding. This makes about four or five in a row, I believe. Sara and Terry Faust are the first and second best looking people in this picture:



The reception was at the Lebanon Valley Country Club, and at the bride's request the band played "All You Need Is Love" during their introductions. Their first dance was "You're My Everything," a beautiful ballad sung by Nat King Cole that none of the band had ever heard before, and I thought we've heard everything. Thanks to Sara for expanding our repertoire, and for being so great to work with. This was the third wedding we've done since 2005 for the Haverstick extended family, and you know what that means: "Ring of Fire!"

At the end of the night, one of the groom's friends gave us a little grief for not doing enough "classic rawk." This inspired the Hotel California -> Not Fade Away -> Your Mama Don't Dance -> Mony, Mony/Wipe Out/Born to be Wild medley. That was fun. I was getting some tone. And now, back to work.

"...Forever Has Now Begun...."

Just Friends had the pleasure of playing a wedding reception at Visaggio's on Saturday for Floyd and Amy, and it was one of the most enjoyable gigs we've ever done. This is where the shades of meaning between "work" and "play" get blurred in a good way. The bride and groom are wonderful people, and a joy to work with. The guests were from all over the country, and we had many compliments, which we really appreciate.

I've said it before. "Wedding band" gets used as a put-down by some musicians of other musicians, but if you have a group of players with the necessary experience, an open mind and the right attitude, playing a wedding can be a musical adventure of the best kind. 'NSYNC, Elton John, John Denver, Frank Sinatra, Abba, Louis Jordan, Louis Prima, and Sam the Sham all stirred up and served to a floor full of smiling dancers -- that's my idea of a good time.


Floyd and Amy and I are now Facebook friends, and we hope to stay in touch. Thanks again to them and their family for a great time, and a shout-out to Visaggio's for their hospitality. The food was so good I didn't even mind too much that it wasn't a club sandwich. (Mmmmm..... clubs.......)

Tonight of course is Thanksgiving Darts. Hopefully there'll be another Thanksgiving turkey like Greg Gerstner's last year. Tomorrow is a day full of plates full, my favorite holiday. Friday, we have a surprise party to play, don't tell anyone. Saturday, another wedding reception in Lebanon for another really nice bride.

Life is good. So much to be thankful for. Not everyone is having such an easy time of it. Some of our friends have had a rough year and are even now going through tough times. This is a good time to remember them, pray for them, and stay grateful for all the gifts we've been given.