Grovel Post

So I've been living on a disability check (about 60% of my former meager paycheck) for over 4 years now. I've downsized, culled, sold, given away. I no longer have a storage unit. Everything I own fits into this one bedroom apartment. I used to buy a dozen fresh bagels a week, with cream cheese. I switched to store bought bagels and butter. Now it's sliced wheat bread. I don't go to movies, I have no premium cable packages. I haven't paid for any organic meds in over a year. If you see me at a show, trust me, I did not pay to get in. I rarely drink alcohol anymore. It's cold in this apartment in the winter, and I am bundled up. The heat rarely gets turned on. Some weeks I only start my van up once for a trip into town. I shop at Grocery Outlet. Next I'll be going to Redwood Empire Food Bank.

I have very little left to sell. I peruse on-line selling emporiums to check on the demand for similar items to what I own, and there are very few bids, if any, on them. I have no savings left. I've applied for jobs, I've worked for neighbors a bit here, a bit there. My father used to kick down for me once in a while, but he has little left to give now.

I was without health coverage for about 2.5 years before my MediCare finally kicked in, only to find out that it doesn't cover everything. I have been living as frugally as I can, and look for more ways to cut expenses, yet I find myself in over $3000 of debt. Medical bills mostly, but I am also late on my rent payment each month and am behind in my PGnE bill as well. I also need new glasses as my vision is deteriorating and it's difficult to read this screen most of the time, and we all know how much glasses cost.

I see organizations and web sites such as Sweet Relief, but I do not meet their qualifications. With dwindling options and resources, I turn to my community of friends, musicians and baseball associates. If you can spare anything- $10, $5 or even $1, please click on this button which leads to my PayPal account which I created when I started selling my 'stough' on eBay. Any donation over $10 will receive complimentary invitations to attend any show in which my band plays. I will be grateful to the end of my days.

Thank you for reading this.

Health Update

I have not been writing much since I moved to the Russian River area 3.5 years ago. The 3 main reasons for that are that my eyesight is deteriorating and I don't have money for new glasses (not covered by Medicare TYVM), I can't bear to sit still for very long, and my fingers do get numb on occasion. I am still having a very hard time prioritizing. My 'household administrative chores' as I like to call them, which includes paying bills, usually takes a back seat to yard work or playing drums.

Originally diagnosed as Parkinson's Disease, this affliction I am saddled with is now described as an undiagnosed motor disorder. Although my general physician and neurologist don't say it, I suspect the culprit might be Fibromyalgia. My sleep study doctor in 2007 and a back specialist in 2011 both stated that this mostly likely is indeed Fibromyalgia.

But disabled and doing yard work and playing drums? WT...?

I really do not like being still. I go out and do yard work, sometimes rigorous activity because I cannot stand to be still. If I perform 8 hours of rigorous yard work in 1 week, I am wasted! Same thing goes for playing drums. If I have too many rehearsals and/or shows in a short period of time, I get wasted really fast. When I say wasted, I will spend a couple of days doing next to nothing while trying to rest up.

I have constant, nearly 24/7 sharp leg pain in my thighs. If you have ever had a nasty flu, then you know what I feel like almost every day, but without the nausea. I display many of the symptoms for Fibromyalgia and Parkinson's. Because of these symptoms, I find myself sleeping/in bed for 10-12 hours every night.

OK, the complete list:

ALL THIS:
Near Drowning, age 6 (start of depression?)
Family moved when I was 12 yo (was a bad move for me, I was bullied big time in high school)
Played like a royal fool in relationships
Missing Regionals & Nationals due to untimely major water ski crash
Cocaine addiction
Homelessness
Divorce
In-laws from hell
Bankruptcy
More than 25 jobs in 23 years
Several jobs and bosses from hell
More than 25 homes in 27 years
Housemates from hell
Head on car wreck (not my fault)
0 meaningful relationships lasting >1 year

AND THIS:
Fractured collarbone (age 10)
Numerous water ski injuries (stretched ligaments, torn cartilage, destroyed ACL)
Both lungs have collapsed 2x each, resulting in surgery the 2nd time (in summer, no less. I still have the scars)
Huge shiner from getting cold-cocked resulting in optic nerve damage not discovered until very recently
Epic yard sale on 2x black diamond trail at Alpine Meadows (about .25 mile uncontrollable free fall bouncing off of huge moguls resulting in head injury)
Epic 25' flight over handlebars while mountain biking on Bolinas Ridge Trail resulting in dislocated shoulder and stretched ligaments. I still have the bump. No frequent flyer miles were received.
Fractured sternum from a head-on car wreck that was not my fault

RESULTED IN ALL THIS:
Depression
Anxiety
Tinitis
Insomnia
Sleep Apnea

Bulging Disc
Psiatica
Chronic recurring shoulder pains, easily injured

AND THIS:
Involuntary Muscle Movements (twitches, tremors, shakes, including painful leg spasms from hell)
Chronic Pain (nerve pain)
Chronic Fatigue
Essential Tremors
Blurry & Double Vision (most likely from getting cold cocked about 30 years ago)
Occasional loss of balance
Occasional unexplained nausea

It's not cancer, it's not MS, but it still sucks. Anyone wanna trade their normal health and job for a Social Security check, MediCare, MediCal, Section 8, IHSS and the blue parking card?

