ten till [destiny]

ten till [destiny] at Ray’s Hot Spot on 10/08

ten till [administration] — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 02:50:00 +0000

ten till [destiny] at Washington, DC on 07/18

ten till [administration] — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 02:50:00 +0000

ten till [destiny] at Ray’s Hot Spot on 07/02

ten till [administration] — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 02:50:00 +0000

ten till [destiny] at Ray’s Hot Spot on 02/26

ten till [administration] — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 02:50:00 +0000

Man Knows Not His Time

gary — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:18:54 +0000

Friends:

My family physician, Dr. Albert Varacallo, was tragically killed when he was struck by a car while bicycling last week. I mentioned it on my FaceBook page but, being the Luddite that I am, haven’t figured out how to post a Letter to the Editor that I wrote about him. I did figure out how to post it here (baby steps . . . ) so, while not specifically band related, I wanted to share it with as many eyes as possible. He was not technically my doctor, but cared for my wife and kids and was a fan of my music. He was the kind of man who made one feel humbled, yet profoundly comfortable, in his presence; one of few men I would deign to describe as Christlike. While his death will leave a gaping hole in the life of my family, I was blessed to have known him. I pray that some of that blessing will accompany this small tribute.

peace — g~

Man Knows Not His Time

A week ago, the DuBois area lost a Godly man. The medical community lost a gifted and compassionate physician. A family lost a loving Father and Husband. The word tragic does not begin to describe the death of Dr. Albert Varacallo,

Dr. Varacallo was a rarity in today’s world: a man of science, and a man of God. Yes, he believed in the power of medicine to heal the body; but he absolutely radiated the power of God to heal broken spirits. He comforted my wife and me after her miscarriage. He shared joy with us through the birth of our four children, two of whom have autism. Each visit to the Doctor gave inspiration to our lives. Ours is just one small story among thousands.

Anyone who doubts there is a God who heals the sick, helps the poor, and cares for what Jesus called “the least of these” needed only to spend a few moments with the good Doctor before he, casually and graciously, brought God into the conversation. Dr. Varacallo is proof that a life well-lived is the best persuasion of all.

The void left by his untimely death is unimaginable. We who found strength in his faith, must now trust the God to whom his life pointed. We will miss his kind and encouraging words, his presence in our lives, and the knowledge that we could always go to him. But he has not left us alone: he showed us the way to the Savior. And I’ve no doubt that we who know the One whom he served so faithfully, will one day see him again.

new stuff

nigel — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 19:42:05 +0000

Below is a list of recent changes on tentill.com.

June 13th, 2010

The shows page was updated. Dates subject to change.
Subtle new design enhancements have been added to the WordPress engine.

June 5th, 2010

The shows page was updated. It now includes dates for the remainder of 2010, including new appearances in Rimersburg, PA and Altoona, PA. Dates subject to change.
The next show page was updated with information about our upcoming appearance at the Cell Block in Clarion, PA.
The mailing list signup form has been updated. Make sure you get on our mailing list to receive periodic notifications via email.

May 22th, 2010

A new page has been added for promotors and club owners who are considering booking ten till. Include background band information and sample song lists.
Subtle new design enhancements have been added to the WordPress engine.
The mailing list signup form has been updated. Make sure you get on our mailing list to receive periodic notifications via email.

The Fifth Man

gary — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 21:25:01 +0000

Those of you who have attended some of our shows may have noticed a young man following us around, schlepping the gear, shooting video, generally getting his “I’m with the band” on, whilst looking way hipper than the actual band! That hipster happens to be my son; and he’s way cooler than I was in high school (as many of you can attest). Indeed, he’s probably cooler than I ever was; even in my “I’m-a-rock-star-it’s-just-that-no-one-knows-it-yet” youth. But being cool isn’t everything …

This blog is not about Luke. I just thot I’d give him the proverbial shout-out since he may miss the gig at Ehrma’s. But if you’ll indulge me, kind reader, I’d like to opine briefly regarding something I told Luke about when we first put the tentill band back together.

There is a reason far greater than the love of music, the camaraderie that we share, and the great affection we have for one another, that led us to say: “Hey, let’s put the band back together!” As important as those things are, I daresay I speak for the entire band when I say, something happens when we are all in the same room together. It’s as if some other entity appears, with a character and personality all its own. We can’t take it with us when we leave. And we’re all a bit different in its presence.

I’m not gonna go all metaphysical on you; we know what we believe is the Source of, let’s call it The Fifth Man. It is what keeps me coming back to help tentill finally, one day, reach the potential we all first felt in those heady days of the early eighties (in Bill’s Corsica garage!!) What we experience as a band, even when it’s in rehearsal with nobody listening, is ageless, timeless. Our recordings are an attempt to capture what we feel; bottle it, if you will. The live show is an extension of that. For my part, I’ve always wanted simply to make an audience feel what I’m feeling when I perform.

If all this sounds needlessly melodramatic, perhaps it is. As artists we have a tendency to over-think these things. But that’s who we are. We feel humbled and blessed to have something we feel is worthy of sharing with anyone who will take the time to participate with us in this project.

