February 2020

In the local music scene, you’re only as good as your last gig.

Over the years, we have developed a wonderful family of friends and fans that regularly turn out for our shows. The formula seems to be – keep it fresh, play your ass off, and let the people that come out to our shows know exactly how much they mean to us. The truth is, without their support, having the four of us play would not amount to much. And I firmly believe that if we played 2-3 times a week, the number of folks that turn out would thin considerably. We space out our appearances to help build some momentum and interest. And that formula has worked well for us.

Our band members and family of followers are all hard working folks that have plenty of other responsibilities, beyond listening to live music and sharing an adult beverage. We hope that coming to our shows gives them that needed diversion from their normal routine. And that’s the momentum that we need to keep on keeping on.

Much Love – Mark

Yesterday, I had very close call that rocked my world. During a routine drive that I’ve made hundreds of times, I happened into the middle of a high-speed police chase, and was nearly struck by the fleeing vehicle.

That incident gave me pause. A serious, life reviewing pause. A couple of feet in either direction and somebody might have been writing my obituary, instead of me writing this Hey Annie blog post. In that very brief moment, where lives could have been lost, I felt both scared and sad. Scared that I might die, instantly. And sad that I would have done so without having a chance to say goodbye those that mean everything to me.

Which is exactly what happened to my wife’s sister’s husband’s brother, on Friday, February 7th. On that night, Jack Riedle’s Toyota Camry was struck by a stolen Jeep that was being pursued by the police. Jack died instantly. Our friend Laszlo Nemeth was injured,  is still hospitalized in serious condition. And the driver of the stolen Jeep that hit Jack and Laszlo ran away from the crash scene. The other four felons in that stolen Jeep were all arrested. The driver is still at large, which I find really odd. I cannot ever recall riding in a car, and not knowing the name of the driver. And yet these four felons have no idea of the name of driver of the stolen Jeep.

Anyway…back to the matter at hand. Since none of us have a way of knowing when our time is going to be up – make sure to say what you need to say, do what you need to do, and love everyone that you can. There are lyrics from my son William’s favorite band – Jimmy Eat World, and their song “The Middle”…

Just try your best, try everything you can.
Don’t you worry what they tell themselves
When you’re away.

I couldn’t agree more…Try your best! Try everything you can! Don’t worry about what anyone says! And get as much done as you can, before you have to go away!

If you make it out to one of our upcoming shows – be sure to say “Hey!” And give me a hug. As many of you know, I’m a hugger, and I’ve never felt more strongly about wanting to embrace my friends.

Much Love – Mark