President: David Pohorylo PARROT HEAD 35 Boot Shop Lane Monroe, CT 06468 (203)261-1381 [email protected] PRESS Executive Vice President: Lorraine Bosshard Metro Parrot Head Monthly Newsletter November 2011 6 Mountainview Court NY, NJ, CT Vol. 19 No.11 Fort Salonga, NY 11768 (631) 757-4043 HAPPY 20TH ANNIVERSERY!!! Treasurer: Peter Bosshard 6 Mountainview Court Fort Salonga, NY 11768 (631) 757-4043 Secretary: Marianne Straaik TALES FROM MY BANK OF BAD HABITS 25 Rhode Island Ave Massapequa, NY 11758 Carol & I are just about packed and ready to head off to Key West, but it looks like we are in for a Nor- (516)795-4126 Easter first, over here in Connecticut. But that will just make the sunshine and warm breezes in Key ------------------------------ West that much sweeter. We just finished having a new roof installed and finally bought a new snow Parrot Press blower, so we are ready for whatever Mother Nature has in store for us. I hope you are too. Lorraine/Eric Rosen We have extended the date (because of Meeting of the Minds) until November 15th for ordering the new 737 Highview Ave anniversary long and short sleeve tees. Details are in this newsletter. Westbury, NY11590 516-807-8191 [email protected] Larry DeGennaro and I attended the Northeast Regional Parrot Head Club Meeting last Saturday at the Banana Wind Mohegan Sun Casino, but there is not much to report to you, so I won’t. Sue Leudesdorff [email protected] Speaking of Larry, his Team False Echoes, ranked 1st. this year nationally raising funds for the LI Coordinators Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk. Quite an achievement for just a few Metros. Looks like we are Ray Leudesdorff all buying him drinks at the anniversary party, and Denise too. Congrats to the whole team! Cell 516-768-9348 [email protected] th Ralph Wotruba Speaking of the anniversary party (formally known as the Frosted Party), the date is February 11 at the 631-891-8006 Holiday Inn in Plainview. The entertainment is fitting for the party. Jim Morris and the Big Bamboo th [email protected] Band will be our headliner, and they will be playing for Metro for the 13 . time, the fourth on Long Eastern LI Island. Opening for Jim and the band will be none other than Metro’s best known musician, Ed Travers. Joe Lombardi Morris and Travers have promised us a great night of tunes. We have also shaved $5 off of last year’s (631)324-9354 ticket price. This year it will be $65 per person, and Metro has set aside a block of rooms at $109 each. [email protected] All the details can be found in this newsletter. Jim Morris is also checking off one item on his bucket list. NYC Coordinator He will be playing an acoustic show on Friday February 10th for Metro Night at the Stephen Talkhouse in Terri Amundsen Amagansett. Tickets will be on sale shortly for this on the Talkhouse’s website. I’ve been asked by many (718)956-5658 of our members if we can put together a bus out to Amagansett that night, and if enough of you want to Upstate & Ct Coordinators make the trip on a party bus, we will put it together. If we can do it, I expect to would depart and return Carol Pohorylo (203)261-1381 to the Holiday Inn in Plainview. We are working up the cost, but in the meantime, if you think you want [email protected] in, email me at [email protected]. Western Coordinators th Linda Peter/Larry DeGennaro Carol & I hope to see you at the November “Wrapped With Love” Happy Hour on the 19 at the Straaik [email protected] estate in Massapequa. There will be a great raffle and don’t forget to bring what you can. Wet and dry [email protected] dog and cat food, large towels and blankets would be appreciated. A few dollars wouldn’t hurt either. NJ Coordinator Details are in this newsletter. Tracey McGowan [email protected] 732-668-1620 Feels like I’m missing something, but my mind is a blank. So, Carol & I will see some 70 of you at Ticket Liaison MOTM, and hopefully even more at the November Happy Hour. Tom Dalton [email protected] Off to Key West, (631)-979-8337 Webmaster Dave Pohorylo Larry "Squid" Kiewra [email protected] TIKI BAR #7 This month both Michelle & Tom Becker better known as "Latitude" stopped by to say hello and of course answer a few questions: 1. What is your favorite drink? T - All depends on the mood. Rum Jumbie is always a good option. M - I don't have a favorite, but it's got to involve rum. Dark & Stormy, Rum Jumbie/club soda/lime, Mai Tai, etc... 2. If we looked into your cd collection what artists would we find? T - Jim Croce, Steely Dan, John Denver, James Taylor, too many more to mention. M - The music of our friends and fellow Trop Rock Troubadours! 