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Holiday Wishes 2: Her Hometown: LaFontaine reflects on Toledo

By
Jeff McGinnis
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Sheri LaFontaine

It is a sad irony that Sheri laFontaine’s love letter to the Glass City —“Toledo, My Hometown” —appears on “Holiday Wishes 2” just as she is making a new city her home. Although laFontaine recently moved to Nashville in further pursuit of her music career, she speaks of Toledo, and the song it inspired, with great warmth.

“It really is a special thing to think back to the time when I first wrote that song,” laFontaine said. “I lived in Toledo for eight years, and I fell in love with this city that I had heard was —all the songs that I had heard about it, John Denver’s song (“Saturday Night In Toledo, Ohio”) and different things, had been, you know, picturing Toledo in a negative light. And I just felt it was high time somebody said something positive about it.”

Her desire to take a musical stand for Toledoans came to a head in the most obvious of places — at a baseball game.

“I was at the Mud Hens game, I think, three years ago, when I started writing the first verse to the song, and then it turned into a Christmas song and [101.5] The River picked it up,” laFontaine said. “When I recorded it, we sent it to [101.5] at, like, 3 in the morning when we were done taping. And by 6 a.m., it was on ‘Mary Beth and Rick.’ It was just amazing,” she said.

Over the past few years, laFontaine’s self-published track has become a holiday staple on The River. She produced copies herself that “sold as fast as we could print them.”

She said there’s something about the track that speaks to a love of tradition — especially local traditions.

“I love the fact that we can go to the Lights Before Christmas. I love the fact that we’re gonna go and see either ‘Scrooge’ or ‘The Nutcracker’ at the Stranahan. It’s all part of the holiday theater. And I think that’s what makes that song so special to people, is that people from all over the Toledo area can connect, because we all do the same things every holiday season.”

Even now, as she works for a company called Vertical Sky in Nashville, laFontaine isn’t giving up on those local traditions. During the course of this interview, she was on her way back to Toledo to visit for Thanksgiving, and plans on returning again for Christmas. And she spoke with great pride about how “Toledo My Hometown” has now found a new home on “Holiday Wishes 2.”

“This is what the holidays are about,” she said. “Helping others. And I’m not a doctor, I’m not a nurse, I’m nothing like that. All I know to help with is my gift, and that’s music.”

Ottney: “Holiday Wishes 2” CD to benefit Make-a-Wish.

By
Erin Holden
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The mission and passion of Make-A-Wish Foundation is to grant wishes for children with medically life-threatening conditions.

“We want to grant the heartfelt wish of every child,” said Emily Denholm, marketing communications coordinator for Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. “Every wish is different. We really try to focus on the uniqueness of every wish.”

Being able to grant more wishes for children in Northwest Ohio is the reason Denholm is excited about “Holiday Wishes 2,” a benefit CD project organized for the second year by Toledo Free Press Editor in Chief Michael S.Miller.

For Christmas 2011, Toledo Free Press produced “Holiday Wishes,” a CD of holiday songs performed by Northwest Ohio musicians. The 25-track compilation sold out quickly, raising more than $25,000 for Make-A-Wish.

“The response was immediate and there was no doubt we were going to try again this year,” Miller said. “At the end of summer, we had 87 minutes of great music, but a CD only holds about 80 minutes. So we had to either cut seven minutes or find another 73. Not only did we find what we needed, we have several great songs on hold for 2013.”

This year’s project, “Holiday Wishes 2,” is a two-disc CD package featuring 44 tracks contributed by local artists. CDs will be sold for $15 at area Panera Bread and select Levis Commons locations starting Black Friday, Nov. 23. Digital downloads will also be available.

The project, from the recording to the mixing to the artwork by Dustin Hostetler (UPSO), was created locally. All proceeds to Make-A-Wish.

Because the project was sponsored by GM Powertrain Toledo, UAW Local 14, WNWO, 101.5 The River, A&D Glass & Mirror, Levis Commons and Panera Bread, all proceeds will go directly to Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana to benefit children in the 21-county Northwest Ohio region.