If Romney becomes President...

Abortion will become illegal. Watch the return of the coat hanger and back alley abortions. Women of child bearing age will die.

Cannabis will never become legal. Romney will see that every state legal medical cannabis dispensary is shut down, The war on drugs gets ramped up, more people will be thrown in jail for simple cannabis possessions, jails remain full of non-violent ‘criminals.’

Equality for gay people will never happen. Gay marriage will not be recognized.

Contraceptives will become increasingly difficult to obtain. There will be no sex education in schools. Planned Parenthood will lose its Federal funding. Teen pregnancy rates soar.

Public education funding will be gutted. The only quality education available will be in expensive private schools.

Funding for the arts will be slashed. Big Bird had better watch out.

Big oil, big tobacco, big pharma, big auto, big defense, big banks and all their cronies on Wall Street will have all regulations removed. Main Street is a ghost town.

Evolution and global warming will not be allowed to be taught in schools.

Despite declining numbers, Christianity will become the official religion.

Meaningless wars will continue to be fought in remote areas of the planet so that big defense will retain their big government contracts. Without abortions, contraception and homosexuality, Romney will have plenty of live, disenfranchised bodies to ship abroad. (Don’t forget, teen pregnancy rates will soar.)

Health insurance will become a nightmare. With policies in place to ensure profits before anything else, the CEO’s become richer, the populace becomes sicker.

Environmental protection regulations will be stripped, the EPA shut down. Corporations, free to pollute at will, do so, at will.

The Keystone pipeline becomes a reality. Within 5 years there is a massive leak. In the meantime, solar and wind energy subsidies and tax breaks are discontinued.

The rich will get richer, the rest of us will eat cake, presumably.

Please vote for Obama/Biden. If you are living in a solid blue state, please vote for Jill Stein, Green party.

Planet Waves

Challenge to Corporate CEOs of America

INVEST IN AMERICA!

Bring the jobs back home. Yes, the wages will be higher, but don't stop there. Buy up all the empty houses, condos and apartment complexes near your once bustling but now abandoned factories and surrounding areas. Renovate them, put in washing machines and new carpeting that won't rot in 2 years. Invest in alternative sources of energy for all your rental units, as this may reduce expenses for your tenants, allowing them to bank a little more, and to spend a little more, too. Maybe they'll even be able to buy the unit from you some day. Remember the American Dream that has just about all dried up? Hire back all the men and women you laid off. If necessary, garnish their wages at a reasonable rate (low % of wages, no interest) for their deposits and 1st months rent. After spending considerable time being unemployed, believe me, they'll be ecstatic to have their old jobs back! The cities and towns where your factories are located will become hustling, bustling centers of activity. If your employees are not able to come back to their old jobs, hire their sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters.

Forget about your chateau on the lake for a while and take care of your own country 1st. You are the ones with the resources to make it happen. Grass roots activism will only go so far. Your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will respect you for doing your part to making this country a better place to live for all of us, and not just yourselves. We will all enjoy life here much more with lower unemployment, lower crime rates and a happier populace.

And to all the politicos- do your part by clamping down hard on illegal immigration until all is stabilized in our country's economy. Announce to the world that such a clamp is in place and illegal immigrants will be turned away until stabilization has been achieved. Once this happens, then open the doors to legal immigration at higher rates. Make life easier for the multitudes in the middle and lower classes, instead of just the fat cats at the top who already have life easy. Do this for us, and life will still be easy for those of you on up high. Being poor or lower class does not automatically make us evil or bad.

Can you accept this challenge?

The Unsuspecting Instant

I feel it all about me, waiting for the right moment to pounce on my brain, dragging thoughts and ideas through tunnels of pain. Dragging, they become unrecognizable. Now disfigured, they drape over dead, dying and decaying brain cells. With no time to heal, another round of cerebral damage quickly shovels the wig salad to the side of my own information back road, like slush in an urban winter hiding potholes deep enough to swallow life and air out of tire and rim in an unsuspecting instant.

