I am excited to invite you to Bethel’s spring coffee house, which is going to be held on Saturday, April 28th at 6pm in the multi-purpose room of the church. The event is FREE and open to ANYONE! I encourage you to bring a friend and share with them a great night of fellowship, entertainment, food and love. As you may know, our first coffee house was held in October 2017 and was a huge hit bigger than we could have ever expected. We were hoping for maybe 100 people and figured if we came close to that, we could call it a successful night. Well, we were VERY Blessed to smash that figure and had 132 people in attendance. It was a great night and probably one of the largest turnouts for a non-service event the church has had. We have made plans to increase our set up and are ready to host 150 people this time.

The church has decided that they would like us to produce two events a year, one in October and another in the Spring. Well, we have been working very hard getting our April event ready and I think you are really going to like it. Doors will open at 5:30pm and we will begin to serve food and drink shortly after. We expect to begin with the entertainment shortly after 6pm. Like our first event, we will be providing light food and refreshments including hoagies, mini-chicken sandwiches and delicious hot pretzels. Of course, this is in addition to delicious coffee, tea, cold drinks and home made desserts!

The highlight of the night is our wonderful entertainment. We have several acts returning from last time as well as a few new ones to entertain you. There is a great deal of diversity within the music that you will never be bored. From Sacred to Secular, there is a little something for everyone. For me, I am proud to have an opportunity to again direct our 13 pc. men’s choir, Victory Voices, in two selections, Instrument of Peace and Stand By Me. Instrument of Peace, by Greg Gilpin, is a beautiful song written for men’s choir that speaks to the need for peace in our lives and that spirit which needs to live in all our spirit. During the song there is a beautiful solo song by tenor vocalist Nick Cornelius. To lighten the mood, our other selection is the great Stand By Me by Ben E. King. The men are doing a great job and this is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

For our other entertainment, we are pleased to announce that the following will be performing: Pastor Brent Robinson, Sam Bodder, Joe DeMaio, Jeff Barrows, Karen Barrows, Jerry Crivellaro, Ray LaBarre, Leah Tielmann, Kemie Adedoyin, Keith Schifano, Linda Pettinelli, Laura Stauffer, Laura Carlson, Shawn Isaacs, and Mark Campbell. There is a lot of talent with all of these voices and performers. Our closing number will even be a surprise that might shock some of the church members!! A surprise that I am sure will be well worth it!

Although the event looks to be a great night, it takes several months of work, meetings, many phone calls and communication to put everything together. I would like to thank my committee for doing a great job assisting and leading on several fronts. Our committee includes: myself, Connie Sabatine, Jeff Barrows, Melinda Scheel and Joe DeMaio. Everyone has graciously donated their time to build this event. So far, the excitement is growing as we are getting closer and I am encouraged by the turn out we are expecting. This is an outreach event geared to bring others into our church regardless of their religious affiliations. To be able to share a time of fellowship, food and entertainment with them is a gift of peace and an opportunity to get to know our community.

We also are VERY THANKFUL to ShopRite, Wegman’s, Weis Market, Giant Market, Philly Pretzel Company, Sam’s Club, Chick-Fil-A (Phillipsburg Location) for making wonderful contributions to our night.

The event should last until about 8:30pm. We will have an intermission between sets and at that time will again host the popular trivia contest like we did last time. A mixture of tv/movie and pop culture, our trivia contest was a hit, and for some, a great blast from the past. Prizes will be awarded to those 3 with the most correct.

The night is shaping up to be very special. I encourage you all to come. The room is set up in a very relaxed and warm atmosphere almost resembling a dinner theater. Plus, it is free! If you have any questions or need directions, please call me at (908)-619-4502.

After a cancellation and a postponement due to weather, our new Sacred Band finally debuted on Sunday, March 4th at the Christ Lutheran Church in Hellertown, Pa. What began a long time ago as a vision finally came to fruition as we performed for the wonderful congregation of the Christ Lutheran Church. Like I said in my previous blog, our 17pc. big band that plays in churches is AWESOME, but, the size and logistics of programming that can be an issue and very difficult to schedule. So, when the interest came from Christ Lutheran to book sacred music, we felt the need to move in a different direction. A direction that would feature a smaller band which is easier to adapt and book for a wide variety of churches and their facilities. The new 7pc. band features vocals, piano, bass, drums, trumpet, sax, and trombone.

