Updates Blog

NEWS:
We have merged the Witness & Witness Reloaded Blogs!
(Because I don't like to type things twice )

Newer Blog Posts can be found Here ! 

• 6/20/08 We welcome back Apollo Artists Attractions and Eli as our Exclusive agency! The band will be booking under the name Witness Reloaded! 

• 6/18/08 With the help of  Patrick Maley Of "SIRIS", a new logo has been developed for Witness Reloaded!  (Mitch & JD helped a bit too) I like the thin and trimmer "itness" and the slight play on words in Re-Loaded ! Thanks Pat!

• 6/17/08 Many members of Witness Reloaded play in other bands. Here is a new feature that lists the schedule!

• 6/15/08 Witness Reloaded has taken a step off the drawing board and into real life! The new website Witness Reloaded covers the band with a little more depth. Basically, we are back! 

• 6/13/08 Our concerns about the gig on the 20th were well founded. It appears that it wasn't coming together and indeed has been postponed until the fall (Thus the 5/25 deleted post.) Our next rehearsal is scheduled for July 6.  Our fans may not have to wait until the fall to hear the band, as there is something else in the works. It is too early to make a formal announcement. 

• 6/10/08 Witness Reloaded (?) More of an idea right now, but the conversation has come up at several of our Steakhouse meetings. Basically, start playing again on a regular basis!  All the members of our current reunion band are active musicians, still performing on a regular basis. Why not start playing together again? Click on the menu icovelmadinkley.comn for more. 

• 6/8/08 Fantastic time at rehearsal! We got a lot of work done on some new songs despite periods where uncontrolled laughter took over! It was just in the air despite the heat. Holly and the gang cooked up a great meal on the grill so we all left happy and full!  It looks like there may be some type of South Jersey Witness show coming together in the fall as well, but you know how those things go!  

• 6/1/08 In preparation for the July 20th show, we are getting together for rehearsal starting June 8. It won't all be work, as we are going to try to have a bit of a BBQ and some pool action if time and weather permit ;)  

• 5/25/08 (Deleted) 

• In other Witness news, we met at the Texas Roadhouse to discuss the upcoming job as well as set up a rehearsal schedule and add some more songs. (As well as enjoy some great steak!) L Roy showed us his new bike, which has a larger engine (1800cc) then most of our cars do! Sandi, who is a bit of a bike enthusiast, had to go for a ride. (NEVER too old to Rock and Roll)  The band is up for doing a series of club gigs this fall. We are looking to chose some clubs that will allow as complete a production as we can pull off. Things are going to get very interesting !  (click for bigger pic, or go to our Flickr Photo Site for more.)

• 5/24/08 Henry sent us a neat old picture of Flip and Gloria playing in SYN from 1978 ! It's on our Flickr Photo Site. 

• 5/20/08 This appears to be "Time Travel" week for me as some of the members of bands that were the precursor to Witness have been making contact! Last month, it was Deems, who was the original Witness soundman and also worked with Morgen, the band that started Morgen Management, and later Quik. Today it was Scott, the bass player from Morgen and Quik. Those who are very observant will notice the band name "Quick" stenciled on a lot of the early Witness equipment. Quik was known for a very pyrotechnic Star Wars show, and  the plain that would fly over the audience's heads during Live and Let Die. Of course when the plain hit the stage, the whole stage would blow up.  One might also note the gold backdrop, which later showed up during early Witness gigs.

• 5/14/08 Some more pictures (old & new) have been added to our Flickr Photo Site.  

• 5/11/08 Witness is now listed in the UK on the AOR-FM database Website! Cool! 

  5/9/08 Witness: Other Lives:

  * Hot Ticket (Marc, Flip, Michael & the other HT members) is playing a gig this week:

  Dear HT Fans, I has been such a long time since we did a public venue I almost forgot to send this notice out. Hot Ticket will be playing a benefit Beef-n-Beer this Saturday, May 10. This should be a fun time and it would be great to catch up on some gossip and dirty little secrets, and boy, do we have some!!!. Plus, a great cause, great food, beer, live music and beer. Hope to see you there! Beef and Beer Benefit for the American Cancer Society/Relay for Life Pomeroy Fire Company  1918 Valley Road Coatesville, PA 19320 6-10PM  $20.00 per person, tickets available at the door Thank you, Marc Britton

  * The Rip Chords (Mitch playing guitar in a real 60's band!) have some upcoming gigs as well:

  May 16 2008 9:00P  OCEAN CITY MD.CONVENTION CENTER Ocean City, Maryland May 17 2008 7:15P "Deptford Days" Concert In Fasola Park In Deptford N.J. Deptford, New Jersey  Jun   14 2008 6:00P  Washington Township Car Show and Concert...the day before Fathers Day! Washington Township, New Jersey

• 5/4/08 Witness is now on Flickr !  With so many photos coming in, I set up a Flickr Photo Account too! Check it out! 

