Today was the last day to submit an application for staged performance for the 2010 Wescott Street Cultural Fair. The Fair takes place on September 19, 2010 between noon-6:30 pm. I like attending. I played the fair back in 2005 with Midnight Mike. We were playing in Christiane Pagé's band. We received many positive comments. That's when I first started thinking about a Hondo Mesa / Midnight Mike band or duo. Mike and I later played at the Taste of Syracuse (picture below). We enlisted a couple fine musicians from the cool noir jazz band, 3rd & Main, to help us out. Again, we received many positive comments on our performance. I was sure that Hondo Mesa and Midnight Mike needed to start writing songs, recording and playing out. We talked to a management team and they took us in (I'll let them announce that one, when they are ready). Our manager put us in the studio to record a three-song demo CD. The video below shows us performing one of those originals, "Cowgirl Museum and BBQ." Thanks for reading, watching and listening. Long live independent music!
Here is how our manager describes us:
Hondo Mesa and Midnight Mike bring together a guitar and harmonica and follow that with raspy vocals for a taste of Americana, while feeling at home on the ranch or in the blues clubs of the Mississippi Delta. The duo began to flirt with this a long term project after their debut at the 2008 Taste of Syracuse. Both musicians come from strong roots in the Central New York music scene.
Midnight Mike Petroff is an energetic showman having been a part of the blues group Dirty Pool. Hondo Mesa has supported several bands in Central New York through his independent record label and now returns to the stage as an unsigned artist fronting the Americana influenced blues group. A lifelong musician in his own right, Hondo Mesa rekindled the fire to burn up the stage yet again.
Here's a short clip of me and Midnight Mike playing at the Westcott Community Center on February 13, 2010 performing "You Lied To Me," during the Second Saturday Concert Series. This video was shot by Yuri Borovsky. Thanks Yuri.
Taylor Matt was an energetic teenager who had endured chemotherapy at age 12 and was entering her senior year at Cazenovia High School where she planned to carry on playing field lacrosse while studying hard for college and perhaps becoming a nurse like her mom Debra. She was also a role model for her younger sister Jessie and much admired student to her many friends.
Taylor's dad, Jeffrey, is a carpenter who coaches lacrosse, a game with deep roots within the Onondaga Nation. Jeffrey has played the game with his Onondaga relatives and took pride in Taylor's skills on a defense, a position which requires a high degree of proficiency with the stick and a willingness to get tough before the goal.
Taylor was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) one of several forms of the disease and unusual since it normally effects older people. It is marked by fatigue, swelling of the gums, anemia, bleeding, bruising and shallow, labored breathing. The white blood cells explode in number and consume the red, leaving the body prone to infections. Chemotherapy works in most cases, as it did for Taylor five years ago. The doctors were successful in restoring Taylor's health and were optimistic that after five years she would be liberated from the cancer.
Last August, while working at the New York State Fair, Taylor collapsed. When she was examined at the hospital the doctors found that the leukemia had returned. Since then Taylor has been in the Golisano Children's wing at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University in Syracuse,NY but now she must have a bone marrow donor is she is to survive.
There are over 7,000,000 people registered as bone marrow donors which, under normal circumstances, would be good news for Taylor since she is young and athletic. But Taylor comes from a family which has not only Onondaga but German and Irish roots which makes the donor process more complicated. She has been told she needs a Native American donor ( or one of mixed Caucasian-Native ancestry) exclusiveof her immediate family. Since less than 2% of all donors are Native the chances of locating that perfect match is difficult.
Natives have not had much success battling leukemia. Not only do most reservation dwelling Natives have limited access to health services but only 20% of those who need bone marrow transplants actually find a matching donor.
This is further qualified by the high rates of diabetes among most Natives since diabetics who take insulin are excluded from becoming donors as are those over 60 years of age or anyone who has had cancer, heart disease or HIV. Non-insulin taking diabetics, or those with pre-diabetes, may join.
This did not deter Taylor's family, friends and community from initiating bone marrow donor drives throughout the region. Clinics were held at Onondaga and Oneida territories in which hundreds signed up for the initial test which consists of four swabs of the inner cheek and, once the questionnaire has been completed, takes less than 10 minutes for the entire process.
Donor drives are planned for other Iroquois communities with the assistance of the Wiliam G. Pomeroy Foundation, a central New York organization whose president is a leukemia survivor. The Foundation has enlisted the help of Joanne Shenandoah, the GRAMMY winning Oneida performer, to spread the word through a series of radio and television commercials to be disseminated throughout the northeast.
Meanwhile, Taylor has been able to go home for short periods, to be with her high school class. She will not be playing with her club team for the Ethix league or wearing the Cazenovia High School uniform this season but as aggressive as she was on defense she will be with leukemia. She is grateful for those who have tested to become possible donors and is optimistic that somewhere in Native country there is the perfect match.
For more information about leukemia or to arrange a donor drive contact: www.giftoflifeonline.org ; or call Paula Miller at the William Pomeroy Foundation at 315-476-300 ext.2576.
Doug George-Kanentiio is the former editor of Akwesasne Notes, was a member of the National Museum of the American Indian Board of Trustees and is the author of "Iroquois on Fire". He resides in Oneida Castle with his wife Joanne Shenandoah.
Hondo Mesa Records Recording artist, Brian Francis, performing "Little White Dove" at Blue Frog in Cortland, NY (3/5/10). Video from Fuzzacious via his YouTube channel.
Hondo Mesa and Midnight Mike played at the Wescott Community Center in Syracuse, NY as part of the Second Saturday Series music concerts sponsored by Folkus. Christiane Marthe Pagé captured us on video doing our original, "You Lied To Me." Thanks Christiane.
Also at the show was photographer, Juan Junco, snapping away. He generously gave us permission to post some of the images on the blog and twitpics. Thanks Juan. We love these shots. Please come to the next gig and do your thang!
Hello Friends, Hondo Mesa and Midnight Mike hit the recording studio about 1 month ago. Here is one of the tunes we recorded. We just got it back from mastering process. How's it sound to you? Best regards.
"Turner to Cezanne: Masterpieces From the Davies Collection, National Museum Wales" is hitting Syracuse, NY on October 9, 2009. I can't wait. Here is a clever video that the Everson Museum produced to promote the exhibit. Clever.
Here is a short clip of my friend, Mike Petroff, showing my children a little blues harp on August 25, 2009. Mike came over to discuss HondoMesa & Midnight Mike gigs, rehearsal schedule, etc. This boy can play!
