​We knew when we booked April 4 that attendance could be dicey. It was the day before Easter, and the two men’s NCAA basketball finals were scheduled during showtime. During soundcheck and the first 28 minutes of the show, we were worried—the Pub had maybe 40 people in it. As soon as Illinois lost to Connecticut at about 7:29, the place filled up. I asked Rhythm Guitarist Emeritus Jimmy Cavanaugh (Jimmy's alter ego)  , who was in attendance, what he thought the number swelled to. Jimmy and I estimated the bar ended up with about 100 people or so. What a relief—and what an amazing crowd, who got to hear new songs like “Paradise City,” “Beggin,” and “Stacy’s Mom.” Unfortunately, they missed a band member in a giant bunny suit (Pictures from show) because that came off around the 28-minute mark. The bunny also handed out candy from his basket before the show started.  After the first set concluded and half way through the second set, the crowd reduced again to about 40 to 50 who remained for the one song encore.
 
In another turn of events, as the bunny was passing out candy, Kevin Cavanaugh—sitting at the bar with his wife, the lovely Jackie—asked, “Did you guys really change the band name?” The oblivious bunny, focused on distributing treats to the crowd, did not notice Mike, Ellen, Kevin, Lisa, and Keith standing on stage sporting beautifully fresh “Stoic Squirrel” shirts. For the past two years, on April 1st, the band has sarcastically changed its name—and will continue to do so every April Fool’s Day—to Stoic Squirrel (famously named after Kevin’s misinterpretation of an Alanis Morissette lyric).
 
As a band, we record every rehearsal and every show (when Rob remembers to hit record) on a device (like a Zoom mic) that gives us a good sense of what’s going on, though it’s not professional per se. This is not an exercise in hubris, but rather a quality improvement activity to identify anything that needs fixing (like Rob wandering off and starting the chorus of “Drunk” before Mike gave him the look to get back on track) or to gauge how the audience responded to a song or performance. One of the most fun parts of listening back to a show is hearing Lisa’s sneaky comments on the microphone. She slips them in quickly, and they are sharp and hilarious. Kevin, who does not have a microphone, often yells things out from behind his kit that the recording catches—and those are equally amusing.
 
Other highlights for me are the new songs. It was fun trying to keep up with Keith’s riffage on “Paradise City,” nailing the timing of “Beggin,” and trying not to get hypnotized by Lisa’s amazing vocal on “One.” Dr. Keith’s beautiful guitar intro to “Eruption,” blending into J.S. Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” was a great and appropriately serene surprise. Mike’s strong vocal deliveries on “You May Be Right” and “Secret Agent Man” are becoming show staples. I always write about Ms. Lisa’s vocal gifts—her ability to move from Mary J. Blige and Brandi Carlile to Axl Rose, and even a kind of supercharged fusion of Eric Burdon and Haley Reinhart on “House of the Rising Sun” (brilliantly arranged by Mike with a loud-soft-loud dynamic), is breathtaking.  Keith’s debut scat/wrap vocal on “Beggin” was worth the price of admission (which was free and that makes no sense).  The Pub and BPB are a super fun combination.
 
A final note: Show 34 (Pub 78—#8) was Ellen Backlin’s last as a member of BPB. She has been an important part of Bipolar Bear’s evolution, playing in 32 of our 34 shows. She has an enormous heart and a love for music and performing that has been a cornerstone of the band since she joined in October 2019. As I have learned, change is inevitable in bands—they are not static entities. To grow and improve, they must constantly push forward, evolve, and adapt. Even when membership stays the same, growth is essential. Being in a band has taught me that change is inevitable (just like every other aspect of life), and Bipolar Bear is no different. At the show, Dave Gonzalez (another Guitarist Emeritus) and Jimmy C were both there. We usually have a show once a year where alumni come back and play a couple of songs with us. Hopefully, Ellen will do that in the future as she navigates what comes next musically. Whatever she decides, BPB will be cheering her on.
 
