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THE REGULAR JOE
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For the Grads Jay Kerner Publisher/College Drop-out
I can’t believe another graduation season has passed without an invitation to make a commencement speech. Maybe my phone was off the hook. Perhaps I was off-line for a while. Probably everyone assumed I was already booked. Be that as it may, I feel I would be remiss if I didn’t take the opportunity to share with this year’s graduates, some life lessons acquired at my own alma matter. (The Institute of Hard Freaking Knocks.) Normally, I would tailor my speech to the particular audience, but under the circumstances I’m forced to include a little something for everybody. So we’ll start with the PRE-SCHOOL Graduates. Shut up you little babies! You haven’t done squat. Big deal, you know some colors and numbers. So what? Sure, you can sing the alphabet song, but take away the melody and you can’t tell a “B” from an “Ellemeno Pee”. Your scissors are rounded off and your shoes are all Velcro. Society has recognized your ineptitude with glassware and cutlery, and manufactured food and drink in pouches so you can feed yourselves without injury. Still, they’ll put a cap and gown on you and make a big deal out of it. Try not to poop your pants during the ceremony. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GRADUATES. Way to go! You’re ready for Middle School, yet most of you still need help cutting your own meat. You can’t name the President, but know even the secondary characters on Sponge Bob Square Pants. You get lost walking the three blocks home from school, yet know every acre of fantasy real estate on 134 levels of some stupid game on your phone. But thank heaven for those phones. Without them you couldn’t do elementary math. Or fling cartoon birds. MIDDLE SCHOOL GRADUATES. Congratulations. By all rights, your parents should have drowned you by now. You have made it to the end of a course of study, seemingly designed to foster obnoxiousness. You know nothing yet think you know everything. Your parents will make a huge fuss but the truth is, you’re insufferable and they fear what will become of you with your anti-social behavior and less than stellar reasoning skills. HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES. Shut the hell up. If you are reading this, (fat chance) you have now reached the same academic level as the average Asian ten year old. Look around you, H.S. graduate. Regardless of the “reach for the stars” platitudes tossed out by your commencement speaker, most of your classmates have already passed the peak of their existence. There’s nothing ahead for most of you but unsatisfying mind-numbing employment and the long slow downhill slide toward death. Some of you will go to college. Some of you will join the military. Some will join the family business. Maybe 2% of you will end up doing anything remotely similar to whatever your plan is today. The vast majority of you will trip and fall into a slot, not of your choosing. Like, one day you’re hanging out chillin’ with your buds, and the next thing you know, you’re the assistant to the assistant pit supervisor at the Speedy Oil Change joint and wondering what happened. COLLEGE GRADUATES. You sorry bastards. What the hell were you thinking? You’re so far in debt, your kids will still be paying off your student loans long after you’re gone.
You’re going off, sheepskin in hand, completely unprepared for what’s out there. As a public service I’ve put together a short guide to help various degree holders find something they’re qualified for. English Degree. Consider teaching English as a second language. Start by teaching illegal immigrants. Later on you’ll be in position to teach Americans once Spanish is our official language. Recreation Mgmt. You’re in luck! There are six Foot Locker stores in every mall, and your years of reffing intramural pickleball games means you’ll be right at home in the zebra suit. Journalism. What? Was the telegraph course full up? Seriously, did you really think there was a newspaper job waiting for you? Ha ha ha! Welcome to reality, future blogger. Business Majors should consider starting out in Organized Crime. Once you get used to the treachery and become immune to the sight of blood you’ll be ready for Corporate America. Psychology. Sorry, there is no practical use for this. So there you have it. Some friendly tips for graduates at every level. What? You take issue with some of my comments? You think they apply to everybody but you, don’t you? Well, guess what? My smart-alec comments don’t have any more to do with you and your life than any sunshine and balloons speech about the future. Your future will be determined by the decisions you make more than any other factor. Do a good job on the big ones. Take chances on the ones that won’t kill you. You have the power to be the exception to every rule. Don’t take anybody’s word over your own. Figure out who you want to be, and the what you want to be will most likely take care of itself.
