By Steve Janoski
WEST MILFORD — For West Milford's Brian Fitzpatrick, playing at the township's Autumn Lights Festival on Oct. 13 is a chance to do what he and his band-mates do best: lift people's moods through their music.
"We try to get people to have a good time with us, and we try to be the conduit for that good time…big or small, bar or festival, we want to uplift the spirit," he said. "That's what music is all about."
And that's what the 40-year-old guitarist/songwriter has been doing for his entire career, the last five years of which have been spent performing with the seven other musicians who form his "Band of Brothers."
Their sound is unique, he said, and it takes but one listen to any of their songs to realize that the eclectic mixture of roots rock, old-school country, and traditional Celtic-styled music does indeed create something that is hardly similar to anything played on the radio today.
"I can't say if it's different or better than the sound that anybody else creates, but it's ours and I like it," he said.
And if the "Irish" end comes through a bit heavy due to the addition of new mandolin and fiddle player Steve Jacobus, Fitzpatrick said that it isn't his fault.
Well. Maybe it is.
"I just think that it's ingrained in you somewhere in your DNA, it's a part of who you are, and you can try to deny or avoid it, but if you're an artist, it's going to manifest sometime… I was always drawn to that sound," he said.
But most times, it's not something he does intentionally — it just ends up that way. And when Fitzpatrick comes up with a tune or melody in his head, if he hears an accordion, or a mandolin, or a tin whistle filling out the background, that's what's going to be there.
"I'm a slave to the song, and a lot is dictated by what I write and what I hear in my head, and I thought (those instruments) served the songs best," he said.
And when the group takes the stage on Oct. 13, it will be keyboardist Ed Fritz, bassist Fred Machetto, drummer Scott Minafri, drummer Johnny Powers and new lead guitarist Joe Brensinger that make the tunes in Fitzpatrick's head come to life.
They'll be playing many of the tracks from their most recent release, 2012's "The Northern Lights EP," which, though it features just five songs, was described by the singer as "solid."
It wasn't supposed to be like that — even the album title was supposed to be longer — but it wasn't until after completing the recording process that the band sat down, listened to the finished product, and realized that they weren't as blown away as they should have been.
And, even in the age of the iTunes single, Fitzpatrick wasn't content with putting out an album that was only halfway there.
"We felt half was really solid, and the other half, for a variety of reasons, we weren't overwhelmed with it," he said. "(So) it felt better to put out an EP and love all five songs than put out an LP and hate half of them."
As he's gotten older, he said, his writing process has changed, and this album shows that the lyrics and music are coming from a different place than they did years ago.
"When you're younger and you're writing, it's more emotional, whereas now, the emotion is tempered by the logic that comes with age," he said. "The process is still relatively the same, but I think I'm more open and aware of (that process) now."
And then there's the band itself, which continues to evolve and change. The simple fact that there's always so many people on stage at once, any one of which could take the lead at any time, complicates things, he said, and makes the band play better as a whole.
"You have to communicate more between one another, and I think that inevitably makes you tighter as a band," he said. "You have to pass the ball around, so to speak."
http://www.northjersey.com/community/172594111_Band_of_Brothers_to_play.html?page=all
Monday, October 8, 2012
Football: Kinnelon has their rally knocked down
KINNELON — Few imagined it would come down to this: the Kinnelon Colts, facing a fourth and 15 from their own 24 yard line, attempting to complete a remarkable 19-point comeback in under seven minutes against their cross-highway rivals, the undefeated Butler Bulldogs as time ticked down in the fourth quarter.
Quarterback Sean Robbins took the snap, dropped back to pass, and scanned his receivers, looking for Connor Villante streaking across the middle of the field three yards past the first-down marker.
But he wasn’t the only one who noticed Villante, and just as the ball reached the receiver’s fingertips, Butler safety Ryan Minogue hit him, jerking him away from the football and sending the Butler sideline into celebration.
It was the perfect play, executed flawlessly on the Colts’ part, said Kinnelon coach Kevin White after game, but it was also a perfect play by Minogue.
"We figured that with the double post (patterns) that you’re gonna’ stretch the safety and have a little bit of a window…but (Minogue) made a hell of a break on the ball, and he made a great, great play," said White. "The quarterback threw to the right place, the receiver got to the right place, and the kid just made a great, violent collision."
But as in all football games, although the last play might be the most memorable, the final score — in this case, 28-22 in favor of the now 4-0 Bulldogs — was decided by a collection of big plays, misplays, penalties, and missed opportunities on the part of both teams.
