Phil Dirt & The Dozers

As Phil Dirt and The Dozers were walking to their bus just minutes after their standing ovation performance in Williamsburg Virginia, drummer Rick Frye collapsed in front ot them. On January 5th, 2007, Rick Frye, 53, passed away from a heart attack. The band lost a friend, a brother, and a great rock and roll drummer and singer.

I met Rick years ago, through our head crew member John Mccoy and former sound engineer, Gary Nahs. John had known Rick since elementary school. Rick invited me to a jam session in a studio somewhere in the middle of a corn field. Boy did we have fun, Goofing around, rocking. Rick's brother mark kept putting Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue over every song we played. Rick's then wife, Christen, a great singer in her own right, laid down a blistering version of RESPECT, that I will never forget. We had a couple of jam sessions on off nights, he invited my family up to his victorian house in Ashley Ohio, for a huge Christmas jam session. We jammed on Christmas carols and old rock and roll 'til the wee hours of the morning. In 1989, Myself, Rick, John McCoy, his brother Mike, piled into a car and drove up to Cleveland for the Stones concert. What fun! Hours in the car talking music, telling band stories. Rick was always a smiling, fun guy.

For me it was a sad loss. There are many bands out their playing. There are very few that last. With Rick, I had a common bond: I too played and still play, music with my brother. That in itself is a rarity. There is simply put, an inborn telepathy that takes place when you play music with a sibling. Rick and his brother mark have played music together all their lives. My heart goes out to his brother Mark who is also a Dozer.

Rick was the only other drummer I knew, that was still out rocking, with largely the same group of musicians that he started with 25 years ago. Going out, with what I call, "The Bubble". Your little group of band mates and crew, sharing crazy hours, 3AM in the carry out in the middle of nowhere, rocking the house weather it is a huge street fair or a wedding, and all the other crazy things that go on while you are out playing. This "common bond" made hanging out with him Rick special.

Rick like myself, played a white drum kit, which is a color you don't see any drummers use.



The Calling Hours and Funeral

As early roots rock and roll played, long lines of friends, fans and fellow musicians slowly moved through the church, lined with flowers photos of Rick throughout his life. A pair of saddle shoes that he wore with the band, were displayed, with a worn drum stick in each one.

On stage sat his gleaming white drumset. It looked sad and lonely. A roadie, with tears streaming down his cheeks made his way to the drumset with a a pair of drumsticks. How many times had he set up this kit...countless..and now, never again. Bless the roadies, they are the show as much as the band, and no one sees them.



The Chapel, quiet as people strolled in. The swinging Oscar Peterson Trio's West Side Story played in the background. During the service, after a nice Eulogy by the pastor, a stirring video "Dreams Of Ricky", and some wonderful reminisces, the Dozers went up on stage. With guitars strumming in precise unison, Steve Cabot sang a very moving "In Dreams" By Roy Orbison, complete with the rich Dozer harmonies. I doubt there was a dry eye in the house.

Then a warm "Here Comes The Sun" was performed.

As the casket was rolled out of the quiet sad chapel, a lone guitar played, While My Guitar Gently Weeps.

Please visit http://www.phildirt.com/

Germain Racing Team NASCAR Truck Series Awards Banquet 12/17/06

When received a call from Rick Germain asking us to play the post awards banquet for the NASCAR Truck Series, we were pretty excited. But for me, it was perhaps even more exciting. I have been an auto racing fan since I was kid, attending every Indianapolis 500 from 1965 to 1995, (Until the Indianapolis Motor Speedway changed the rules), and love any type or racing. For many Football is the #1 sport, but for me auto racing is it: the smell of the fuel, the hot rubber on the pavement, the sound of the engines in the paddock being revved up and down, the race car haulers, the cars, the crews, not to mention the women...it is all very beautiful, exotic, sexy, and exciting.

As the Germain Racing Team had just won the NASCAR Truck Series with driver Todd Bodine, they were told it was their responsibility to entertain all of the teams after the awards banquet. On our end plans and budgets were laid out, and arrangements were made for our crew John Mccoy & Eric Wallace to drive one truck down, and our sound man, Kevin Maenad to fly down with the band. The event was scheduled to take place in Disney World at one of their convention centers.

We all arrived at Port Columbus, the morning of our show, at 5:45AM, half awake..piled on to the plane and began our day which turned into much, standing in line, cab rides, bus rides, signing in to the hotel, and then resigning in when they put us all in different parts of the hotel complex. Finally, settling in at 1:30 in the afternoon, we had a nice long lunch outside next to a "Disney Lake". As usual, when the five of us are together, the old stories just fly...laughter, laughter, and more laughter. Many of them were exploits our former band mate Mike Meyer executed. He is one of the funniest people I know, certainly the craziest. I promise I will share some of those stories in the future. As our show was to start at 11P and end at 2A, we all adjourned to our rooms for some rest.

We arrived at the convention center several hours prior to the show, and after getting by several security personnel, we found the huge ball room where the banquet was taking place. It was a fairly stiff affair, as all 570 people were trying to relax while the SPEED Channel was taping the banquets for broadcast. I love looking at all the TV Cameras and sound equipment, just love it. We were told it was about 1 Million dollars of equipment in that room.

We then walked into the banquet room where we were to play, and just like old home week, there was our crew with all the gear set up, ready to rock. And rock we did!! Three hours straight, from 11P -2A. They banquet room was packed, and they were dancing like mad. Afterwards the head of the banquet facility said he had never seen a band keep the crowd for the whole show like we did. Later we heard that it was the best post NASCAR banquet party ever. This made us smile, as none of the people in the room had ever heard of us or seen us perform.

Congrats to the Germain Racing Team & Todd Bodine, NASCAR Trucke Series Champions 2007!

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The Final Flight

(Flight home from Germain / NASCAR Show in Orlando 12/18/06)

As our flight home beautiful and quite emotional. Prior to take off, the pilots announced their years of service in the military as pilots, which was a collective high number.

It was a particularly beautiful view out of the plane as we approached the Ohio River near Marietta, the sun's big bright orange ball was setting on the horizon, the winding Ohio River was sparkling in places, surrounded by green trees and fields. Just above the river a layer of clouds, colored in bright orange cotton flames, from the sunset.

What a beautiful planet we live on, how lucky we are to be here.

A pilot came on the PA system and stated he had a special announcement. "On board today we are flying with the body of Captain Shawn English, who gave his life fighting in the war in Iraq". He leave's behind a wife and three children" Accompanying Captain English home today is (A name I can't remember, bu now numb with sadness), Upon landing please let him depart the plane first. Thank you."

A silence fell over the plane for a while.

Flying over the, rivers, streams and twinkling lights below, conversation remained quiet for the rest of the flight.

No one on board will ever forget the final flight of Captain Shawn English.