2015 WCWP Hall of Fame Ceremony April 28, 2015
Posted by Mike C. in Interviews, Media, Music, News, Personal, Photography, Radio, Sports, Technology, TV, Video.1 comment so far
Other Hall of Fame ceremony recaps: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020-21, 2022, 2023
Saturday afternoon, the WCWP Hall of Fame inducted four more alumni in a ceremony inside the Goldsmith Atrium at LIU Post’s Tilles Center for the Performing Arts. In order of induction, this year’s inductees were Jeff Kroll, Bruce Leonard, Bobby Guthenberg, and Mike Riccio.
It was the third year in a row where the ceremony coincided with bright sunshine outside, allowing for plenty of natural light to illuminate the atrium.
I arrived about 90 minutes early following a drive of the same length from the Hampton Inn in Milford, Connecticut, after attending the first night of Smooth Jazz for Scholars. Slowly but surely, the inductees, their families, and fellow alumni filled the atrium and the ceremony began.
You can watch the ceremony at the end of this post, but first, the pictures:
WCWP station manager Dan Cox welcomed everyone and tossed to an introductory video narrated by Jim Cutler:
2013 inductee Bernie Bernard was this year’s MC:
The first inductee of the day was Jeff Kroll, introduced by Bruce Leonard:
The view from my camcorder:
The same view from a different focal point:
Bruce and Jeff swapped places as Jeff introduced Bruce:
Neil Marks came up to say a few words:
Then came Bruce’s acceptance speech:
Joel Feltman was next a few words of his own:
Joe Honerkamp listened as Joel reflected on how they were introduced:
The third inductee of the day was Bobby Guthenberg, introduced by Bernie Bernard:
Finally, Bobby introduced Mike Riccio:
Bobby’s gift to Mike:
Mike’s acceptance speech:
2013 inductee Bill Mozer was repeatedly referenced throughout the ceremony. He came to the stage after Mike spoke:
2014 inductee Frank D’Elia’s turn at the mic:
Bill returned with a few more words:
Dan Cox returned to wrap of the ceremony, bringing along a copy of the Hall of Fame sign, as posted in the background, to be autographed by the four inductees:
Jeff’s wife Pat bought a cake for the ceremony:
The ceremonial cutting:
Now that you’ve seen the pictures, enjoy the video:
Congratulations to Jeff Kroll, Bruce Leonard, Bobby Guthenberg, and Mike Riccio, the 2015 WCWP Hall of Fame class!
SJFS 2015 Night 1 recap April 27, 2015
Posted by Mike C. in Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel, Video.add a comment
To borrow guitarist Jay Dobbins’ song title, it was “That Time Again” on Friday – time for me to head up to Milford, Connecticut, for Jay Rowe‘s Smooth Jazz for Scholars benefit concert. This was the 13th year of SJFS and the third with two nights of shows. Unfortunately, I could only make the first night this year because of the WCWP Hall of Fame Ceremony on Saturday.
The headliners on Friday night were Peter White, Marion Meadows, and Vincent Ingala.
As always, Kevin McCabe had a few opening remarks:
Then, Jay Rowe took the stage. Jay was on keyboards:
Dave Anderson played bass:
Trever Somerville on drums:
Steve Scales on percussion:
…and for nine songs, Rohn Lawrence on electric guitar:
SET LIST
1. That Time Again (Jay Dobbins)
Originally heard on: “Anything for You,” 2013
Featured musicians: Jay Dobbins (electric guitar), Jay Rowe (keyboards)
2. Pleasure Island (Jay Rowe)
Originally heard on: “Laugh Out Loud,” 2001
Featured musicians: Jay Rowe (keyboards), Vincent Ingala (tenor sax), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
3. Can’t Stop Now (Vincent Ingala)
Originally heard on: “Can’t Stop Now,” 2012
Featured musicians: Vincent Ingala (tenor sax), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
4. Kimi Trick (Vincent Ingala)
Originally heard on: “Can’t Stop Now,” 2012
Featured musicians: Vincent Ingala (tenor sax), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
5. Real Time (Marion Meadows)
Originally heard on: “Soul Traveler,” 2015
Featured musicians: Marion Meadows (soprano sax), Vincent Ingala (tenor sax), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
6. Humanity (Marion Meadows)
Originally heard on: “Soul Traveler,” 2015
Featured musicians: Marion Meadows (soprano sax), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
7. Caravan of Dreams (Peter White)
Originally heard on: “Caravan of Dreams,” 1996
Featured musicians: Peter White (acoustic guitar), Vincent Ingala (tenor sax)
8. Bright (Peter White)
Originally heard on: “Good Day,” 2009
Featured musicians: Peter White (acoustic guitar)
9. How Deep is Your Love (Peter White; The Bee Gees cover)
Originally heard on: “Reflections,” 1994
Featured musicians: Peter White (acoustic guitar)
10. In Rainbows (Peter White)
Originally heard on: “Smile,” 2014
Featured musicians: Peter White (acoustic guitar), Vincent Ingala (soprano sax)
11. Here We Go (Peter White)
Originally heard on: “Here We Go,” 2012
Featured musicians: Peter White (acoustic guitar), Vincent Ingala (tenor sax)
12. Wish I Was There (Vincent Ingala)
Originally heard on: “Can’t Stop Now,” 2012
Featured musicians: Vincent Ingala (electric guitar)
13. Coast to Coast (Vincent Ingala)
Originally heard on: “Coast to Coast,” 2015 (released five days later [tomorrow])
Featured musicians: Vincent Ingala (tenor sax), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
14. Suede (Marion Meadows)
Originally heard on: “Player’s Club,” 2004
Featured musicians: Marion Meadows (soprano sax), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
Unlike previous performances, Marion did not start in the audience and work his way to the stage.