Now we look ahead to the six shows we have coming up (I think). As always, thanks to those who come out to our shows and have fun with us, and for the support our families provide. A final shout-out to Nick Madsen, who continues to do great sound for us when called upon. The Pub is a tough room for sound, especially with an audience that changes so much throughout the night.

​Rob, Bass, Bunny Suit, Stunt Vocals

​Alas, as Bipolar Bear 3.0 enters its second year in existence, they ironically returned to the place where their debut occurred nearly a year ago – Heroes West in Lemont, Illinois. Once again, our intrepid heroes (not to be confused with the Western variety of Lemont) provided an opening salvo for the band Eleven. And, once again, shenanigans ensued before a single note of music was played.

As every musician knows, opening for another band requires patience, logistical skill, and a practical knowledge of which cords are yours at the end of the set. As BPB prepared for its sound check, Boober noticed something from his bass amp: the complete absence of sound – not good for a rock band, in general. It’s always disconcerting when someone of Boober’s, shall we say, voluminous gregariousness, is rendered silent. But silent that amp was…until it was discovered that the cords were plugged into the wrong places (“that’s what she said”).

When the set started, the band instantly regained its composure and offered an hour of diverse, exciting, and overall fun music for the large crowd who braved the snow and cold for a night of live music and mayhem. A few highlights:
• The lone dancer in front of the stage, who decided that grooving to every song by BOTH bands was her idea of exercise, or just a diversion to combat the long line heading into the ladies’ room. Either way, she was a hoot!
• Rob called out Mike’s beard as being “buttery”, which was promptly shouted out by one of Mike’s sons (and when he finds out which one…)

• Mike calling out Rob’s excessive “head juice”, which Rob promptly wiped on Mike’s shirt. Curiously, the juice smelled like mangos and guava, with a hint of honeysuckle.

In all, the band is poised to have another amazing year in its eternal quest for a shenanigan-free show. Lisa, Ellen, Keith, and Kevin were in their usual stellar form, not withstanding Rob and Mike’s reluctant, buttery, tropic fluid exchange. Nevertheless, we eagerly await BPB 3.0’s next musical adventure. We just plan to bring a towel…

MM (the buttery bearded troubadour)

Jason Vorhees, a Hippy Girl, the Jumping Man from Twin Peaks, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew from the Muppets, a (slightly menacing) Clown and a Kitty Cat took the stage after a wonderful acoustic set from Nick “Joliet Jake Blues” Madsen to celebrate the Halloween Spooktacular (10/25/2025) at Pub 78.  Anytime BPB plays Pub 78 (this was our 7th show) it is just a bit more fun than other shows. Don’t get me wrong, anytime we play out, we have an amazing time. It is such a privilege to be able to go out and play music (and have people show up), but the Pub adds an element of unpredictability and an energy from being in such a tight space that no other place does. Jen and Caryn and the staff of the Pub are always super fun. Jen dressed up as a banana (which many people seem to end up in that outfit at every show). The crowd may have been a bit smaller than some of our other shows at the Pub, but it was substantial (and fluctuated throughout the evening) and their energy raised the fun level. I guess that there were at least a dozen people in costumes other than the band. I saw Freddy Krueger, an Average Joe in addition to a Crayon, a Lady Bug, and Wednesday Addams. Three couples competed in the costume contest, plug and outlet, reverse (from Uno) cowgirl, and the winners the slinky dog from the Pixar classic, Toy Story.
​
This was our 8th show of the year (and 7th with BPB 3.0 lineup as Dr. Keith could not make the St. Pats show so Jimmy Cavanaugh and Dave “Evad” Gonalez filled in) and the 32nd in BPB history. My father who was a very talented craftsman; he could build or fix anything except for engines, was a very modest man, and even though my personality is obnoxious, you WILL NEVER EVER HEAR ME BRAG about myself. Raymond Smola, Sr. felt that your talents and achievements should speak for themselves. BUT, I am going to take the following space to brag about these amazing musicians that put up with me. Ellen (the Kitty Cat) Backlin played her tale (she was wearing one). We put a ton on her, including having her play a bunch of organ on a Bach composition and the solo on “House of the Rising Sun.”  In addition to hitting those out of the park (and the keyboard riffs in Ghostbusters) she crushed her harmonies all night. Dr. Keith (Jumping Man) played the entire first set masked and shredded all night. In the second set, whether he snuck in a riff from the Addams family while ripping Eddie Van Halen’s Eruption or trying to keep the train on the tracks from my disastrous vocal performance on “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming,” he was killer and smiled, a lot which is a beautiful thing to see.  Mike Morsovillo continues to make his presence known with his creative guitar work and vocals on songs like “Feelin' Alight?,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” and his amazing Fred Schnieder influenced refrain in “Ghostbusters.”  Lisa Strzelecki, the voice of BiPolar Bear is a freak of nature. She sings in the key each song was originally played seemingly effortlessly. This show was three hours and on the tunes that she is not singing, she is adding harmonies.  Her voice (Ellen’s harmonies) and the contrasting amazing skills of the two guitarists are the (not so) secret sauce that drives BPB. Finally, I cannot praise Kevin Vesel enough. He played a three-hour show, picked out all the clips we played in between songs that had the Halloween theme and kicked the shit out of those songs. His work all night was killer, but during the Halloween Suite of songs, he was breathtaking. His drumming on “I Want Candy” was FUC#KING GREAT!!!!!  He also is sneaky clever with a cowbell slipping in beats in “Feelin' Alight?” and “Ghostbusters.”