Dear Joe, St. Jo Frontier Casino team members recently pulled together for a special project, donating over 1000 children’s books to the Noyes Home in addition to $1500. As always, we are proud of our the way our people stepped out to help such a good cause in our community. Ashton Markt St. Jo Frontier Casino
Dear Joe, 3 incredible quartets; 2 award winning choruses and 1 gorgeous venue are all coming together on Friday, June 12 at 7:30 p.m. for one phenomenal concert! If you only see one concert this summer, get your tickets to this event. The Voices of America are excited to bring to St. Joseph their 3-2-1 Voices-in-One Summer Concert. The Cathedral St Joseph in downtown St Joseph will ring with the sounds of men’s a cappella and barbershop music for the first time. 3 Incredible Quartets, 2 Award Winning Choruses, all coming together in 1 gorgeous venue, the Cathedral St Joseph on Friday, June 12 at 7:30 p.m. The Cathedral St Joseph is located at 519 North 10th Street, St. Joseph, Mo. 64501. Tickets are available on-line at www.vchorus.com at the Allied Arts Council Office or from any member of the Voices of America Chorus. Ticket prices are $15 adults & $10 students in advance and $20 adults & $15 students at the door.
Dear Joe, For the third year, AFL-CIO Community Services is hosting a monthlong Christmas in July FUNdraiser, to raise money for the many programs supported by AFL-CIO Community Services. Last year, more than 150 people helped to raise more than $11,000 by participating in events throughout the month of July. Events will include Trivia Night, Christmas in July Sale, Raffle & Toy Drive, Mustangs’ Christmas Extravaganza, and Scavenger Hunt & Pub Crawl. All events on this year’s calendar promise to be bigger and better than 2014. For more information, please call AFL-CIO Community Services 364-1131.
The Regular Joe
phone 816-617-5850 read us online at www.theregularjoepaper.com email us at email@theregularjoepaper.com snail mail us at The Regular Joe P.O. Box 1304 St. Joseph, Mo. 64502
This Month’s Computer Winner Watches to Win This month’s computer winner taught us something. Regular reader Tami Myers sent us her mother’s name in our Refurbed Desktop Computer giveaway. Our friends at Laptop Liquidators hook us up with the units (in exchange for the ad you see below),and we find them new homes. And that brings us to the home of Thelma Deshon. Thelma had a working laptop, but an older slower model, which was crimping her hobby way more than she knew. You see, Ms. Deshon watches short videos on Swagbucks.com and earns points she exchanges for gas and groceries. We’d heard about sites that did this kind of thing but this was our first experience seeing someone use it. She showed us a short sample on her old machine. We waited while she pulled it up. She made a selection to show us how it worked, and we waited while it loaded. Then we watched the first few seconds then
we waited for more to load. We now understood why Tami sent in her mother’s name. We hooked up the new one side by side with the old laptop. We don’t think Thelma was prepared for the difference. She was used to the old one. But on this one, videos pulled right up and played right through without all the buffering. Her eyebrows went up and we could see her realize the potential. She told us she averages around $75 a month with her old machine. Money that goes a long way to supplement her income. We wonder how many more videos she can watch now, in the same amount of time? We left her to explore the new system and headed out feeling pretty good about the transaction. Our friends at Laptop Liquidators get some exposure for their locally owned business and we have the pleasure of hooking up one of our readers with a newer faster machine for however they use it. This time that machine should translate directly into food in the belly and gas in the tank. We love it! We still have a few of these coming. Holler at us if you could use a good, refurbed desktop computer system. We’ll throw your name in the hat.