15. Treasures (Marion Meadows)
Originally heard on: “In Deep,” 2002
Featured musicians: Marion Meadows (soprano sax), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
16 (Finale). I’ll Be Around (The Spinners cover)
Featured musicians: Everyone
Now for various pictures of each musician.
First, Jay Rowe:
Dave Anderson:
Trever Somerville:
Steve Scales:
Rohn Lawrence:
Making his SJFS debut, Jay Dobbins:
Vincent Ingala:
Tenor sax:
Soprano sax:
Electric guitar:
Marion Meadows:
Peter White:
On to wide shots, starting with “Pleasure Island”:
“Kimi Trick”:
“Real Time”:
“Humanity”:
“Caravan of Dreams”:
“Bright”:
“In Rainbows”:
“Here We Go”:
“Coast to Coast”:
The finale – “I’ll Be Around”:
The last note:
With the night complete, Jay gave thanks:
Afterward, I packed up my equipment and headed for the meet and greet in the lobby.
The musician I met and greeted was Peter White:
It had been five years since I last saw him in person, aboard the Guitars and Saxes Smooth Cruise in 2010.
After speaking with Peter, I moved on to Marion Meadows, Rohn Lawrence, and Vincent Ingala.
Here I am with Vincent:
Rohn and Jay Dobbins:
While waiting in line, Jay Rowe asked if anyone had a Sharpie he could use for autographing. I gave him the one in my backpack and let him keep it. I can always get more.
I said my goodbyes and headed to the nearby Hampton Inn for the night. I left for LIU Post in the morning.
My 2015 MLB Predictions April 5, 2015
Posted by Mike C. in Baseball, Personal, Sports.add a comment
(11/11/15 UPDATE: Results italicized in parentheses.)
Back in September, I went public with my annual NFL season predictions after years of posting them on Facebook. Another personal tradition is predicting the Major League Baseball season.
