Building the Perfect Beast...

There have been many changes since I first wrote to you in the summer of 98. First let me apologize for taking so long to update this "novel". The story has remained essentially the same, but read on, it gets current at the end.

I'm often asked how this all started. I'll be damned if I'm all that sure anymore. I remember coming to the end of one more road band, one more year working for enough money to get from one town to the other, one more Holiday Inn band room, and one more year of playing music I no longer understood. Apparently a change had to come.

Dave Sarkis was an interesting young man in those days with very little experience but a whole lot of heart. I (Kevin Patrick, the guy at right) had a whole lot of experience and was bordering on a musical version of a broken heart. When that last road band faded off into the musical sunset Dave and I somehow summoned the courage to try something a little different.

A novel idea. An epiphany of galactic proportions: Let's play songs that we identify with. Songs that made us want to learn how to play. Let's go back to those days when we couldn't wait to strap on a guitar and express the thoughts and emotions of our souls...naaaa, let's just have fun and interact with the audience in a way that would make them an integral part of the show. Let's play songs that we know people want to hear, but no one else will play.

Somehow this crazy idea worked. Imagine, people responding to songs they liked played by people who were having a good time being themselves.

There was a beautiful woman with the voice of an angel running of all things (get this!) a Karoke machine on our breaks. It was Chris Gerard. She was filling in for a Karoke DJ who couldn't make it that night. As Dave and I performed, she started filling in the 3rd part that was missing in our harmonies. It was a fit that I had waited for all my professional life. I asked her the next day if she would consider joining Dave and myself and to my genuine surprise she was really into what we were doing, and joined straight away.

January 6th 1992: The band Patrick, Sarkis and Gerard started at Cactus Jack's in the Midway Hotel Hwy 100 and Bluemound Rd., Milwaukee. Starting with just acoustic guitars, some piano, and a boat load of harmonies, we set a trend for a new kind of performance. An "in your face" audience interactive approach with songs that appealed to the working man and woman. A performance style where you didn't have to sit in a dimly lit meat market and drink watered down drinks listening to music that seemed to be selected by 21 year old girls and boys who's only goal in life appeared to be being part of a scene.

We continued over the next two years to develop the act adding songs, and yes programming so people could dance. (Funny, I felt they could dance without drums, but it did give us an added dimension.) We started working on original materiel and released our first album entitled "The Orphans" which had PS&G favorites such as "Once in a Blue Moon", "Promises", and "Where do you Go". We figured we could do this forever. As long as the grass grows, the wind blows, and there's another show...

Well, sometimes the wind don't blow and the grass don't grow...

People will go there own way and in November of 1993 Dave Sarkis left. There are three different versions of how that happened and we'll leave it at that. One of the biggest problems we faced was what the hell to call the band. Chris and I felt a little weird calling it Patrick, Sarkis and Gerard with no Sarkis. Plus the added little problem of finding someone to replace an important founding member of a successful band.

The name "The Orphans" besides being the title of our first album also described how Chris and I felt we had been left by the music business. After a combined 30 years of working at our craft we felt we had reached the point where we could play, sing, write and perform on a national and international level. Then one day we opened Billboard magazine and didn't recognize any of the artists anymore. It was like coming home for Christmas only to find your parents had moved without leaving a forwarding address. One problem down, we were now "The Orphans".

Off we go with a new name and a frantic search...

While perusing local acts we came across a very short lived addition to replace Dave Sarkis, Dan Blitz. Dan was a guitarist/bassist who was damned good at harmony parts but never really got into the performance side of the band. We new it would work okay in some clubs but was not what we were looking for. After 6 months of various haggling to get Dan to concentrate more effort on the band, we decided a change had to be made.

Enter Keedy.

While trying to build on her budding recording career, Keedy missed the instant gratification of live performance and came on back to unpretentious Milwaukee and made an immediate impact for the Orphans. Her addition gave us more depth by adding another dimension that neither Chris nor I felt comfortable adding, that being a lot of the "new rock" music that was just starting to be heard. As for me, having two women who looked as good as they did...well let's just say it took a lot of pressure off. (God knows ya'll weren't looking at me!) Keedy started learning to play guitar in May 1994, and her first gig with us was opening day Summerfest 1994. One month and she was up there strumming away...I knew she could do it.

That fall we released our 2nd album which was a double album called "Orphanthology". It was a live album recorded over 2 nights at Cactus Jacks. It was our first venture into a new kind of recording. Digital. The word still strikes fear into my soul. Soon after that we released our 3rd album which was a much more laid back album called "3X3".

If change is the essence of growth, This band must be 30 ft tall...