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Ride 4 Ryan June 5th Hundreds of bikers will be riding for a reason June 5. 2015 during the 13th annual, twoday, Ride for Ryan memorial fundraiser honoring Ryan Consolver. Beginning June 5th, community members are invited to the Rock for Ryan pre-party in Downtown St. Joseph at the Coleman Hawkins Park, featuring music, food and fun! Rumbles of the ride will begin with registration at 10 a.m. for riders at St. Joe Harley Davidson, located at 4020 S. U.S. 169 Highway. All makes of motorcycles are welcome. $20 per rider with children under the age of 16 free. The 85-mile ride begins at noon and will travel through Amazonia, Filmore, and Savannah with a scheduled lunch at the Savannah Middle School, located at 10500 State Route T, at approximately 1 to 2 p.m. The ride will conclude around 3:30 p.m. in Downtown St. Joseph along Felix Street from Fifth to Eighth Streets. Spectators can view the parade of bikes best along the parking garage between Fourth and Fifth Streets, across from the Corby Building. Approximately 30 vendors, including food and merchandise, will be set along Felix Street Square/Coleman Hawkins Park at Eighth & Felix streets from 2 to 6 p.m..
Live entertainment will include live and silent auctions, plus music at the gazebo and inside Downtown pubs throughout the evening. The 13th annual Ride for Ryan event kicked off as a family fundraiser by a local family honoring the late Ryan Consolver, who died in a motorcycle accident in Kansas City, at the age of 24 in 2002. The memorial birthday party has benefited area high school students with similar
passions as Ryan with interests into construction/engineering-related schooling interests. To date, 144 students have been awarded $144,000 in scholarships. For more information, visit www.rideforryan.com.
A St. Joe Wedding
Spanky and Buckwheat’s is Bringing the Meat! Jimmy “Hambone” Hamilton
This St. Joe Wedding assignment has been quite the learning experience for this writer. While I’ve had a few weddings of my own, stood up for others in theirs, and attended countless more as a guest, I’d never given much thought to all of the arrangements behind the events. Following our St. Joe Bride through a maze of dresses and flowers and photos and… well, let’s just say my life has been thoroughly girlified by the process. That’s why I was so excited about this issue’s subject. You see, it’s time to choose the reception menu. I had visions of endless sampling as all the best local caterers tried to land the job by plying us with tiny plates filled with tiny mouthfuls of yummy goodness. I considered it my reward for dress shopping. But then I found out there wouldn’t be any sampling. The St. Joe Groom is finally heard from. He didn’t care about the dress or the flowers or the decorations. He’d wear whatever she picked out and stand where he was told at the time and date she selected. But he was picking the food. And there would be meat! Lots and lots of meat! Smoked meat! And none of those tiny tidbits. Nothing served on a toothpick for this St. Joe Groom. And the whole shebang was already set up with Spanky and Buckwheat’s Catering. Good call. It’s hard to imagine that you could have been around these parts any length of time, without having a taste of their wonderful food. You could have had it at some event or another (like our groom) or maybe while they operated the restaurant next to Hyde Park. Either way, over time, they learned that their long slow smoking process worked so much more efficiently, when you knew in advance how many you were feeding. They learned what so many other BBQ places
did; it’s hard to sell slow food to fast food customers. So, like any smart operator, they changed to meet the realities of their business, and evolved into a “catering only” operation. They bought the reception hall at 306 Illinois and moved the whole shebang there last year. Now they concentrate on what they do best. They cater events in their own building, and of course can set up and serve anywhere else in the area, as they’re doing for our St. Joe Wedding. They’ll bring the meats, they’ll bring the sides and the beverages. They’ll set it up, tear it down, and clean it up. You know the drill, we don’t need to explain how catering works. What probably deserves mention is the difference between the amateurs and the pros. Anybody can order a couple of trays of something and throw it out there. We’ve all been at those kind of events. The meat’s gone but look at all the buns. Everything served with the single spoon somebody remembered to bring. You’ve got half the cups you need and the tines on the flimsy plastic forks break off every time you try to poke the dried out mystery meat. Nobody wants that for their event. There are a lot of good local caterers. I was looking forward to gorging myself while the bride and groom perused all the options. I was robbed of that opportunity but I can overlook the slight, knowing what I have to look forward to at the St. Joe wedding this summer. If you need a reception hall for your event or a great local caterer, we suggest you consider Spanky and Buckwheat’s. You can reach them at 238-1303 or find them on Facebook.