The night had its fair share of surprises including great guest spots by band founder and rhythm guitarist, Jimmy Cavanaugh (who was introduced as returning to the stage like a case of Herpes) and the elegant and amazing Marie-Eve Vesel on bass and lead vocal for “Counting Blue Cars.”  She is a great player and a ball of uncontainable energy, please go check her out (and Kevin) in Like A Stone.   Marie-Eve crushed the tricky bridge in “Heartbreaker” and the band probably expects me to play it that well! The Halloween suite of five songs had never been played live at a show, and they were fun. RikRolling the audience may be highlight of my entire life (which may be a sad commentary on the excitement level of my existence), but seeing the bar smiling, singing, and dancing was amazing.  Mike’s vocals on the chorus were fantastically amusing.   My music stand decided to bend the wrong way and vomit my folder and lights to the floor three times.  Perhaps that was the spirit of Halloween and ghosts of the Pub fuc*ing with me.

Lisa had to deal with the dancing Jimmy Cav during the majority of the second set in which he kept doing things to make her laugh.  She desperately tried to ignore him, even when he laid on his back like a turtle during the absolutely house shattering rendition of “Shout” featuring the ripping bass of Mike.

This show completes the cycle for the year, and we played eight shows.  We go into planning mode and cannot wait to get back out there.  Perhaps we can target more next year. Special thanks to Trish Cavanaugh for creating the Halloween themed video behind us that played all night, Nick Madsen who opened and was amazing (as he has been on sound all year) and our families for their support as we continue to build BPB.  Finally, besides the folks that go out to see us, which makes all the difference in the world, I have to mention Jerry and Shelly Madsen, who provide the rehearsal space.  THANK YOU ALL!

Till next time,

Reginald, Rob, Rory, Boober, Al, Booby, Bobert, the idiot bassist

Our heroes traveled further than any other show to present their flying
circus to the fine citizens of Campton Hills at the Squire Ale House. Mike
commented that the drive felt like a trip to Iowa, as his GPS took him on a
long, strange trip into the sticks down mysterious side streets and
practically into people’s driveways. The stage was a terrific mix of Bob’s
Country Bunker and Woodstock. The mixed crowd (ranging from ages 3 to
103) made Rob think twice about “going blue” at this show. “Save it for the
Halloween show”, said the entire band. “There are kids here…and no more
sweaty head juice references. People are still eating!” Kevin was adamant
about having the crowd enjoy their meals. Speaking of meals, Ellen ordered
a pre-show dinner of Chicken Alfredo, and there was no chicken. That’s like
seeing a BPB show…with no pre-song banter from Boober. Kinda strange
and lonely. Clearly the banter of the evening came during the band intros,
when Rob accused Lisa of creating “inappropriate balloon animals”.