For White, however, it was his offense’s inability to get into a rhythm in the first half that became the deciding factor.
"I thought the most important thing is that we’ve got to get points on the board, because that builds as much confidence as anything," he said. "Cause if you walk away from a good drive with nothing…they walk off the field sky high, and you’re dejected."
That’s what happened to the Colts (2-2) time and time again throughout the first and second quarters after a strong nine-play, 65-yard drive led to a 22-yard Evan Argiriou field goal to give Kinnelon a 3-0 lead early.
From there, however, the offense fell into a pattern: five plays, then a punt, three plays, then a punt, seven plays, then a punt.
To the Colts’ defense’s credit, though, Butler was no different, and had little success against the stalwart unit until late in the second quarter when quarterback Chris Heredia scored on a two-yard dive. A two-point conversion followed, and gave the Bulldogs an 8-3 lead.
Butler opened the second half fast, however, and scored with on a 66-yard touchdown throw from Heredia to receiver Jason DaLattiboudere that gave them a 15-3 lead.
The Colts would answer later on when, on a first-and-goal from the nine yard line, a scrambling Robbins would hit Sean Walsh in the endzone for a touchdown. The extra point failed, but left the Colts within striking distance at 15-9.
Butler took back over later in the game, however, and scored on a 27-yard-run by running back Ryan Cirillo early in the fourth. On the next drive, they converted a Robbins fumble on a failed option into a 16-yard touchdown pass from Heredia to DaLattiboudere.
It was only his team’s natural grit, White said, that held them together while down 28-9 with seven minutes left.
"No one can ever say that Kinnelon does not play hard for the entire time…there aint’ no lying down here," he said, adding that he told his guys to "just keep playing" regardless of the deficit, because "you never know what happens."
In Kinnelon’s case, the nearly impossible happened as they scored on the first play from scrimmage when Robbins, on a first and 10 from his own 31, hit Joe Presti on a slant that the senior receiver broke for 69 yards and a score.
Walsh would recover the ensuing perfectly-placed onside kick, and five plays later, Robbins would take a quarterback keeper three yards for the team’s second score, bringing the score to 28-22 and setting the stage for the dramatic ending. Robbins finished with 236 passing yards and three touchdowns.
But regardless of the fact that the Colts didn’t pull of the miracle, White was proud of his team for never laying down, and, had the ball bounced differently on a few plays, it would have been the Colts celebrating.
"We knew we were up against a hell of a football team, and with a tight game like this, it’s a play here, a play there," he said.
Never was that more true.
Email: janoski@northjersey.com
Home Goods, TJ Maxx return to Pequannock
PEQUANNOCK - In another sign that things are finally returning to "normal" after last year’s extensive flooding, TJ Maxx and Home Goods are officially reopening in the Plaza 23 shopping center this month.
According to officials from the stores’ parent company, TJX Companies, Inc., TJ Maxx is scheduled to open first at 8 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 16. Home Goods will follow on Sunday, Sept. 23.
"We are pleased to be back in Pompton Plains, delivering value and an exciting selection of fashion to serve the needs of the customers," said TJ Maxx President Richard Sherr in a press release; a Home Goods representative said that the company was "thrilled" to be back in Pequannock as well.
Both stores, which are located just off of Route 23 North at the Jackson Avenue intersection, have been closed since August 2011 due to flooding from Hurricane Irene. There was some speculation as to whether they would return, but Mayor Rich Phelan said Monday that the town is happy to hear that the stores are back in business.
"It helps that whole shopping center," said Phelan. "Those businesses have been struggling since the flood, and the extra traffic will definitely help them."
The future of the A&P supermarket, the shopping center’s anchor store, remains in doubt, however.
Phelan said that he would be surprised if the supermarket did not reopen because the location is "very profitable," but he was confident that even if it did decide to walk away, another grocery store would take its place.
"A lot of people shopped there because it was convenient for Pequannock and parts of Wayne," he said.
The Plaza 23 property is valued at about $27,700,000 and pays roughly $475,000 in taxes annually.
Email: janoski@northjersey.com
http://www.northjersey.com/news/169991376_Home_Goods__TJ_Maxx_return_to_Pequannock.html
Football: Pequannock roughed up by Wallkill Valley
By Steve Janoski
WALKILL VALLEY - It was not, by any means, the way the Pequannock Panthers wanted to open the season: a 40-0 thumping at the hands of the Walkill Valley Rangers that left few bright spots on either side of the ball for Panthers head coach Ed Kopp to ruminate on.