Sounds of Summer Kicks off 17th Season The St. Joseph Downtown Association is proud to announce their line-up for the 2015 “Sounds of Summer” Concert series. This is the seventeenth year for the series that has grown in popularity every year. May 29th – “Friends and Family” This group which consists of Jeromie Frost, Jack Frost, Tim Arnold, Jesse Barbosa, Charles Bradford and random guests is a crowd favorite because they play a selection of covers that span five decades. A “Friends and Family” show ventures from the genres of classic rock and modern pop to R&B, blues and even a bit of soul.
June 26th – “Flannigan’s Right Hook” (below) The Ancient Order
of Hibernians are partnering with the Downtown Association to present Kansas City’s premiere Irish blue-grassical band! This group delivers a high energy performance. The group consists of Shane Borth, a classically trained fiddler; Michael Cochran, a hard rock drummer and Cameron Russell, a folk guitarist.Theyperform everything from Metallica to Irish Traditional Music and put a whole new spin on all kinds of classic favorites! July 10th – “Swift Kik” Swift Kik just celebrated 35 years as one of the favorite bands in the Midwest! The group consisting of Ron Tiller, Rick Clark, Barry Poe, Erich Ulehorn and Kevin Snowden plays a variety of the best classic rock and roll. Since 1979, they have been one of most popular bands in the area because they deliver a high energy rock show featuring great vocal harmonies, dual lead guitars and the best melodic rock from yesterday through today. July 17th – “Soca Jukebox” Island Rock extroverts, “Soca Jukebox” is on the of genre’s premier show bands. This fivepiece band features a battery of shimmering steel pans, an array of Latin percussion, a fastidious rhythm section and incendiary guitar work. A “Soca Jukebox” engagement showcases performers who are dedicated to “bringing the party” by providing diverse musical genres reinvigorated by fresh, stylized arrangements and a high energy percussion show. July 24th – “Charlie and the Stingrays” Charlie and the Stingrays is a no-holds barred party band that’s always a guaranteed good time. They play the hottest Rock and Roll hits from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s along with carefully chosen dance favorites of today. This mixture makes for an evening of non-stop excitement. The five piece band consisting of Charlie Stendebach, Chris Moore, Chris Jones, Brion Leftwich and Dennis White has been together for twenty-seven years. July 31st – “B.O.C.C.” Blue Oyster Culture Club is St. Joseph’s premier 80”s cover band! Todd Cooper, Chris Clark, Corey Riley and Bill Blizzard will rock the Coleman Hawkins Park at Felix Street Square with all the 80’s hits! “Sounds of Summer” is presented by Sunshine Electronic Display this year. The concerts are from 6 pm to 9 pm at Coleman Hawkins Park at Felix Street Square. Admission is free. Ice cold soda, beer, wine and food is available for purchase. Individuals are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets, no coolers or carry-ins are allowed. For more information call 233-9192.
Woods & Bruce Electric “No job too small!” David Bruce, Master Electrician 816-617-1152
Live Music Hi-Lites Cafe’ Acoustic 2605 Frederick ALL SHOWS @9:30pm
Coleman Hawkins Park 8th & Felix
Sounds of Summer Concert Series Friday 5/29 Friends & Family Imagine Eleven Concert Series
Amnesia Too St. Joseph Ave.
JUNE 5TH STRAIGHT LINE STITCH W/MOTOGRATER & 1000 YEARS WIDE 9PM JUNE 6TH GRINDSTONE CREEK 9PM JUNE 12TH STEVE & LYNDELL FULLER ACOUSTIC DINNER SHOW 6PM-10PM JUNE 13TH BOCC 9PM JUNE 20TH SLEEP SIGNALS W/DEAD MANS HAND & 1000 YEARS WIDE 9PM JUNE 27TH 9PENNY
Magoon’s Deli 8th & Locust
Mon 6/1 Amalgam Jazz Sat 6/6 Who-Do-Voodo Thurs 6/11 Jason Riley Fri 6/19 Amanda Fish Thurs 6/25 Brody Buster Band Fri 6/26 Darling Nicki
The Lucky Tiger 718 Francis
First Saturday with live music all afternoon.