In September of 1995, Chris Gerard felt that it was time to try this insane business as a solo. God knows she has the ability to shine in any setting from solo to a 10 piece band, but solo's the tough one. It's just you, all night, all the time. It's just you driving home at 4 am. It's just you on the slow nights. So off she went, and as expected she did great.

Meanwhile in the Orphan Camp...

What the hell are we gonna do now?...Psst...Hey Keedy, there's this band called the Suburban Gypsies that I help to put together that was loosely based on what the Orphans do. And there's this guy in the band who's pretty cool as well as being a good performer/singer/guitarist. Not to mention we can pay him more than them..(heh,heh) His name is Mykl Stanley. Yeah, dat's it, lets get Mikey to do it, hey Mikey...

Mykl, Keedy and Myself jumped into the newest version of the Orphans with a vengeance and for the next 18 months played more gigs than ever. Taking the band into an ever widening variety of music, we had a blast. We released our 4th album which was a retrospective of the first 4 years of the band as well as our first CD, That was called "The Fruit of our Labor" and was followed closely by our 3rd live album and 2nd CD called "putsomwataonit".

Possibly the most unforgettable moment of this monster tour was driving along at 3 am coming back from Rochester, Minnesota. Mykl was in dreamland in the front passenger seat, I was taking a nap in the driver's seat (at 70 mph) and we THOUGHT Keedy was asleep in the back. For no reason that I could find in any of the philosophy I've ever read from Socrates to Goethe, Keedy started singing at the top of her lungs the song "Ramblin Man" by the Allman Bros. That single incident is responsible for the twitch both Mykl and I have developed.

As fun as it was, the demanding schedule took its toll and in March 1996, Keedy and Mykl both left. Now I REALLY felt like an Orphan.

Who says you can never go back?

After 18 months of playing solo, you kinda miss the company of other musicians. And that was what I was counting on when I approached Chris Gerard about coming back to the Orphans. Well, if nothing else I've always been lucky and this time was no exception. Chris was willing to come back, and to dig into the past a little deeper, we came up with a new third member.

Remember that fading road band back in 1991?...

Out of Cincinnati comes Bob Kennedy. Bob had technically been in the band for about a year because he had been doing our programming and was at least electronically on stage with us.

Bob and I had worked together on and off since 1984, and is by far the most talented and versatile musician I have ever met. Besides being a phenomenal keyboardist, his knowledge of harmonies and his bass chops are assets every band should have. (You can't have him...don't even think about it...get your own damn keyboard player!)

So off we went again, with the return of Chris' incredible vocal and the addition of Bob's unsurpassed talents there was little for me to do but sit back and enjoy being in the middle of one great sounding band.

Things to do before you're 40:
1. Travel
2. Do things to excess
3. Play a team sport
4. Eat and drink dairy products
5. Lie
6. Brag
7. Stay up for 2 days.
8. If your gonna do it, have kids.

Chris Gerard married Tom O'Loughlin in June of 1995. In November 1997 she presented us with the blessed news that she was in the family way. She left the band in February 1998, and you'll probably find this hard to believe...Yes, it's true...Keedy and Mykl came back and joined Bob and I...And then there were four....

...Thought that would be the end of this seemingly endless saga, didn't ya? Well, it ain't. Keedy, Mykl, Bob and I carried on through the new millenium only to run right smack into a big brick wall called life. On the last day of the century, Mykl got married in Las Vegas, Keedy started a "real job", Bob played at the Heidel House and I sat on Seven Mile Beach in the Grand Cayman Islands, reflecting on life as I've known it.

We all knew a change was coming. I was starting on the 9th year of this band and everyone was getting itchy to move on. What was this band going to do now? It was a sad development, Keedy and Mykl had become like a brother and a sister to me. But, life moves on.

So, I set out to find someone new. While surfing on the internet one night I decided to try one of these musician's referal pages to see what was there. To be perfectly honest, most of the people I've come across in that fashion weren't exactly what I was looking for. (..know what I mean?) But I found this one name. The only name on the entire list that was in the midwest. Chicago to be exact. It was a woman who sang .....hmmm, who was really into harmonies..........hmmm, who WANTED TO PERFORM FOR A LIVING. Imagine THAT!! I sent her an email and she actually responded, and sent me a demo tape. I knew as soon as I heard the tape, that she was the ONE. After meeting, and sizing each other up, we welcomed Dayna Malow to the Orphans.

Dayna was born in Skokie, Ill. on or about 1975. (the year I graduated from high school.......JESUS!!) She started studying classical voice at 15, did some musical theater in high school, and then went to the University of Miami (Florida) and graduated with a degree in Jazz voice/Studio Recording. As a member of JVI, the award winning jazz vocal ensemble, they won the prestigious DOWNBEAT AWARD, and performed with artists such as Darmon Meader, Dawn Lewis and John Secada.