I’ve told Luke that he is a fortunate man indeed if, in 25 years, he is still cultivating the friendships he has right now. As a band, we’ve been at this, and have returned to it, long after logic says we should have given up on childhood dreams and moved into the real world. But this Fifth Man calls us back. It’s that simple. Maybe it’s an addiction; if it is, there are worse addictions to have.

Some guys golf. Others shoot darts; or bowl. We have a band. Sometimes it produces a kind of magic. That said, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention our dear brother John Eric, who decided his part of this journey is over. It will feel odd stepping on stage for the first time as tentill [destiny] without him. He will be missed, but we love and respect him beyond words. Perhaps, for just this one nite, JE will be The Fifth Man.

The Rebirth of the ten till drum set (trap set)

David McKee — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 02:35:36 +0000

Hi, Roto-Tom-Guy here (or rather the drummer-formerly-known-as-Roto-Tom-Guy).

Yes, I know what you’re thinking. You’re a fan of the old ten till “Roto-Kit” (see previous bloggage) and you’re surprised to see me abandon that kit.

Here’s the story in a nutshell. We took the last 4 months off to regroup, and re-emerge this Friday (4/9/10) with new songs, a new show and a new “feel” to the band (which we’re all really excited about). I felt my drums needed an overhaul too. Although I was only really using the kick drum from my previous “regular pre-Roto-kit”, that kick drum had been refinished nearly 9 years ago. It was time to freshen it up.

Funny thing though. When I started considering what I wanted to change in the kit, I received solicitations from a few “drum experts” and friends (Dave Foote of Foote Stompin’ Music among them) who knew that I possessed something that many drummers don’t have in their closets (aside from years of worthless drum hardware that they they refuse to throw out even though their wife “encourages” them to do so …wait, did I say that out loud?)

… anyhow… I had a 20″ 1950’s Slingerland Kick Drum, and Footie knew it.

This kick drum was part of my original drum set that I purchased with paper route money when I was like 15. It was a 5-piece, 1950’s Slingerland White Marine Pearl kit, that I eventually added to with matching drums I purchased from the Pennysaver Paper. Here’s a picture of the 5 piece kit combined with the “add-ons” (interestingly, the add-ons were from an identical vintage kit, although the drum selection was odd… which is another story here that I’ll share another time). Anyhow, check out the odd assembly. And my hair. And my tube socks (go Steelers).

Nice Hair. Nice Drum Placement. Nice Tube Socks.

So, the new ten till kit (freshly refinished) incorporates the right side kick from that picture, my 20″ Slingerland 1950’s kick (one of a collection of two, as you can see).

Also of interest to probably nobody – is the inclusion of “tom #2″ from this the old picture here, also from the same vintage Slingerland kit.

The new finish is, well… “purple”. It’s got a pattern, and it gets darker toward the top. I’m thrilled with the way it looks on stage. It “glimmers” without being too shiny.

The freshly refinished ten till kit. Old drums, new face.

So the new set breaks down like this: 20″ Slingerland Kick, 10″ direct-from-factory OEM drum (i.e. a 12 ply, nice wood drum I bought about 10 years ago that was made under several different brand names, including the overseas version of Slingerland I think); a 12″ original Slingerland Tom from my first set; and my floor tom is a floating 15″ tom from my old 1984 Slingerland “Magnum” kit (a big-hair kit; this was my 3rd rack tom, no joke).

Also, you’ll see the return of a single Roto-Tom, because I just couldn’t give it up. I love the flexibility. I can tune it high or low depending on if I need an extra high tom (for a song by The Police, for example) or bongo-esque for an old Paul McCartney and Wings song we do. It also adds some percussive effect-playing for a Dave Matthews band song we do. Great to still have it on the kit.

My snare drum is a 1970’s Ludwig Aluminum shell snare, with all original hardware and everything. I bought it at a garage sale a long time ago (my wife was thrilled).

The new kit from behind the drums.

Cymbals haven’t really changed, but I’m really not happy with them. I would like to add another small crash, and I might re-introduce my huge China one of these days. I am still happy though with my “dangling ride” arrangement (something I decided to try after watching Robert Plant and Allison Krauss on their concert video; the drummer’s kit was super cool looking, with that hanging ride concept. There’s no turning back for me on that decision. I love it).

So here’s an odd thing: my new kit got smaller somehow. Going from a 24″ kick-drum based set (but with toms that were all Roto Toms) to this kit … is strange. I would have thought that the Roto Tom set would still have been smaller. But that’s not the case. The “footprint” of this kit is remarkably small. In fact, it’s really a “fusion” drum kit – and therefore, I’ve taken to calling it my “Trap Set” (that’s such a hip, old school term, I really want to bring it back). But I really like the feel, the tightness of it, the “flatness” of the angles of the toms, it’s fun. But it hardly takes up any space at all. Quite a change from when ten till first played together 20 years ago. My drum set took up about an 8 foot square space. I think I’m down to almost 4 x 8 now (not including the seat). And it’s short. I look like a giant behind this kit. Go ahead and laugh.

So, that’s it. The kit makes its debut on Friday night. If you’re anywhere near Brookville, PA, please come see us and say hi!