History in One Spot
At one time at this place standing here, you could have seen the fallowing things: First Millions of years ago you would be under water from the inland sea. Glaciers from the last Ice age come & go. Watch the Black Snake Hills being formed, made from the loess soil from the melting glaciers, blown by the Southwestern winds from KS. Hills, the Native Indians considered sacred & the Sun bridge to heaven. Many tribes brought their dead or dying to the hills & placed them on burial platforms. Mammoths, bison ect. grazing as the glaciers recede. 1804- You could meet with Louis & Clark as they passed by. 1830s you could watch Robidoux building his trading post and trading with the different tribes. 1840s you would start to see more steamboat traffic 1840s Trade with native Indians as they come to trade with Robidoux. 1845 people are starting to leave from here for OR. 1847 more people left for ORG surpassing Independence MO. 1849 (Gold Rush) wagons and people as far as you could see crossing to KS. 1850s you were at the finish line for steamboat races from St. Louis, around 450 miles. 1859 Watch water from lake Erie, Mississippi river,& Atlantic Ocean all running together Via HANN & StJ RR 1859 you could meet Abe Lincoln in Aug & Dec on his way to KS & IA.
1860 you could watch the first run of the pony Express as they cross the river too & from Cal. 1861 you could have seen Jeff Thompson (Swamp Fox) ex-mayor tearing down the flag at the post office & it being thrown into the river. 1860s you could watch confederate troops pass by river ready to shoot if fired upon. 1862 watch the South end of Fort Smith being built and hear the only 2 cannon balls to hit town fly overhead. 1860s you could watch stolen weapons from the Liberty Arsenal being brought by steamboat. 1864 meet John Wilks Booth as he arrives by steam boat. 1870s watch the train, wagon & foot bridge being built across the MO. I’m sure there’s more but this is all I could think of right off of the Bat. “That’s not bad for a parking lot” So just think about how much more you can find if you take a little more time and look around at the rest of the town. Mike W Norman, TNP History Preservation Project
We tip our cup to evcryone involved with the Robidoux Rockabilly Roundup. The weather was touch and go but the car owners came out in good numbers and the crowds did too. This has turned into yet another excellent downtown event.. Way to go, St. Joe!
Code Blues to Blue Zones
One of the most inspiring and fascinating health books to be published this year that I’m currently reading has to be Dan Buettner’s The Blue Zones Solution. For the past 10 years Mr. Buettner, a National Geographic Society fellow, has been traveling the world, seeking out and studying the world’s longest-living people. And it may surprise you to find out that these healthy centenarians don’t “work out” in gyms, run marathons, pop prescription drugs or even supplements or try the latest diet trends in an effort to lose unwanted pounds. They’re just naturally healthy and normal weight because their lifestyles and their environments encourage and support healthy living. They don’t have to worry very much about being a code blue because they live in the blue zones. Blue zone is a term coined by Mr. Buettner and his research team when they outlined in blue ink on a world map the areas where the healthiest people live. Guess where these blue zones are? Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy, Nicoya Penninsula, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece and Loma Linda, Calif. Although they are geographically separated from each other and are more or less isolated, these populations tend to share the following nine characteristics: 1. They eat a mostly plant-based whole-foods diet, though none of them are strictly vegetarian except the Seventh-day Adventists in Loma Linda, and interestingly, the longest-lived among them include cold-water fish in their diet. 2.They move naturally. Movement (gardening, walking, housework etc) is a part of their daily lives. They don’t run on treadmills or lift weights. 3.They have a purpose in life, a reason for getting up in the morning, which is worth seven extra years of life expectancy. 4. They Downshift. All of the Blue Zoners experience stress like everyone else,but they have daily routines that help them relieve it. 5. 80 Percent Rule: The Okinawans in particular eat; only until their stomachs are 80 percent full. They know when to push away from the table, and that 20 percent gap between hunger and fullness might
