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Because I Can

All of my life I have been able to find the perfect songs to listen to that describes exactly what I was going thru at that moment. I would listen to the songs over and over until the situation had passed and the phase was over. Lately I have been paying attention to what music I have been playing in my car (not radio, mostly Ipod and CD's) considering my situation now. If you don't know, feel free to email you and I will explain. I decided I am going to put up lyrics to some of the songs that are currently playing in my life. Kind of like a journal, only using someone else's words because they can better describe the feelings. If someone knows how to add a music player to this blog, please let me know. I would also like to add a playlist to this page. thanks!

One Way Ticket (Because I Can)         

In our Hearts. Tommy D.

This morning marked the passing of a great family friend, Tommy Donfrio. He will be forever in our hearts and truly missed. I am very glad that we all got a chance to see him this past sunday and talk with him and share some memories. To my surprise he was the same Tommy, smiling, laughing and telling jokes the whole time. He talked about how he couldn't wait to sing with the band again as soon as he could get his voice stronger. I pulled his bio from my dad's band website - Cheap Sax:

Tommy Donfrio, Vocals, Drums

Long before he ever laid a stick on a snare drum, there was the simple `tap-tap-tap` of a young boy's fingers on the wooden church pew. Trying to add a beat to the drone of a gospel hymn played on a sleepy organ at Sunday mass, little Tommy Donfrio annoyed churchgoers with a rhythmic fingertip-and-knuckles mini-percussion. He didn't know at the time that it would be the beginning of a life-long love affair with music.

Tom Donfrio, a.k.a Tommy Dee (after all this is rock'n'roll) got his first set of drums at age 13. It was an old and battered Kent set that his Uncle Tony from Rochester New York tried to sell, but after several mocking laughs and giggles from prospective buyers, decided heroically to donate the set to his anxious nephew.

Tommy's first band, The Rejects, played their first gig to a throng of at least ten teenagers at a 13th birthday party. His musical career was off and running. The band played many local parties, backyard barbeques and soon thereafter even got to play on a local TV show. "Engineer Bill's Shake Shop."

The `Rejects` eventually lived up to their name and Tommy moved on. The bubble-gum got even stickier when he and current Cheap Sax keyboard player Rick Avenatti hooked up with an all-girl band called The Jaggz. They hopscotched around town performing at teen center dances, USO shows, and Battle of the Bands Spectaculars. It was during this period that Tommy developed sensitivity. In other words, he always let the girls have their way. He also discovered that a wonderful by-product of playing rock and roll was having a lot of girls around. If the music wasn't up to his expectations, he could always take comfort in the environment. Even so, when his friends began to refer to the group as "The Powderpuffs," Tommy knew it was time to exit.

It was on to Montebello High School where Tommy had the good fortune to back up rock'n'roll legends The Coasters and The Drifters. Tommy's excitement was hard to contain, but his overuse of the word "groovy" wasn't conducive to R&B and soon again he found himself to be a drummer without a gig, until 1971, when Tommy co-founded the country-rock band Pequod. That same year they recorded their first album and promoted it by playing local clubs and a cable TV show.

There was a virtual drought in the L.A. music scene in 1973 when Tommy latched on to a Japanese Pop Rock band called Free Flight. Tommy's best memory of this band was that for the first in his life he felt tall. In 1976 Tommy was once again reunited with Rick Avenatti and current Cheap Sax guitarist, Doug Macoll in a group called Higher Ground. The band's biggest claim to fame was a four month stay in Hawaii. Oahu clubs and military bases were the band's bread and butter for their tour. Unfortunately the group was saddled with a rowdy reputation by Military Police (MP's) during their stay. It seemed whenever they played a base, the brig was filled by morning. Go figure.

By 1980 there was a New Wave of music washing over LA, and Tommy's creative juices were flowing. He and Doug left Higher Ground, and along with current sax player, Gary Pluchino, formed The Rev, one of the hottest (and best-kept) secrets on the LA music scene. Perhaps due to an excess of testosterone, the group evolved into The Balding Brothers, and they enjoyed six years of playing local clubs and opening for acts like The Del Tones, Billy and the Beaters and Al Kooper. It was during this time that Tommy met Jeff Cool, current lead vocalist for Cheap Sax. In 1990 Cheap Sax was born and has endured and flourished to the present day.