Fenway West Nominated For Best Red Sox Blog

I would have never guessed that Fenway West would be logging over 10k hits/month on a regular basis when I 1st started writing for that blog. It's been a total pleasure to be writing for FW, it's been great therapy, too. When I 1st started, we were getting about a couple of hundred hits a month. We have watched our circulation numbers grow little by little to the point that we are regularly ranked #4 in daily average and daily total according to RedSox100.com.

And now this- Fenway West has received a nomination for "Best Red Sox Blog"  by The New England Sports Blog Awards. Voting takes place from February 2nd to February 14th and fans can vote once each day. Please take a moment and show your support for Fenway West by following the link below and casting your vote.

http://www.trufan.com/nesb_vote

Short thread on Facebook

Original post: Is it hypocritical to ask God for help when your sick? What about when you only turn to him in times of crisis, you rarely thank Him for anything but when things go wrong, He's the first one you talk to...not once have I asked Him for help since I got sick, because I don't want to be a hypocrite anymore, but if any of you guys have good standing with the "Main Man" I could sure use some prayers right now.

Comment #1: I will throw a few up there but I don't know what my standing is :-D You are probably ahead of me in that line. :-)

(Like = 1 person)

My comment:  Not to be a bummer for you, but I don't think God (or Goddess) is up there pullin' strings... OK, you've prayed enough, I'll make you better now. Next. You need a job? OK, you're hired. Next. Now Jane, I know you've been praying a whole lot. I'm sorry, but I can't give your husband a bigger package. If there is a God or Goddess, s/he just flicked a finger at a speck of dust (or a booger) and got the whole thing rollin' on its own, and then kicked back after workin' overtime (6 days in a row.)

(Like = 3 people- last time I checked)

RIP John Carlos Maciel 02.12.48 - 12.13.10

Photo taken 11.14.10, Maryville, TN

A-Rod and Bush

From the NY Post:

Yankees not worried by road troubles
“We have played bad baseball. Our situational hitting hasn’t been good and we take pride in doing that.” Rodriguez said.

Sounds like something ol' Dubya might have said.

A song for Steve

I had just finished reading Jimmy Buffett's autobiography, "A Pirate Looks at Fifty" about a week or so ago. He wrote it as he flew from Florida, across Cuban airspace to Grand Cayman Island, and then to Costa Rica where he spent some time before flying to Venezuela, the Amazon in central Brazil, then back north again ...stopping at several islands in the Lesser Antilles, including one where he lived for a while. I had always wanted to visit the Caribbean Islands, and added Costa Rica to the list after listening to Steve talk about his prior trip to CR, and after reading of Buffett's time spent there. It truly sounded like a magical place to visit or to live. My head spins from the thought of a senseless act of violence that happened to Steve in such a beautiful place. I don't know exactly which harbour he wrote this song about, but this version was recorded on one of those islands. I suppose it could have been written about Costa Rica. I can picture Steve there, a beautiful place to leave this realm, no matter what the circumstances are. A song for Steve.

One Particular Harbour, by Jimmy Buffett

Ia ora te natura
E mea arofa teie ao nei
Ia ora te natura
E mea arofa teie ao nei

I know I don't get there often enough
But God knows I surely try
It's a magic kind of medicine
That no doctor could prescribe

I used to rule my world from a pay phone
And ships out on the sea
But now times are rough
And I got too much stuff

Can't explain the likes of me
But there's this one particular harbour
So far but yet so near
Where I see the days as they fade away
And finally disappear

But now I think about the good times
Down in the Caribbean sunshine
In my younger days I was so bad
Laughin' about all the fun we had

I've seen enough to feel the world spin
Mixin' different oceans meetin' cousins
Listen to the drummers and the night sounds
Listen to the singers make the world go round

Ia ora te natura...

Lakes below the mountains
Flow into the sea
Like oils applied to canvas
They permeate through me

And there's that one particular harbour
Sheltered from the wind
Where the children play on the shore each day
And all are safe within
Most mysterious calling harbour
So far but yet so near
I can see the day when my hair's full gray
And I finally disappear

Ia ora te natura...
Ua pau te maitai no te fenua
Te zai noa ra te ora o te mitie

The Music-Copyright Enforcers

David Gans wrote on Facebook: “There are more people listening to music now than ever before.... But because of this new kind of accessibility, people feel like they don’t have to pay. Why is that?

This was in response to a NY Times article titled "The Music-Copyright Enforcers." That posting on Facebook was followed by 33 comments. I wanted to chime in with my thoughts and wrote more than I expected to. Not wanting to get to windy on Facebook, I am posting it here instead.

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Music is not something that you can hold in your hand, you hear it with your ears. Yes, it is art, but compare it to a painter or a sculptor. Artists of those genres sell their art, something solid they can hold in their hands, and get paid for the object, then the buyer becomes the owner of that piece of art.