make all the difference in maintaining a healthy weight. 6. They drink one or two glasses of red wine daily (even some of the Adventists), but no more than that. Moderate wine drinkers actually outlive teetotalers. 7. Their social circles support their healthy behaviors. On Okinawa, for example, they have moais, groups of five friends that commit to help each other for life. 8. Of the 263 centenarians inteviewed, all but five belonged to a faith-based community. And denomination or religion didn’tseem to matter. According to Mr. Buettner, attending faith-based services several times a month extends a person’s life from four to 14 years. 9. Blue zoners put their families first, caring for their aged parents at home and committing to a life partner ( the latter adds three years of life expectancy) They also invest their time and love into their children, and in turn, their children take care of them when they are older. Even though we don’t live in a so-called Blue Zone here in St. Joseph (You might call us a Code Blue Zone instead!) we can imitate the blue zoners by incorporating their lifestyle principles into our daily lives. No one principle by itself ensures health and longevity, but combined together in a natural synergy, they will help us live happier, healthier and hopefully, longer lives. Here’s a toast to the long-lived Blue Zoners! --James Fly Certified Health Coach (Institute for Integrative Nutrition)
1000 Years Wide Susie Dannar The excitement and anticipation is heavy as an occasional sound check is heard, then Pat Jonas hollers toward the bar for the overhead lights to be cut…then IT starts. Like a storm coming in, the building rocks and people hit their feet for a show that leaves them wanting more at the end of the night! Most everyone in the St Joe music scene talks about the vast and various amount of talent in this town, but few musicians actually get the recognition they deserve, but when it happens, it’s BIG!!! 1000 YEARS WIDE is a local band that just brought home the “Project Backstage Midwest Music Awards” coveted BEST NEW BAND recognition title in April. That’s Big, Bold, and Beautiful and for St Joseph , it puts us on the map once again and makes people stand up and take notice of another great talent! This is an award that is given after careful consideration of several outstanding new bands that are listened to and judged by their peers and by veteran music business people. Consisting of band members Pat Jonas, Trent Holcomb, Shawn Russell, John Dail and Steve Conroy, these guys have over 100 years
of music background between them and they are not showing signs of slowing down any time soon! Their style of music is New Age Hard Rock according to Pat Jonas. All I know is, it works well with the local rock scene and they play to mostly packed houses with customers always asking “When will they be back again?” To this I say, you better catch them now while they’re still around locally because their bookings are now expanding to other areas. Yes, they are THAT good! The Best New Band award just confirmed what we already knew! Pat Jonas says it best “We have so much love for music and it is extremely gratifying each time we play-it’s our passion”. And for us, we hope they remember us and know they always have a spot on our calendar. They are also a band that gives back. They were one of several bands that recently donated their time to play at a benefit to help a St Joseph Avenue business rebuild and come back. It was said to me once that successful people like to see others succeed and that’s definitely true of these guys. We want to say “THANKS and Congrats!” for representing St Joseph so well at the Midwest Music awards show. All of us in the music scene appreciate your great work and dedication.
Please treat yourself and catch 1000 YEARS WIDE soon, you won’t be sorry. AND, I will never ask them to turn the volume down ever again! Next show at Amnesia Too June 5th! See you there!
Mug Shots
We caught these Regular Joe’s on the always wacky streets of our city. If you know any of these folks, tell ‘em you saw their mugs in The Regular Joe!
