**Mid Life Crisis**

When you hear someone say "Mid Life Crisis," what do you think off?

My thoughts drift to the dilemma we all face as years pass by...and much faster as we get older...the wrinkling of face, body and ego. In this case, the connotation is totally different.

Mid Life Crisis...can you think of a better title to be used by a group of fledgling musicians who feel reborn after many years of drifting. This is not to suggest these musicians drifted around without direction. They had direction but it was opposite. What brought these musicians back together? A little bit of fate and a reunion.

The pleasant mixture of sounds is the creative genius of Dan Cavaluzzo on guitar, Neal Platt on keyboard, Artie Schwartz on bass guitar, Tom Motika on lead guitar and Tony Saccone on drums. Each of these superb musicians back the harmonic voice of lead singer Anton Mure who reminds me a little of the kid from the Bronx, Dion.

Their roots go back to the early 60's when, while still in Junior High School, Anton and Dan played in a band known as The Other Culture. They experimented with cutting edge, harmony based stuff (Vanilla Fudge, Cream, Vagrants).  This venue of sound was not acceptable yet, but would eventually find its way into the annals of music. Behind them in years and equally talented were Neal and Artie who looked to their peers for guidance. They didn't join forces but drifted along separately for many years honing their musical skills privately.

It was the early 90's when Anton and Danny had a revelation. They toyed with the idea of having a reunion...of their old band and their alma mater, Hicksville High School. This was in 1991 and the thought materialized into a get together at the Hicksville VFW hall with approximately 90 people in attendance. The next year, 1992, Anton and Dan are introduced to Neal and Artie (they were in later years in high school). The effort saw a second reunion in excess of 200 people.

The thought was to continue the reunion tradition because it was a nice thing for HHS alumni...and it was a chance for the band to be together. The original group of Anton, Danny, Neal and Artie is growing. Now included is Jim Powers on strong lead guitar, Matty Errico on drums and a welcome addition of Ken Grossman on keyboards (note to Carolyn Wood Imbrie...this guy can actually read music...haha). It would be two years, however, before they perform in front of a reunion crowd.

There is a logistics problem...finding a hall large enough to house the growing numbers of reunion goers. There is nothing in the vicinity of Hicksville that can handle larger crowds. The band is astonished when 450 people show up at the VFW Hall in Deer Park that night in 1994. What next??? The word is out and people are flocking from all over the island and the metro New York area.

During the lull period from 1992 to 1994, the band rehearsed quite a few times establishing a sound that was unique. Following the '94 reunion, the boys "disbanded" for several years. There were numerous requests for another reunion but business and family commitments negated the reunion idea, at least for the moment.

In 2000, with the new millennium at hand, the guys talked about a big reunion with a thousand people attending. They did some homework and discovered the only way to succeed with such a large-scale reunion was to commit to a site that could handle large crowds. Looking around at perspective clubs was a chore because not every site is capable of catering to all aspects of a reunion. There are a lot of loose ends to consider and the end result was to have a mega reunion at the Huntington Town House. They would handle all aspects for a reasonable fee. That done, they could now concentrate on their music.

Rich and wife Peg  O'Neill Delia promoted the reunion and did an awesome job coordinating the logistics angles. Ticket sales were incredible with each day seeing hundreds of requests come their way. To make a long story short, the end result was almost 1700 raving, Hicksville lunatics packing themselves into the town house. There was an unfortunate outcome despite the success. Holly Horton, who was undaunted in contacting people and establishing a website that had pictures, vignettes and advice, passed away several days before the reunion took place. You could sense the excitement she was experiencing when talking with her. The anticipation of seeing friends was partially responsible for the enthusiasm she displayed. We all missed her and thank her in prayer each day for the role she played in getting us all together.

Getting back to Anton Mure and his ass kicking Mid Life Crisis band.

That night at the town house was the catalyst the boys needed to continue their act. They now play around long island several times a month. As for the name...it was the suggestion of a co worker of Bob Leo who was with the band previously.

Anton is in the physical fitness business since 1975. He has his own business in Jericho and is married with a four year old daughter (...you read it right...4 years old...). His favorite color is pink and his pet peeve is bald men with pony tails.

How do you feel about "just" bald guys, Anton???