Simply put, his team, which has just four seniors on it, is "not playing at a varsity level" yet.
"We're still not 100 percent confident in what we're doing," he said. "We've got such a young team, and we're not playing fast yet and because of that, everything looks like it's in slow motion."
Unfortunately for Pequannock, Wallkill Valley's running back combination of Nick McLean and Mike Buvis played at a blistering pace and accounted for five of that team's six touchdowns. Four of those occurred on runs of 30 yards or longer.
The Rangers jumped out to a quick lead on a 25-yard Calvin Kassarate touchdown run, and added to it later in the quarter when McLean broke off a 36-yard scamper that also ended in the enzone.
Pequannock's next drive would end in a punt, and Walkill Valley would score seven plays later on a 2-yard dive by Buvis in front of the goal line. Buvis would add a 57-yard touchdown run before the half to put the Rangers up by four scores. The team would add two more touchdowns in the second half (but miss one extra point) to bring the final score to where it stood.
From time to time the Panthers would be able to exploit cracks in the defense, and quarterback Luke Foukas and running back AJ Adamcyzk broke several short runs that seemed to show promise. However, the Ranger's swarming defense would stifled any progress the offense made.
"They're big, they're physical, they fly to the football…and their inside linebackers are studs," Kopp said. "The game comes down to blocking and tackling. They out blocked us and we couldn't tackle."
From here, it will be Kopp's job to make sure that his young team full of sophomores and juniors does not lose hope after week one.
"The game is won on each play, one play at a time, and you can't let a half of football…or a game of football, ruin your season," he said. "We've got two months left and there's still a lot of work to be done. We have a young team, and we still have a lot of potential, and we've just got the try and realize some of that potential as fast as possible."
Some of that potential lies with Adamcyzk, who somehow managed to amass 80 yards over 17 carries.
"AJ did a really nice job tonight, he ran the ball hard," Kopp said. "But (he) needs to be able to anticipate where the openings are going to be…and that's only going to come through repetition."
Pequannock hopes to rebound next week when they face Hopatcong on their home field.
Football: Defense will be a key for Butler Bulldogs football team in 2012
By Steve Janoski
BUTLER — In Group 1 football, one great player can have an immeasurable impact on the outcome of a season. And, as Butler Bulldogs head coach Jim Matsakis is finding out, the absence of that one great player can leave quite a mark on the following years as well.
So, as the countdown to opening day continues, it does so in the shadow of the recently-graduated premier running back Mike Tenned, who scored over 30 touchdowns while leading the team to an 8-3 record and a playoff run last season.
Finding someone to replace him, Matsakis said, has been impossible; therefore, the Bulldogs aren't going to try. Instead, they're changing their entire philosophy, and moving away from the flashy barnburners of Tenned's days and towards a more blue-collar, back-to-basics approach that will stress a strong defense, low turnover numbers, and a grinding style.
"We have nobody that can replace him, that's a major void on both sides of the ball," said Matsakis. "This is a completely different team… he's gone, and they've gotta' move on and hope that these other kids can step it up and do some good."
There is a quartet of players that the coach is looking towards to provide not only leadership, but touchdowns as well: senior quarterback Chris Heredia, sophomore running back Ryan Cirillo, junior receiver Nick Ballistreri, and senior receiver Kirk Bargamento.
This foursome, Matsakis said, could come up with the 28 or 30 touchdowns the team needs, and together, provide the offensive firepower that the Bulldogs so sorely lack at the moment.
There is also some imposing size on the Butler roster, with several linemen measuring up at well over six feet tall. As Matsakis said, they're "tall and rangy and look good in shoulder pads," and the combination of the Butler colors on some large guys gives the team a psychological edge right off the bat.
Eight starters are returning on defense — a far cry from the three that came back last year — and of those eight, two are especially important: senior offensive/defensive tackle Billy White and junior center/middle linebacker Ryan Mack.
With the focus being on defense this year, as these two go, so goes the team. But with such a strong core surrounding them, Matsakis said, the Bulldogs could be in for a better year than many think.
"If they can play the way they're capable of, they're going to be very good defensively," he said. "It should be a good unit."
A new offseason conditioning program designed by Austin Wall of the Pompton Lakes-based Cannonball Gym was also instated, and Matsakis has already seen the dividends of that training.