• 5/3/08 Witness truck, the next generation?  Well, sort of.  I needed a truck for the lighting business so now I have one, and that will make future Witness gigs a little easier to pull off!  Still awaiting a full video tape of the show, but I suspect Mark is a busy man!  When I get it, we should have some pretty cool video to put up on the site.  From what I am told, The Firemen did pretty well on the 20th, and this will help out the Delaware County Fireman's Fund.  We now have about 200 photos on the site from the 20th. Thank you everyone!  (I received over 1000 from all the of you.)   Thanks go out to Ray & Denise Brown for the pictures they added!

• 5/1/08 The MLCT continues ! (?) We are looking at the logistics of doing another show on July 20, 2008 (Yep! two and a half months from now!) If everything pans out, it will be at the Springfield Country Club (not too far from the last location.) We should know in the next couple of weeks if this is going to come together so stay tuned! 

• 4/27/08 A week out and things are finally calming down a bit. I am awaiting a full length video of the night at which point we should have quite a lot of video to upload, but it is good to be able to kick back a bit now that the muscle aches have faded! When I review the night I can't help but think how things went much better than expected! Here is a summary of the four areas we added to the site to cover the gig:

  Photos of the show Over 200 (and counting) neat photos taken on April 20, 2008

  Backstage and set up pictures Taken during Set up and after.

  Part 5 of the Witness Story The story continues with a review of the year that  led up to the night.

  Video page This area will be growing as more video comes in from the show!

• 4/25/08 Just added about 100 more pictures from the April 20 2008 MLCT ! (They are mixed in on all pages) 

• 4/23/08 OK, we now have some more videos and a new video page for the 2008 M.L.C.T. ! (And a cool new wallpaper on our Wallpaper page!) The current clips are short pieces of songs. We are hoping to get some full length clips in soon!

• 4/23/08 Our first Youtube snips are up (short ones)  Mitch's Drum Solo and the Wheelchair Intro (thanks to Rose)

• 4/22/08 The Story can finally be told !!! Part 5 of the Witness Story "This Ain't No Party, It's a GIG!" is now online! Enjoy!
  More! More! Yes, we added a ton of pictures! Thanks go to Rita and the others! We now have 6 pages on site! 

• 4/21/08 Last year, we severely underestimated the desire for Witness Shirts so this year we made a ton!  Michael has some left, they are available at $10 each and all proceeds go to the Delaware County Fireman's Fund. Sizes still available are Extra Large, Large, and Small.  You can order yours by emailing Michael LaBuono halamlb2@hotmail.com

• 4/21/08 The first of the Show Pictures are up! Thanks go to Rose, Nancy E,  and Denise & Bob for sending them in! (Over 100 so far!) (click pic for more)		(Pictured at right) Since the band is now "Old and Feeble" they were delivered to the stage in wheelchairs!
  4/21/08 Here are some shots taken during set up and tear down. I know, not as exciting as show shots, but we are collecting them and will put together a full scrapbook as soon as we can!  (Old Witness Sign, restored from 1982)

• 4/21/08 I don't think there is a single part of my body that doesn't ache this morning! It was all worth it!! We are back! Now, on to business, since Sandi and I were doing lights, we were unable to stop and take pictures, so anybody that has some good pics of last night, email them in! jd.witness@velmadinkley.com I know Mark Allen also was filming, but anyone with video clips, please send them in as well ! The more we have, the better the chance of getting some great stuff posted. Sandi has some still shots from the end of the night, so I will try to get them up here later today!  For those who couldn't make it, here is a summery of the show:
  

  1st Set  Intro – (Wheelchairs) Angry Young Man  You May Be Right Can You See The Real Me  5:15  Won’t Get Fooled Again	Baba O'Riley  Locomotive Breath Cross Eyed Mary Aqualung Too Old to Rock and Roll	2nd Set  Lamb Lies Down on Broadway Watcher of the Skies (Drum Solo) Turn it On Again Abacab Money	Burning Down the House Life During Wartime And She Was  Take me to the River Long Distance Runaround Roundabout
  3rd Set Suite Judy Blue Eyes Solsbury Hill Sledgehammer	Magic Carpet Ride  Born to Be Wild  Le Grange Tush  Rosalita	Encore Hocus Pocus

• 4/20/08 Woooo! I can't move! What a great day! More as soon as we catch up with some of the media. 