“People really enjoyed it last year,” Denholm said. “This year we added more songs to make it even better. People love Christmas music and this gives them the opportunity to go out and buy a CD that not only features local artists, but promotes a local cause. I think people are very excited about it and we are, too.”

Make-A-Wish grants wishes for children 2 ½ to 18 who have a medically life-threatening condition that is progressive, degenerative or malignant — although not necessarily terminal. Many “wish kids” recover and go on to lead healthy lives, Denholm said.
Many children are referred to Make-A-Wish by doctors or social workers while others come through familyinquiries. Doctors decide whether a child’s condition qualifies for a wish and whether the child is healthy enough to experience their wish.

The Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky chapter has granted more than 11,000 wishes since it started in 1983. Among the most popular wishes are visiting a theme park, traveling, going on a shopping spree and meeting a celebrity. Recent wishes granted in Northwest Ohio include a trip to Yellowstone National Park and a trip to Nickelodeon Studios to get“slimed,” Denholm said.

“Wishes typically fall into four categories,” Denholm said. “To go, as in go on a trip. To be, as in to be a police officer, for example, which was the first wish ever granted, in Arizona in 1980. To have, such as a laptop or a shopping spree. Or to meet, such as dolphins or a celebrity.”

The Make-A-Wish experience has positive effects on the child and everyone in their lives, Denholm said.

“The wish helps not only the child, but the family, the volunteers, the medical professionals. They all get to be a part of what this child’s big dream is,” Denholm said. “When a child is diagnosed with a life-threatening condition, they are constantly told ‘No.’ Make-A-Wish is an opportunity for us to say ‘Yes.’ We work very hard to make sure we find out what the heart-felt wish of each child is and then do our very best to make it come true. I think that’s the magic of Make-A-Wish. That’s when you really see our mission come to life.”

Ninety-eight percent of parents surveyed by Make-A-Wish said they felt the wish experience allowed them to put aside fear and stress for a time and feel like a “normal” family again.

Eighty-one percent of parents said they noticed an increased willingness from their child to comply with their treatment. A combined 89 percent of nurses, doctors, social workers and child life specialists surveyed said the Make-A-Wish experience can have a positive impact on a child’s emotional and even physical health.

Make-A-Wish does not receive federal, state or local government funding. Wishes are paid for by donations and donations in-kind, including gifted airline miles.

The average cost of a wish is $8,000, Denholm said.

Denholm said she hopes people are touched by the CD project and moved to support Make-A-Wish’s mission.

“The holiday season is a celebration of giving and family and I think that’s really where the heart of our mission is,” Denholm said. “We give back to our community and give back to our kids. Our hope is that people are not only touched by the holiday season but also our magical mission and just continue to help our wish kids.”

For more information visit makeawishohio.org.

Holiday Wishes 2: Stewart, White partner on “Happy Xmas”

By
Matt Liasse
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Jeff Stewart and Kyle White contribute "Happy Xmas" to the Holiday Wishes 2 CD to benefit Make-a-Wish. Photo courtesy Kyle White.

Both Jeff Stewart and Kyle White appeared individually on last year’s “Holiday Wishes” compilation CD benefiting Make-A-Wish Foundation. This year they joined forces to create a bigger production.

“This was really fun, doing a full band production song together after we did the acoustic, solo tracks last year,” White said.

While looking for duets, Stewart chose “Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” the 1971 John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band tune performed with the Harlem Community Choir. It was released during the Vietnam War.

“I love that song,” White said. “I love John Lennon and I think it’s appropriate to the times right now.”

White said the song wasn’t too hard to make her own. She sings Ono’s parts.

“I’m not quite as weird as she is,” White said. “I think I sang it a little clearer. Yoko is kind of strange.”

White is happy with the end result.

“It turned out awesome,” she said. “I’m so happy with it.”

Stewart and White have been friends for 10 years, and occasionally play together.

“The music community in Toledo, we’re all friends and supportive of each other,” White said.

White has a number of upcoming shows in December, which are listed on her website, www.kylewhitemusic.com. She is also recording her third album.

White said she was happy to be involved with the project again this year.

“It’s such a good cause and such a wonderful charity,” White said. “I love helping kids.”

