Paper Bag #26 ~ June 26, 2003 Mulcahy's ~ Wantagh , LI, NY |
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~Mr Rogers meets Ozzy ~Rubber Soul ~ Pretzel Logic |
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Instrumentation: Mike Guido, Tony Rome, 6 Cheese Calzones, 12 vocalists, 11 guitars, 6 keyboards, 2 harmonicas, 8 horns, 7 basses, 16 percussionists, 74 crew members, 59 ladies auxiliary, 33 on the Group W Bench |
Highlights:
Dawnette signs her little ass off! Rubber Soul,
the soft shoe drum solo, The band doesn't fall apart drunk at 2am. Mike
Cummings and Joe Anziano sit on their amps for hours. The return of Linda
Mackley. Billy O and Scotto as Dueiling Ozzys. The Rookie blows up his
amp and is rescued. Guido sings wearing Sponge Bob boxer shorts.
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#26 2003 The Players Go to the top of Bag #26 Paper Bag #26 2003 The Players Go to the top of Bag #26 Paper Bag #26 2003 The Players Go to the top of Bag #26 Paper Bag #26 2003 The Players Go to the top of Bag #26 Paper Bag #26 2003 The Players Go to the top of Bag #26 Paper Bag #26 2003 The Players Go to the top of Bag #26 Paper Bag #26 2003 The Players Go to the top of Bag #26 Paper Bag #26 2003 The Players Go to the top of Bag #26 Paper Bag #26 2003 The Players Go to the top of Bag #26 Paper Bag #26 2003 The Players Go to the top of Bag #26 Paper Bag #26 2003 The Players Go to the top of Bag #26 Paper Bag #26 2003 The Players Go to the top of Bag #26 Paper Bag #26 2003 The Players Go to the top of Bag #26 Paper Bag #26 2003 The Players Go to the top of Bag #26 Paper Bag #26 2003 The Players |
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#26 2003
#26 2003
#26 2003
#26 2003
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#26 2003
The Opening Letter
#26 2003 |
We intend to play rock 'n' roll for as long as we are physically able …so far, so good. Wow, the 25th Paper Bag was
a blast, wasn’t it. We are a hell of a good product and we certainly
give good weight. There were so many highlights last year, including the
marriage pro-posal for Bag rookie Sue Weiss and received at Paper Bag
central through email. The following note was passed up to the stage and
found 2 months later crumpled in my tuxedo pocket:
No folks you can’t make this stuff up. At our 1st section leader meeting last January, Scotty K spoke eloquently regarding the aesthetic value of having a specific record album as a focal point for the Bag. Several options were discussed and we decided on Rubber Soul by the Beatles. Looking up the discography in a Beatles history book we ran into a snag. The book lists "I’ve Just Seen a Face" as the first cut. Tony Barca insisted that his record started with "Drive My Car." We finally figured out that his was the British release on Parlophone records from 1965. So we went with that. These section leader meetings happen monthly from January through May and then several times in June. They are held in my basement in a war room constructed specifically for this purpose. We set up highly ineffective exhaust fans to direct the voluminous clouds of smoke to the outdoors. There is a long table and the guys who come late have to bring their own chairs from upstairs. Naturally we have a cooler of beer and lots of pencils. A photo of Vinny Cimino’s grandmother seated at a drum set in his garage must be on the table before the meeting can begin. (the photo is kept in a plastic bag to protect it from the aforementioned beer) We can play music on a computer, cd player, cassette tape or lp record. The room also functions as a default Paper Bag museum and art gallery. Anyway, these meetings have developed their own protocol over the years. Old Dude comes late & gets to sit in a rocking chair with his name on it. Joey the Hat, Q, Scotty K, Shields & Larry Ketchel sit in the back and crack jokes all night. Phrögk sits next to me, barely conscious. The vivacious Marianne makes up for Phrögk. Val, Myers and Santino sit in the front and attempt to maintain some level of decorum while Scotto is just on his own planet. Rudy, Mola, my brother Phil & Bill Mason occupy the perimeter. Robert’s Rules are followed at all times. We talk about the rest of you and boy are we funny! This year we got a kick out of Phil Antonucci’s ad for LIPA that appeared in Newsday. This is where the big decisions about the Paper Bag are made. The meetings are side-splitting hilarous. You should all be very proud. Have fun this year. Itinerary There is no WILL CALL window at the Paper Bag (unless someone wants to volunteer to sit at the door and argue with people who should have gotten their tickets in advance from you). Bag tickets are $15 this year. Each bagger is responsible for the sale of 3 tickets in advance. Please remit your $45 asap. Tickets will be $20 the day of the show. Contact your section leader today. Get shirt names and #’s in TODAY. Thank you |
