Paper Bag #25 ~ June 27, 2002 Mulcahy's ~ Wantagh , LI, NY |
|||
~the 25th Baggiversary ~Abbey Road - side 2 ~the best Bag songs ever |
|||
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|
|
Highlights:
Side 2 of Abbey Road. oh baby! The best Bag songs
ever, in alphabetic order, from the Allman Brothers to Zappa. the worst
version of a Grateful Dead song you will ever hear. Rookie Bag Vocalist
Sue Weiss receives marriage proposal by e mail.
|
 |
 |
 |
#25 2002 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Paper Bag
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
#25 2002 |
We intend to play rock 'n' roll for as long as we are physically able …so far, so good. The 25th Paper Bag . . . wow!
How many times over the years have we looked at each other said "…yeah,
and at the 25th Bag we should …" and then we would laugh. During
the 80's and even the 90's the concept of a 25th Paper Bag seemed like
a funny event set to occur some time in the future. Well - hello. The
future iz us. Hello back surgery and heart trouble and colonoscopy and
who exactly is gonna pay for college tuition for these kids and "My
God, I sound just like my father" and the pure soaring unimaginable
love that arrives with parenthood. It is an unbelievable cornucopia of
wonder that comes with middle age. That's right, middle age. Go ahead,
say it. Sounds funny, doesn't it? But I am now 50 years old and most of
you are right there with me. The musicians in the Paper Bag average 12.5
years service. Almost 20 of you have been in the Bag for over 20 years
and more than 100 of you have more than 10 years in the Bag. When you
consider that most of us were between 25 and 35 when we first started
in the Bag, there you are. Middle aged men and women. What a trip! Itinerary |
#25 2002 |
The Paper Bag Songlist Many of you are curious as to how we come up with the songlist. Usually we have some sort of a theme, but the 25th is a major bagiversary, so, during our January meeting the executive board listed all the bands usually covered during a bag. We then tried to pick the best bag song by each band. There was much discussion, laughter and needle dropping involved. (For those of you born after 1975, music used to be sold by using wax impressions cut into grooves on black vinyl discs. We called them records and played them using a phonograph and a needle). We play songs until we hit one where everyone starts dancing in their seat. That is when we know we have a winner. AC/DC is the only first time band on this year’s list. This happened because Larry Ketchel did an outrageous imitation of Angus Young, or Malcolm Young or whoever sings in that ridiculous screech. It was, in a word, hysterical. We then went down the list and assigned the songs to first set or second. They were sorted by band name, and when we read the list down it was perfect. From A to Z. Allmans to the Who, AC/DC to Zappa. Yeah! The Wheel When we run out of songs, we go to the wheel. (you know, spin the wheel, win a valuable prize - that kind of wheel) We spin the wheel, and whatever comes up, we play. We try to populate the wheel with songs that should make the list but were left off the list for some reason. This year’s wheel should include among others: Famous Guitar Solos, Free Bird, Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, Stairway to Heaven, Reelin in the Years, Whippin' Post, Waylon Jennings, Get Up Stand Up, Jeff Beck, Hey Joe, and finally, the band’s favorite: Mike Cummings, naked to the waist, sings Aerosmith. We will play tonight until 4:01 am. Long live the wheel. Get home safely. There are 256 people involved in the Paper Bag this year. They have a combined 2,313.5 years experience and average 9 years experience. The 76 musicians have a total of 907.5 years in the bag, for an average of 12 years experience. There are 21 members of the executive board who enjoy a total of 422.5 years in the bag and average over 20 years experience. In case you’re wondering, the 1/2 year is credited to Larry Ketchell who was able to sneak onstage for half of Bag #10 This is the spot where I get to thank… Dick at Supreme Trophy in Huntington Station; Eko Video; S-K Sound; Lightcraft; Mark Coffey and the crew at Goldman Bros.; Minuteman Printing in East Northport; The Maker of the Melon Peggy Irwin; Jill Silberberg- the sign girl; Lisa Layton for her wonderful work collecting and distributing food; the faculty and staff at Garden City MS; my brothers and sisters working at the front door missing the show; my three girls, Emma, Sara & Sue for making me the happy boy you see here tonight. As you can see, I live a charmed existence. Mulcahy’s… is some great place to enjoy the Bag. From John Murray, right across to the bar backs, every one of the seemingly endless number of employees of this club is unfailingly helpful. These people understand the the Paper Bag at its purest essence. Mul’s now holds the record, with 6 bags, in no small part due to the support provided by these fine people. Please thank the Mulcahy’s staff when you see them. Patronize this fine establishment all year. Get home safely Peas & carrots,
peas & carrots, peas & carrots … Brian
Mulhurn was one of 4 guitarists to participate in Paper Bag #1. During
the late 70’s, Brian played in several bands in and around the Huntington
area often teaming up with his brother Kevin as (what else?) the Mulhurn
Brothers. I mixed sound for them several times at Chelsea’s. Sally
Scudder played keyboards and sang in many bands with numerous bag members.
Sally was great to have in the band. Perfect pitch, big smile, never conplained,
always had fun. Every time the Jim Small Band plays, I look over to the
other side of the stage and I can see her, boppin’ and tappin’
her bare feet. Adam Calaci played bass and sang in some of the most successful
bands to ever play on Long Island. On stage, Adam was a solid presence.
Hius bass playing was strong and yes, it was loud. Backstage, he was a
very, very funny man. The Savannah Joe Kommnick “Are these donuts fresh?” Moment Many of you in the Paper Bag community knew Joe Kommnick simply as “Savannah.” I had the privilege working with this gentle man in the clubs on the South Shore for over 10 years. Savannah Joe was a bright ray of happiness that cut through the smoky air and shined into your heart. He was always ready with a joke, your favorite libation, or an absurd movie quote . There was never anything harsh about Savannah Joe…none of the rough edges many of us who live the night life develop. I miss his company. In 1996 we inaugurated the tradition of performing a song each year that connects us with Joe, so that we may have a vehicle to help us remember this fine man. This year, Lost in the Ozoneis dedicated to Savannah Joe. In keeping with Joe’s sense of humor, and to ease the melancholy of the moment, before we begin the song, We ask all of you to place an index finger, held horizontally, just below your nose and all together ask in a falsetto voice …“Are these donuts fresh?” THE BROWN PAPER BAG is the only thing civilized man has produced that does not seem out of place in nature. Crumpled into a wad of wrinkles, like the fossilized brain of a dryad; looking weathered; seemingly slow and rough enough to be a product of natural evolution; its brownness the low key brown of potato skin and peanut shell, dirty but pure; its kinship to tree unobstructed by the cruel crush of industry; absorbing the elements like any other organic entity a No. 8 Kraft brown paper bag lay discarded in the hills of Huntington and it appears to live where it lay. by
Tom Robbins 2002
SECTION LEADERS Tony Rome ~
Scott Savitt |
| go to the top of this page |
The Paper Bag is the World's Only 70 Piece Rock Band ~ It is a celebration of friends and musicians who have
been together over 40 years ~ Fun is the best thing to have.
Homepage | Photos & Stuff | Articles | Ontologia | Gift Shop | Active Members | All-time Members |
Master Songlist | Awards | New Stuff | Tell Your Story Here