Even though White doesn’t personally know any children involved with Make-A-Wish, she said it is still rewarding to be a part of the compilation.

“A lot of the time they’re going through difficult treatments,” White said. “To be able to give them some joy is very important.”

Holiday Wishes 2: Local producer Wells donates ‘Santa Got A Jump Jet!’

By
Matt Liasse
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E.J. Wells wishes he could make things easier for Santa. That was the thinking behind his original song “Santa Got A Jump Jet!”
“You have to be practical about these things,” Wells said. “The whole sleigh and reindeer thing seems impractical.”

Wells was also involved with the production side of “Holiday Wishes 2,” producing The Ogres’ “Looks Like Christmas Is Here” and Abby Powell Turpin and Travis Turpin’s “The Christmas Song.”

It was last minute that he decided to write a track of his own. He toyed with an idea of Santa delivering toys in a spaceship before he settled on a jump jet.

“I was trying to mix a little bit of fantasy with reality,” Wells said. “I just ridiculously started thinking [of] what could get him around better. I just figured, for his sake, to get the job done quicker would be a little less work for the old boy.”

Playing music professionally for almost 40 years, Wells said he doesn’t perform much anymore, but always has a project he’s working on. He is in the midst of producing albums for a couple of different artists.

Lately, Wells has also been trying his luck with electronic music, hoping to get his foot in the door of soundtrack-making. He’s interested in making music for films and television.

Wells was not involved with last year’s “Holiday Wishes” CD benefiting Make-A-Wish, but knew about it.

When asked to become involved this year, he didn’t hesitate.

“It’s hard for me to say no whenthere’s a good cause involved,” Wells said. “I’m happy to help.”

Holiday Wishes 2: Teutonia choir contributes German classic ‘O Tannenbaum’

By
Erin Holden
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Teutonia Damenchor, along with Teutonia Mannerchor, are part of the Holiday Wishes 2 CD with the German classic "O Tannenbaum." Photo courtesy Teutonia Damenchor.

Oregon-based choir Teutonia Männerchor and Damenchor is best known as a sponsor of the annual German-American Festival, where it performs each year at the opening ceremonies, singing the Unitedstates, German and Swiss national anthems.

But many people don’t realize the group practices and performs all year, including a holiday concert and a spring concert, said director Eric Graber.

The group contributed “O Tannenbaum” (“ O Christmas Tree”) to the “Holiday Wishes 2” CD to benefit Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“It’s one of the few German carols we hear in this country,” Graber said. “That and ‘Silent Night,’ or ‘Stille Nacht,’ but what better than ‘ O Christmas Tree?’ Everybody likes a Christmas tree. We just did it a cappella with a little bit of keyboard behind us. All three verses are in German.”

Graber said the choir jumped at the chance to get some publicity while helping Make-A-Wish at the same time.

“We’re a charitable organization, too, so this is a nice way to help out with another charity,” Graber said. “It’s another way of giving back.”

The Teutonia Männerchor, founded in 1867 as a German male chorus, is the oldest continuing performing arts group in the Toledo area, Graber said. The ladies’ chorus, the Teutonia Damenchor, was founded in 1969 and the two have become one performing ensemble.

The choir will present its holiday concert, “Weihnachtsglocken!” (“Christmas Bells!”) on Dec. 8 at Oakshade Grove, 3624 Seaman Road, Oregon. Half the songs will be sung in German and half in English, Graber said. Translations will be printed in a program.
Doors open 5 p.m., dinner will be served 5:30-6:30 p.m. and the concert begins at 7:30 p.m. followed by dancing until about midnight. A cashbar will be available.

The handbell choir from First St. John’s Lutheran Church will also perform. Dance music will be provided by ENCORE!, which offers polkas, waltzes, line-dancing and more, Graber said.

Tickets are $24 for dinner, concert and dancing or $13 for the concert and dancing.