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#26 2003 The Program
#26 2003 |
the
Night before the Bag . . . 26 Paper Bags. You would think I would have a handle on this but here we are, Sunday night - 2 am, the program has to be dropped off at the printers in the morning and I am writing. I suddenly wish that earlier, I had not doubled up on my anti-anxiety medication. Frist - the people. An ancient Social Workers proverb states “May you live in interesting times.” Well the past two weeks have been a trip. Fortunately, I have been lucky enough to work for the past 10 years in a school building poplulated by loyal, dediated, supportive teachers. It has been difficult to prepare for the Bag but that is ok too. I am also lucky enough to have a network of friends in the musician community who are equally as loyal, dedicated and supportive. Many of the key people have been in the Bag for over 20 years now. The vocalists have been rehearsing, the shirt guru has designed, ordered and had names printed on them. The sound, light and video guys will just show up on time to set- up. The only contact we will have had was to get shirt names and numbers. These people know their role, and just carry it out. Then there is my family. I have the coolest wife on the planet. Along with my 2 daughters, Emma & Sara, the tone of our home is not exactly male oriented. My mom spends her days with her husband, galavanting about the country and just basically partying and hanging with her grandkids. (When I grow up and mature, I want to be just like her.) My brothers and sister, cousin and spouses will spend hours tonight at the front door working like crazed rhinos collecting tickets and money and handing out shirts and manning the “Tell Your Story Here Booth.” Speaking of the TYSH Booth. There is a video camera rolling that shoots from the booth through the entrance lobby of Mulcahy’s. There are 4 hours of tape from last year. It is hysterical. I see many of you enter, some of you sneak in. Many people take the opportunity to tell the camera a story. like the guy who claimed to by my cousin’s/ wifes’s/ sister’s/ cleaning lady’s/ mechanic. He paid anyway. Another poor guy shows up bombed out of his bananas and tries to claim that he only has $5 but wants to enter. My sister, show is normally the nicest,sweetest person, rips the guy to shreds and strips him of all vestiges of dignity until some girl who doesn’t know him pays for him to enter out of sympathy. 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: Reggae, the Temptations, Pink Floyd, Jeff Beck, Zappa, James Brown, J. Feils, the Rolling Stones, and finally, the band’s favorite: Mike Cummings, naked to the waist, sings Alice Cooper. We will play tonight until 4:01 am. Long live the wheel. Get home safely. There are 259 people involved in the Paper Bag this year. They have a combined 2,421.5 years experience and average 9.4 years experience. The 73 musicians have a total of 950.5 years in the bag, for an average of 13 years experience. There are 25 members of the executive board who enjoy a total of 489.5 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 9 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. His bass playing was strong and yes, it was loud. Backstage, he was a very, very funny man. We are musicians. We live a different life, in bars and diners and clubs and catering halls and come home as the sun comes up and put off joining the “real world “ as long as possible. It is a great life, rich and rewarding and so so so much fun. We look after each other and are loyal to each other. Sometime during the night tonight, remember someone missing from your life, smile and have some fun for them. We all can live on in the memory of our friends, family and colleagues. Take care of each other, be loyal to each other, and most of all, have fun. 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, Right Place, Wrong Time, by Dr. John the Night Tripper, is 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 2003
SECTION LEADERS Tony Rome ~
Scott Savitt |
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