Although I am the leader of the band, the featured instrument is the vocalist, which is very capably handled by my sister Linda. Whether singing solo or leading the congregation in song, her energy and praise of the Lord is unmistakable. Although we were dealing with the winter blues from the recent rash of storms which left many without power, she wiped that away and got many up on their feet to worship the Lord in Praise! Backing up Linda was a driving rhythm section featuring Steve Wysocki, Tom Mondschein and Mark Marina. Steve, who is the Minister of Music for the church, played keyboard and did a great job. This band was new for him and his excitement was contagious to all of us. Tom played Bass and has been with the big band for many years. Sitting behind the drums, Mark kept the feel and drive throughout.

On the other side of the band was the horn section that added pop and sizzle to the songs. The section consisted of myself on trumpet, Ricky Paetzell on saxophones and Dustin Hartman on Trombone. The three of us have played together for many years in the big band and it was a pleasure to join these two well-trained musicians in the section once again. The band jelled together on so many levels. You could definitely feel the sense of joy and satisfaction as this project, which has been in the works for quite a while, finally happened.

One neat aspect about this band is that we have an eclectic playlist of music. We play revered standard hymns, contemporary praise and worship songs and even jazz influenced hymns. We began the service with a beautiful quartet arrangement of It is Well With My Soul. Led by the flugelhorn, this arrangement was a perfect vehicle to calm the mind and to be able to mentally prepare for the service. We then had the congregation join us on Stand Up and Bless the Lord and All Hail The Power of Jesus Name. These 2 are great for anyone to join in as it combines a fun newer contemporary song with one of the most all-time favorite hymns.

After the sermon, we had a chance to stretch our chops a bit as we were featured on Oh, Happy Day! This was performed in the style of the song as heard in the movie Sister Act 2. This bluesy rock feel was fun to play and easily a crowd favorite. They couldn’t help but to clap along and move in their seats to this song. We then had chance to play for their communion. We chose Christ is Reaching Out. A really pretty jazz ballad by David Arivet, Linda did a great job capturing the feel and style of the song backed by a solid arrangement. We finished off the morning with a nice version of Crown Him With Many Crowns and reprised Stand Up and Bless the Lord as our postlude.

I can’t say enough how gracious and generous Steve, Pastor Phil and the rest of the members of CLC were to us. They are very welcoming and I am glad we were able to debut with them. We are very thankful to them for all they did for us. We hope we can do this again with them in the future.

So, where do we go from here? We have photos, a video and are now ready to begin seeking opportunities. We want to spread our music and our vision with as many churches as we can. Whether it is during a service or for an evening show featuring the band, we welcome a chance to share the praise at a church near you. Please call me at 908-619-4502 or visit www.vposwing.com or www.vincepettinelli.com to bring our band to your church.

February 18, 2018
Christ Lutheran Church, Hellertown, Pa.
10:45am Service
https://www.christlutheranhellertown.org

Of all the musical offerings that I am a part of, the one that is the most rewarding is my sacred big band.  The ensemble is a 17pc. band which plays sacred songs and hymns but in a swing and jazzy setting.  There is nothing as great and awesome as the sound of a big band performing in church.  The oddity of it alone makes it a must see for anyone. But, the experience of hearing such a sound is what makes it so great.  Yes, it can be a bit loud at times. But, what would you expect from 17 musicians performing in a church? However, because of the style of the music, the volume never becomes an issue. When directing the group, it is always so rewarding for me to turn to the audience and see the enjoyment on their faces as they hear their favorite hymns played in a jazz setting.  For many churches, music plays a vital part of their Sunday service. Whether it is an organ, praise band or even just a piano, they lead in song and help to give praise to the Lord.   The Sacred Big Band was formed in 2011 after I felt led to begin a new ensemble which could take the love for the Lord and my faith and pair that with the swing band.  It was and still is a great experience for me to direct this group.  The arrangements are terrific and everyone realizes this is such a unique ensemble that it is hard not to experience joy.  Unfortunately, due to space constraints, it is not easy for the band to perform in many churches. It seems finding enough space to adequately fit us in is a key issue. The churches that I talk to love the idea and wish we could schedule a performance. But, when our next conversation covers logistics, it can tend to be a deal breaker.  I wish we could play every Sunday somewhere. But, it is just not possible.