Wall, he said, taught seniors like Heredia a thing or two about leadership, all the while putting players through grueling workouts designed to forge not only iron lungs, but an iron mind.
"Eighteen kids went there for five months…and one thing I noticed is that our conditioning and mental toughness is a lot better than we've ever been, and a lot of it is because of going to Cannonball," he said.
With the new blue-collar-Bulldogs' philosophy, that mental toughness will be of the utmost importance as his team begins to realize that Tenned "is not coming over the hill," to save the team.
"Of my ten years in Butler, this is probably the one year that the mental aspect means the most," he said. The first test will happen fairly quickly, as the Bulldogs' open the season against North Warren — a team they've never played before, and one who has "no fear" of the Butler name.
"I say to the guys sometimes that the yellow helmet is seven points right away…but they've got no history (with us)," Matsakis said. "That game, which will teach the seniors how to win without the players who have gone before, will be crucial."
Football: Pequannock Panthers counting on many new faces
By Steve Janoski
PEQUANNOCK — It's been nearly nine months since Luke Foukas' futile Hail Mary sailed over the head of Matt Jachera in the Butler Bulldog endzone, ending a rough-and-tumble Pequannock season that defied all preseason expectations and brought the team within 35 yards of advancing to the second round of the playoffs.
As this season begins, the current cast of Panthers resembles last year's squad in more ways than one as the school is stricken once again with the eternal plight of the Group 2 high school — while just four seniors return, several Pequannock residents who would undoubtedly be starters are playing for private schools like Delbarton and DePaul.
This leaves a lot of gaps, and the ranks will be filled with those who don't yet know the burning pressure of Friday night's lights. But still, with two of the most important starters in Foukas and inside linebacker Dan Mormillo (107 tackles in 2011) returning, a base has been set up around which a team can build on.
"Those two positions are vital on any team, and even though we've had huge graduation losses, it's comforting to know that we have the quarterbacks of offense and defense back to build around," said head coach Ed Kopp.
And much of the attention will be focused around that quarterback of the offense as third-year starter Foukas returns for his final year. His big-game experience and physical talent have made it clear that he will be the cornerstone of the team.
"Right now, he's the franchise…he's our Captain America," Kopp said. "When defenses play against us, their objective is to stop Luke…and make somebody else on the team beat them."
Foukas is as much a threat running as he is passing, and he'll be the focal point of an offense anchored by tackles Dan Kica and Vinny Parrotta on the line. Kica, who blew out both his ACL and MCL during the Butler playoff game, had offseason surgery on his knee and, regardless of the lingering effects of the vicious injury, will be good to go on game day.
But big questions at key positions remain, and Kopp said that the Panthers are still in the process of determining who will take over for departed playmakers like running back Anthony Rubino and receivers Matt Jachera and RJ DeGeorge.
One player who has been using the initial scrimmages to show off his talent has been junior AJ Adamcyzk, who may be asked to fill the void at tailback left by Rubino; Kopp said the back reminds him of last year's workhorse in both his build and style.
Also joining the mix is senior Tommy Zaher, a quick young receiver who's breaking of Pequannock's baseball hit record last year makes evident his athletic ability.
After that, Kopp said, it is a toss-up as to who will pick up the other starting spots as a number of receivers battle it out on the fringe. Showing his leadership skills, Foukas has begun taking the young ends out for private, early-morning throwing sessions long before the other team activities take place.
Although the young corps must still work on its overall physicality, the coach said that there are some naturally gifted individuals present, such as 6-foot-3, 180-pound junior Shpepjim Dauti, who's "decent moves" may land him a spot on both sides of the ball, and Ian Campbell, a 6-foot-5 sophomore tight end who will bring a conspicuous presence to the middle of the field.
"We've never had a prototypical tight end that we can use as a big target over the middle of the year; we've made a living on the outside," Kopp said.
He's not expecting the team to click right away, but he does expect them to follow the example of the last few Panther teams and be a "much, much better team at the end of the year than at the beginning of the year."
But with the first game of the year against an unfamiliar Wallkill Valley team, this may not be the time for early-season struggles; Kopp worried that the psychological effect on his young players of starting the season 0-1 might be severe.
But he's hoping that a new, more laid-back approach that the coaching staff has taken this offseason might pay dividends, and his attempt at avoiding that boiler-room atmosphere so prevalent in the most successful of high school football programs will have a calming effect on the players.
