This past weekend found the members of Fun DMC in a whirlwind of events. Friday night we had the honor of sharing one of our favorite stages with one of our favorite bands. Fun DMC kicked off things at The Curve Inn to a delightful crowd for the first half of the evening followed by a thrilling performance from local country music favorite, Lick Creek Country Band. The Curve Inn has long been one of the area’s premiere spots for all things Wrigley and considering the Chicago Cubs recent post season success, it only seemed fitting to have the band show up in Cubbies attire. This was a bit of a stretch for Southside native, Aaron Stanley, who reluctantly removed his signature White Sox cap and replaced it with a blue Cubs hat right before Set #1.

Saturday morning found the band loading up the trailer for the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Larry Groth at the Northfield Inn And Suites in Springfield. This was one of the largest attended wedding receptions we have played this year and they had the hype to match. It seemed as if almost every guest helped to pack the dance floor at some point that evening, whether it was during the live set opener, “Can’t Stop The Feeling,” the DJ favorite “The Wobble,” or the slow dance mashup of “Let’s Get It On” and “Thinking Out Loud.” Katey’s husband and long-time friend of the band, Chad Kamerad, had his maiden voyage behind the controls of the mixing iPad and by all accounts, did a stellar job. As most of you know by now, the Chicago Cubs won the National League Pennant and have advanced to their first World Series appearance in 71 years. We celebrated this moment by playing the Chicago anthem “Go Cubs Go” during the break and the celebration on the dance floor was electric.

I would not be recounting this weekend in its entirety without mentioning a bit of sadness that hit our band Saturday night. John Stanley, Aaron’s father, passed away after several years of health issues. Aaron had anticipated that this might be the case and even prerecorded bass tracks to be run through Ableton, which we did. That said, it was the first time that I have been on the Fun DMC stage without my friend holding up the other end. And in spite of the no doubt professional energy maintained by the remaining four members, there was a sadness that could be felt across the stage. The wedding reception came to a close and the band members made short work of packing the awaiting trailer. October had finally blessed us with some cool days and even cooler nights. The exhausted band members, most of us with very little left in the vocal department, stood in a huddled circle, missing our friend, expressing our concern for his family. Albert proposed a group hug and that’s exactly what we did. It wasn’t long before Chad, his timing impeccable, began the quiet chant of “quack, quack, quack…” And with that, we all began that final drive home.

Morning would come early for some of us and later for others. With no rest for the weary, Robert and Talon took their normal morning spots at Central Baptist Church while Albert and Take 10 joined Brooke Thomas And The Blue Suns and The Loops back at The Curve for a Sunday afternoon mini-fest. A few of us even wound up at the Stanley home in Decatur that evening for one final weekend gathering. It was a beautiful night which was complemented by a an equally gorgeous backyard fire. With not much on the agenda other than keeping my toddler from falling into the fire pit, it was another enjoyable evening of food off the grill and Smore’s. The fire eventually faded and so did the weekend. Still, there are friendships that never will.