Here are my predictions for 2015:
NL (National League) East
- Nationals (2) (missed playoffs, finished 2nd)
- Braves (Wild Card 2) (missed playoffs, finished 4th)
- Mets (won division, 3 seed)
- Marlins (finished 3rd)
- Phillies
NL Central
- Cardinals (1)
- Pirates (Wild Card 1)
- Reds (finished 5th)
- Cubs (Wild Card 2, finished 3rd)
- Brewers (finished 4th)
NL West
- Dodgers (3) (2)
- Giants
- Diamondbacks
- Padres
- Rockies
AL (American League) East
- Orioles (2) (missed playoffs, finished 3rd)
- Red Sox (finished 5th)
- Yankees (Wild Card 1, finished 2nd)
- Blue Jays (won division, 2 seed)
- Rays (finished 4th)
AL Central
- Indians (1) (missed playoffs, finished 3rd)
- Tigers (Wild Card 1) (missed playoffs, finished 5th)
- Royals (Wild Card 2) (won division, 1 seed)
- White Sox
- Twins (finished 2nd)
AL West
- Athletics (3) (missed playoffs, finished 5th)
- Angels (finished 3rd)
- Mariners (finished 4th)
- Rangers (won division, 3 seed)
- Astros (Wild Card 2, finished 2nd)
Playoff predictions:
NL Wild Card Playoff
Braves defeat Pirates (Cubs defeat Pirates)
AL Wild Card Playoff
Tigers defeat Royals (Astros defeat Yankees)
NL Division Series
Cardinals vs. Braves: Cardinals win 3-1 (Cardinals vs. Cubs: Cubs win 3-1)
Nationals vs. Dodgers: Dodgers win 3-0 (Dodgers vs. Mets: Mets win 3-2)
AL Division Series
Indians vs. Tigers: Tigers win 3-2 (Royals vs. Astros: Royals win 3-2)
Orioles vs. Athletics: Athletics win 3-0 (Blue Jays vs. Rangers: Blue Jays win 3-2)
NL Championship Series
Cardinals vs. Dodgers: Cardinals win 4-1 (Mets vs. Cubs: Mets win 4-0)
AL Championship Series
Athletics vs. Tigers: Tigers win 4-2 (Royals vs. Blue Jays: Royals win 4-2)
World Series (AL home field advantage via All-Star Game win) (home field correct)
Cardinals vs. Tigers: Cardinals win 4-1 (Royals vs. Mets: Royals win 4-1)
As with my Patriots prediction, pessimism drove me to pick the Cardinals to win the World Series. The 2006 NLCS, in which the Cards defeated the Mets in seven games, turned me against them. (The 2015 World Series turned me against the Royals.)
I will update this post after the World Series with results italicized in parentheses. Play ball! (The revision is complete, ten days after the World Series concluded with a disappointing result. In a dream world, the 2016 Mets will make like the 2015 Royals and win the World Series one year after losing it. But the more likely outcome is a return to futility for the Mets. Worse yet, the Mets open next season with two games in Kansas City. Until then, thanks for reading this revised post.)
Winter’s second encore March 29, 2015
Posted by Mike C. in Personal, Photography, Weather.add a comment
A second encore performance of snow affected my area yesterday. We were on the western fringe of a storm that left at least 2 to 4 inches of snow in Central and Eastern Suffolk County. Here in Nassau, snowfall was minimal.
We were treated to intermittent snow showers during the day that barely accumulated:
There was a little more snow at night that left a solid coating:
Here’s what the coating looked like at around 8:30 this morning:
The late March sun has already melted most of it. Surely this was the last snow of the season, right?
Winter’s encore March 21, 2015
Posted by Mike C. in Personal, Photography, Weather.add a comment
The snow of two Thursdays ago turned out not to be the last snow of the season. An encore performance came through yesterday. This time, it was entirely wet snow. Thanks to two weeks of above-freezing temperatures, in addition to the strength of the mid-March sun, not much snow stuck on pavement. I measured an inch in the driveway last night as the snow was tapering off. The front lawn accurately represented the snowfall: 5 inches.
Below is a timeline of the snowfall from start to finish, followed by today’s rapid melting.
March 20
1:29 PM:
2:59 PM:
4:31 PM:
6:40 PM, five minutes before the vernal equinox:
8:05 PM, 80 minutes into spring:
9:49 PM, as snow tapered off:
March 21
8:36 AM, during a remnant snow shower:
9:24 AM:
1:21 PM:
3:19 PM:
4:13 PM:
There may not be any snow left on the ground by Monday, and that may be the last we see until late fall. Happy spring.
WCWP-FM 50th Anniversary Celebration March 20, 2015
Posted by Mike C. in Education, Media, Personal, Photography, Radio, Video.add a comment
WCWP 88.1 FM, LIU Post’s radio station, commemorated 50 years on the air with an anniversary dinner Saturday night at Page One Restaurant in Glen Cove, and a celebratory anniversary show Monday afternoon.
The dinner marked my first time back at Page One in nine years when WCWP had its annual station dinner there. Here’s an exterior shot I took prior to the 2003 station dinner:
Station banner inside Page One:
A couple of group shots with the banner:
WCWP-FM signed on 50 years ago Monday at 4PM, which was marked by a four-hour anniversary show that ran an hour before to three hours after that original sign-on.
Hank Neimark provided that original sign-on. WCWP station manager Dan Cox shot a picture at 4:00:00 today of Hank reprising his sign-on (courtesy WCWP Alumni Association Facebook group):
Here’s how it sounded…:
…and looked (via Bobby Guthenberg):
March 5 winter storm pictures, March 6 aftermath pictures March 6, 2015
Posted by Mike C. in Media, News, Personal, TV, Weather.add a comment
In a 52-hour period, my area went from snow to sleet and freezing rain to rain and back.