Sound man Nick Madsen did an awesome job alleviating a strange buzz that
threatened to make show sound like it was in a bee hive. By the time the
sound check was over, the band clicked beautifully. Several fans who had
seen the band before said this was the best show so far for BPB 3.0.
Two new songs were debuted, much to the delight of the crowd: “You May
Be Right” and “Beautiful Things”. With every show, BPB 3.0 have become a
tighter, more professional outfit that always delivers a fun and festive
evening.

Finally, the post-gig photo featured the band standing on the stage as a fully
supine boober lay in front of them, looking sheepish and a bit mischievous.
More shenanigans ensued…and will be continued at the Halloween show in
late October. Thank you, Campton Hills…BPB will be back!

​-- Professor Mike

Having just completed a show 2 days before at the wonderful Dominican University in River Forest, BPB had a second show at Kiwanis Park in Brookfield on 8/15/2025.  So, setting up, breaking down, unloading, re-loading and setting up again feels like a daunting task for some of us who are approaching 60.  The joy of playing and playing in front of some really nice size crowds takes away the soreness from all the equipment movement.  We were treated to some really nice crowds at both shows.  This was the second time we played Kiwanis park.  Our first show was in July of 2022. In our 19 song set this time, we only repeated 2 song we played the first time (“Heartbreaker” – which rarely leaves the set – and someday I am going to play it correctly, and “Uninvited” which is amazing to hear Lisa and Ellen harmonize only equaled by the cool stuff the Keith and Mike do making killer sounds with their guitars).

Nick Madsen did an amazing job on sound and has become our go to sound guy when we have to provide it.  He had the mix seemingly perfect which is really difficult considering we are a six piece with at any one time, 4 people singing.  BiPolar Bear founder Jim Cavanaugh, attending his first show as a guy in the crowd (he had played with us at the Pub and the Toga party and was not available to see our other shows) commented that as he was walking to his car before the last two songs were finished, he could hear the mix perfectly from down the street.  I do not have the experience of Mike or Lisa who have played in bands for years, but sound is the hardest thing to do.  Without a good mix, It does not matter how good the performance is on stage.  Nick has become invaluable asset for us.
The idiot bassist wore a Fred Flintstone shirt, orange, with the tie and Sabre tooth spots.  He found himself wandering in the crowd and dancing with some kids who were hovering around the BPB mic which records the performances.  Professor Mike sternly warned him to watch his dancing or he would end up on some kind of list, not allowing Rob back in parks!  During “Counting Blue Cars”, Rob clumsily crashed into Dr. Keith’s headstock, getting the axe murder disapproving face from the guitarist who demanded the bass player return back to the other side of the stage.  Professor Mike who is also a part of the grammar police, challenged Rob’s use of the word “armpitish” to describe the wonderful but still humid environment. It was armpitish. 

You take 6 people from different educational backgrounds, dissimilar musical tastes, diverse spiritual and political views and you mix them together and you get Bipolar Bear.  It is amazing with all those differences how the band is growing together, enjoying playing music as a unit (I said Unit!!!) and I believe the 5 of them are fond of each other (and they tolerate the bassist).  Dr. Keith Taddei, our youngest band member is a shredder, loves Satriani, Vai and Zappa. His musical interplay with Professor Mike Morsovillo (loves Jerry Garcia, Santana and Clapton) has been an amazing amalgamation that has clicked live and in rehearsal.  Listening to Mike’s soulful solos on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and “Feelin’ Alright” gives me chills just like when I hear Keith shred on “You Really Got Me” or “Rock You Like a Hurricane.”  Each has taken up responsibilities very quickly to help the band.  Keith is the Director of Quality Improvement.  He listens intently to rehearsal and show recordings and lets us know what he thinks is working and what needs improvement.  He is direct, no thin skin allowed. His observations and notes are spot on and helpful.  He also has taken up the task of drafting set lists.  Professor Mike has assumed the role of Band Director, making decisions in shows on what may need to be cut and ensuring the arrangements are working.  Everyone contributes, and Keith is on that too, but Mike has that ear and can point out something when it hits wrong almost immediately (don’t play a wrong bass note when he is singing, it does not end well for the bassist!!!).  Kevin Vesel has been an amazing addition.  He has assumed the difficult task of setting the pace at shows and is the Practice Master – ensuring we get thru the material live.  I cannot believe that harnessing the energy and insane mind of the idiot bassist is easy in either milieu, but he does it extremely well.  He keeps the band on track.  The 3.0 guys (Mike, Keith and Kevin) have been amazing.  We could not be luckier to have them, Lisa, Ellen and I are astonished and grateful that they joined us and we could not be happier.  Band Story Part 3  tells how they found their way to BPB.

