Put-in-Bay Gazette Apr. ’25- WPIB RIP

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My first ‘Official’ visit to Put-in-Bay was back in June of 2017, and it wasn’t too long afterwards that I realized my biggest regret in life would be not having discovered this Island Paradise/Escape until I was already in my 50s. I’ve returned each year since (except 2020-COVID), often twice. And while most of my thoughts and daydreams are positive and peaceful, occasionally there is something that creeps in that is unsettling and unfortunate. Such was the case a few weeks ago, when my audible connection to the Bass Islands was suddenly and unexpectedly silenced. An email exchange with Brian Cultice at the Gazette in early February confirmed my darkest fear….WPIB Internet Radio had indeed gone silent. To spin a classic Jimmy Buffet line (apologies to those who spite the late Son-of-a-Son-of-a-Sailor, but I’ve found most around the Islands have great respect for the Escapism Legend), WPIB was the audible concoction that helped me hang on for the 48-50 weeks a year I could only dream about Put-in-Bay and the Shores & Islands area and not be there in person. So call this an Obituary or a Memorial, but I’d like to share some thoughts about what WPIB meant to me. I may be an out-of-step Charlie from two states away, but perhaps there are one or two others (in the North Shore area or annual visitors) who feel the same, and maybe this will help provide some comfort and closure.

I guess you could call it an irony of upsetting events that bookend the otherwise enjoyable time I’ve had listening to WPIB. In July of 2019, I was having a Saturday Breakfast at the bar in Frosty’s perusing the Gazette, when the patron next to me pointed to the ad-Ribbon at the top of page 8 and sorrowfully said, “It’s a real shame, isn’t it?” I had no idea what was disturbing him. He pointed to the photo of Patrick Myers, and sadly informed me of his tragic and untimely death by suicide. This certainly cast a cloud of despair for a few hours on an otherwise pleasurable trip. At the time I had no idea who Patrick Myers was, or what a WPIB was. But having had struggles with mental health issues myself, I’ve since taken the time to learn how much Patrick meant to the Island, and all that he was involved in beyond being the “Voice of Put-in-Bay” via WPIB. I also tuned in to WPIB on my iPhone for the first time that afternoon, trying both to find out a little more about the recent tragedy, as well as figure out just what this Radio Station was all about.

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Back then, WPIB was a mix of contemporary and local Island music, sometimes with ‘colorful’ and enjoyable hosts, such as Mike ‘Mad Dog’ Adams and Rudy & the Island Girl. It has since transitioned into an exclusively automated broadcast of entirely Island Artists. While I’m no big fan of modern technology replacing the human element, there is always an anomaly. And WPIB proved to be a splendid exception. For me, WPIB has most recently provided the day-to-day distraction that I all too often feel the need for while trapped in my workplace cubicle, no matter how many times I unsuccessfully bang the ‘Esc’ Key on my keyboard. I have a real crummy job you see (wasn’t always like that), but like so many others trapped in the real world version of the Office Space movie, I have to keep paying the bills somehow. One of the few workplace benefits I enjoy is being able to listen to music on the computer while I toil to provide a little audio tonic. YouTube certainly gets considerable play, as do several other more traditional terrestrial radio stations from around the country. But WPIB easily got 15-20 hours of play per week in my workspace, not to mention iPhone time on the commute.

There certainly have been a number of artists I’ve enjoyed for endless hours. From the foolhardiness of Faust & Lewis, the Danger Brothers’ covers, the mysterious tracks of the Reese Dailey Band, and the historical ballads of Westside Steve Simmons and Alex Bevan, there are pretty much no Island Artists that I haven’t enjoyed on this audible gateway over and over. However, I feel obligated to highlight three for whom WPIB has heightened my enjoyment exponentially: That Allie Girl-Allie Market, Pat Shepard and Bob Gatewood and his band Calabash. While I pretty much discovered the best music video ever produced, Friends of the Bay, without the assistance of WPIB (the older, grainier Friends of the Bay is not too shabby, either), I was exposed to the depth of Bob’s recordings because of WPIB. One track in particular struck a chord immediately when I first heard it at work: Magnolia Tree. As Bob later confirmed, it is a true (and personal story), and it shows how a guy who can really rock the Roundhouse also can render a deep and moving ballad as well. It’s given me the inspiration to someday make the Massie Cliff Preserve my Magnolia Tree…, but I ain’t in any hurry! Pat Shepard is truly the bar room singer as advertised on his lone CD. While he may be a little short in originality, he is long on cover tunes, pumping out hundreds without missing a beat. One of his originals really struck a chord though. The first time I heard ‘Frosty Bar,’ I was in my car waiting for the Miller on my initial post-COVID visit in 2021. I didn’t even know my favorite watering hole had its own song. He sure does a great job with it; a fitting song for the best bar in the world. And I love Allie’s music so much, that I founded the Chicagoland Chapter (#312) of ‘That Allie Girl Fan Club.’ I actually had bought her cover CD “Just a Peek” in the early days of WPIB. But hearing her originals over the Internet gave me the confidence to also purchase “Through These Eyes,” the numero uno audio investment ever! I think I made her day the first time I requested “Let’s Have a Beer,” the best 3-minute tour you can ever get of downtown Put-in-Bay. It led from just a fan-ship to more of a friendship, even if only a few weeks a year on island time.