There's been more weight room time, more chalk talks, more tape review, more conditioning, and less hammering away on the field as the team readies itself under a truncated practice schedule owing to state laws that have outlawed double practices.
If it works out as planned, and the team makes a repeat trip to the playoffs, the coach said that maintaining strength both mentally and physically will be what carries them through.
Although he has turned the school's program around – from 0-10 in his inaugural season six years ago to 7-3 and a playoff berth — the ultimate goal of winning the state championship has eluded him.
But in the end, he said that's not really what counts; in a game like football, the relatively small number of contests means that each one, in its own right, is "monumental," and that the season is always more about the journey than the final scores.
As this season begins, the current cast of Panthers resembles last year's squad in more ways than one as the school is stricken once again with the eternal plight of the Group 2 high school — while just four seniors return, several Pequannock residents who would undoubtedly be starters are playing for private schools like Delbarton and DePaul.
This leaves a lot of gaps, and the ranks will be filled with those who don't yet know the burning pressure of Friday night's lights. But still, with two of the most important starters in Foukas and inside linebacker Dan Mormillo (107 tackles in 2011) returning, a base has been set up around which a team can build on.
"Those two positions are vital on any team, and even though we've had huge graduation losses, it's comforting to know that we have the quarterbacks of offense and defense back to build around," said head coach Ed Kopp.
And much of the attention will be focused around that quarterback of the offense as third-year starter Foukas returns for his final year. His big-game experience and physical talent have made it clear that he will be the cornerstone of the team.
"Right now, he's the franchise…he's our Captain America," Kopp said. "When defenses play against us, their objective is to stop Luke…and make somebody else on the team beat them."
Foukas is as much a threat running as he is passing, and he'll be the focal point of an offense anchored by tackles Dan Kica and Vinny Parrotta on the line. Kica, who blew out both his ACL and MCL during the Butler playoff game, had offseason surgery on his knee and, regardless of the lingering effects of the vicious injury, will be good to go on game day.
But big questions at key positions remain, and Kopp said that the Panthers are still in the process of determining who will take over for departed playmakers like running back Anthony Rubino and receivers Matt Jachera and RJ DeGeorge.
One player who has been using the initial scrimmages to show off his talent has been junior AJ Adamcyzk, who may be asked to fill the void at tailback left by Rubino; Kopp said the back reminds him of last year's workhorse in both his build and style.
Also joining the mix is senior Tommy Zaher, a quick young receiver who's breaking of Pequannock's baseball hit record last year makes evident his athletic ability.
After that, Kopp said, it is a toss-up as to who will pick up the other starting spots as a number of receivers battle it out on the fringe. Showing his leadership skills, Foukas has begun taking the young ends out for private, early-morning throwing sessions long before the other team activities take place.
Although the young corps must still work on its overall physicality, the coach said that there are some naturally gifted individuals present, such as 6-foot-3, 180-pound junior Shpepjim Dauti, who's "decent moves" may land him a spot on both sides of the ball, and Ian Campbell, a 6-foot-5 sophomore tight end who will bring a conspicuous presence to the middle of the field.
"We've never had a prototypical tight end that we can use as a big target over the middle of the year; we've made a living on the outside," Kopp said.
He's not expecting the team to click right away, but he does expect them to follow the example of the last few Panther teams and be a "much, much better team at the end of the year than at the beginning of the year."
But with the first game of the year against an unfamiliar Wallkill Valley team, this may not be the time for early-season struggles; Kopp worried that the psychological effect on his young players of starting the season 0-1 might be severe.
But he's hoping that a new, more laid-back approach that the coaching staff has taken this offseason might pay dividends, and his attempt at avoiding that boiler-room atmosphere so prevalent in the most successful of high school football programs will have a calming effect on the players.
There's been more weight room time, more chalk talks, more tape review, more conditioning, and less hammering away on the field as the team readies itself under a truncated practice schedule owing to state laws that have outlawed double practices.
If it works out as planned, and the team makes a repeat trip to the playoffs, the coach said that maintaining strength both mentally and physically will be what carries them through.
Although he has turned the school's program around – from 0-10 in his inaugural season six years ago to 7-3 and a playoff berth — the ultimate goal of winning the state championship has eluded him.
But in the end, he said that's not really what counts; in a game like football, the relatively small number of contests means that each one, in its own right, is "monumental," and that the season is always more about the journey than the final scores.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
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