• 4/19/08 Good thing we went with the larger truck! It is floor to ceiling flat up to the rear door! (Just like the old days!) 
  Special thanks go out to Justin Bistany, who has been the stunt double for my elder back ;)  
  Tomorrow is also Michael LaBuono's Birthday !!  With a little under 15 hours to load in time, there is magic in the air! 

• 4/18/08 As I write this, we are 48 hours from Showtime! The equipment has been packed up and ready for our truck to arrive.  I will try to make one more blog entry tomorrow, but I suspect the site will go quite for a couple of days as the "Cyber World" of Witness is replaced by a real world performance! Judging by last year's show, it will take a few days before we can start posting the results!  See You All at the Reunion! 

• 4/16/08 Three "Show" sets have been worked out, the first one kicks off shortly after 2:00 and contains some of the best stuff! As a reminder, things start early! The afternoon will be pretty packed with music, with just enough time to down some Beef & Beer!

• 4/13/08 Just returned from the last rehearsal. We went through all three show sets and put the finishing touches on song transitions and show cues. Everybody is psyched up for next Sunday's gig! We got the green light for our effects (Fog, etc) from the firehouse, so this should be a show to remember!

• 4/12/08 We are still reminding everyone to bring their camcorders! Mark Allen, who is providing and running sound, has also volunteered to videotape as well!  It looks like things are coming together!  Tomorrow is our final rehearsal and the set lists are shaping up. The show will include about 30 songs that (unlike last year) actually have been rehearsed and staged, including some of the nice theatrics that the band was always famous for! This is going to be quite an event!  

• 4/11/08 Michael informs me that the firehouse has allocated a certain amount of tickets to be sold at the door the day of the reunion! If you would like to pre-purchase tickets, please email Michael Labuono at halamlb2@hotmail.com Remember, All Proceeds will benefit the Delaware County Fireman's Fund

• 4/10/08 "Witness: Other Lives"  Mitch Schecter, besides playing drums in Witness, also plays guitar for the 60's band "The Rip Chords" Which just released their latest CD (Pictured at left) You can check it out at http://www.oldies.com/product-view/81602.html  Witness Reunion Countdown: 10 Days !

• 4/8/08 The shirts for the 2008 reunion are now in! (click for bigger pic) You can preorder yours by emailing Michael LaBuono halamlb2@hotmail.com As with the show, all profits will go to the Fireman's Memorial Fund. Currently, slightly better then 150 of the 200 tickets have been pre-sold, leaving about 45-50 that are still available.

• 4/6/08 Today, Sandi and I went down to measure the truck we rented for the gig. This turned out to be a good thing as it looks like we need to rent a bigger truck! 

• 4/5/08 At right, a little computer art from Mitch! The picture was actually from his phone taken at our last rehearsal, and modified to produce a painted look. Front row: Michael Labuono, Mitch Schecter, Marc Britton, and L Roy Back row: JD and Flip Britton To this day, Mitch gets mistaken for Timmy! (Despite the fact that Mitch played with the band for 10 years! 1983 - 1993) We also finally found a good picture of Eddie Walldic (see Band & Crew page)

• 4/1/08			These pictures are from Nancy. They are of the old Circle Tavern. Sad to say, it doesn't look too well!  Witness played there many times.  It joins the list of clubs like The Brandywine (now a gravel lot) and The Playpen (burnt down and now a housing development) that aren't.  (Click for larger view)

• 3/30/08 Our video "Invitation" to the reunion!  OK, they were caught off guard and there were some goofs!  Anyway, the important words of wisdom to Witness insiders from today's rehearsal are: "Yodel-Yodel-Popeye-Yodel-Flute-Whistle-Yodel"

• 3/25/08 A Big Thank You! would like to thank Colonial Meat Market for donating the meatballs, roast beef, and rolls for the 200 people coming to the reunion !

  Colonial Meat Market of Springfield 509 Baltimore Pike Springfield Pa.  610-272-3650

  &

  Colonial Meat Market of Folsom 241 MacDade Blvd Folsom Pa. 610-534-4240

  Another big Thank You goes out to Mark Allen and Showorks Audio Visual who will be supplying the Sound and Stage for the show! 