Park shows are really fun because the community comes out to support the shows.  Hmmmm, how do I say this?  Lots of those folks might in fact be senior citizens which is cool, but I did notice as Keith was shredding on “Rock You Like a Hurricane”  two elderly gentlemen were asleep.  That is not a commentary on Keith’s playing more like the warmth of the evening and the idea of napping in the park felt good for those guys.  

Lisa was in great form.  I though Ellen had a nice showing.  The two guitarists keep getting more comfortable with each other and they sound super cool together.  To me, Kevin was the rock that night, sharp on drums and kept the show moving.  

I cannot tell you how much fun this is, not in words, but if you come out to a show, you can see it in the way we play and interact with each other.  WHAT A JOY!!!

Rob, Bob, Boober, Bobby, whatever...

7/31/2025
Weeks and weeks of soggy, humid, demoralizing weather finally gave way to a gorgeous summer evening – just in time for our heroes to perform a quick opening set for The Strung Out Band in the idyllic setting of Countryside Park. Under a picturesque gazebo, the band blazed through a tight set of fun, upbeat, and sing-a-long tunes for the masses - and a splendid time was had by all.

Near the end of the set, the band introductions ended with Rob essentially revealing that BPB apparently has two Kevins: Dr. Keith became “Kevin” Taddai…and right in front of Keith’s parents, wife, and son. Color Rob embarrassed!
And like the show…that’s all for this blog. Until next time!

​Mike Morsovillo

On a south side Chicago cul-de-sac – a rarity in the second city – our intrepid heroes spread out their travelling sideshow on a long, long driveway and played a retirement party concert for the ages. The full band was augmented by founding member Jimmy Cavanaugh and his lovely, white Gibson Flying-V.

Let’s begin with the sound check – Rob’s bass amp once again seemed to suffer from a general absence of sound. Once he figured out the glitch, BPB 3.0 was up and running through two sets of older and newer songs that were met with equal enthusiasm from the mostly Generation X crowd (I believe that EVERYONE there was 58, including half the band). In between, there were many stories circulating regarding when the men first saw Animal House at the theatre…and marveled at seeing the “forbidden sights” as 12-year-old boys. Ah, the follies of youth. Mike’s story topped them all: his mother took him to see it on Halloween, 1978…and she never covered his eyes. Never. Speaking of forbidden sights, there were too many guys who were barely wearing their togas…much to the chagrin of the onlookers. There should have been strict rules concerning, let’s say, coverage. And, there were children present. This didn’t stop Boober from occasionally going blue. Well, not navy blue – more like periwinkle.

The band was in terrific form after weeks of, shall we say, sectional practices where both Lisa and Mike were largely absent due to vacation and carpal tunnel surgery recovery, respectively. Kudos to the rest of the band who managed to hold BPB together during the gap between gigs (nearly three months). The new material went over well with the Romanesque crowd as BPB provided the right balance of bread and circuses (well, mostly circuses from Boober who was dressed like a dorky surfer dude named Moonbeam). Speaking of attire, Mike looked like a reluctant biker named Rex – revealing his ferocious tat. Keith and Jimmy were engaged in an unintentional gun show competition, and Kevin had sunglasses for each genre of song that BPB performed. His spiked shades for Judas Priest were legendary. Ellen and Lisa looked and sounded terrific all evening. Their harmonies were stellar!
One of the highlights was when Keith played his sax on Find Another Fool in a solo duet with Ellen. Another highlight was when Jimmy brought out his beautiful acoustic guitar for What’s Up…and played the wrong opening chord. By that point in the proceedings, I really don’t think the Romans noticed.

