If your furnace goes on the fritz in November, in Northern Indiana, it’s a big deal. And it’s fun to think how six months ago, in chilly weather, one furnace repair lead to a night of rock ‘n’ roll in pleasant June. A homecoming, of sorts.

A little explanation is in order

I used to live in Valparaiso, Indiana. From 2008-2014. In 2016, some music friends of mine began to rent the house Elizabeth and I bought there. Chris McDowell, like me, was always in about 2-3 bands simultaneously. He and his crew always had enthusiasm for my live shows. They ran Duffy’s Free Music Tuesdays in that era and those shows were always legendary. From time to time over the last 7 years since, he’d ask, usually in the context of a landlord/maintenance conversation how my music was going. And to be honest, for good chunk of that 7 years there wasn’t too much to report. Or I wasn’t in Indiana.

But last November the mother board on the furnace conked and we got talking bands on the phone as we coordinated repair. I mentioned that I was active again and had a goal of gigging all over Indiana in 2023. “Why not come to Franklin House again?” He asked, “I know everyone would be excited to see you live again.” I needed that vote of confidence. Franklin House was a place I did several shows with the Texarkana Two 2011-2013. “I’ll do it,” I told Chris, “But your band has to be on the bill too!”

Long story short, old friends who still run Franklin were thrilled to book a night when we exchanged emails in February. But wait, there’s more…

In March, I got a visit in Angola from Troy Yeager with a surprise guest in tow: Jason Monroe. Troy and I started writing songs together in Valparaiso in an earlier era, summer 2003 to be specific. Shortly after, Jason became our drummer and we named ourselves Bottle Rocket. I invited Barry Funderburg, a church contact I was just beginning to get to know, to help us with bass for a few shows we had booked through Peter Khosla’s “Water into Wine” talent agency – Troy worked as a booking agent and admin assist. By the end of 2004, we had solidified our lineup, updated the band name for legal reasons to Bottle Rocket Blue, went indie, recorded our first professional EP, and toured around Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Chicago. At the time, I cringed at the description of “My Space Band.” But we kind of were, and were very active in those years due in large part to that early social media platform. “BRB” hadn’t performed since Troy’s 30th birthday party in 2009. We had a large following for a while and when the decade turned over, the band, well, disbanded, and we all pursued different paths. However, Monroe, after a year, approached me to be my drummer for Tom Adamson shows/projects. And in those he did some of his best work and we became better friends. But I haven’t performed with him since 2015.

Troy still lives in Valparaiso, so during his and Monroe’s visit to me, I casually asked if they’d like to sit in on some old songs for fun. Well, Troy was thrilled to say the least. And with Monroe there on the visit, we jammed on some of the old material and tried our hand on some new covers – like Dirty Jim by Richard Swift. It was rough, but positive, smile-inducing. Over the spring, we coordinated a reunion of sorts as a trio.

Word got out that this was happening, and a dozen or so folks came to Franklin just for the Bottle Rocket set. Franklin was not a frequent venue for BRB, but we spent time there after other gigs or practices or meeting up with mutual friends. In the 00s the management there at that time was less inclined to support original local music. That changed gradually, more, ironically, around the time BRB was winding down. So the energetic response was a vindication of sorts. We played 10 songs which spanned our work, from the early “C’mon C’mon” to the latter “Happiness” and the light hearted “Bishop Song” to the post punk “Yesses Be Yes.” We started our set with another Wilco song “Misunderstood” Barton Price was on bass for that one and I did psychedelic guitar. (Barton played on the Tom set with Monroe – see video) (Barton and Troy are related, nephew and uncle, though close in age. It’s how we got to first know each other.)

It was delight to share the stage with Monroe again! And to finally meet his wife. They got married during the pandemic. Chris and Troy were my back up singers for “Streets of Chicago” it was magical.

There was also a large turnout of folks to see me live again and Chris’ band back to back. Folks who were newly minted rock kids in ‘11-‘12, now with cool lives and careers of their own in their early 30s.

But what was amazing was seeing new kids in their 20s enjoy our sets and move to the music. It was packed and high energy. In someways I wish every scene in Indiana was like this, but I’m not sure my vocal chords could survive it!

In this picture, you see Indiana avenue looking East, uphill, to where the Water into Wine artists lived in an apartment building, and Bear Tracks studio where BRB cut songs. This is the hill that helped inspire the lyric to my song “Scarecrow.”

But none of this would be possible were it not for Greg Michael, stage name Greg James.

After college and M.Cotu and before Bottle Rocket, I started teaching music at Kankakee Valley Middle school, orchestra. I was band-less in the fall of 2000. Greg, a fellow teacher, invited me to jam in Rensselaer and set me up as a member of the music scene in North West Indiana. If there was going to be a homecoming kind of element to the show, then he had to be involved. He did a killer job opening and set the perfect mood for the rest of the night. I played fiddle with him on Wilco’s “Jesus Etc.” and Wagon Wheel. I’m not sure if any of my punk rock friends have ever seen me fiddle. Compare and contrast:

Elizabeth and I stayed in a little air BnB in downtown Valpo. We went to the farmers market and breakfast before heading off memory lane and back east.

I’d like to say there will be more Tom shows in Valpo with Monroe and more Bottle Rocket appearances. There might be. I don’t think anyone is against the idea of occasional collaboration. But logistically remounting full time band life in NWI is not realistic. But I am grateful for this night of reconnecting with old friends.