 

Miller: Holiday Wishes 2: River of Stars

By
Michael Miller
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Pat Dailey’s “River of Stars” is not a Christmas song, yet it lends its title to this year’s collection of local holiday music benefiting Make-A-Wish Foundation.
The “star” connection is obvious. Make-A-Wish uses a bright blue star as its logo.Toledo Free Press uses a star in its masthead (a tribute to the owner’s connections to Texas).
With two CDs containing 44 tracks, the river of local music stars is well represented. And the star is a shining symbol for the wish kids and families that benefit from the organization’s great work.
The song’s connection to Christmas is not as obvious.
This is the second year for the“Holiday Wishes” project and the second year Dailey and his manager Tom Brady have generously contributed a track.
Last year’s Dailey song,“Here Comes The Cold,” was a natural fit. Another of his few winter-themed tracks, “Here In The North,” is one I hope to include next year.
When I heard “River of Stars,” from Dailey’s “Squeaky Clean” collection, it immediately struck me as a perfect choice to set the tone for this year’s collection. It begins with a light, sparkling twinkle of sounds that segue into gentle guitar.
The first words Dailey sings may not have been written to evoke Christmas, but they certainly serve as a grand place to begin this year’s musical journey through the holidays: “I remember a night, so long ago/under a river of stars,” Dailey sings, with all the confidence of a master storyteller.
And while Dailey may have envisioned Put-in-Bay harbor when he wrote the lyrics, they could just as easily describe a special night in the Bethlehem sky.
The song seems to be about an earthly relationship, but it culminates in imagery that clearly paints a picture of faith: “And so I row, row, row my boat once more/Until I find you waiting on a distant shore/With outstretched arms and upturned hands/You lead me into the harbor and back to the sand.”
It is a spiritual image of hope and comfort that captures the feeling of Christmas without needing a single direct word.
Musical treasures
There are many surprises and musical treasures on this year’s CDs.
Jon Hendricks contributes an original song, “The Gift,” that sounds as if it could be found on a Frank Sinatra holiday CD. Listening to the track for the first time with Dave Mariasy at Audio Matrix recording studio was transporting. Music is mostly listened to through tiny earbuds, computer speakers orc ar stereos. To listen to Hendricks and a single piano through Mariasy’s high-tech studio speakers was akin to hearing music for the first time.
It was a revelation. Hendricks’ voice simultaneously weaves tensile strength with an aching fragility.
A new tradition
For Christmas 2011,Toledo Free Press produced “Holiday Wishes,” a CD of holiday songs performed by Northwest Ohio musicians. The CD was a 25-track compilation and raised more than $25,000 for Make-A-Wish. It was underwritten by Toledo Transmission and UAW Local 14, so every dollar raised, through sales at Panera Bread locations, went directly to Make-A-Wish.
Although Toledo Free Press had produced two previous CDs, one collecting historical recordings and one from a Toledo songwriting contest, neither approached the scale or complexity of “Holiday Wishes.”
The 2011 CD included contributions from such Northwest Ohio stalwarts as Dailey, Jamie Farr, Mannheim Steamroller, Sherila Fontaine, Candice Coleman, the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, Crystal Bowersox and Alyson Stoner. It also featured newbrecordings from Kerry Patrick Clark, Jeff Stewart, Kyle White, Ramona Collins, TAPESTRY, Chrys Peterson and Hepcat Revival, Voodoo Libido, Mighty Wyte and Jameil Aossey, among several others.
With tremendous media support from FOX Toledo, WPOS, 101.5  The River and many of our media friends, the CD sold out and even before 2012 started, we were thinking about a second volume. Rather than start in late July, as we did in 2011, the 2012 compilation process started in January. Lexi Staples gave us a copy of a track her father, the late radio personality Dennis Staples, recorded of Dr. Seuss’ “How The Grinch Stole Christmas!” That required tracking down permission from Random House Publishing, Warner Bros. Studios and the estate of Dr. Seuss. With all those rights now granted, it is a great honor to include that track on this year’s CD.
Another late performer is remembered as the Johnny Knorr Orchestra, led by Johnny’s son, Jerry, plays “Auld Lang Syne” for the 2012 CD.