Another gig in the books…and another step towards making BPB 3.0 an act for the ages!

​Mike Morsovillo

3/15/2025

In their sixth show at Pub 78, BiPolar Bear had the terrific opportunity to play a St. Patrick’s Day gig before dozens of enthusiastic, slightly inebriated, and largely green fans. In just the second gig for BPB 3.0, only Dr. Keith Taddai was not in attendance – a fact that Rob made known to the crowd in several clever ways (“he’s in the Amazon finding a cure for baldness…”). No one bought it.

What made this gig special was how the band overcame the absence of one of its newest members: by having a rotating panel of two BPB alums (Jimmy and David) fill in and play Keith’s vital guitar parts. Mike took full advantage of having two guitarists with him by “taking a few songs off” during the evening – a rest he felt he totally deserved. In addition to the slew of guitarists, the band also welcomed back drummer Paul Wilhelm on a few songs – and also had guest lead vocalists (Jerry and Dennis) for “No Matter What” and “Secret Agent Man”, respectively. Finally, after the opening song, Rob took a break (“well-deserved”, he said) and let Kevin’s wife Marie-Eve play her adorable pink bass and provide backing vocals. She absolutely rocked! Needless to say, some parts of the evening were not for the claustrophobic on that stage.

One of the highlights for Rob was commenting on Mike’s undersized green, sparkly fedora. Mike swears that when he bought it, “it fit just fine.” Perhaps Mike was getting bloated from eating too much pre-gig pizza and wings (thank you, Kevin and Marie-Eve), or his massive head became even bigger due to water retention. Nevertheless, that hat was destined to fall off.

At one point in the festivities, when the band noticed an absence of bass lines, Rob sprinted back to the stage to investigate (yes, BPB fans – our shoeless Boober was wandering the bar once again, perhaps looking for a bigger hat for Mike?). Why his wireless system chose to fart out was a mystery, but it was really just part of a typical BPB show (no offense to Rob…but no one really noticed, anyway!). One conspiracy theory that circulated around Pub 78 was that Marie-Eve wanted to get back on stage and leave Boober to his own devices mingling with the green crowd. The jury is still out on that one.

Kevin, Lisa, and Ellen were the real stars of the show: Kevin, for cramming lots of songs in like an undergrad pulling an all-nighter before finals – and absolutely nailing each one; Lisa, for belting out song after song with her usual energy, precision, and grace. The balance of her dynamics (really sweet or really gritty) was mesmerizing; and Ellen, for being an incredible support on backing vocals, playing solid keys and percussion, and bass guitar on “Beverly Hills” – as she sat on the stage dangling her feet.

The evening concluded on a unique note – namely, B-Major. After completing an amazing rendition of “Purple Rain” to close out the night, the crowd invariably asked for “one more song”. Mike turned to the band and invoked Traffic’s “Feelin’ Alright” – a song that he has been pestering the band about for about a month. At first reluctant, the band forged ahead – and about six minutes later, the crowd erupted once again! Not knowing each verse completely, Mike sang the first verse twice. The band improvised the song expertly and with a ton of energy.
In spite of a few flubs here and there throughout the evening – both technical and human – a splendid time was had by all…and BPB eagerly awaits its next show in early June. In the interim, your intrepid heroes with be tightening up their sets, adding some new material, and keeping their collective fingers crossed that Mike’s carpal tunnel surgery doesn’t render him merely available to sing back-up with his hands in his pockets…but that’s a blog for another time!
 