There is the strong perception that music business executives have been ripping off artists, withholding royalties, etc., practices that have been going on since radio was invented. If I buy a CD and that musician does not get his fair share, then why should I pay money to fuel some coke head music biz exec’s drug habit?

The end user, the listener of music played by a radio station does not have to pay money to listen to the music played by that station. The station pays the fees, the listener then must hear the commercials, but also has the option of switching stations.

Pioneering jam bands such as The Grateful Dead, Phish and String Cheese Incident, among many others, discovered that audience taping can be used as an advertising tool. By trading music (remember “BnP’s”), a new ‘customer’ was found who would pay to see that band. But if I buy a CD and love it so much that I have to get my best friend to hear it, too, and I burn a copy of it for him, uh-oh, I’m in trouble, despite that band gaining a new customer. (Bands who have a different set list every night benefit from this the most. Bands or singers who play the same 105 minute repertoire every night do not benefit from this.)

Some bands are not taper friendly because they are concerned about the quality of the recording. With today’s technology, audience recordings are extremely listenable, and better than playing a store bought CD in a rag top car, better than vinyl, and better than cassette tapes.

Society and technology are constantly evolving. The law is always playing catch-up with new technology. The law needs to be proactive and not reactive, and to get priorities straight. Go after the guys who are copying and burning CD’s in mass quantities. Don’t go after the guy who burns a CD for a friend. Wait a minute… what’s a CD? I mean, don’t go after the guy who sends a file of a song to his friend.

Advertising is constantly evolving as well. Five years ago, you could watch a youtube video of a song by your favorite band, a highlight of a key play in last night’s ball game, or a news item without any advertising. Pop-up blockers eliminated that form of advertising. Now, you are subjected to 15 seconds of advertising before you can watch that video. Someone’s getting paid.

I’m all for musicians, singers, and songwriters getting their fair share. If I buy a CD, then lose it, or break it, or it just gets old, and a friend burns a copy from his purchased CD for me, should that be a crime?

Then there was the joke about Metallica suing someone over the use of an ‘E’ chord. And isn’t Disney trying to collect royalties on “It’s A Small World After All”?

Relationships

I no longer think of being in a relationship with that someone special. I thought I had learned my lesson about falling in love too fast, or like, or lust, for that matter, back in the mid ‘90’s. Twice in the early part of this decade I forgot those lessons and let myself get too attached too soon, and got burned. Last year, I went to a party and met someone who was really nice and seemed really interested in me. This time, though, I went slow, really slow. I learned that she and I had many similarities in our lives- we both had kids in late teens or early twenties, we both were born and grew up in the northeast portion of the country (PA & RI), we both had lived in northern Florida (Pensacola and Tallahassee), we both had lived in Southern California (San Fernando Valley & San Gabriel Valley), we both listed Edward Abbey as one of our favorite authors, we both like baseball, we both have psychiatric issues (bipolar and depression), we had several friends in common, our music tastes were very similar, and at the time we met, we were both thinking about moving to Sebastopol.

I was bound and determined not to let my emotions run ahead unchecked. We were seeing each other occasionally for about 3 months learning about all our similarities. I felt we were growing closer, and at a pace that was much slower than in the past with others. We went to see the Grateful Dead (or whatever they were calling themselves at the time) and spent the night in a motel with three others as we didn’t want to be driving 2 hours to get home that night. While at the show, the relationship took a turn towards the physical, very unexpectedly for me, yet very nice. I thought I had died and gone to heaven, that’s how nice it was!

Four of us took off for San Francisco the next morning after a great breakfast at an IHOP next to the motel we stayed in and dropped off Tom & Steph. We jumped into my car and started driving to Marin, as she left her car at my place. As we were driving, she very unexpectedly announced that she was not interested in a relationship with me. Talk about getting hit upside the head with an 18# sledgehammer! I mean, she could have at least waited a couple of days or so! Talk about buzz kill! I asked her what happened in between Deal (the last encore) and breakfast, but never got a clear answer.

It could have been worse, but I had to get busy right away looking for a place to move to. Fortunately, I was extremely busy for the next several months and was able to not let that interlude affect me more than it did. It hurt, no doubt, probably more than all of the previous non-relationships put together. This one ranks a definite #2 in heartaches in my lifetime. I mean, I really, really, really tried to not let myself get too attached too soon. And then it happens again.

It saddens me when I think about why I have spent so much time alone in my lifetime, so I try not to. But when I do think about it, I try to figure out why, but I can never find an answer to that question. I try not to think about it because it hurts when I do think about it. So I now immerse myself in music, baseball, cancer benefits, writing, my old photos, and anything else artistically creative that I can.

