March 10, 2015 Mike Truttschel
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- On this day in 1973, Peace Valley Connection won the “Brown Deer Battle Of The Bands” at Brown Deer High School. Members were:
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- , Dan Evert, Bob Inda,
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- , Jeff Turnbull, Jay Lauterbach and Mike Truttschel. I don’t recall how many bands were competing but I’m guessing around ten. It was my first 1st place with PVC because I had just joined but the other members were seasoned veterans of taking first place in other “Battle Of The Bands.”
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- Dean Joecks What a great memory Mike Truttschel! Rob Edwards MC’D didn’t he? Party at the “Pollocks” house afterwards then drove to Fon du Lac for coffee with Dean Nolde, Mark and Bobby Becker.March 10
- Michele Donahue You drove to Fondy for coffee??! Something’s wrong with that picture!March 10
- Mike Truttschel Yeah, Dean. 30 days hath September. April, June and Bobby Becker. ‘Cause every time they put him in the slammer it was 30 days. Also the red, white and blue ‘Cuda would overheat at 130 mph on the way to Fond Du Lac. At least that’s what you told the cop.March 10
- Dean Joecks Big LOL on that one Mike Truttschel! The coffee was delicious!March 10
- Mark Kenney You just can’t beat the coffee at the Stretch motel in Fond du Lac. Happy Anniversary guys!March 10
- Dean Nolde The battle of the bands is a great memory! The ride to Fond du lac was, well, I never experienced that speed since. What, a 20 min ride? Thanks for the memories guys!!! PVC reunion?March 10
- Mark Kenney Bobby B thought it was a good idea. NOBODY disagreed with a concept that found Bobby’s favor…March 10
- Dave Kearns I think 1973 was the first time I saw PVC at a dance at the Sussex Community Hall. You guys inspired me then and still do today.March 10
- Mark Kenney By the way Mike Truttschel, there were 267 bands in the battle. I don’t remember all of their names, but the Doobie Brothers and Foreigner almost edged us out.March 10
- Mike Truttschel Dave, I believe I have recording of PVC at The Community Hall in 1973 that was lifted from an 8 track tape. No kidding! An 8 track tape.March 10
- Mike Truttschel Yeah, Mark, the older we get, the better we were.March 10
- Mark Kenney Now you are cooking with oil!March 10
- Dave Kearns Just imagine how good you’ll be in 5-10 years.March 10
- Gary Hahlbeck Do you remember the set list?March 11
- Mark Kenney I don’t remember what instrument I played or, some of the guys Mike Truttschel is talking aboutMarch 11
- Dave Kearns Pretty soon you’ll be hiding your own Easter eggs Mark.March 11
- Mark Kenney Things are starting to get fuzzier Dave. I can barely remember that night in Mauston when Mike and Joe O. put a garbage can behind a cop car in their underwear! And got caught….March 11
- Dean Joecks Mark Kenney, you got it all wrong, the COP was in his underwear, and it was Mauston……..March 11
- Mark Kenney Dean Joecks, I hate to disagree, but it was Mauston!March 11
- Mark Kenney Why did we go to Mauston for coffee anyway?March 11
- Dean Joecks The sugar was good there.March 11
- Mark Kenney Thank goodness you and I pooled all of our money together to buy that $1.67 sixer of Hamms.March 11
- Mark Kenney We were never allowed to ride together in the “Frito truck” after that. Good thinking Oakmar!March 11
- Mike Truttschel And this, folks, is what happens after years of running the amps too loud.March 11
- Mark Kenney Would somebody bring me up in Dean Joecks monitor?March 11
- Mark Kenney There may be a book deal in this for us, if we can keep our stories straight…..Maybe it was Mauston…March 11
- Dean Joecks The point of the sixer was two fold, a can between the brake and the accelerator – voilà – cruise controlMarch 11
- Mark Kenney So, not only did it get us out of unloading the Frito truck, it may have saved our lives….Brilliant!!!!!March 11
- Mark Kenney Wasn’t that the main reason the band dissolved? A huge argument whether the Frito truck should get a brake job, or a louder horn?March 11
- Mark Kenney Is this microphone on?March 11
- Gary Steven Fuller WoWMarch 11
- Gary Steven Fuller Having too much funMarch 11
- Dean Joecks Funny stuff. Even Jackie is laughing. Yes Mark Kenney, we should write a book. However, we would only sell about 50 copies so pricing would be important. I’m thinking $100,000 per copy would be about right. Don’t want to be greedy. We also must keep in mind that “Wild Bill” will be one of the sales.March 12
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Dave Kearns I think 1973 was the first time I saw PVC at a dance at the Sussex Community Hall. You guys inspired me then and still do today.
Mike Truttschel Dave, I believe I have recording of PVC at The Community Hall in 1973 that was lifted from an 8 track tape. No kidding! An 8 track tape
Mark Kenney Wasn’t that the main reason the band dissolved? A huge argument whether the Frito truck should get a brake job, or a louder horn?
