DECEMBER 2001 JANUARY 2002 NEWSLETTER

Things seem louder

So, to once more paraphrase Led Zeppelin, it's been a long time since I rocked and wrote (da duh . . .da duh, da duh). We should begin I suppose with a little "housecleaning" item, as it were. As of January 7th, I began interferon treatment to combat the Hepatitis C virus. It's a year-long treatment with multiple interesting side effects and, hopefully, I'll be virus free by 2003. The reason I bring it up is so that you won't have to quote the LOST AND FOUND song "Heard" and say how surprised you are to see me up out of bed. What this means for you, then, is two basic things: 1) don't expect to see me before noon. 2) if you thought I was cranky before, you ain't seen nothing yet.


And now, on to the narrative . . .

Sew far, sew good

December and January actually began back in November. That was the month that found us finishing off by filming a little video spot at the Billy Graham Offices in The Metroplex. As you might've guessed, Rev. Graham wasn't actually behind that door Michael's knocking on. However, we did get to sit in his office furniture and look at his framed photos. From there, we set up the stuff for the Third Annual LOST AND FOUND Christmas Tour. (Should that all be hyphenated?) We were once again pleased to have with us the Fitz Family and Famous Actor Justin Vetrano of Richard Phaemos. The first night began with another show in The Metroplex, more specifically Eden Prairie. Things were thrown, words were spoken, and songs were sung. Great time having been had, we packed it all up and headed east, toward Liechtenstein.


The next show was in Roselle, Illinois. On the way there, we had serious van trouble. However, the kind folks at Trinity Church were able to hook us up with a local who borrowed us a truck while our van was repaired. (I know that should be "lent," but I'm telling about Advent, and it just didn't seem appropriate.) Anyway, Roselle rocked, in spite of the hyper transition from worship service to Third Annual LOST AND FOUND Christmas Tour. From there, we headed east, toward Liechtenstein.


The next show was in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Folks turned out to fill the room and we had a blast. Afterwards, we loaded everything into the borrowed box truck and headed east, toward Liechtenstein. Had a few days off. The next show was in Troy, Michigan. Though turnout was lighter than The First Annual LOST AND FOUND Christmas Tour, folks were enthusiastic and we love doing the show in that room. (And yes, I'm aware that "First Annual" is incorrect usage, but it's Christmas time, so a little slack from Ralph Dorre is appreciated.) After the Troy show, we headed south, toward Belize. The next show was a tour highlight, with over 900 people packed into the church in Cincinnati, Ohio. So many folks turned out that we had to forgo the unicycle beginning. But, you know, one adapts, right? A couple of fellows from the host church got all dolled up for the occasion in the Advent dresses. Oh, wait, maybe they were Slide Girl dresses.


After Cincinnati, we headed south, toward Belize. The next show was in Atlanta, where we played in a delightful church, created out of an old Lowe's store. (East Asheville Hardware's revenge is subtle yet sure.) Had an expectedly great time, and headed north, toward Saskatchewan. The final show was near Chattanooga, Tennessee, where we had a great grand finale to the Third Annual LOST AND FOUND Christmas Tour, replete with juggling, acting, and our vain attempts at leading Christmas carols. From there, Michael, Famous Actor Justin Vetrano of Richard Phaemos, and I headed home, while the Fitz Family headed east, to Europe. The Christmas tour was supposed to finish up with three nights in Germany, hosted by our long-time pal Christian Utpatel. However, due to circumstances beyond our control we had to cancel those dates. The Fitz Family reports having a great time in our stead, and we're inclined to believe them.

Shhh! To Disneyworld, and beyond!

After that, Michael and I flew to San Diego for a secret gig that I'm not supposed to tell you about, so I won't. Then we headed home for a long winter's nap. Next up, my family and I headed for Disneyworld. Wow. Turns out, Disneyworld is really fun (and really cheap, provided your parents spend their winters working there). On the flight home, another child gave Eleanor some play dough and she wiled away the hours making creations. Cleaning up was a different matter, and took no small amount of what my grandmother calls "elbow grease." Then, after returning home, I did my best recreation of Gomez Adams' train display. Michael sent presents for the children, and Lily enjoyed the special Toxic Ball of Fun, which no doubt came from our hometown of Niagara Falls, New York.

Choo Choo, ba-BAM! Keep it away from your eyes!