Tommy is married to his number one fan, Amy. To their own bewilderment and amazement they have raised a lovely daughter, Lindsey, who's pent-up anger and hostility has manifested itself in creative musical talents of her own. Along with Jeff's and Gary's daughters Lindsey will often front the band singing a lovely ballad or noteworthy rock and roll classic.

When he's not pounding out great sounds from his vintage 1969 Ludwig psychedelic red drum set or his Roland electronic drums, Tommy Dee will Jekyll and Hyde himself into Mr. Donfrio, the Director of HR for Montebello Schools. Tommy has been mentoring kids for most of his adult life. So if you're having trouble with your kid's test-scores. see the drummer.

Tommy's musical resume is long, but not as long as his musical memory. If you were to ask him about his favorite moments performing, he would list a host of unforgettable snapshots in time, and somewhere near the top of that list would be the simple "tap-tap-tap" of a little boy in church trying to create a better beat for all of us.

R.I.P Tommy.

"Things to do"

I am stealing this list of "Things To Do" from Mandy's blog for 2 reasons: 1. I haven't posted anything in a really long time, sorry about that faithful readers. And 2. I always say that I can check off "running a marathon" off of my list of things to do, but never really had a complete list. So here it is.

*** Everything that I have done is in BOLD***

1. Started your own blog
2.Slept under the stars
3.Played in a band - i played the flute for 5 years when i was a kid
4.Visited Hawaii - many times, i love it there
5.Watched a meteor shower
6.Given more than you can afford to charity
7.Been to Disneyland
8.Climbed a Mountain
9.Held a praying mantis
10.Sang a solo
11.Bungee jumping
12.Visited Paris
13.Watched a lightning storm at sea
14.Taught yourself an art from scratch
15.Adopted a child
16.Had food poisoning
17.Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18.Grown your own vegetables
19.Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20.Slept on an overnight train - thanks to my mom i took a train all the way to CO when i was a kid, worst sleep ever
21.Had a pillow fight
22.Hitch hiked - one of vanessa's bright ideas...
23.Taken a sick day when you were not ill
24.Built a snow fort
25.Held a lamb
26.Gone skinny dipping
27.Run a Marathon - San Diego Rock N Roll Marathon - 6/3/07
28.Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29.Seen a total eclipse
30.Watched a sunrise or sunset
31.Hit a home run - not even in my slow pitch softball league. how sad!
32.Been on a cruise
33.Seen Niagara Falls in person
34.Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35.Seen an Amish community
36.Taught yourself a new language - spanish
37.Had enough money to be truly satisfied - almost.
38.Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39.Gone rock climbing
40.Seen Michelangelo's David
41.Sung Karaoke
42.Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43.Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44.Visited Africa
45.Walked on a beach by moonlight
46.Been transported in an ambulance
47.Had your portrait painted - I sat for my friend scott in college and he sketched me, almost lifesize, for his art class. it took 14 hours! 
48.Gone deep sea fishing
49.Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50.Been to the top of the Eiffel tower in Paris - how about the one in vegas? LOL
51.Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52.Kissed in the rain
53.Played in the mud
54.Gone to a drive-in theater
55.Been in a movie - does a tv show count? cause i have been in a few.
56.Visited the Great Wall of China
57.Started a business 
58.Taken a martial arts class
59.Visited Russia
60.Served at a soup kitchen
61.Sold girl scout cookies
62.Gone whale watching
63.Got flowers for no reason
64.Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65.Gone sky diving 
66.Visited a Nazi concentration camp
67.Bounced a check
68.Flown in a helicopter
69.Saved a favorite childhood toy
70.Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71.Eaten Caviar
72.Pieced a quilt
73.Stood in times square
74.Toured the Everglades
75.Been fired from a job
76.Seen the changing of the Guards in London
77.Broken a bone
78.Been on a speeding motorcycle
79.Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80.Published a book
81.Visited the Vatican
82.Bought a brand new car
83.Walked in Jerusalem 
84.Had your picture in the newspaper
85.Read the entire Bible 
86.Visited the White House
87.Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88.Had Chickenpox
89.Saved someones life - I was a lifeguard back in high school and I saved a couple drowning kids.
90.Sat on a jury 
91.Met someone famous
92.Joined a book club
93.Lost a loved one
94.Had a baby
95.Seen the Alamo in person
96.Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97.Been involved in a law suit
98.Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Been in love

41/100... 

Some of these things i dont really want to do - i.e. hold a lamb? not that important to me - travel to every state in the US - that is more important to me. So I am revising my list!