It all began late Tuesday afternoon. A couple of inches of snow fell before the evening changeover, but it was washed away by the rain. Temperatures got as high as the mid 40s on Wednesday, allowing me to clear any slush set into the driveway by tire tracks.
For a while, it seemed like there wouldn’t be too much snow on Thursday. Computer forecast models were pushing the snow south. But as night fell, the models yanked the storm back north and had it starting and ending later. 4 to 8 inches of snow were forecast, with News 12 Long Island upping that to 5 to 10 on Thursday morning.
The rain changed to wet snow at around sunrise, switching to regular snow as the morning progressed and temperatures fell.
By afternoon, temperatures were down in the mid 20s and the snow continued to accumulate. I periodically brought my standard ruler to the driveway to measure. There were 2 inches at 11:40 AM, 4 1/2 inches at 2:22 PM, and 7 inches by 4:12.
But at 4:40, even though it was still snowing, I went out to the driveway and began shoveling. My sister came home ten minutes after I started and helped me shovel. We finished at 5:30.
After an hour break, which included a dinner of pasta and homemade ground turkey meat sauce, I went back outside for more shoveling. By now, the snow had ended. Another inch had fallen on top of what I shoveled earlier. This time, I only took a half hour.
The 8 inches of snow in my driveway matched the snow totals in Levittown, North Merrick, and Rockville Centre, according to the National Weather Service. Melville and East Northport ended up with 9 inches.
Below is a photo timeline of the snow from beginning to end, and then the day after (today).
March 5:
8:26 AM:
11:19 AM:
1:02 PM:
2:18 PM:
5:43 PM, after shoveling with help from my sister:
7:31 PM, after additional shoveling:
March 6:
9:57 AM:
Temperatures were in the low 20s, but the March sun was strong enough to melt the snow anyway. The high today was 30 degrees.
10:19 AM:
11:28 AM:
2:55 PM:
This is the last day with high temperatures below freezing for the foreseeable future, and maybe even for the season. And if this turned out to be the last snow of the season, it went out on a high note.
Guest reading at my old elementary school March 5, 2015
Posted by Mike C. in Books, Education, Personal, Photography, Weather.add a comment
Other guest reading posts: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022
I was at Leo F. Giblyn School in Freeport on Monday as a guest reader for Dr. Seuss Spirit Week. I read Dr. Seuss books to four different classes and an unrelated weather book to a fifth class.
It was great to be back where I attended third and fourth grade. (I spent kindergarten, first grade, and second grade up the road at Archer Street.) My mother has been a teaching assistant at Giblyn for about 25 years and my sister has also worked there in many roles for about a decade.
The books I read on Monday were One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish; Dr. Seuss’s ABC; and Gerald McBoing Boing, which I read twice.
The first Gerald McBoing Boing reading was the highlight of my day. I did impressions for two of the characters. One voice was Don Adams’ Maxwell Smart (which was an impression of William Powell) and the other was Casey Kasem with a hint of Vin Scully. When I noted in the Q&A that Casey was also the voice of Shaggy on the various Scooby-Doo series, I ended up taking several cartoon character voice requests.
When I wasn’t reading, I was jumping from classroom to classroom taking pictures of other guest readers.
The kids loved me, especially since I was Mrs. Chimeri’s son and Ms. Chimeri’s brother. Case in point, the next day, my sister told me one student said “your brother was awesome.” The teachers I saw agreed with that assessment.
I’d love to come back again. It was a busy day, but I enjoyed it. I’ll conclude this post with a collage I made from candid shots taken while I read:
I made the collage because I don’t know if I’m allowed to post full pictures with students in them without parents’ permission.
Brian Simpson concert recap 3 (7PM show) February 17, 2015
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel, Weather.add a comment
Previous Brian Simpson recaps: April 2011, September 2012
I was at Houndstooth Pub on Valentine’s Day to see keyboardist Brian Simpson perform. As with Lisa Hilton last month, this was the third time I had seen Brian live. Also like Lisa’s show, Brian debuted material from an upcoming album. Out of a Dream was released today.
There always seems to be an active weather pattern when I go to see Brian Simpson. The first time, there was a nor’easter. The second time, a severe thunderstorm threatened Manhattan, but weakened considerably by the time it crossed the Hudson River. This time, a clipper brought light snow to the area, but it was forecast to reform and intensify offshore at night, dumping heavier snow and strong gusty winds in the process.