Bon Voyage, Bobby Floyd By Danny R. Phillips Regular Joe Music Guy I have spent the lion’s share of a beautiful Sunday staring at a computer screen, contemplating the perfect way to write about the topic of friendship. When the person I’ve tasked myself with writing about is local music fixture/legend Bobby Floyd, the challenge grows tenfold. I could pontificate about his bands Alice, Holy Mother Exhaust or Dsoedean (and I will) but this time, out of all the times I’ve written about Bobby over the years, I’ll take the majority of my meager space here talking about my friend, Bobby Dean Floyd as he prepares to move his family to Portland, Oregon and its greener pastures. Bobby was my first interview ever as a “professional music journalist.” I went to Rachel Hoffman’s house (member of Alice and daughter of St. Joseph musician, Bill Hoffman) to interview her then new band Alice as they practiced in the basement. As I walked down the stairs with my old shoe box cassette recorder, the first person I saw was the prematurely balding Bobby Floyd, wailing away on the drum set. We immediately started giving each other a hard time, with short breaks to discuss the music Alice was making, the Pixies, how Alice sounded strangely similar, in a good way, to Veruca Salt as well as The Breeders, and our mutual admiration for the punk band Fugazi. That first meeting was fourteen years ago and Bobby has been a pain in my ass ever since. Through all those years, Bobby has been a sort of twisted inspiration, a borderline court jester in a world and music scene that sometimes takes itself too seriously. Bobby lays wisdom down when you least expect it. Many times during my troubles, either real or self-imposed, he has always been a friend. On the many occasions that I wanted to give up writing out of frustration or just plain boredom, Bobby would talk me off the proverbial ledge with his words of encouragement for the career I was crafting out of 30% talent and 70% BS. He would tell me one of three things: one) “You would be missed around here if you quit writing? Who would write about our egos then?” two) “Do what you want… if you want to be a quitter” and 3) “You’ve got real talent, Danny. Don’t throw it away.” Number three was the most effective of all three pearls of wisdom. Like it or not, I’m still here, still shoveling the BS with the best of them, thanks in no small part to Bobby, it’s his fault. When my marriage imploded, Bobby would try (sometimes succeed) to drag me from my depression long enough for a show and a few beers, never saying too much, just making sure I was alive. From time to time, we’ll see each other on the street, discuss music, crazy people, collapsed relationships past and present, our respective children (one in his case) and the “we don’t hang out enough” line before parting ways. Nevertheless, almost like clockwork before I could escape, I would receive a patented “Bobby Floyd Uncomfortable Man Hug.” A hug wherein Bobby lingers a bit too long before rubbing his whiskers on your cheek, a hug made more unpleasant by the fact that I hate hugs, a quirk of mine Bobby knows well, making him want to hug me even more out of pure orneriness. I’ll probably miss those moments, those dis-
cussions, those beers with Bobby more than I realize as I type these words. Not only has Bobby left his mark on everyone he’s met here in St. Joseph, he’s left a mark on the St. Joseph music scene that can never be washed away, much like that tattoo you regret or that stubborn skid mark that just won’t leave your favorite pair of underwear. With Alice, he along with Rachel Hoffman and Erika (Pontius) Foulk , helped bring women fronted rock to a town seemingly stuck in a cycle of cover bands, either country bands or testosterone driven, bloated derivative hard rock and metal. Not necessarily, a good environment for a punk rock loving music journalist but that would soon change. Around the same time as Alice, other bands that loved punk and alternative music, started to make a shift, a movement for lack of a better word. The Ramey Memo, The Rogers, Pompous Pilot, Full Power, Seven Mile Drive, The Waystation, American Revolt, Hooray for Me and many others lost to an aging mind packed with music “knowledge,” began to fill The Rendezvous with people, eager to hear something else, something different. Not one to rest, Bobby formed Holy Mother Exhaust (still the best band name to come out of this town) to satisfy his love of noise, strange time signatures and off kilter vocal delivery ala Frank Black and David Byrne. Alongside Marc Darnell (now of Cupcake) and then drummer Keith Jensen, the band made a racket, still unmatched years later. Next in my memory comes Dsoedean, a band that, with Zale Bledsoe, Colby Walter and Cody Hudson has gone from a band I often referred to as “hey, is this Modest Mouse?” for the band’s similarity to the Seattle, Washington band, to a true emotion filled powerhouse with their own sound, own identity and their own presence. Yes, Bobby will be missed by any band that needs a drummer. Any fan of his numerous bands will miss Bobby, my daughter Drew, who Bobby met at aged four and since has always been his biggest fan will miss him undoubtedly, as will anyone who values a great musician, a great person with a story to tell. Yes, I will miss all these things about Bobby Floyd. However, the one thing I’ll miss most is Bobby, my friend. I love you man, we all love you. Kaley, Fiona and you enjoy Portland but do not forget about us, the music scene you helped build or the friends you have made, all of us that consider you family. Bon Voyage.
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