A HISTORY LESSON

Pictured is the One Way band circa 1979. Recognize any of those handsome dudes? That's PowerPlay FYI keyboardist Ruben (second from right) and PowerPlay FYI alum and vocalist Mike (right).

Also pictured from left to right are "Cisco" (guitar), John (bass and lead vocals), Julian (trombone and lead vocals), Wo (sax and congas).

This is actually the second One Way. The original performed from 1972 to 1977. In 1977, Julian, Wo and Ruben formed the second which lasted until 1979. Members of the original and second later formed The Business and eventually PowerPlay FYI.


DEAR JOHN

In the youthfulness of those early years we formed lifelong bonds. We played together, sang together but mostly we dreamed together. It's with great sadness that we received news of John's passing on August 16, 2010.

John was a joker and kept us laughing all the time. He had a knack for keeping our spirits up through good times and bad. He was a talented bass player and singer. With his vocal range he could belt out the stratospheric arias made famous by Phillip Bailey in the classic Earth, Wind and Fire song, "Reasons". Yet at the same time, he could lay down those solid bass lines.


OUR BROTHER'S KEEPER

Life isn't always fair and musicians often work more for the love of their craft. So it goes that we return a favor and help raise the spirits of John's family by donating of our craft at a "Celebration of Life" fund raiser to be held in his memory on September 19th, 2010, at Bobby McGee's in Chicago Ridge.

Wally (also a great bass player, One Way alum, and John's brother-in-law) along with his wife (John's sister Virge) and John's other relatives are hosting this event. PowerPlay FYI, The Business and other guest musicians will be joining in. All are invited.

Vocalists Hit the Studio for the Demo

After multiple sessions laying down the instrument tracks for the new demo CD, the vocalists hit the studio and what a relief! You can lay down the slickest grooves but if the vocals don't shine, nothing does.

Pam led the charge in a solo session last Thrsday that kicked open the doors proclaiming, "now hear this!".

Following on the heels of Pam's tour de force, Janie and Pete completed the lead vocal tracks and harmonies just as impressively.

Rounding out the playlist for the new demo will be cuts from our current demo featuring outstanding vocals by Hila and Mike. We're also planning for a voiceover introduction to help tell our story.

The economy is bad all over and the music scene is no exception. Now more than ever, people want to hear before they buy. As part of our new promo kit this demo will go a long way to getting PowerPlay FYI to more ears. We promise to start sharing the results soon.

Back in the Studio

We're back in the studio working on two major projects; an original CD and cover demo. Why both? PowerPlay FYI covers lots of ground musically. Lots of members with many tastes and experiences. We meet somewhere in the middle and that middle is pretty wide.


The original CD will include our guitarist, Dave's, lush intro to our first single release, Amparo. It really completes the story of love across cultures. Other tunes include Crazy Music, A Normal Life and The Eyes Have It. The CD will also feature a guest appearance by world-class drummer Ernie Adams (Chick Corea, Al DiMeola, Ramsey Lewis, Ernie Adams Forcetet). Other guests are being planned.

Pictured: Ernie Adams (right) and PowerPlay FYI keyboardist Ruben Agosto

The demo pulls together lots of our cover material. Let's face it, there's lots of terrific music out there that we all love to hear and connects with our lives. We take great pleasure in connecting with people through the covers they love.