3. How many instruments do you play? T - 6 & 12 String guitar, mandolin and recently 6 string banjo & ukulee. M - Keyboard and I'm hoping to dust off my old violin and be able to add that back to my list. 4. Did you have any formal training? T - No M - Yes. My dad was a drummer who's "day job" was selling pianos. We had a beautiful baby grand in our house, and being a typical kid, I wanted to play ANYTHING other than piano, so my first instrumunt was violin. I started taking lessons in 3rd grade. By 6th grade, I was becoming more interested in singing, and realized that the piano was a better insrrument to "sing along to", so I caved in, and started taking piano lessons in 6th grade. I added voice lessons when I got to high school. God bless my mom, who took money out of the grocery budget to pay for my lessons. (I don't think my dad ever knew that the lessons cost more than $5.00 !) 5. At what age did you realize that you wanted to play TropRock music? T - I don't think it was a certain age as much as it was to discover that some of the styles of musicthat I liked seemed to have a theme that is now considered TropRock. M - I always loved tropical music, and the songs that I listened to on the beach growing up are still special to me. I grew up in New England, but I was never a cold weather person, so anything tropical interested me. I was writing songs about the laid-back lifestyle before I even knew there was such a thing as TropRock, so i suppose it was always a part of me. I just didn't know there was a name for it until we were "discovered" by the Parrotheads in 1996! 6. Who do you enjoy playing with? T - First off I would say my wife Michelle. After that I enjoy playing with anyone I can learn something from. M - Obviously, I enjoy playing music with my husband, Tom. Fifteen years ago (wow!), when we decided to join forces and work together, we didn't know if anyone else would enjoy it, but we knew that WE WOULD!!! We also love to sit in with our friends, and we LOVE getting as many talented friends on stage with us as possible. I know the audiences love it when we all come together, but there is no way that they could love it more than WE DO! 7. We love to see you play in Key West. Is it as much fun for you as it is for us? T - It's always fun when we see our audience enjoying it. M - I know that people have a good time at our shows, but for us, between watching everyone else having fun, and the joy of getting to play our own music, I just don't think it could get any "funner" than that! People always tell uss, "you look like you're having so much fun." I guess it shows! 8. Where is your favorite vacation spot? T - The place I have yet to visit. M - Every time I visit a new tropical location, it becomes my new favorite. From our last Latitude Cruise in January, I'd have to say my new favorite is Curacao, but I LOVE the beauty and the wonderful people in the Hawaiian Islands. That's why our next Latitude Cruise in February is a hawaiian Island Cruise! We want to experience this beautiful place with our friends! 9. Name 5 of your favorite places to play. T - I can't name 5 places because it's more about the people than it is the place. Don't get me wrong. We have played some wonderful places but the response from the audience is what makes it a favorite. M - Yikes! I'm just happy and grateful to be able to play our music ANYWHERE for the amazing people who are part of our lives! But if it's got warm weather, palm trees and blue water, that is a definite bonus! 10. Do you have any pets roaming around the Becker household? T - We have a 12 year old Westie. She is the best! M - We've got a 12 year old West Highland Terrier named Missy. We rescued her when she was 10 months old, and she is the sweetest thing ever! She travels with us whenever possible, and balances out our crazy lives! 11.