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| Special Benefit Place: The Little Spot ~ Somerdale, NJ Date: Friday Night, September 29th Time: 7:30 pm Cause: The Family of JR |
| ... It was a normal summer Saturday afternoon in Washington Township for The Deck Band's newest member, guitar player John Russell. He was returning from the food king when firetrucks sped past. As JR returned home, he realized the trucks had stopped at his address, across the street from Kennedy Hospital. The house was ablaze. Thank God that his wife Karol, daughter Hannah, and pets had escaped unharmed (one cat actually did need mouth to mouth and animal hospital care, but is now recovering). The damage to the Russell residence was dramtic however, with almost nothing salvagable from inside. Bassman K Murhp was the first to initiate a benefit show for the Russell Family, but he wasn't alone. The great folks at the Whitman's Men's Club and Ott's on Greentree Road put together a great night on September 16th. |
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| Saturday September 16th, 2006 Whitma Men's Club "You know, I've been associated with so many benefits in the past with work and all, and have never been on the other side. I have to say, it feels a little wierd... You know what though, if it will help out my family then why not. Let's do it!" Great minds thought alike! |
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| As heard on Free FM 94 WYSP Radio (click logo) |
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| The New Arrangement |
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| Two months in the books with the new arrangement, and two surprize venues under their belts. The Deck band looks to work on building their setlist over the next few months. Of course, the main story early in the John Russell era was the following... |
| Many thanks to Heather and all the girls at the Little Spot for really doing a nice job with the Friday evening benefit! The night kicked off with Force of Habit bringing their "A" game and playing a solid opening set. After a quick turnaround, The Deck Band took the stage for the first of two loooooong sets. It was JR's first public appearance with the group, and they were joined by Donnie on keys, and Steve on guitar. Both Donnie and Steve are members of "Sneakin Around", a local ass-kickin cover band. After a short break, Dennis Helkowski rejoined the group, and along with professional singer Irene kicked out a second set. |
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| All things considered from a musical standpoint, there were lots of lessons to be learned from The Deck Band's 4th gig at the Little Spot. Some of them were... 1. Setting up after an opening act is a big pain in the ass! 2. Playing without a sound check is a big pain in the ass! 3. Not having everyone have a copy of the setlist is a big pain in the ass! 4. Playing more than ten songs per setlist probably is too much playing at once. 5. Setlist design is huge in encouraging people to dance. 6. When chicks dance, you win. |
| TC gets down and dirty while belting out a tune... Some Tweed Farmers and some family doing some shots. |
| (above left) Not as much boob signing on this night, but if you happend to grab a couple that didn't make you a bad person... (above right) Donnie, Denny, TC, and Kev during the second set. From photo you can't see the 12 shots of brandy Dennis knocked back... (below left) The typical Kev pose, but with that Turner Classic Movies colorization thing working... (below right) Vinnie/Mike out of booze, and not too thrilled about it! |
| As always, The Deck Band thanks you all for coming out and having a good time with us. Looking forward to the Spring 2007 Touring season! |
| Little Blonde Hannah Hoods |