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different… I bet there aren’t too many people out there that can say they only went to one Bashaw Benefit because if you came to one, you most certainly felt the love and music and had to come back! This year's lineup of great local bands included (in order of appearance) Heartfire, Spectris, The Stage Potatoes, Conniption Fits, Carey Lee Rush & Friends, 4 Play, Roadhouse and of course, the always show-closing Shine. The sound production for the day was provided by Steve Lafoe of MachOne Pro Sound, along with the “strong-arm presence” of one Marlin Paquette, who seamlessly assisted all the bands in transporting their gear throughout the day. Doug certainly did appreciate that aspect of putting on a rock-androll show for sure!
In fact, it makes one wonder if Doug might have had something to do with the pre-show glitch in the equipment, seeing as though sound was his expertise and I did mention he was a comedian? And what about that rain storm at last year’s gig… was that perhaps Doug havin’ a little fun with his friends and family? If so, we’re sure glad that in the end, Doug decided to give us a glorious day for the last event, as was proclaimed by one Carey Lee Rush at the beginning of his set. “Hello, everybody! This goes out to the guy who gave us such good weather today…thank you, Doug!” After a cool opening set from Heartfire, including unique versions of Leon Russell’s “Song For You” and Little River Band’s “Cool Change,” members Robin and Lori Lull then joined their former band, Spectris, onstage for a couple songs, adding a nice twist to the progtrio’s set. The boys of Spectris, Christopher Bergmann, Todd Westfall and Josh Mosher, have always stepped up to perform at many local charitable events (including last year’s Bashaw Benefit) and always come through with a tight set of original material and classic rockers. "As a sound-man, Doug was very gifted," Spectris
guitarist ChristopherBergmann told this writer before last year’s benefit. "He not only had a fantastic ear for music, but also had an uncanny ability to quickly anticipate a band’s needs that he was engineering. Our band never sounded better than when Doug was running our sound." Next up was the Stage Potatoes, which was an especially fun set for this writer: for one, I’ve been entertained by good friend Roy Alan Brown for many years in such bands as 8084, Kelly’s Heroes, Vehicle and (going way back) Cheshire Turnpike, but this time I got to witness Roy perform along with another friend, guitarist Tim White, who I have never seen perform! Oh – and did I mention the sax player/vocalist – Stan Rumrill - was also my son’s middle school music teacher? Now that was cool to see, for myself and my son!