Johnny died in August 2011.
LaFontaine has allowed us to include “Toledo, My Hometown” on this year’s collection. It is a contribution that raises the bar for all the participating artists. “Toledo, My Hometown” is a seasonal staple on The River, and it is an honor to have it on this year’s CD. The tune has added poignancy as we wish laFontaine well in her new city of Nashville, Tenn.
There are several artists returning from last year. Stewart and White perform a revelatory version of John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War is Over).”
The great Chip Davis allowed us to use Mannheim Steamroller’s “Fum Fum Fum.”
Coleman did double duty, singing “Santa Baby” with Chris Brown’s band and “Merry Christmas Baby” with Buck 69.
Peterson and our friends in Hepcat Revival cover Harry Connick Jr.’s “Pray on Christmas.” Voodoo Libido, Skoobie Snaks and The Wanna Bees all contribute rocking tracks. The Polka Floyd show took “Run Like Hell” from Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” and “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” and created a mashup that has already attracted regional attention.
VH1 favorite Tatiana Owens wrote and recorded a stunning new song, “Winter Holidays,” that could be played alongside any modern classic.
Local media veterans Jerry Anderson, Fred leFebvre, Mary Beth Zolik and Rick Woodell recorded dynamic readings on par with Farr’s interpretation of “A Visit From St.Nicholas” from last year.
We wish Zolik a speedy recovery as she undergoes treatment for cancer.
This year’s CD will include a number of exciting new artists, from young country singers such as Connor Rose to emerging rockers like The Sanderlings.
Not that every wish comes true; a few notable Toledo entertainers did not bother to respond to requests, even with a “no.” The Danny Thomas estate declined permission for a track, and Sony Legacy would not provide gratis rights to a Teresa Brewer track we were hoping to include.
But even with those very few disappointments, we still had so many quality submissions we had to start saving them for 2013. Great tracks by Arctic Clam, Krystal Monique, Mitch Kahl, Tim Ellis, Andrew Z’s Morning Crew and a few others are waiting in the wings.
The MVPs
The best news for the project was the return of three people who are behind the scenes, but integral to the process; indeed, without them it would not have happened last year and would not happen this year.
Christopher Stoll, engineer at Audioflare Productions at Zeta Recording Studios, donated studio time and his finely attuned ears to the project. He earned MVP status this year, recording tracks ranging from Irish folk to German choirs. Matt Feher engineered the CDs, ensuring the discs are produced to the highest standards. Larry Meyer navigates the legal and publishing issues to make sure every “T” is crossed and every “I” is dotted.
Special thank-yous this year go to GM Powertrain Toledo, UAW Local 14, WNWO, 101.5 The River, A&D Glass & Mirror, Levis Commons and Panera Bread.
All proceeds will go directly to Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana to benefit children in the 21-county Northwest Ohio region. Make-A-Wish development officer Ellie McManus is a dream to work with and is a constant inspiration and reminder of Make-A-Wish’s mission.
Toledo Free Press Sales Manager BJ Rahn has also been an invaluable help.
I am personally grateful to have strengthened some friendships and made new ones. I may never have met McManus, Clark or E.J. Wells without this project, and my life would be a bit dimmer without their creativity.
Summertime Project
The project has also inspired an offshoot. For summer 2013, ToledoFree Press will produce a CD of upbeat summer party songs for the American Red Cross of Northwest Ohio to use as a vehicle for summer safety information. If you are a local musician interested in getting your Beach Boys vibe on disc, contact me before we get too far into January.
Thank you again to every musician and person who donated their time and talent to this project. If you would like to see the recipients of your labor, join us at 6 p.m. Dec. 5 at The Blarney Event Center for our second annual “Holiday Wishes” benefit concert. There will be food, friends and a lot of smiling faces at the public event.
In the meantime, I am going to start working on convincing Ramona Collins to record “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” for the 2013 collection.