• 3/22/08 Some Witness Trivia and Artifacts- Thought it might be fun to incorporate some of the stuff used with Witness in the 80's in the reunion show. The light pictured at left was used with the band from 1979 to 1990, however, more interesting is the story about the cord...  In the summer of 84', a new ride was installed on the piers called "The Sea Serpent." A contest started up between band members to see who could ride it the most! (the number was in the hundreds!) At the end of the summer, it narrowed down to me and Mitch. The cord is a piece of cable cut off the Sea Serpent during some maintenance. It fed the "emergency lift motor" and if you look close enough, you will see the word "motor" written on the wire by the German installers. (A feature Mitch and I used a couple of times!) The light will be used near Mitch's drums at the reunion

• 3/21/08 Tech Note: Looking at the Shoutbox error logs, there are some common reasons people are not getting into chat. The number one reason (besides forgetting your password) is entering your password in capitals. I made a change that allows the program to ignore that one. Another biggie is a mismatch between username and password, or entering the username slightly differently. Remember, you can always click on the "Contact Us" button and request your password be emailed to you again. I'll email it to the address you used when registering. 

• 3/16/08 So, how do you rehearse a Light show? Well, you start by rewiring your house, setting up thousands of watts of lights, varilites, dimmers, etc. in your family room..... (Then your wife calls the local mental hospital!)  Actually, Sandi has been pretty cool about the whole thing!  Although the band took the week off from rehearsal, the emails have been blazing with show ideas, set lists, and all the other things that went into pulling off a Witness gig. Of course, we didn't have Email back in the eighties, so we had to use the technology of the day... Carrier Pigeons!

• 3/11/08 Billy Spence Phones Home! I spent a long time on the phone with Billy today. First and foremost, I want to relate that he said: "The time I spent with Witness was the best years of my life!"  and  "I always loved the fans! They were the greatest and I miss them with all my heart!"  Billy's life has taken some interesting turns, but he has contracts that get in the way of any current involvement with the band. Also, he spends a lot of time on the road and generally has to leave on short notice, so it would be very hard to schedule something and then have to disappoint everyone at the last second. He would like to wish the best to everyone!  Billy, GREAT to hear from you!

   
• 3/9/08 Just got back from the  rehearsal in Glenolden! (Pictures below, click for large view.) We started around 3pm, and the next time someone looked at the clock it was 7pm! A lot of ground was covered including Yes, Genesis, Tull, Who, Edger Winter, Springsteen, Talking Heads, and more. Again.. the strangest feeling was that it was only yesterday that we were all at the Ale house! One thing that is different is that we are all there because we want to be. Lets face it, when we used to do 90 days in a row, we would all get burned out. Now, it's fresh and exciting again! It's like reliving your youth. Michael indicated that early ticket sales are strong, and they expect a sell out. I must admit I have a lot of catching up to do so that I live up to what they wrote about my lighting in the press release, but I'm ready for some hard work, and by April 20, it will be up to our old standards! 

• 3/8/08 Show tickets can now be purchased from Michael LaBuono. The tickets are $30 and include Beef and Beer.  The party/show starts at 2pm and runs until 7pm, so come early!  For any questions, you can Email Mike at: halamlb2@hotmail.com All Proceeds go to Delaware County Fireman's Fund You can buy the tickets directly from Michael, his address is:  Michael Labuono, 500 S. Elmwood Ave. Glenolden, PA 19036

• 3/7/08 Good news! The cost of the hall is now being donated which greatly reduces the per ticket price!  Press release
• 3/1/08 To reduce spam, we now have a Sign In system for the shoutbox! Registration is easy and it prevents someone else from using your name!  Simply click on Register/Login and get your password. 
• 2/28/08 A press release for the 2008 Reunion can be found  here. All Proceeds will benefit the Delaware County Fireman's Fund to help built the monument at Rose Tree Park in Media Tickets are $35.00 and there will be Beef and Beer Included!

2/26/08 The date is set! There will be 200 tickets available. Tickets will be going on-sale on the Witness websites as soon as we pin a few things down. Check back here!  All Proceeds will benefit for the Fireman’s Memorial Fund.
Collingdale Fire House #1 510 Clifton Avenue  Collingdale, PA 19023  (Click on maps to right for a better view)

2/22/08 NEWS! Reserve this date: April, 20 2008 WITNESS 2008 Then & Now Reunion ! A date that will live in infamy!  Planning is underway for a full show! We are still rounding up some of our old members, and ALL old members of the band are welcome to join in the rehearsals & show!  This is an open gig so all fans are invited to attend what will surely be quite an exciting evening!

• 2/18/08 Several rehearsal dates have been set up and we are now working on making sure logistics will be covered for the April 20 reunion at the Collingdale Fire House. If all goes well, we should have a formal announcement within a week or two! 

• 1/17/08 "You Don't Know" has been added to our Audio Files page!

•  Earlier Updates : Updates Archive (2007)

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