Mike "The Hat" Morsovillo

Cut back to 11/2/2024 and as the band completes the last notes of "Purple Rain", little did everyone in that room and especially Lisa, Ellen and Rob know that the next performance would be very different.  BiPolar Bear has prided itself in a couple of things; one – to play a different show every time, whether that is a different set list, different songs etc, and two,  to have a good time.  That last show of 2024 was a really fun one.  But it was the end of something.  After that show, we as a band knew that David "Evad" Gonzalez was leaving because he was only sitting in for the last 4 shows of the year when Sebastian Marecki left earlier in 2024.   The band did not know that Jimmy Cavanaugh and Paul Wilhelm, two huge anchors of BiPolar Bear would be leaving also.   Lisa, Ellen and Rob, after recovering from such a crash of those departures decided to move forward and see if they could put together Humpty Bipolar Bear Dumpty. 

The steps in putting that band (egg) back together are detailed in Band Story Part 3 .   If you are offended by gushing about and complimenting people, please stop reading…..   So fast forward with only 6 full rehearsals under our collective belt to Heroes West in Lemont, 7 PM on February 15 and Don the sound guy yells, "You're Live."  Note, This is the most nervous I have been since the very first show in Jimmy's back yard in August of 2019 where I felt I was going to pass out during the first set. Doctor Keith Taddei starts strumming the beginning chords of "Closing Time", Ellen joins in with the keyboard part and then the wonderful and amazing voice of BPB (Lisa) starts the initial verse.  Oh my, all is good in the world again.  The adrenaline is intoxicating (which my bandmates will tell you, I am usually 'high" on the show for a week.  Eventually there is a horrible post show crash, which leaves me in a puddle of sadness when all the dopamine departs, but that is a story for another day).   We rip through a 60 minute set in about 62 minutes (which was the official count of the recording…)  I butcher "Uninvited" because my G string (not what you are thinking, pervs…) is completely out of tune making my octave jumps sound as if a speeding Etzel has plowed into a screaming Ostrich.  Kevin Vesel, who played an amazing show on drums, prematurely moves to the second section of "LaGrange" without allowing the stupid vocal intro, before Professor Mike Morsovillo calms us all down and directs us to float back to the beginning so we can give it the proper initial verse are really the only two burps besides us stopping "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" to change out my bass.  The rest of it was pretty freakin' fun!

The crowd was really responsive and appreciative.  According to Pete Covelli from Eleven the Band, all tables were sold out.  Doctor Keith Taddai, playing his first live show in 10 years, destroyed the house with his killer work all night (sizzled on "Rock You Like A Hurricane").  Professor Mike Morsovillo is just a cool cat, and his bluesy licks were devoured by those in attendance.   I think the guy who deserves the most credit here despite the amazing chops of the two fellas mentioned before is Kevin "Stoic Squirrel" Vesel.  He plays drums in Like A Stone and they just played a 3 hour set on New Years Eve, and then he had to learn all of our stuff for this show.  He was awesome (except when he cuts me off from my verse in "LaGrange").   He held the band together with his solid rhythm and cool percussion parts.  It allowed everyone else to do their thing with confidence.  Don't get me wrong, it was not a perfect show….I don't think there ever is one, but it was our first show together, live without a net.  Lisa and Ellen were their usual stellar selves.  I think other than my ruining "Uninvited" that night,  it is still my favorite song to play and listen to; Lisa and Ellen's harmonies are  ethereal and intoxicating and Keith's work on the song is absolutely amazing.   Mike was awesome all night but his singing and his sizzling solo work on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" were mesmerizing, plus he slaughtered the Lukather solo in "Hold the Line".  That was the first live performance of that song since the August of 2019 backyard debut of the BPB and I don't see it leaving the set list for a while. 

I cannot say how incredibly happy and honored I am to play in a band with these people.  I am pretty enchanted that they put up with me.   They are really amazing players, but they also are really good people!  They are talented, funny and kind.  Thanks for everyone who continues to support us, especially our families.  I really want to again emphasize how lucky we are that we found Keith, Mike and Kevin and  They saved the band, really.
​
So, now onto the next one, our home, Pub 78 on ST. Patty's day weekend.  Dr. Keith will be on assignment (what does that mean, is he inventing a new Physics Theorem to save the world, is he working on a secret coup for the CIA……? We just don't know), and Jimmy and Dave will be back to help us through the insanity that will be that show.   The Pub is always nuts, but St. Patty's day will be even more crazy.  Hope to see you all on March 15th at the Pub.