With the declining number of churches to perform in and the opportunities becoming fewer, I realized that if I wanted to keep this moving forward, I needed to be pro-active to their concerns and find a way to be more feasible to church facilities and schedules.  So, it is with great excitement and joy that I announce that we now have 7 pc. Sacred praise band that is about to start performing in churches.  The band, comprised of horns, solid rhythm and great vocals will feature a blended style of favorite hymns as well as contemporary praise and worship favorites. Many churches with blended services may have a praise band already, but, this ensemble combines the best of traditional, contemporary and jazz all in one! We have been working had to compile music and arrangements and are ready to perform.  Merging styles such as, rhythm and blues, Latin, contemporary and soulful jazz together, our group is ready to spread Praise wherever we go.  I am excited to announce that our first performance is set for Sunday, February 18, 2018 at the Christ Lutheran Church in Hellertown, Pa.  The service is at 10:45am and we welcome you to praise the Lord with us!

I have had the privilege to perform in the church the past two years with Ken Brader and the Holiday Brass Quartet.  I have always been impressed with the musical direction and the planning of their music schedule. They do not take a break in June but rather schedule a variety of groups and performers all summer long to provide spiritual renewal.  The music department is in very capable hands led by Steve Wysocki, a very talented organist and educator.  Steve clearly has a vision and desire to bring the congregation more diverse music and opportunity for worship.  I have always enjoyed my time playing for this church. Whenever the quartet has played, they are always so welcoming and excited to hear us. They are an active church and always seeking the best for their congregation.I am very much looking forward to our debut performance and am glad that it can be at such a great church like Christ Lutheran.  I welcome everyone to our debut and hope you can come. It should be a great time and.  The church is located at 69 Main Street, Hellertown, PA 18055. It is very easy to get to. Take Route 78 to Exit 67 and proceed south on Route 412 for about 2 miles. The church will be on your left hand side across from a used car dealer. It is that easy. If you have any questions or need more info, please call me and I will be able to help you out. I can be reached at 908-619-4502.

We would love to see you on Sunday, February 18^th at 10:45am.  If you can’t make it, I will blog after and hopefully have some video clips to share with you.

Blessings to all of you!!

The ingredients of these factors always make for a great night and the euphoria of the season is made official by this performance.  But, for this year, the release of the CD more than added a next level of  “coolness” to it.  For many, this was their first time being part of a recorded album.  We all own cd’s and take it for granted, but, when you get to see your name listed on a professionally made cd, there is just something very special about that.  I designed and created the artwork and liner notes for the album and Discmakers from Pennsauken, NJ made them for us. Since I had put this together, I obviously was aware of what it looked like and was used to seeing it.  But, for the members, it was a cool experience for me to see the look of excitement and feeling of accomplishment on many of their faces. As we handed out the cd’s and they finally had a chance to see them for the first time, that was well worth the time and effort in designing this project.   Our CD, REJOICE, was finally available and after so many years, we now have a professional recording that will last forever.  I do believe that many of us DID rejoice that night in celebration of a wonderful event all led by founder and trumpeter Ken Brader.  For without him, none of this would be possible.

Since scheduling in December is never easy, our attendance can vary and usually does.  But, this year was really awesome as we had one of our largest groups ever with 43 people playing!  We had 2 great shows and both Ken I really feel this was one of, if not, the best performance of the group in many years if not ever.  Whether it was the cd or something else, the night was just great for everyone and the sound was awesome.  One thing that made it special for me was the addition of a few long time members who had not played with us in many years due to scheduling and travel.  Paul Chepolis and Eric Martin were former students of Ken’s and had not played in almost 20 years.  When I was in high school, Eric went to rival Easton HS and we spent many years playing together at Christmas time.  I hadn’t seen Eric in many years.  He came up as a surprise to Ken and his parents and it was awesome to see him there.  Paul also went to Easton and is a few years younger than I am, but it was great to have him back and be able to relive and tell stories of the past.  As the eldest member of the group, this opportunity was really good for me. To be able to not just see longtime friends but also perform with them was a great feeling.

I am very thankful to everyone who played and helped to make this night a great success.  Ken was so overjoyed and full of emotion that this was an even greater night for him.  With all the health issues that Ken is dealing with, it is such a good feeling to see him have such a rewarding night and a chance to lead again.

We had played in July of 2016 and it was a great experience.  We had hoped to play again this season, but when I called Zach Betkowski, the Promotions and Entertainment Manager for the Iron Pigs, the schedule was already set with performers. So, we were out of luck.  But then, our luck changed.  I got a call from Zach in late August and he informed me that he had a sudden opening for the anthem on 9/1 and asked if we could cover it.  We were only too happy to oblige.  Add in the fact that they would be playing the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Rail Riders, which are the AAA affiliate of the New York Yankees and it had the makings of a great evening.

The Iron Pigs organization is a class act.  They were and have always been very professional and wonderful to work with.  The perk of playing is that they offer us free tickets to the game. You also get a chance to go down the elevator and zig-zag trough the maze of hallways leading you to the area that walks out to the field.  Having always had a love of baseball, this experience does make you feel like a kid again.  Everything is extremely structured and since the game airs on television, strict timing must be adhered to.  We walked out around 6:50pm to wait until our performance time of 7:00pm.  On cue, Lindsey, the on-field assistant, ushered us to our spot behind home plate to wait for the announcer to say his lead-in for us to play.  Standing there waiting, you get a chance to see the stadium from the players point of view. It is really awesome! There were almost 10,000 people in attendance and you certainly feel the pressure to not make any mistakes, especially when you have to play it by memory.   A few minutes later we were given the cue and it was show time. Two microphones in front of us and it was our time to honor America with the National Anthem.  As you can hear in the video, it went really well and they were very impressed by our rendition.  It was rewarding to play and I was filled with a great sense of pride.

After we were finished, Bill and Shannon decided to stay for the game so the three of us had our seats next to each other.  In the past after we played, I had never stayed for the game. So, this was a great way to experience my first game.  The in-game fan experience and in-between inning entertainment is a lot of fun. Regardless of the score of the game, the fan is treated very well and there is no wonder why the Iron Pigs are such a huge draw in the Lehigh Valley.

This was a great experience for me and I can only hope we have a chance to play again in the future.  It is now our intent to reach higher goals and see if we can get an invitation to play the National Anthem for a Philadelphia Phillies or New York Yankees major league game. I guess only time will tell.  Play Ball!!!

I know it is the way of life today and our technology has driven our lives for the past 10 years. But, there are dangers to messaging texting and posting.  When you can sit behind a screen or phone and say something without looking at the person, as we have seen on many occasions, what can be said is often vile, cruel and hurtful.  Things we would not say in person but feel the safety of a screen to hide behind.  Is this really great for our culture? Can the young minds of today actually verbally communicate with each other?  I don’t think so.  Is our youth growing up learning to help and work with others?  I really can’t say for sure.  What would they do if social media didn’t exist?  Would they know how to handle interpersonal relationships?

Another example of being lost in a phone happened last year in Polk County, Florida.  A 27-year-old woman was walking on a sidewalk and approached a railroad crossing.  With the train approaching and the conductor blowing the whistle, she continued to walk looking down texting not having any idea that a 100ton train was coming.  Well, sure enough, she NEVER looked up and was hit by the train and thrown several feet. Here is the YouTube clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ClUvrz-7pA   She was treated for a broken arm and other trauma. No other info was given on her condition.  But I cannot, for the life of me, understand how you can walk by a crossing and not even think about looking up for the train especially with a loud horn blowing.  Didn’t we all learn to look both ways before crossing?  Oh wait, that was the 1980’s.  What is on the phone that is so important to not even consider looking where you are going?

The news reporter for the story didn’t say whether or not the phone survived.

Can we Talk????