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Would I have found these Island Artists and their ‘Can’t Miss’ shows without WPIB? Probably. But it would have taken a lot more time, and I wouldn’t have been ready with their full repertoire to request from. Because of WPIB, my experiences at Put-in-Bay music events (mostly by these 3 extraordinary performers), have been elevated to a higher level of enjoyment. And thanks to the prod from WPIB, checking these artists’ websites (as well as those of the ‘libationous’ venues they play), has become intertwined with requesting my vacation days and locking in my lodging every summer. I also feel the need to give a nod to Ray Fogg. Any visitor who has picked up a tourist flyer or magazine, can’t help but be aware of Ray’s weekend shows at his Reel Bar. But hearing Ray sing “Whiskey Light” over and over on WPIB with such reverence, not only exposed me to another great island tradition, but also proves that he has a much wider range than what might initially appear to be just a good, transplanted, Las Vegas lounge act. I like Breakfast at Frosty’s too (both Ray’s contorted cover tune and the real thing). And then there is one more artist that needs mentioning, the coolest 800-lb Gorilla SOB in the room…,

No composition encompassing the Put-in-Bay music scene could ever be complete without the mention of one Patrick Huston Dailey. Clearly, my second biggest regret in life has to be never getting the chance to see a Pat Dailey show live. I am so grateful that the other Pat (Shepard) continues to cover a bunch of Pat Dailey music in his shows. Pat S is a great talent on his own, but if it weren’t for Pat Dailey, he might be sitting at a card table eating a ham sandwich, instead of playing Frosty’s every summer (some more of us might be too). Before I experienced Pat Shepard covering Pat Dailey however, it was WPIB who introduced me to the Island Legend. Not an hour, no make that half hour, passed on WPIB without at least one Pat Dailey number in the mix. Like many, my first exposure was the raunchy, flip-over-the-barstool music that Pat was most famous for like, “Nymphomaniac (Perfect Woman),” Father’s Last Words, Get Your Ass to Cleveland,” and all the rest. But as my exposure to WPIB grew, I discovered the other side of Pat Dailey. I first heard, “Blue Catawba Moon,” in, of all places, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, when I was biking one of the old rail trails. It sounded like Pat, but I couldn’t believe it was that rowdy, blue collar bar singer’s voice. I had to stop and check my iPhone to confirm that yes, it was his name on the WPIB slide. I’ve since discovered many other unexpected pleasures such as, “After the Rain, Here Comes the Cold, and my personal favorite, Carp Diem.” Pretty much all heard initially on WPIB. What a deep and well-rounded performer this Island was blessed with for so many years! Just when you think you’ve got a guy labeled as not much more than “A Doobie and a Brew” singer/songwriter, you look a little deeper and find a kind, profound, tender and sweet heart underneath, just like the song says. Thank the Lord for putting him in Put-in-Bay for all these years. And thank you WPIB, for keeping his spirit alive through his music, several times each day beyond his retirement and the day last July when he set sail forever to the skies over this Great Lakes Paradise.

I could go on even longer, but it’s quite obvious by now that there will be an uninvited void going forward in my connection to Put-in-Bay. Sure, I have CD’s, and there’s always the YouTube and Spotify type thingys. But it just won’t be the same. I’ve never met Greg Peiffer, but I understand that he wants to concentrate more on his photography hobby as he transitions to retirement. I can’t fault him for that for sure, but Greg, I just wanted you to know how much WPIB meant for me for the past few years. It was the audible version of the Miller Ferry for 40+ weeks a year, providing the transportation for my aspirations to Put-in-Bay. Thanks for the Good Times & Good Music. And I’ll even miss the commercials! I will continue to Carp Diam as I pine for the paradise that is Put-in-Bay. But it won’t be quite the same.

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