UPDATE:
 I found this photo in Stephanie's Facebook photos. It was taken at The Dead show with the woman in question..

Dave's not here...

Anybody seen Dave?

I have been on a mission to lessen my time in front of the computer, unless it has something to do with my baseball writing for Fenway West, or my music. Social networking sites like Tribe and Facebook are taking the biggest hits. Contributing to my diminished visits to these 2 sites are my increased involvement in 4 bands (Planet Waves, Stackabones, Cancer Sucks Band, Leadfoot Betty, and for a while last year, Dave Stein’s Grateful Dead Acoustic Tribute Band.) Also taking a hit is writing about anything other than baseball. I’ve weaned myself off of the many variations of Law and Order and CSI, but discovered Criminal Minds and NCIS. LOST finally ended with a very disappointing resolution. I’m glad that’s over.

The past 18 months or so went like this: I was tapped to play drums for a Stackabones show in 2009 at The Connecticut Yankee with short notice, meaning I had a lot of new songs to learn in a short period of time; getting a long notice from my very cool landlord, (he was in the Jerry Band for 3 years), that I would have to move at the end of June (he waited until after my daughter graduated from high school to move back in there!); her prom and graduation; countless trips to Sonoma County looking for affordable housing; moving my daughter in with her mother; moving me; my longest trip back east ever; setting up the new place; playing in 4 bands; throwing a party; getting sucked into my neighbor's energy and time sapping drama; buying a new vehicle and getting rid of old vehicle; producing a cancer research fundraising benefit; tryin' like hell to get rid of stough; writing for Fenway West; playin' in the aforementioned cancer benefit; another trip back east, which included trips to McCoy Stadium and Fenway Park to cover ball games there; transcribing my father's memoirs; and I now am in the middle of scanning 1200+ slides that I shot in the mid '80's. I’m sure I’ve missed a few other time consuming issues. A lot of bullshit has finally been put behind me! I am now able to scan these slides, and soon will resume writing about something other than baseball, and practicing my drums and piano a little more.

This past year, there were lots and lots of trips to Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Novato, San Rafael, and San Francisco, as my whole world for the past 16 years had been centered in Marin. Sierra was getting used to living in a new town as well and didn’t know her way around RP, and neither did she have much money to do anything anyhow. She is now working 20 to 25 hours a week and taking classes at Santa Rosa Junior College. I am driving much less these days, thankfully!

I live way up on the Russian River now, out in the sticks where I like it in a rental that’s actually bigger than a shoebox. I'm above the flood plain, I have a great covered patio and a huge fenced in yard, and when it's 95 outside, it's nice and cool inside. My daughter lives only 20 miles away and comes to visit once in a while.

While I do miss being closer to friends, I am enjoying the solitude. It is nice not to have to worry about my daughter every minute of the day while she was a minor in high school living under my roof. She’s almost 20, has a job, goes to school, and lives with her mother. I have no housemate(s) to deal with. The last one before Sierra moved in with me turned into an unholy creature from the Great Abyss. I don’t have to slap the alarm clock around 5 mornings a week. I was seriously overdrawn in the REM department! I am able to get the rest that my body and mind need so badly. I don’t have to worry about bosses and/or jobs from hell. While my last job was one of the better ones I have had, it was not the smoothest functioning accounting department. Come to think of it, I don’t recall any smooth running accounting departments wherever I have worked. Every one of them was either understaffed or in serious disarray.

My health has slowly declined in the past 2+ years that I have been virtually without health insurance. COBRA costs were over $700 per month. For a while, my old caseworker in Marin County finagled my and Sierra’s accounts so that I was able to see my GP (but not my neurologist), and get my meds. Once Sierra emancipated, though, my share of cost with MediCal zoomed over $700. I have been able to get the single most expensive prescription on a program from the manufacturer, but the rest were paid out of pocket and have sucked most of the savings I was able to squirrel away when I was receiving State Disability payments and Social Security for both me and Sierra. MediCare starts up in less than a month! I have an appointment with a neurologist and my GP scheduled already.

My mother has been suffering from something for years now, but I don’t know what. I have a couple of close cousins on her side, one is struggling with Alzheimer’s and his son, very close to my age, has recently been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Thankfully MS has been scratched off my list; a 2nd opinion MS specialist at UCSF said this was more like Parkinson’s. I saw one more neurologist at a low cost clinic who said it wasn’t Parkinson’s, but I still don’t know what ‘it’ is.

I should have the slides all scanned this week, and the scanner rental returned. It will take me a few more days after that to finish my father’s memoirs. With those two time sensitive projects moving behind me, my schedule becomes extremely flexible.