Holiday Wishes 2: Chrys Peterson, Hepcat Revival ‘Pray on Christmas.’

By
Matt Liasse
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Hepcat Revival's Greg Tye and WTOL's Chrys Peterson "Pray on Christmas" for the Holiday Wishes 2 CD for Make-a-Wish.

WTOL news anchor Chrys Peterson’s favorite Christmas song is Elvis Presley’s “Santa, Bring My Baby Back to Me,” which she sang with Hepcat Revival for last year’s inaugural “Holiday Wishes” album.

This year, she challenged herself.

To choose a song, she and Hepcat Revival scanned YouTube.

“We wanted to do something maybe that people hadn’t really heard of that much,” Peterson said.

Hepcat Revival vocalist Greg Tye chose “Pray on Christmas” by Harry Connick Jr., but with an added refrain from “Go Tell It On The Mountain” and musical elements of “Joy To The World.”

Peterson said the components give the little-known song a sense of familiarity.

“You’ll recognize a lot of different Christmas music,” Peterson said. “I think there will be something familiar to a lot of people in it.”

Both Tye and Peterson were part of last year’s compilation, but only Peterson sang. This year, they both provide vocals.

Peterson said she was unquestionably interested in being involved with the Make-A-Wish benefit project again this year.

“There was such a great buzz about this last year,” she said. “Just to know that you can spend a little bit of time having fun and making music and that that music will bring joy … Isn’t that was Christmas is all about? That’s Christmas in a nutshell. It’s about giving of yourself and your time to make somebody else happy. And that’s exactly what this CD is.”

Peterson has been involved with Make-A-Wish before.

“I’ve served on the Make-A-Wish board and have gone on a couple of wish grantings,” Peterson said. “I know the mission of Make-A-Wish is very important. These children and these families in one of the lowest and most vulnerable times in their lives find joy and get comfort by Make-A-Wish.

“It’s a very bleak time for some ofthese families,” Peterson said. “Sometimes all a sick child needs is just that little spark.”

This year’s track was a little harderto record than last year’s and requiredmore studio time, Peterson said. She said it was still easy to make the song her own, but the challenge was balancing it with her work schedule at WTOL11 and the band members’ gigs and rehearsals.

The song was recorded almost three months before Christmas, but that was OK with Peterson.

“I keep my Christmas spirit all year round,” she said. “I suppose you can argue about the commercialism of it, but it makes me happy when I see Christmas trees and lights.”

Peterson doesn’t have history with“Pray on Christmas” the way she did with “Santa, Bring My Baby Back To Me,” but she has other hopes for it.

“Hopefully I’m making some history with the song and people will like it and it’ll become part of my tradition,” Peterson said. “It’s a beautiful song.”

Holiday Wishes 2: Collins returns with “This Christmas”

By
Jeff McGinnis
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Ramona Collins contributed "This Christmas" as her offering to the Holiday Wishes 2 CD benefiting Make-a-Wish. Courtesy Ramona Collins

For soulful singer Ramona Collins, the holidays are all about family.

“For me, it’s just really getting a chance to hang with my family and do things. We have things that we do on an annual basis,” Collins said. “I’m not so much into buying stuff at Christmas and all that, but just getting to see people that you don’t get to see that much. It just makes it a special time.”

Contributing to a special fundraising project like “Holiday Wishes 2” has also become an annual tradition for Collins. This is her second year involved with the project.

Her contribution is a cover of “This Christmas” — though she said the song was not the first idea pitched to her.“Michael [Miller, editor in chief of Toledo Free Press] called me this year and he suggested [Joni Mitchell’s ‘River’], something to do with ice skating. And I said, ‘Michael, what else you got?’” Collins said with a laugh. “And he said, ‘Well, how about ‘This Christmas’?” And I said, ‘Well, that’s a great choice.’ That’s one of my favorite songs.”

What Collins didn’t know until later was that the song had special meaning for Miller, as well.

“Later, after we recorded it and he heard it, he told me a story about how his mom used to play that 45 when he was a little boy, and I just thought that was really something, because I’ve been listening to it for years and a lot of people that I know love that song.”

With a standard like “This Christmas” that has been covered many times, it’s up to each musician to make it his or her own. Before recording at Christopher Stoll’s studio in Holland, Collins and a group of musicians met at the University of Toledo Performing Arts Center to rehearse their take on the material.

“By the time we got to the studio, we were, you know, we were comfortable with the way we were going to record it. And Chris is so accommodating and so cool, I think we did it in like two takes,” Collins said.

It’s obvious from Collins’s voice how thrilled she was to once again take part in the “Holiday Wishes” project, benefiting Make-A-Wish.

