Injuly14

“The IN”…the official Enewsletter of ‘BlackHand’ ‘BlackHand’ ‘‘BlackHand’

JULY 2014

VOL 4, ISSUE 7

From The Nest…

HEY NOW…

WHAT AN EXCITING MONTH?!? We are trying to stay as busy as possible…as “Idle Hands are the Devil’s Workshop”! Our Bassist Kyle & wife Catherine are in full

‘nesting’ mode, as they prepare to welcome their

FIRST CHILD in October!!! We are ALL very excited to add again to the “BlackHand Army”!!

Drummer Alex & guitarist ZigZag, are making

slow, but steady progress on plans for their new home…lost two months ago to a fire.

Keyboardist John is taking full advantage of summer vacation with his son, spending as

much time together as possible before

school starts again! This s truly an exciting, trying, as well as horrifying time…and the

busier we keep ourselves…the more we stay focused on what needs done! BlackHand is

extremely fortunate, after lots of hard work, to have a full & really fun schedule to enjoy,

and keep the stress levels down by doing

what we love the most…PERFORMNG LIVE MUSIC TOGETHER!! We invite you to check

our gig schedule, pick out a show or venue that sounds interesting & fun, and come

experience for yourselves what your friends & family have told ya’ about…a live

“BlackHand” show!!

There is an unfairly disproportionate amount of tremendous musical talent in the

Adams County/So.Central PA region… PLEASE get out & support ALL of the great

local talent to be found in our own back yard!!

THANK YOU for your time & hope to see ya’ soon!! Be Well…Stay Blessed! Peace, Love,

& Light!

ZZ, Alex, John, & Kyle ~ “BlackHand”

“BlackHand” …is an American band which plays

PsychodelicFolkRock in central PA,

northern MD, & entire east coast.

The 'players' are:

ZigZag-Guitar & Vocals;

Alex-Percussion & Vocals;

John-Piano & Vocals;

Kyle-Bass & Vocals

www.blackhand.us

This is a ‘Forest-Friendly’ publication!!

“The IN”…the official Enewsletter of ‘BlackHand’

JULY 2014

VOL 4, ISSUE 7

Stringz-n-Thingz…

I feel it very pertinent this month to get a bit personal. I

apologize ahead of time, but it’s necessary. BlackHand has always placed a very high priority on having & fostering a healthy sense of community. As you know, Alex & I lost our family home to a fire recently. The outpouring of Love,

Support, & kindness that came to the entre Isaacson Family was unbelievable! So many of you surrounded us with Love that we couldn’t feel alone. So many of you sent immediate messages of encouragement that we couldn’t imagine ‘not

surviving’. We can never hope to properly express our enormous thanks to each & all of you…but please know that you nothing short of saved us. We Thank & Love You, always! ~ ZigZag

The Key is…

I’d like to dedicate my portion of the newsletter to the man that changed my life, the man that was charged with an

almost impossible task and not only completed it…but thrived on it. The man I speak of is our band leader, David “ZigZag” Isaacson. For those of you that do not know the

story, we met 28 years ago in Wayne, Pennsylvania as we both attended Valley Forge Military Academy. He was my Company Commander in January of 1986 when I was lower than a Private. His impossible task was to turn me around by

any means necessary and he did just that. I can’t explain to you all the horror of a military boarding school and the terror of living across the hall from Mr. Isaacson but trust me, it’s worse than you think! I hated that man and was

under his command for what seemed like 6 years but in reality, was only 6 months. 6 months was all it took for him to break me down and put me back together again and to

teach me integrity, honor, and courage. I’ll never forget his last day, after graduation, when he walked down the hall and we locked eyes, again! (These were rarely good encounters!) Instead of going up one side of me and down the other, he

held out his hand. When I opened my eyes and realized I wasn’t getting pounded into the floor, I shook it and thanked him and he thanked me and looked me square in the eye, as if to say, “You better remember what you learned here!”

…then walked off into the afternoon sun. So, 28 years later, I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving my life and to let you know that I never forgot!

~ John YOU saved yourself...I might have helped you find the

tools or strength already within you, at best! Thanks Brother. (Ed. Note)

VFMA Brothers…28 years down a very

twisted & rocky road!! BFFB…

www.blackhand.us

Brothers Tommy & Big Joe…helping to

carry “The Weight!!

NO TREES were harmed by this Enewsletter!!

“The IN”…the official Enewsletter of ‘BlackHand’

JULY 2014

VOL 4, ISSUE 7

The Drum Circle…

As most of you know, we lost our home in a

house fire on May 15th. Among all of our personal items were, of course, our instruments and

equipment. Not simply the very things we use to generate income for our family, but the source of much of our joy. I won't go into the gory details. You all can imagine how hard it was. But out of every bad situation, you have to find a silver lining. Troy Weishaar, popular local drummer & friend, lent me his jazz kit in the interim however, and I fell in love with it! So, thanks to the

insurance company, I was able to purchase one just like it!! It is a much smaller set than I am used

to, but fits the bill for what BlackHand has on the table right now. It is a Ludwig set - Breakbeats by Questlove, to be exaxt! I hope you will come check it out at one of our upcoming gigs, and feel free to ask me any questions about it. The music never

stops…~ Alex

The Bomb Shelter…

Sometimes we choose between "what is easy… and what will get it done." No matter what choice

is made, you will be both blessed and damned. Often it is a choice between your values and what

others demand of you. Hard days come and go, as well as the easy ones, but they all go. Moments of

clarity come from both. My most recent moment came during a hard time, when a trusted mentor took an opposing view to my own, and I reacted

poorly at first. Nevertheless, I walked away wanting to be "the dude that gets it done." Thank

you, man...~ Kyle

www.blackhand.us

The ‘BlackBone’…

Hookin’ Up!!!

GO GREEN…or go home!!

JULY 2014

VOL 4, ISSUE 7

“The IN”…the official Enewsletter of ‘BlackHand’ We cannot begin to thank each one of you nearly enough for your

unwavering support of & commitment to ‘BlackHand’!! Your attendance & enthusiasm at our live shows is contagious…and we

hope to always be worthy of that kind of deadication!!

Our mission is to bring happiness to ALL…through music !

“BlackHand” Performance Schedule

• EVERY ‘Black & Blue Wednesday’!! - ‘Blue and Gray Bar & Grill’ “Wood & Steel” (acoustic)

8-11pm! Gettysburg, PA

• Gettysburg Rocks Event

‘Garryowen Irish Pub’ “Remembering Jerry” Saturday, August 9th…

10:00ish-11:30pm! Gettysburg, PA

• ‘A Taste of Bourbon’

Friday, August 22nd 9:00pm-1:00am! Gettysburg, PA

• ‘Gettysburg Moose Lodge 1526 & Chapter 182’

Saturday, August 30th 9:00pm-1:00am! Gettysburg, PA

(717)677-4978 [email protected] www.blackhand.us www.reverbnation.com/blackhand [email protected]

Ph.#