Our friend and part-time keyboard player, Johnny Keys, suffered a massive stroke Wednesday morning. Needless to say, we are all concerned and our prayers and thoughts go out to him and his family.

Johnny is an incredible guy and a great musician. I've been privileged to have him play in my band and I look forward to him joining us again in the near future. Johnny is best known by most as the host of the Thursday night open mic at Big John's Pub, and that is where I first met him. John is a champion of homegrown music and I often think that not many people realize just how important local open mic nights are. They are breeding grounds of creativity--spots where everyone is welcome, no matter what the level of playing ability. It is a chance for your local plumber to come, have a few beers, and get up and play a few songs he learned on the internet. They are a place for people to forget about the economy, the war, and all of their personal problems and play "Smoke on the Water" with an extended jam tagged on the end. They really bring things back to what music was supposed to be about to begin with: fun!

Before the advent of record companies, studios, CDs, concert tours, ticket sales, etc., music was about bringing people together to have fun. Open mics are the epitome of that. And behind the open mic are people like Johnny, loading and unloading gear in the cold and rain, staying into the late hours of the morning so one lone drunk can play a crappy rendition of "Can't You See," not doing it for fame, not doing it for money, but strictly for the love of music. That's as noble a cause as one can have by my definitions! The most recent time I saw Johnny was two weeks ago when he gave me a ride home from the bar. We were driving down Union Valley Road listening to Neil Young and talking about music. Johnny pulled into my driveway and I leaned over to give him a hug: "You know your way outta here, John?" I asked. "Yeah, man, I'll see you soon, Brian," he replied. "Oh, right, man--I'll see ya soon!" I looked back over my shoulder as I walked through the rain up my driveway. His headlights hit my front door and I walked in. I'm still counting on seeing him soon! Give a thought and prayer to Johnny Keys today.