“It’s always nice to have your music out there, but it’s nice when your music is helping someone like that,” she said.

Holiday Wishes 2: Cakewalkin’ Jass Band has a “Ball” with an obscure track

By
Brigitta Burks
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Cakewalkin' Jass Band contributed a 1920s jazz track, "At the Christmas Ball," to the Holiday Wishes 2 CD for Make-a-Wish. Photo courtesy Ray Heitger.

Many listeners will not have heard of the track the Cakewalkin’ Jass Band chose to contribute to “Holiday Wishes 2,” a CD project benefiting Make-A-Wish.

In fact, band leader Ray Heitger is counting on it.

Of “At the Christmas Ball,” Heitger said, “It’s a great jazz tune. Anyone who buys the CD will never have heard of it. It’s an old tune from the ’20s.”

“At the Christmas Ball” was recorded by famed blues singer Bessie Smith in the 1920s.

Heitger’s group has played old-time New Orleans-style jazz since its inception in December 1967, making this winter its 45th anniversary.

“Jass” is how “jazz” was traditionally spelled. The Cakewalkin’ Jass Band also famously played at Tony Packo’s from 1968-2001.

“I love [New Orleans jazz]. To me, it’s very much like classical music. It’s beautiful and powerful,” Heitger, who plays clarinet, has said.

Heitger said he also picked the Smith track because he wanted one all eight band members could be involved in.

Heitger’s daughter, Nicole, sings the lead vocal. Other members include Dave Kosmyna on cornet and vocals, Russ Damschroder on trombone, Betsy Grafing on banjo, her husband “Ragtime” Rick Grafing on piano, Jim Fagnano on drums and Bob Miller on string bpm ass.

“Ragtime” Rick organized Grugel-fest, a traditional jazz festival, earlier this year to benefit the Children’s Dyslexia Center-NWO.

Heitger said the group has also done other fundraisers for Make-A-Wish.

“We love to make music, so if it helps anybody we’re glad to do it,” Heitger said. “We always try to help out causes like [Make-A-Wish].”

Holiday Wishes 2: Folk singer conjures Great Lakes winter in ‘Lighthouse Christmas’

By
Vincent Scebbi
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Russ Franzen contributed his "Lighthouse Christmas" to the Holiday Wishes 2 CD, benefiting Make-a-Wish.

Folk singer Russ Franzen tries to capture life and the history of the Great Lakes in his music.

His song “Lighthouse Christmas” does just that. Inspired by the New Presque Isle Lighthouse in Michigan, Franzen said the slow melodic song describes what winter life would be like for a lighthouse keeper and his family in the late 19th century when shipping lanes would close for the season.

“The light keeper still had his chores,” he said.“He’d still have to keep up the light even though he didn’t light the lamp at night.”

Franzen said some of the chores required of the keeper and his family would include sweeping, cleaning, stockpiling food and making sure the house was winter-proofed.

“It would be like any other house out in a remote area,” he said. “You have to make sure all the repairs are made, make sure the snow isn’t coming into the lighthouse. The lighthouse service required that their light stations be ‘ship shape’ at all times, so a keeper spending the winter at the light station would continue to make sure everything was clean and in proper working order.”

Aside from his family, Franzen said a lighthouse keeper’s life would be fairly lonely, as he and his family would be isolated from the rest of society.

“It would have been lonely,” he said. “A keeper in that particular situation, their nearest neighbor was probably a few miles away and the nearest town was 10-15 miles away. In the time period I was thinking about, it might have been a twice a month trip to town kind of place, so they would stockpile food. They would have prepared prior to the winter for the weather at the lakes.”

Franzen, who has lived in Toledo for about five years and in Michigan for 35 years before that, said the song was originally off his album “Life is Good.”

He said he is honored to be a part of the “Holiday Wishes 2” album, benefiting Make-A-Wish.

“I’ve been involved in charitable work of one sort or another for a long time and I like to use my music for that purpose,” Franzen said. “This is one way of doing that and I am so happy and honored to have been asked to contribute. There are a lot of great artists contributing to this and to be a part of that means a lot to me.”

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