Time Flies When You're Sick

It's been almost two weeks since my last entry here. I've been fighting a cold for much of that. I don't get them often, but when I do, they hit me hard.

I've heard from both Anthony and Dale since their return to the New Orleans area. While the damage to their homes is severe, they are both staying and beginning the process of clean-up. Both are in very good spirits.

Not a lot else to say at the moment. Still getting back on my feet. But I'll be back in a day or two.

Until then, live well.

Musicians Helping Musicians

Relocation and dealing with tragedy are never easy. For working musicians, it can take months to develop a productive network and find work. Thankfully, New Orleans musicians have a lot of friends in Houston willing to help.

If you know a musician displaced by Katrina, have them contact NOAH - New Orleans and Houston. They have set up a website to help coordinate their efforts.

NOAH is operating under the umbrella of the Musician's Benevolent Society, a non-profit group based in Texas. Their staff of volunteers is working to help provide housing, relocation assistance, loaner instruments and gear, and help finding work. If you can offer support - money, time, gear, whatever - please contact them immediately.

Stranded's Last Stand...For Now

Tonight is Stranded's last gig before Dale and Anthony head back down to New Orleans to assess damage to their homes - and their lives. I finally had a chance to download a few pictures taken Wednesday night at The Shovelhead Saloon. Below is a shot of (left to right) Tony, myself, and Dale.


Thanks again to all who have come to the gigs and shown their support. Also, many thanks to Charlotte's for having us out yesterday afternoon for a lunchtime gig. The owners have already asked the band to play every Friday night through the winter if Dale and Anthony come back to Danville. Although it's too early to tell what will happen, it sure is heartwarming to know we have a permanent gig if they come back.

Stranded Enters the Final Stretch

Well, here we go. We're headed into the weekend and have performances scheduled for tonight (at the Shovelhead Saloon) and tomorrow night (at Pla-Mor Lanes in Hoopeston).

Community support remains very strong, and the band has generated local media interest. Wednesday night, Dale and Anthony were featured in a spot on the ABC Channel 15 Evening News (Champaign affiliate). Thursday, both the Danville Commercial News and the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette ran stories featuring the band.

The News-Gazette story appeared on page 3 and included a picture of the band performing at the Shovelhead Saloon. The Commercial News story was a front-page (above the fold) feature on Katrina survivors in Danville. This story began with Stranded, and included two pictures from the same gig - one of the band and another of Dale. You can read the story here.

A huge THANK YOU to all who have come out to our shows and shown support for Dale and Anthony. They both appreciate it very much, as do I. A special thank you to Mary Wicoff of the Danville Commercial News for getting us into the paper - not once, but twice! - and for giving us the most prized placement possible for Thursday's article. Thanks to the News Brief in Wednesday's paper, more people came to that night's show. If we're lucky, the Thursday article will help generate even more interest for this weekend.

More on Katrina

Well, it's been a busy few days since my last entry. Dale and Anthony have found several more gigs in the area and we've been working hard to get some attention from local media to help the cause.

The band now has a name: Stranded. We all thought it was appropriate. Sunday, the band played at The Shovelhead Saloon, and we're appearing there again tonight, and Friday night. Monday we got to do a one-hour set between two other bands at Julee's Shooting Star in Westville.

We've got one final gig before Dale and Anthony attempt to go back home for more salvaging. Saturday, we'll be at the Pla-Mor Lanes bowling alley in Hoopeston (about 40 minutes north of Danville). In all, we've managed to find six gigs in nine days. That's pretty incredible, and it goes a long way toward helping Dale and Anthony get their lives back together.

Early next week, my two new friends will attempt to go home to better assess the damage and to see if they can salvage more personal and professional belongings. Dale has a pest control business; Anthony is a landscaper. Although still unsure, they may come back to Danville until they can return home for good. There's just no way of knowing until they can see with their own eyes what the storm has done.

So far, the response has been terrific. Not only have the owners of these venues been willing to shoehorn the band into their schedules on short notice, the audience support has been fantastic. We'd all like to thank the entire Danville community for their support. It's been very heartwarming to Dale and Anthony, I can tell you. In particular, we'd like to thank:

• Wheeler's Uptown Tap
• The Shovelhead Saloon
• Julee's Shooting Star
• Pla-Mor Lanes
• The Danville Commercial News
• Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette
• ABC Channel 15, Champaign
  
• C&D BBQ

Please keep Dale and Anthony in your prayers for the next few days, ok? In some ways, the worst is yet to come . . . when they return home to assess the damage.