On tap for the near future are to start writing more; lyrics, essays, poetry, maybe even a novel. I have lots of words in my brain trying to get out and into the computer. I will be playing the piano, playing the drums set and the hand drums daily. I hear music and songs in my head at times so I will be learning how to record, mix, and balance (relatively) simple projects. I need to be paying more attention to my plants, as well. Maybe someday I’ll get to those fountains that I have wanted to build. I have ideas for home based businesses that hopefully will provide some much needed personal revenue.

Hopefully no more bullshit will come my way- landlords, housemates, bosses, and jobs from hell for starters. I got a speeding ticket in Novato on my last trip there for anything related to moving. I received a fix it ticket during my last week of work for driving an unregistered vehicle. I registered it that week, again that same year, and again the next year, but no one at the DMV bothered to tell me that I hadn’t cleared the fix-it ticket. I neglected to inform the court in Santa Rosa that I had complied with the law. I had informed the DMV of my new address every time I registered my vehicle, but they never updated it for my license. The court kept sending notices to an old address that was listed on my license, so a $120 ticket had zoomed up to $520. My landlord’s girlfriend was interested in buying my Subaru. In between the time she took it for a test drive and the time I took it to get it smogged, something happened to one of the front brakes. It was making some seriously annoying sounds. As it turned out, I needed to spend over $200 to get that one brake fixed. Why that didn’t happen until after I sold it, I’ll never know, but that’s the way everything in my life goes.

Anyhow, I really, really hope that I have reached a point where I can concentrate on the things that I want to do, and not what I have to do, without all the bullshit that I have had to endure over the years- depression, horrible high school experiences, hospital time, cocaine addiction, homelessness, divorce, jobs & bosses & house mates & landlords, etc., from hell. Parenthood is not bullshit, and although it never does really end, it is extremely time consuming up until your offspring become emancipated.

As long as my health does not deteriorate any more, I will be fine, I will get by, I will survive.

Rock and Sox Photos

MA native, Sox fan, and SF poet Sam Flot

Berklee grad and Red Sox fan Stu Allen

Pat Nevins and Stu Allen

OUCH! That wasn't so bad after all!

Erik Wikman, bagpiper, playing the 'Old Timey Baseball Version' of "Tessie" while Dave gets his hair cut

Dave Maciel, Mike Chase

A happy Red Sox fan!




More photos on the Rock and Sox Facebook page

The 1st Annual Rock and Sox Benefit for The Jimmy Fund and The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (v.2)

The '1st Annual Rock and Sox Benefit for The Jimmy Fund and The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute' was held at The Connecticut Yankee in San Francisco on Saturday, June 26th. The Yankee, as it is known locally, is a great Red Sox and Boston sports restaurant, bar, and live music venue located less than 2 miles from the Giants' AT&T Park. The Benefit was scheduled to coincide with the Red Sox 1st trip to play the Giants in San Francisco for the 1st time in 6 years.

The inspiration to produce this event was a result of several different events that occurred within a short time period. My oldest brother was diagnosed in November of 2008 with stage 4 lung cancer despite quitting smoking 2 years prior. His doctors gave him about a year to live. November of 2009 came and went with him still alive and battling his affliction. The 2010 MLB schedules were released and I saw that the Red Sox would be playing the Giants here in San Francisco in June. Coverage of the 2010 Hot Stove Cool Music event that takes place in Boston this past winter was published. Fenway West had become one of the more popular Red Sox fan sites on the Internet according to RedSox.100.com, and at times had been clearing 10k hits per month. Two friends, one a former band mate, were diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer and passed away earlier this year. All these events got me to scratching my head and coming up with an idea of staging a similar event, but on a smaller scale this year, as the Hot Stove Benefit. I ran the idea by Matt, he liked it, and before we knew it, we realized that this benefit was actually going to happen.

I assembled a house band which I dubbed ‘The Cancer Sucks Band’, consisting of some of the finest musicians in the San Francisco Bay Area, including Pat Nevins, Mike Chase, Dave Stein, Sam Flot, Jeff Faust, and myself. Red Sox fan Stu Allen sat in on a few numbers. Stu has played with Dark Star Orchestra (DSO), which is a nationwide touring Grateful Dead tribute band. Sam Flot and Jeff Faust are MA natives and Sox fans. I am a RI native and a Red Sox fan since at least 1967. The band was booked to play at The Connecticut Yankee on the only night that would allow fans to be able to attend the event without missing any of the games. Fritz Frisbie is the owner of The Yankee and a NH native. Click here if you would like to know how a Red Sox bar came to be named The Connecticut ‘Yankee.’ Susan J. Weiand, a native of Holbrook, MA and a Sox fan, is a regionally and nationally known concert photographer who donated her time to document this Benefit.