It's beginning to look a lot like Buffalo

After Christmas, my family and I traveled to western New York to visit family. While there, we experienced one of the largest snowfalls ever to hit Buffalo, and we were trapped. Fortunately, someone thought of making Canada as a respite from snow, and we were able to flee across the border, making me only 8 and a half hours late for our gig in Lansing, Michigan. Owing to the trappage, I did not have my camera with me, so Lansing is noticeably absent from the Photo Phrenzy. However, we had a great time while in Lansing, and our dear friend Reed presented us with sculptures he'd created for each of us. Mine is a virus killer, and aptly sits in my little medical shrine. After Lansing, we returned to Toledo where I finally had the chance to play in my own town! The folks who had us in called their event A Band in Your Comfort Zone. We foolishly imagined they meant us, but then realized that the first word was actually "Abandon." Still, we had a great time, and headed back home.


A few days later, we found ourselves back in The Metroplex for a concert. We arrived a day early for some filming. The folks at Augsburg-Fortress Publishing had the frightening idea to use us in a video. We were happy to comply, but good luck to them, right? After the filming, we headed out to Oakdale (part of The Metroplex) to play for a large group of folks gathered together. We were fortunate to have our friends Trace play some songs prior to our set. And I was even fortunater to sit in with them on one tune (which is how I got these close-up photos of the band). The next day, Michael and I flew to Seattle, which you'll recall is in the Intermittent Wiper State. In The morning we found our way to Trinity College in Issaquah. The folks had kindly invited us to play at chapel, which we did, and had a fine time—thank you very much.


That evening, we settled in at Youth Encounter's Seattle Congress. Had a great time, and got to hang out with our friend Celia Whitler. Sunday night, we returned to Kent, where we played for a huge group of folks whom we appreciated for having come out to join us. Had a great concert, and then we headed back to the hotel for a brief sleep, followed by plane flights back home. Two days later, Michael drove from the Metroplex to my house, from whence I drove us to New York. That drive was about 610 miles on interstate 80. Then, in the last six miles we took the GW Bridge, to the Cross-Bronx, to Major Degan, to the Triboro Bridge, to the Grand Central Parkway, to the BQE, to the LIE, to our exit. What could be simpler? We hooked up with our friend JD Struckman, who hosted the concert. Originally, we were to play in Queens on September 11th. We were happy to be able to return. Among the attendees were my brother and his family, which made me particularly nervous, but don't tell them I said so, okay?


The next day was spent wandering around New York, mainly around the World Financial Center. Let me just say, whoa.

Warsaw Women

From there, we drove north toward Saskatchewan to Western New York, and played in Hamburg, New York, which means Buffalo to you and me. A fine crowd turned out, including some young ladies from Warsaw, who got all dolled up for the occasion. Michael's parents were in attendance, which made him particularly nervous, but don't tell him I said so, okay? From there it was south, toward Northeast, finally arriving in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, where it snowed heartily. Yikes. The snow kept some folks at home, but those who did brave the elements seemed to have a good time. The next night, we played near Rochester, New York. A ginormous crowd of folks packed in, and we had a great night. It was truly a favorite for us. The set list was varied, including my approval of the ancient song "Call Me." And then, Michael went to visit his parents and I drove through the night to arrive home before dawn. Not that Mrs. Rundman was coming to our house; I just mean before the sun rose.

She PAINTED that!

After a few days off, I picked up Michael in Chicago and we headed north toward Moose Jaw to play a concert in Lodi (as in "lift your name on high"), which is in Wisconsin. A beautiful room and a beautiful crowd of folks, including an amazing artiste. Afterward, we drove to Milwaukee so that in the morning we could play a short gig for the students at Martin Luther high School. An interesting moment for me was during "Saskatchewan," when Michael rhymed "hockey" with "Milwaukee." That afternoon we drove south toward Belize to Chicago in order to participate in Youth Encounter's Chicago Quake. Had an exceptionally grand time, meeting no fewer than four young ladies who would each turn 14 on the following Monday. Coincidence? Maybe.


Sunday night, we played for the third time in Ottawa, Ohio, which is where all the major bands stop on their national tours. This night was indeed a fine fun time. We offered up the premiere of our song "Do Not Be Afraid," along with filling unusual requests like "Cost," and "Multiply." This is a fun recording, if you're looking to get one of the Live Bootleg Cd's.


After that, we drove back to my house, Michael flew home, and we rested up before February, a month in the calendar. If you'd like to see the photos from the keyboard area, you can click on the Photo Phrenzy. If you'd like to get back to reading your e-mail, click the X up in the corner of this page. For Live Bootleg Albums, visit the Stuff To Buy section. Also, the good people of Electric Pulp have reworked the search feature of the front page, so you might want to take that for a spin at your leisure. And speaking of leisure . . .


Later,


george

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