Overcoming Tragedy

Last night, I did a pickup gig with two Katrina refugees. Dale (guitar) and Anthony (drums) left New Orleans on Sunday, stuffing everything they could into a pickup truck and heading north. Anthony's lady lives in my town and they came here to wait out the storm. When they realized they wouldn't be able to go back for some time, and had lost most of their gigs, they began to scrabble for work.

I got a call from them Thursday night. I almost didn't do the gig, because it was a short notice thing, and only paid tips. (It's been a long time since I worked for tips alone.) But when Dale mentioned New Orleans and what had happened to the two of them, I decided to do it just to help them out. And I'm so glad I did.

What impressed me most was the fact that, instead of sitting around bemoaning their fate, they were doing their best to rise above the tragedy and move on with their lives. Anthony had to spend his last money to buy another drum set (his current set wouldn't fit in the truck if they were to bring anything else). No complaints...just the comment that he was grateful to be able to play and make some money. They both have many family members and friends they haven't been able to contact since the hurricane. Again, no complaints...just prayers for the missing.

I was also very glad to see the outpouring of support from the audience. Virtually everyone in the club put money in the tip bucket. At the end of the night there were several fives, tens, even twenties. I also saw many people drop wads of singles. The bar owners, who were under NO obligation to pay anything, contributed $100. I spoke with several patrons throughout the night who were as impressed as I was with Dale and Anthony for digging in their heels and refusing to give up. And I think the attitude these two displayed had a lot to do with the size and amount of the tips received.

More than anything, last night was an object lesson in overcoming tragedy. It reminded me of things my father taught me over the years. Sitting around and crying about the challenges in one's life does no good. Of course, watching your home be covered by flood waters, knowing your life has literally sunk into the ocean, is going to hurt. It's extremely difficult to deal with, to say the least. But giving up isn't dealing with it. Getting back on your feet and moving forward is. Putting aside your troubles and doing what you can - and doing it to the best of your ability - is dealing with life's tragedies. And that's what Dale and Anthony did last night.

To quote my own poem, which I wrote to honor my father and his lessons:

He said, Life is like that son, you go with the flow
You do what you do, you know what you know
Life is today, just here and now
Life is like that sometimes, life is like that somehow

So, the next time life hands you a challenge, I hope you'll remember this little story about Dale and Anthony. I know I will. I can't tell you how happy I am to have met them.

Charity Auction for Katrina Victims

The American Red Cross has partnered with Charity Folks and Morgan Freeman to help raise funds for victims of Hurricane Katrina. The Oscar-winning actor, who's home in the Mississippi Delta escaped the brunt of the hurricance has worked tirelessly with other entertainment celebrities to bring the auction online as quickly as possible. A sneak peak at the Charity Folks web site includes the following prizes:

• Attend the premiere of Morgan Freeman’s upcoming movie An Unfinished Life, which co-stars Robert Redford and Jennifer Lopez.

• VIP tickets to Fashion Rocks which will feature performances from David Bowie, Destiny’s Child, Duran Duran, Alicia Keys, Tim McGraw, Billy Idol, Gwen Stefani, Joss Stone and Rob Thomas, just to name a few.

• Two cross-continental first class tickets on Virgin Airlines.

• An exclusive getaway at the fabulous Four Seasons Hotel in New York.

• Tickets to be in the studio audience at That 70's Show and a script signed by the cast.

• Four luxurious nights in a Prince Suite at the Princeville Resort in Kauai.

• VIP tickets to the Jimmy Kimmel Show with passes to the "Green Room" and a picture with Jimmy.

• An afternoon on the set of "Drake and Josh" (Nickelodeon)

Bidding opens at Noon (Eastern Time) today. Visit Charity Folks to take part in the auction.

Katrina Aid

Unless you've been hiding in a cave, you've heard about the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. If you haven't made a donation, I hope you will do so soon. The American Red Cross is now accepting donations. You can donate directly from their web site, or call 800-HELP-NOW.

As for safely making a donation, here are a few tips from Charity Navigator:

1. Deal with an established organization.

2. Designate your gift to ensure your money goes where you want it to.

3. Beware of telemarketers.

Read the entire article here.

The cost to rebuild is estimated in the tens of billions. But right now, what the millions of people displaced by this catastrophe need are food, water, shelter and emergency medical care. Our donations will help give these things to them.

I hope you will join me in offering help.