Web sites were set up to disseminate information regarding the show and to collect donations. I composed an ambitious set list of songs about Boston (the city), songs by bands from Boston, and songs that are played at Fenway Park. A likewise ambitious goal of raising $2000 was set.

The lengthy set list of Boston songs would have to be cut in half, as it became apparent that it would be very difficult to learn 2 full sets of songs that most in the band had not ever played before. Sweet Caroline and Tessie were on the set list, but as this was the 1st time in many years that I had produced a public event of this size, mistakes were made, and circumstances beyond my control left the show vulnerable to a late start and eliminated those 2 songs, as well as a couple of others. Unfortunately, a last minute equipment issue pushed the start back even furthur. ‘Take Me Out To The Ball Game’, ‘Dirty Water’, and ‘Centerfield’ remained on the list. I instructed the singer of ‘Centerfield’ to change ‘Joe’ DiMaggio to ‘Dom’ DiMaggio. Bob Dylan’s ‘Maggie’s Farm’ became ‘Yankee’s Farm,’ (no, I ain’t gonna work for Yankee’s farm no more…) Neil Young’s ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ and ‘Powderfinger’ made the list as Theo Epstein has played these 2 at the Hot Stove benefit. Another Dylan song, ‘Tom Thumb’s Blues’ made it onto the set list as a last minute replacement and included lyrics that were changed to take some serious jabs at the Yankees that I was unaware of.

After my brother was diagnosed with his cancer, after 2 friends in their 60’s passed away this year, and after I started experiencing as of yet still undiagnosed neurological symptoms, I decided that life was too short to be hatin’, ya know what I mean? The Yankees aren’t worth wasting time on, so I stopped wearing my ‘Yankees Suck’ t-shirt and passed that along to someone at the Benefit.

Press releases billed the event as a ‘musical journey from Fenway Park to San Francisco.’ As the musicians in The Cancer Sucks Band have all played in several Bay Area Grateful Dead tribute bands, in addition to DSO, the 2nd set would be comprised of San Francisco’s own Grateful Dead music. Little or no rehearsing would be necessary for the Dead Set. The band was of such a high quality of musicianship, the music that was performed was performed well. We were well received by all in attendance that night. Fritz was happy with the total of his till, as well.

Donations of prizes from Narragansett Brewing Company, and Red Sox merchandise from the personal collections of Matt and myself were given away over the course of the evening. Fritz generously donated dinner for 2 and a pair of tickets to the Sunday Sox-Giants game. We had received 3 signed balls to be part of a silent auction. The Mike Lowell ball received a generous donation of $100, while the Dice-K and V-Mart balls will be up on eBay next month. $900 was raised prior to and at the show. With the $100 from the Mike Lowell ball, and the proceeds from the 2 remaining balls, we will have raised over $1000 for The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Donations are still being accepted at the Rally Against Cancer web site.

As representatives of The Jimmy Fund and Rally Against Cancer, Tim Wakefield, a fine guitarist in his own right who has played at Hot Stove, and Clay Buchholz were invited to perform at the event. Theo Epstein, another guitarist who has performed at Hot Stove, was invited, along with Jerry Remy. Realistically, I did not expect them to make an appearance, as Wake and Clay had already fulfilled their required public appearances. I did leave enough wiggle room to be pleasantly surprised, though.

At first, I said that I would have my hair cut on stage if any of those mentioned in the previous paragraph showed up and played. By the time the show came around, I decided that I was tired of buying Drano and would have my hair cut anyhow. Many could not believe that I was serious.

Big Thanks go out to Fritz Frisbie, owner of The CT Yankee, Matt O’Donnell, owner of Fenway West, Mike DeGuglielmo of The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, photographer Susan J. Weiand, Geraldine Cohen, Sarah Hamilton and all of the musicians mentioned above, especially Pat Nevins, Mike Chase, and Stu Allen.

Check back here at Fenway West for links to youtube videos taken at the show, links to the audio recordings, and links to the signed balls being auctioned on the eBay site.

The Red Sox won’t be playing in San Francisco next year, however, the Oakland A’s remain on the schedule. Once the 2011 MLB schedules are released, I will take the lessons learned from this year’s Rock and Sox event and will make next year’s even better.

Photos coming in the next post!