It has taken me a while to write this because it sucks when a year ends for the band.  It does feel that we are in year cycles.  Starts in January when we start to plan what we are doing, and unfortunately we seem to have to deal with the reality of personnel changes.  We knew Dave was subbing in on guitar and that he was helping us out until the year ended.  We are all so glad he did, because we played six really fun shows this year, two with Sebastian on guitar at Pub 78 and Bannerman’s, and 4 with Dave.  Those “Dave” shows were equally crazy and fun.  We started opening for the True Villains at “Westchester Fun Fest”, journeyed out to McHenry County and played Bugsy’s, opened for Eleven at Heroes’ West in Lemont and finished up with the show I am going to summarize in the following post.

There is something really special for us about Pub 78.  Each and every time we play there, it feels ridiculously fun.  Every show is fun, seriously, but Pub 78 shows seem to be even a bit more.  It is such an intimate experience, the audience is on top of the performance area,  the turnout is always great and you never know what is going to happen.  This time did not disappoint.  We were able to get Ellen’s boyfriend, Dennis Melzer to join the band on “Secret Agent Man” after we ripped through a few tunes including “I Hate Myself for Loving You” and “My Own Worst Enemy”.  After Dennis did a great job, it was time for frequent guest, Jerry Madsen to lend some vocals.  Jerry guested on Badfinger’s “Not Matter What” and The Ides of March’s “Vehicle” to which Jimmy C lended a closing scream to the conclusion.  Jerry then hit his vocal effects pedal and channeled Satan as he growled through the first few verses of ZZ Top’s “LaGrange”.  Billy Gibbons sings it low, but Jerry went Beelzebub low!  We worked in some of our newer songs like “What’s Up” and “Closing Time” and Creed’s “My Sacrifice”.  

The wheels came off during the second set.  Ma Cavanaugh, dressed as a banana got on stage and danced.  I do not remember what song it was, but I remember my bass bouncing off my midsection because I couldn’t stop laughing.  What a great sport Ma Cavanaugh is to just get up and have a great time!  Later, Jen the co owner of Pub 78, dressed in the banana suit,  was dirty dancing with me during a song (check the picture page) and later another Banana joined us on stage.  That is a three banana show!  I also laid on floor during the entire “Rocky Mountain Way” and my brother walked away in disgust (well that was what Jimmy Cavanaugh thought, but Jimmy Smola just had to use the washroom).  When Dave finished ripping the solo in “Purple Rain” we thought we were done.  But the crowd (a large portion who did stay for the second set), started to chant, “One more song, one more song.”  So, we plugged  back in and played the one hit wonder “Flag Pole Sitta”. Okay, now we should be done, but the crowd demanded one more.  We were able to give them The Foo Fighter’s “Learn to Fly”.   That was it, we were spent!  But what a great time and super cool to play 2 encores.  We did one encore two years ago at Salerno’s but this was a new record for us.

Lisa sounded amazing that night.  Paul was his usual incredible self and Ellen was awesome on harmonies and keys.  At the end of the evening when all of us posed for a picture, I took a deep breath and was thankful for yet another year with this band.  BiPolar Bear 2.0 had rebuilt and completed six shows and countless rehearsals.   I would like to thank Lisa, Paul, Ellen, Sebastian and Dave for making music with me this year.  I want to thank Jen Cavanaugh and Jimmy for providing the rehearsal space for us this year and our practice space since 2015 when Jimmy and I started on this goofy journey.  I want to thank Jimmy C for asking me to join him in this pursuit; it has been an amazing journey since we started.  I want to acknowledge our families for all their support in regards to the time we spend pursuing our hobby!  Most of all I want to thank everyone who booked us, came out to a show or said a kind word of encouragement.   The boys in Eleven, True Villains who we had the amazing privilege of opening for, we are grateful for the friendship and the musical encouragement.

I do not know what the future holds, the winds of change seem to always stir as we begin to plot the next year.   I can promise you, Bipolar Bear will be back, playing again, and as soon as we know when, we will let you know!!!

​HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE SLEEPING BEAR!!!!