This has been a year of great personal, and band changes. After an extremely protracted courtship, Jan and I were married in September. I guess she never figured out that not only could she do so much better than me, she also deserves so much better than me. So please nobody tell her.

In April our beloved drummer, Phil, crossed over to the other side. I still have a hard time accepting this. I loved talking about music with Phil almost as much as I loved jamming with him. One of our favorite conversations was about how vastly superior the Isley Bros. version of "Twist And Shout"(BTW The original) was to the Beatles version, and this is the song where the Beatles "borrowed" what was to become their trademark "woos". Phil had that kind of pop music historical perspective. A lot of you out there probably never heard the Isley Bros. version of "Twist And Shout".

There were times I thought Phil's passing would be the end of our band. As luck would have it Derek agreed to returned. Believe me when I tell you this: He's the only guy who could have succeded Phil. Playing music (especially in this band) is so much more than hitting the notes. It's all about the spirit of the music. Phil had that spirit, Derek has that spirit. I think I can speak for all of us when I say we are blessed to have Derek back.