Thanks as always for reading. We’re happy to have you along.

-dfm.

PS: Hardware wise – it hasn’t changed. My workhorse Pearl Rack; My Gibraltar double bass pedals; my 2-legged stand.

Three Reasons the iPad Rocks

scotto — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 15:11:16 +0000

Waiting in line for iPad

Like many Apple fans I stood in line at the Apple Store yesterday to buy iPad — the newest member of Apple’s technology family. Naturally I had seen Steve [Jobs] intro the product a few months back — and I read much of the hoopla online — but yesterday I got to use an iPad. After just an hour with iPad I came to notice — or understand — three important things about the device.

1) iPad is absolutely the most comfortable way to read news, surf the web, read and write email, and update FaceBook.

Remember relaxing in bed with the Sunday paper or a great magazine? That went out the door for me a long time ago — and instead I found myself at a desk in front of a computer checking news, answering emails and doing the FaceBook thing. No longer.

Size Comparison: An iPhone on an iPad (click for bigger image)

iPad fits in your hands in a way that feels completely natural — with just the right weight — and no mouse, no mouse pad and no trackpad to fuddle with. You can get all your information updates using your fingers — with very natural finger gestures. It is a remarkable experience. You really want to try this for yourself.

iPad is also an iPod, you you can listen to music while you get your daily dose of information. I like that.

2) Reading Books on iPad is Fun

Aside from having your favorite books right inside your iPad — with you wherever you may go (which is a cool thing in itself) — reading on iPad is just plain fun. At last count my daughter (Jordan) read over 200 pages of the new Warriors novel on iPad and loved every minute of it. Very cool. With some books, iPad will read the book to you (audibly). Far out.

I’ve seen Kindle and wasn’t impressed. I’ve used iPad and I want to read a book tonight.

iPad is also an iPod: The ten till clownfree singles on iPad

I secretly wonder what the new iBookStore will do to brick and mortar book stores like Barnes and Nobel. I love book stores — and in fact have visited three different book stores just this past week. I bought new books last night on iPad: it was cheaper, faster, and the reading experience is funner. iPad will cut the number of books I buy at a brick and mortar book store dramatically.

3) If You Are a Gamer, iPad Is Wicked Cool!

I’ve never been a computer gamer. That said, high-definition games on iPad are like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

Games on iPad — because of the big HD display, the form factor, and the fact that you hold it in your hands — enables game play in a whole new way. The simple games I tried were fun and engaging. I am looking forward to exploring this!

Summary Thoughts

scotto likes iPad. Allot.

How ten till Was Formed (the very beginning)

scotto — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 16:08:32 +0000

I’m writing this because, over the past week, I’ve had several discussions on this topic and realized I had misremembered parts of it. Here’s the real story. But feel free to correct me if I’m still getting this wrong…

In the early 1980’s I was in my first band named Empty Pockets with my high school best friend Danny Sharrow (after a brief break from that band to form a hard rock band named Spectrum and work with a country band named Al and Deb). The lineup for Empty Pockets at that time Dan and Dick Sharrow (drums and keyboards), Paul Andrews (guitar) and myself (bass).

Living in Marienville, PA we used to travel into Brookville (24 miles away) to get to the local music store to buy guitar strings, picks, gear, etc. At that time the music store (Harmon’s Music) was located on Main Street in the same building as the present day Scarlet Cord Christian Coffee House — the very same place we had our recent ten till photo shoot.

Working at that music store was a young guitarist name John Eric McNiel. Over time Johnny and I became friends, and Danny and I eventually asked him to join Empty Pockets. Danny (drums), Dick (keyboards), Paul (guitar), John Eric (guitar) and me (bass) played all over northwestern Pennsylvania. In one form or another we played a school dance, a club or a bar every Friday and Saturday night — with a Saturday afternoon wedding reception added — nearly every weekend for a couple of years.

One day Danny decided he wanted to get off the drum kit and become a lead singer. John Eric knew of a drummer named David McKee, and after a try-out David joined the band and Empty Pockets was renamed Destiny. While this lineup was fun, bands don’t make much money and splitting a paycheck six ways can be a tough thing. After only a few gigs Destiny split into two bands.

Danny, Dick and Paul formed a new band named Trixx — which continues to play all around northwestern Pennsylvania to this day (Paul was later replace by Dick and Dan’s younger brother Charlie, and now Trixx is made up of three brothers). John Eric and David knew a singer (Gary Bickerstaff) and a keyboard player (Bill Hubauer) — and we agreed to meet for a rehearsal in Bill’s garage in Corsica, PA.

That rehearsal defined a big part of my life for decades to come. I remember showing up to the sounds of Bill playing the keyboard part from Journey’s Separate Ways on an old Radio Shack keyboard — and the sound was dead on. I was blown away. Gary made an immediate impression on me with his great voice and really cool stage presence. It was a great mix of music influence and was immediately fun.

So the lineup was defined: John Eric McNiel (guitar), Bill Hubauer (keyboards and guitar), Gary Bickerstaff (vocals), David Mckee (drums) and me (bass). The rest of the story is defined here.

I had forgotten parts of this prelude to ten till. Great memories!

Cheers!
scotto