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- Some of Peace Valley Connection’s earliest gigs were in the early seventies beginning in 1971. It was a magical time with great new music erupting every month. We made it a goal to learn a top ten song for every community hall show. In 71, it was “Joy to the world.” In 72, we learned Everybody’s everything, Dancing in the moonlight and Saturday in the Park. In 73, it was American Band, Smoke on the water, Shambala. Great tunes great memories! It was a blast just trying to keep up with the changing songs.
Mike Reilly May 5, 2015 – I gather the “Frito truck” was the band equipment vehicle, anyone have pictures of it? Dean, you goys should write a book!
Mark Kenney Yes, Mike Reilly, we used a Frito truck to haul our stuff. We had to buy that when our Hearse died
Mark Kenney I guess truth really is funnier than fiction.
Dean Joecks Mark Kenney, were you with me
Mike Truttschel 1955 Cadillac hearse. Torpedo bumpers. No brakes and a sign in the back window: “bad breath is better than no breath at all.”
Dean Joecks Mark Kenney, were you with me when I picked up those two hitchhikers in the Hearse?
Dean Joecks Anyone remember how long it took us to find the gas cap?
Dean Nolde not to mention the lobsters…
Dean Joecks I still don’t think we’re allowed in that place Dean Nolde!
Mike Truttschel Changing the flat tire on the side of the freeway. The jack wouldn’t go high enough so we borrowed a shovel from the farmer to dig into the gravel. I wished I had a camera to capture the looks we got digging with a shovel next to this hearse on the side of the road.
Dean Joecks And I’ve been in the delivery business ever since Mike Truttschel!
Mike Truttschel You lucky stiff!
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Dean Nolde – PVC at the Community Center in Sussex with Mark Kenney, Mark Kenney and Mike Truttschel, Mike Truttschel, Bob Forness, Dean Joecks and Dan Evert. Mike Truttschel Mark Kenney far left, Looks like Bob Fourness on trombone. January 22, 2011 FB
Dean Nolde January 22, 2011 – on a Nitecap float in Sussex with Dean Joecks, Mike Truttschel, Mark Kenney and Bob Inda. Year???
Mike Truttschel That’s when we had hair.
Mark Kenney I hate to be picky, but one of us, either me or Mike, is playing the wrong chord. The formation is correct, but we are not on the same fret. If we were playing ‘At the hop’ then I was correct. If we were doing ‘Smoke on the water’ then Mike was right. It doesn’t matter, Bob had it wrong regardless!:)
Mike Truttschel Either way, Joecks would come over to one of us in his diplomatic way and ask “On the next one would you mind playing the same song as the rest of us?”
Bob Inda I just noticed that this was the moment we needed more more Cowbell!!!!
Bob Inda I think Marks hair still looks the same. must be some gray in it now
Mark Kenney My hair hasn’t changed too much, but my damn mustache turned white!
Mark Kenney If Bob is playing the cowbell, that means that I was playing the wrong chord. Bob played the keyboard on ‘At the Hop’…Rats! Hey! Who can name the Cornerstone’s Motto for that float? January 26, 2011
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January 21, 2013
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- John F Rickinger I happened to find an old reel to reel recording of you, Rich Piontek and myself at an early 1969 “Peace Valley Connection” practice doing Na Na Hey Hey this weekend. As old as the recording is, the three part harmony was killer. Some things don’t change.January 21, 2013 at 7:29am · Like
- Mike Truttschel 1969? Wow! That would be great to have that transferred to digital just to keep for posterity. I wonder if that practice was at your house.January 21, 2013 at 10:51am · Like
- John F Rickinger Although a lot of band practices “Dawn of Creation and PVC were at my folks house. I recorded it at Falls Drywall. So many memories of dad Piontek letting us practice there whenever we wanted too. Your folks, Rich’s and mine supported us to be who we are today.
John F Rickinger Aug 9, 2017 – Ah memories of my band Peace Valley Connection having practices at my folks house in 1971-72, and what was always set up. They still talk about how they loved everyone being over and us playing. This wasn’t the whole band, just a few being silly. Mark Kenney, Bob Inda, Dean Nolde, Steve Fuller, Dan Everett, Dean Joecks, and me.
Tom Sewell – Are those Kustoms? Wow!
John F Rickinger – Yeah Tom, we had a lot of Kustom gear. By the time we were 9 and did Chicago and BS&T we had 2 large triple cabs on each side in the front and a 8 channel 900 watt PA head. Biggest of the time.
Mark Kenney – Thanks John F Rickinger for sharing these old pics of early Peace Valley Connection fun. The “boys” in these photos are Dan Evert, Dean Joecks, Bob Inda, Dean Nolde, Gary Steven Fuller, John F Rickinger and Mark Kenney. We really enjoyed each other’s company and talents. These pictures are from 1971…
