Stardust > Past Musicians of the Week

Past Musicians of the Week

(or until we get around to changing it)

Mr. Frank Janaskie
To the band and his growing throng of admirers, Frank is the lowest of the low. Ever striving to "put the metal to the pedal," his motorcycle even has an F attachment. Frank has been around since the band was a baby, and so is often asked about "how they did it in the old days." According to him it was all deep & wide. He has long wanted to be principal trombonist in the orchestra, and thanks to an administration degree he is living the dream.

Mr. Mike Copeland.
Mike sometimes shares lead trumpet duties with other members, his band room with Stardust, and his thoughts with anyone who will listen. An avid hunter who favors a Uranus Hug & Kiss, Mike has been known to stun a deer with a Super C. He is a prolific contest judge, and has also been known to be jury and even executioner. Mr. C also participates yearly in a reenactment of World War III where he usually joins forces with Lord Vader in Das Buzzard--red, purple and yellow blood everywhere.

Mr. Lloyd Kuhn.
Lloyd is one of the most active members of the Stardust Band as he plays in no less than 72 musical organizations. On Thursday. Between 4:30 and 10:00 PM. He is a graduate of Ouachita Baptist Technical University and was lucky enough to have been a mentor to another former band member with whom he formed the mariachi duo of "Craze y Coon." Lloyd comes from a musical family in that he requires, on threat of birthrighteous excommunication, that each of his children play a musical instrument. This is mainly so that he will have someone to drive him to the gig and carry his equipment (See "Jake, Boy of Burden", ibid $240).

Mr. Eddy Wethington.
Eddy has been accused of having the best ear in the band. This doesn't mean he hears pitch well, as in that regard he is usually high and outside. This actually means that Eddy has the uncanny ability to hear every joke any band member tells, no matter how far away. Eddy is also the most fluent member of the group when it comes to styles. Dance styles. Not playing them but dancing to them. Eddy and Stardust go way back; he is the youngest old member of the group and is responsible for many behind the scene activities such as lights, helping with set-up, and the once a month craps game.

Ms. Shirley Chauvin.
Shirley is repudiated to have been the first vocalist with the fabulous One O'Clock Jazz Band at the University of North Texas. No, that's One O'Clock p.m. so it has nothing to do with the time she got in every night. She is a ranking member of the Hot Springs Jazz Society which took over town shortly after the Cosa Nostra moved out. Shirley has the soft coolness of rock star combined with the virtuosity of an opera diva all wrapped up tight in a thin candy shell. Her version of "Boy From Ipanema" will leave you breathless, if only from laughter.

Mr. Harvey Haley.
Harvey is Il Capo di Tutti Capo and Il Coda di Tutti Coda. He is the former leader of hordes of young people who were too ignorant to realize that they couldn't actually play the music they were playing, so they played it anyway. He is now in charge of who... uh, hordes of old people who are too ignorant to realize that they truly can't play the music they are attempting. Harvey's favorite pastimes are working with computers, playing games, going to his granddaughter's concerts and stopping the band from rehearsing after its two hour warm-up.

Earl Hesse: Curmudgeon.
Congratulations, Earl, on this ... aw, the hell with it.

Mr. Conrad Wilson.
Conrad is known for his ability as a lead/jazz trumpet player, his talkative nature, and his ability to wear a tuxedo for 48 hours and still look fresh. He comes from the Chicago School of Jazz where he studied with Willie Mosconi and learned to fend off groupies from Richard Daley. His trumpet of choice is a vintage Zinfandel or a heady Merlot with a rich bouquet. Conrad's favorite pastimes are practicing, telling Mike he should play a solo, practicing, listening to music, loading the PA system, practicing, and being happy he doesn't have to sit by Robert anymore.

Mr. Charlie Wilson.
Charlie plays a Boeing Mark 777 alto saxophone which has taken him as far away as Las Vegas, Nevada. This is where Charlie served at least part of his time defending our country. Many believe this is the leading cause of the conflict in Vietnam. He will long be known as the only man in history to become a band director so that he could pilot an airplane. In addition to his other outstanding feats, and like so many children in the past have done at the sight of a fresh new sidewalk, Charlie has also made his mark in cement.

Mr. Marvin Taylor.
Marvin is the quintessence of preconceived effusiveness, and, as such, is the antithesis of reclusiveness. Some admire his clerihew, others like his new haiku. Whether you like his spontaneous spondee, or if he accompanies you when you take an epopee, we know that Marvin is the epitome of all the rhymes you hear or see. And so we dedicate to thee, Mr. Taylor and your slide trombee, this page and page number three.

Mr. Billy Hoover.
Bill is descended from the French royal lineage of the Bourbon Family. His grandfather, Dr. Herbert Heber Harold Hoover is responsible for the building of the Hoover dam and is the inventor of the vacuum cleaner. Billy learned his trade first in the bars of the bright-pinkish-almost-red light district of Buenos Aires and then at the Academy of piano and wood-working in London. He aspires to play Rachmaninoff in the lilting style of Basie, and he likes cats--pan fried.