The end of school brought about the real world of making a living playing and singing music. Although she did more than hold her own in the 3rd largest city in the country, you could tell she too was an Orphan looking for a home......and after numerous bands, (all good, but missing something...) she has found a home with all of us.

So when you come out to see us, make it a point to welcome Dayna into our humble little fold......she's one of US, now.

STOP THE DAMN PRESSES!!.....

I'm starting to run out of creative ways to add on to this saga. It's beginning to resemble ROOTS, I guess that makes me Kunta Kinte....who knew.

What I'm getting at is the following: Keedy and Mykl are back. Dayna has gone back to Chicago to try and build her own band, which was her aim when she joined The Orphans, and we wish her the best. Bob has gone back to Cincinnati, where his heart really does lie, and I thank him personally for the 3 years of non-stop work he put into this band. You may see Bob and Dayna pop in from time to time and we look forward to those performances.

So.....what now?

Once again I was beginning to feel The Orphans being pulled away from what we were, are, and always will be. Keedy and Mykl were an intricate part of that feeling, and after getting back together and playing a few gigs.....all the kids have come back home.

We will be playing far less shows than in the past, this is NOT from lack of desire, It's an attempt to assure that we can do this indefinetly. The emphasis will be away from the dance direction we've taken in the past 18 months and more in the direction of what made us unique. A lot more performance and a lot more songs that surprise you instead of songs that you expect. There will also be a renewed emphasis put on original material......and you better like it....just kidding.....

So were back, Myself, Keedy and Mykl. Make sure you visit the calendar page often so you can keep up on the dates we're playing in your area......

I can't at this point say, that this band won't change again. We are who we are, and all the experimentation hasn't changed that. It's been 10 years......It's flown by. I could never express to all of you who have supported us all this time what it's meant to me personally. You all have validated the dream I had at 12 years old when I first picked up a guitar. For that, I am forever in your debt. God willing, we'll have many more years together. You've made the hard days easy and cold winters warmer. Enjoy this electronic Orphanage and know that no matter where your travels take you, You'll always have a home with us.

Ch-ch-ch-changes, turn and face the strange...

Well, here I find myself looking out at the grey skied morning of 1 January 2003. Hi, how ya'll doin'? I feel the first thing I should do is get you long time readers of this website caught up on the endless saga known as The Orphans. I've run outof creative ways to describe the changes in the band, so here's a synopsis....Keedy and Mykl came back... Mykl left...Keedy thought about leaving but changed her mind when Michael Sean was hired....Michael Sean brought along Dan Walters to play Bass from his other band, King Kong(now known as Bellevue Suite)...Keedy met Royce......Keedy married Royce....Kevin, Keedy, and Royce became the 3 piece acoustic version of The Orphans.....Keedy quit the 4 piece version of The Orphans(Kevin, Keedy, Michael and Dan).....Nicole Brunker was hired to replace Keedy in the 4 piece Orphans.....Keedy wants out of 3 piece Orphans....Nicole starts to prepare for both 3 and 4 piece versions....Keedy wants out of Duo known as me and Keedy so Royce and she can pursue a duo of their own....Nicole prepares for the duo as well.......Kevin goes on a 10 day meandering trip through 18 states and comes back with the conclusion that Michael and Dan need to concentrate on either Bellevue Suite or The Orphans, that both bands are suffering because neither band is being given the proper amount of attention.......Ian Gould, is hired to replace Michael, and then there were three..... Whew! Anyway that's where we stand now.

Now, a little about the new guys......Nicole is a 20 year old powerhouse of a singer/guitarist who is bringing back the fun and the youth to The Orphans in a big way. You may have seen her around the state playing with Larry Lynne and Bootlegger or Rick Holmes and the Stratatones.

Ian, Is from Belfast, Ireland and is an EMI Europe recording artist. He brings with him a fresh approach to the Orphans as well as an impressive vocal range, an expertise on bass and guitar, as well as a myriad of other instruments that has seldom been heard around here.

What to Look For From Us this Year....

All of us, Ian, Nicole and Kevin, are busy writing songs and plan an "original" album this year, I won't jinx it by setting a date... Besides the "Classic" Orphans lineup there will be several Duo's and we will all be out playing solo as well. One of the Duo's that is already out playing is called Gould&Patrick (Ian and Kevin) we have opened for Paul Brady at Shank Hall(Thank you, Peter Jest!) and played several Irish bars around town. Although the Duo is not strictly Irish Music, there is quite a bit, and adds another road less traveled for the Orphans. There will be lots of new music and good times ahead, check back with this newly updated website often, we love playing for you folks and can't wait for the chance!

Unseen Orphans: