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urGetTasteIB DYANNK MAKKONOurier-Timcs Staff Writer“Steel Pier or Bust,” the sign on the side ofthe Volkswagen said prior to the departure thisweek of four eager youths to the city by the sea.Shortly after the talented foursome arrived inAtlantic City for an audition to appear on “TonyGrant's Stars of Tomorrow” show, they were signed for a two-day stand.• IThe combo which goes by, “The Comets, consists of Larry DiMicco, 13, Stonybrook, Levit-town, on drums; Joey Brewer, 14, Appletree Hill, Levittown, wlo plays lead guitar; HenryKoropal, la, Orangewood, Levittown, rhythm guitar, and A1 Mingue/, 15, Cornwells Heights, whoplays the accordion.I or Good LuckThe boys departed for Atlantic City early Sunday morning with their parents, four cars andmore than $1,500 worth of equipment. Each boy hadin his pocket an inter denominational medal Joey’smother, Mrs. Joseph Brewer, had given them forgood luck.The Ik)vs left with the attitude: “If we don’tmake It this time, we’ll try again and again untilwe do.”Six weeks ago the boys met for the first timeand the combo was formed. The youths, with thehelp of parents, friends and each other, did moreorganizing in the last six weeks in preparation forthe audition, than most groups do in a year. Theoutcome of their performance for Tony Grant lastweekend was evidence of their accomplishment.The boys will appear in Tony Grant’s show atthe Midway Theater on the Steel Pier June 12 and 13, in two to four shows a day. The rock n’ roll number they will perform is “Wipeout.”Pure DedicationWhat goes into the making of a group suchas “The Comets” is pure dedication, discipline andwillingness to accept help from others.On the first count, that of dedication, fourmore dedicated young men would be hard to find.In addition to weekly group practices, each boymust put in a few hours practice a day. All ofthem are required to continue taking music lessons.By setting this standard, the boys feel theywill be able to learn numbers quickly and well,and be able to read a piece of music set in frontof them.“Before I got the Comets together,” JoeyOfSuccessAtCity“The Comets,” Henry (from left, front), Larry, Joeami Al, ponder over what to do with all theirpuzzlement, cars whichThe musicians ended up taking foursolved their problems. (Courier-Timesequipment before leaving for Atlantic ( ity, as theiradvisor, Carl Riitand (left, rear), joins them in theirPhoto)said, “I had another group, but they weren’t serious enough.” This same story was true for the other boys who previously played with otherContrary to the current trend, there’s not aBeatle haircut among the well-groomed foursome.The group plays old standards as well as currentgroups.i\x-k n’ roll hits.Joey’s mother helped contact different music“We want to be able to play for any kind ofteachers, and then helped him audition numerousaudience, Joey said, “as well as appeal to them.”boys before choosing the present members of theWcombo. The boys are looking for a bass guitarist within the same age range, whom they feelCertain KulesFor disciplinary purposes as well as organiza-would be an asset to the group, but have been unsuccessful so far.tional purposes, the young musicians have established the following rules:no smoking or drinking.Lessims For A Yearmust attend regular practices.Three of the boys, Larry, Joev and Henry,parents will make the big decisions.have been taking lessons for just one year. Thenew members will be voted in.fourth member of the combo, Al, has been playingthe accordion for eight years.school marks have to be good.As for uirls. they have not beenTheSeaand from the sounds of the response to the question, it seems unlikely they will be. It should bementioned at this point that the group has quite a few fans already — mostly girls —whose admiring faces line the windows as the boys rehearse.A great asset to the group has been the boys’willingness to accept help from their parents andfriends. When Joey and his mother first got thegroup together six weeks ago, one of the requirements they set was that the parents of prospective members must be interested.“We had to turn many good musicians away,’' Mrs. Brewer said, “because the parents justweren’t willing to help.»*In addition to standing behind the boys, theparents have bought them the finest equipment that could be found.Although the young musicians, for the mostpart, have pooled their ideas and come up with song arrangements, they have received muchhelp in polishing off their numbers from outside• •musicians.Group AdvisorOne musician in particular, Carl Ruland, hasspent a lot of time with the boys, helping them tcprepare for the audition. A saxophone player, Ruland, at the present time, is group advisor, buwould like to be manager. This will be voted on aithe next meeting, the boys said.To send the boys to Atlantic City looking likeprofessionals, another musician, Ronnie Aiker gave them four gold jackets with black velvecollar trim which were altered to fit the vouths“It’s important that you look professional, even iyou’re not,” he advised them.For their interview with Tony Grant, the boyhad to choose a spokesman for the group. SineJoey bad organized the combo, he was suggestefor the job.As A Team“We don’t want any leader,” Joey said. “W want to be known as a team.”Theyman because I’m the one with the biggest mouthAll kidding aside, the Steel Pier that the bodreamed of has become a reality to them. F(the next few months it will be practice and moiThedebut by the sea.
Newspaper Details
Bristol Daily Courier
Bristol, Pennsylvania, US
Sat, Mar 20, 1965
Page 24
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 09 Mar 2019
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