NJ's longest Midlife Crisis? This Allendale band is still rocking after 30 years

ALLENDALE — After 30 years, there's one midlife crisis in the borough that shows no signs of ending.

In fact, the eight Allendale musicians who comprise the Midlife Crisis Band say they'll continue their quest for rock perfection "until we're 80," health and interest permitting.

Most of the band ‒ lead singer Dan Manning, lead guitarist Gene Getto, bass player Jim Onesios, drummer Bill Jaremko, saxophonists Bruce Firkins and Mark Weidner and trumpeter George Piltz ‒ have been playing together since 1992, when they met as members of an Allendale Newcomers dinner group.

After comparing notes on youthful musical experiences during Friday night sunset picnics at Crestwood Lake, they finally agreed they should get together and jam. Their combined talents were confirmed when they won the 1994 Allendale Centennial Battle of the Bands.

With a lineup now in their 60s and 70s, Midlife Crisis has carved out a place in the hearts of borough music fans, after years of playing local bars, birthday parties, backyard barbecues and charity events.

The group will celebrate their 30th anniversary with a performance at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 16, at Crestwood Lake, part of Allendale's "Events at the Lake" series, which is open to the public.

"The key to staying together all this time is that we don't take ourselves too seriously," Firkins said. "We stay grounded."

The band's name is frequently questioned, said lead guitarist Getto, since the performers are now mostly retired with grandchildren. But suggestions of shortening their name to a hipper "Crisis" have fallen by the wayside.

"We had a conversation about it," Getto said. "We decided if the Rolling Stones hadn't changed their name in 50 years, why should we?"

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Diverse backgrounds

The members come from diverse musical backgrounds.

Getto's first band, "Central Nerve," included drummer Andrew "Babe" Pace, who eventually scored a big hit in 1990 with C&C Music Factory's "Everybody Dance Now." Weidner played with the University of Illinois Marching Illini − "at least the first time I was enrolled as a student."

Manning says he was recording and playing gigs with a band at age 14 when his manager was arrested on embezzlement charges at an airport as they arrived home from a road trip.

"We said to the agent, 'How are we getting home? We can't drive!'" Manning said. "The agent said, 'Call your parents, kid' and left. We never saw the agent again."

Jaremko played guitar in high school and college but switched to drums when advised that the band's guitar section was full. Weidner said he, Piltz and Firkins had to talk their way into the group.

"When we first suggested the band needed a higher 'voice' they said 'uh no, we're a guitar band,'" Weidner said. "But they took us."

Ellie Linder, who calls herself "Allendale's piano teacher," is the band's newest member playing her first concert with them July 16. She was recruited to fill the keyboard vacancy by Jaremko, whose daughter had studied with her.

Linder declines to say where she falls on the midlife crisis age spectrum, but says her musical talents evolved along more classical lines, including "viola, horribly," and flute.

60s playlist

Of the 34 songs in the band's two-set list, 21 are from the the 1960s and nine from the 70s. The Beatles constitute the largest segment, with seven songs, followed by Van Morrison with five. Manning's wife, Joyce, has repeatedly urged them to add more modern songs.

"We have new material," Manning said, waving at the list. "We've added Beatles songs we haven't played before."

The band's one bow to the 21st century is their version of Bruno Mars' "Uptown Funk." Their oldest song is Robert Johnson's "Sweet Home Chicago" from 1936, best known in the version performed by Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi in the 1980 movie "Blues Brothers." But the band cites inspiration from Eric Clapton's version of the song.

They don't take requests, Manning said. Firkins added they also don't allow impromptu audience participation.

"We've found over time people can't sing, or don't know the words," he said.

Midlife Crisis has seen at least one crisis: At one Memorial Day weekend party a group of British rugby players tried to take over the band's instruments.

"We had to say, 'hey guys, these aren't toys,'" Firkins said. "They were pretty good about it."

An ongoing joke in the band concerns the identity of their "leader." Manning says he most often gets the title because "I talk the most," and he sings about half the group's songs. Others agree "Dan thinks he's the leader," but that the duties are more spread out.

"Gene keeps track of the music, Jim is our technical person who keeps everything wired, and Mark keeps track of the brass section," Firkins said.

While the group takes inspiration from the Rolling Stones, not one of the septuagenarian rockers' songs graces a Midlife Crisis concert. What gives?

"It's hard to do Mick Jagger," said Manning, the lead singer.

Borough Council President Amy Wilczynski calls the band "a long time staple of fun and great music in Allendale."

"They are a fan favorite and draw hundreds of people to their concerts with everyone singing and dancing throughout the night," Wilczynski said.

Marsha Stoltz is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: stoltz@northjersey.com

Twitter: @marsha_stoltz

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Bergen County NJ's Midlife Crisis marks 30th anniversary