I took this shot before I left with my girlfriend for the Wantagh LIRR station:
I considered it a before picture, expecting to take an after picture when we got home that would show a few inches on the ground with more to come overnight. Luckily, the forecast models changed dramatically while my girlfriend and I were out. The worst of the snow stayed to the south. The same coating you see above awaited us when we got back to Wantagh. An additional coating fell overnight.
Unfortunately, the wind forecast didn’t change. Gusts over 50 miles per hour began after 2AM and continued for about 12 more hours. From there, gusts were as high as 45 mph and occurred less and less until they were gone altogether by Monday afternoon.
But enough about the weather.
There were two shows that night: 7:00 and 9:15. My girlfriend and I got tickets to the 7:00.
Brian Simpson played keyboard:
Dave Anderson was on bass:
Les Cleveland on drums:
…and on seven songs in the set, Art Sherrod Jr. on saxophone:
The engineer was Neal Newman:
As I noted at the top, the show featured songs from Brian’s latest album, Out of a Dream. Here’s the full set list:
1. South Beach* – keyboard/keytar
2. It Could Happen* – keytar/keyboard
3. Just One Wish^
4. When I Say Your Name*^
5. Blues in G*
6. Sky Watcher^ – keytar
7. Can’t Tell You Why
8. Let’s Get Close – keytar
9. Just What You Need – keytar
10. Juicy* – keytar/keyboard
11. Saturday Cool*
12 (Encore). It’s All Good*
* Art Sherrod Jr., sax
^ From Out of a Dream
Now, for a series of pictures of Brian on keytar. First, pictures from “Let’s Get Close”:
One of the audience members he got close to – in the musical sense – was my girlfriend:
She’s been a fan of Brian for a long time. In fact, she first learned of me through my website after I posted my Mike Chimeri Show interview with him nine years ago. (That interview and more can be found here.) It would be another four years before she finally got in touch with me on Facebook.
For “Saturday Cool,” he went beyond the stage and into the audience, passing by Ron and Nydia along the way:
Back on stage, here are pictures from Dave Anderson and Les Cleveland’s “Saturday Cool” solos. Dave first:
Les Cleveland:
Wide shots:
“Saturday Cool”:
The encore: “It’s All Good”:
The last note:
Art Sherrod Jr.: “Once again, Mr. Brian Simpson, everyone”:
Brian greeted us when we arrived beforehand and we spoke to him again afterward. Then, we posed for a pic:
The red Sharpie in his hand isn’t what he signed my copy of Out of a Dream with. He went with a black one instead.
I’ve used this term before, but the set was wild! I can only imagine what it was like for the later crowd. Thanks to Brian, Dave, Les, and Art.
MikeChimeri.com 
Don’t Be a Pinhead Tour at Westbury recap May 3, 2015
Posted by Mike C. in Audiobooks, Books, Comedy, Commentary, Media, News, Personal, Politics, Radio, Theatre, TV.2 comments
According to WordPress, this is my 350th post at MikeChimeri.com.
Last night, for the first time in four years, I was at NYCB Theatre at Westbury to see Bill O’Reilly and Dennis Miller. This time, their tour had a new name: Don’t Be a Pinhead.
My dad and were seated in Section B, Row H.
The show was scheduled to begin at 8:00, but didn’t start until 8:09. At that time, Bill got on the P.A. system and directed the crowd to “please greet Dennis Miller!”
Dennis’ first joke was “Hi, #Hello #GoodEvening.” Here are some of the topics of his 35-minute set:
After the last Pelosi joke, Bill walked toward the stage and exclaimed, “Dennis Miller, everybody!” Bill’s 35-minute set included:
Intermission was 15 minutes, after which Bill and Dennis returned to the stage for Q&A. Once again, they sat in chairs while the stage rotated. Highlights of this part were:
And with that, the night was over. Bill and Dennis left to a standing ovation. Dennis paraphrased Jackie Gleason by saying “Long Island audiences are the greatest audiences in the world.” It was certainly an entertaining two hours.
If you want to see the Don’t Be a Pinhead Tour, get your tickets fast because the shows sell out in a hurry. The next three shows in Cleveland and Memphis next month, and Atlantic City in August, are all sold out. I recommend watching the Miller Time segment every Wednesday on The O’Reilly Factor to see if new dates are added. So far, Atlantic City is it.
If any viewer e-mails from audience members are read on The Factor this week, I will update this post with those e-mails and Bill’s replies.
5/8 UPDATE: There weren’t any viewer e-mails from audience members this week, but dates were added to the tour this fall. You can find them here.