ISO 'Tessie' for SF (CA) Jimmy Fund Benefit

Fenway West presents 'Rock & Sox~ A Benefit for the Jimmy Fund' on the night of Saturday, June 26th at The Connecticut Yankee, a Red Sox and Boston sports restaurant, bar and music venue less than 2 miles from the Giant's ATnT Park. 'The Cancer Sucks Band' will bring patrons on a musical journey from Fenway Park in Boston to San Francisco. All proceeds will go to The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and The Jimmy Fund. As part of the night's enjoyment, I will be having my hair cut to donate to Locks of Love. We're looking for a hair stylist who ideally somewhat resembles 'Tessie' in the Dropkick Murphys video of the song. If you have an outfit that somewhat resembles Tessie's in the video, that puts you up to the top of the list. If you're coming to San Francisco for the Red Sox @ Giants series, send an e-mail to RockAndSox@gmail.com with photo(s) and a brief summary of your hair styling background. Since it is a benefit, there is no pay, but it will get you a $20 ticket to the show, which has some very special guests who have been invited to appear and to perform. Red Sox merchandise will be given away in drawings over the course of the evening. Tickets are now on sale. Go to RockAndSox.com for ticket purchase information.

And if you're curious as to how a Red Sox bar got a name like Connecticut Yankee, just click here.

Cancer Benefit band ISO keyboard player

'The Cancer Sucks Band' will be playing 1 night only on Saturday, June 26th at The Connecticut Yankee in San Francisco. This is a benefit sponsored by Fenway West for The Jimmy Fund and The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. This Benefit is scheduled to coincide with the Boston Red Sox 1st trip to San Francisco and ATnT Park in 6 years. We have secured official recognition of this event from Dana-Farber. The 1st set will consist of songs about the City of Boston, songs by bands from Boston, baseball songs, and songs that are played at Fenway Park. The 2nd set will have a distinct SF flavor- all Grateful Dead, as we bring patrons on a musical journey from Fenway Park in Boston to San Francisco. The house band for the night has been assembled and includes Dave Stein, Pat Nevins, Jeff Faust, and yours truly. We have invited some very special guests to sit in with us, including Stu Allen of Front Street, JGB, and Dark Star Orchestra. The Connecticut Yankee is a Red Sox and Boston sports bar less than 2 miles from ATnT Park. Tickets are available at Rock and Sox~ A Benefit for The Jimmy Fund. If you are interested, please send an e-mail to RockandSox@gmail.com with your contact info, web site, and samples of your playing. Rehearsals will begin soon. Charts, lyrics, chords, and links to download the covers are ready to go out. This is a benefit, so there will be no pay as we raise funds for 2 very worthwhile charitable organizations and have a lot of fun doing it. I'm even having my hair cut on stage for Locks of Love.

Do you like baseball AND the Dead?

I’m lookin’ for my fuzzy little hippy girl who likes baseball and the Dead. Growing up 60 miles south of Fenway Park, I became a Red Sox fan, still loyal to them to this day 43 years later. Ironically, my favorite NL team was the Giants, followed closely by Chicago and Pittsburgh- my first ball game ever was at old Forbes Field. These days, I find myself writing for a Red Sox blog that frequently gets over 10k hits/month. I still like those three NL teams, and I’ll root for the A’s, too, unless they’re playin’ against the Sox.

Besides writing for the blog, I find myself playing in anywhere from 2 to 4 bands at any given moment.

I have 2 tickets to CHC @ SFG, August 9th in the official Jerry section, meaning we’ll get a pair of Jerry bobblehead dolls, and be surrounded by a bunch of freaks! We are everywhere!

I also have 2 tickets to the Sunday, June 27th Red Sox @ SFG game. I will be hosting a Benefit for The Jimmy Fund the night before at The Connecticut Yankee, less than 2 miles from ATnT Park. Some of the Bay Area's finest musicians will be playing, and there have been some very special guests invited, too.

Rock & Sox~ A Benefit for The Jimmy Fund

Rock & Sox - A Benefit for The Jimmy Fund,

with ‘The Cancer Sucks Band’

featuring Dave Stein, Pat Nevins, Jeff Faust and Sam Flot

and very special guests to be announced soon.

Fenway West’s California Cancer Benefit

will be held after the SOX @ SFG game on

Saturday, June 26th at

The Connecticut Yankee

Connecticut Avenue & 17th Street, San Francisco,

located less than 2 miles from The SF Giants' AT&T Park.

After the game is over, come on over to The Connecticut Yankee for a night of great food and great music as The Cancer Sucks Band features some of the best Bay Area musicians and will bring you on a musical journey from Boston to San Francisco. The Connecticut Yankee has a great menu, great food, great beer, wide screen TV, and regularly hosts nationally known bands as well as up and coming bands that have great potential for success.

Bookmark Rock & Sox for updates about this event.
Facebook group page, click here
Facebook event page, click here
Follow on Twitter, too: http://twitter.com/FenwayWest

And if you’re curious as to how a Red Sox bar came to have a name like 'The Connecticut Yankee', or as it is known locally, The Yankee, click here.