Cacaphonics 2

From Ron Wilson,  president:  Many of you have attended my annual Cabin Party along the river over the past years.  For last few years it has also become a fund raiser for FCR,  this year raising almost $900  from contributions, raffle tickets sales for the annual kayak drawing, contributions for CDs, stuffed otters, etc.  I would like to thank all of you who were there this year and made this possible and a special thanks to my son Nathan, who really can work the crowd for money between his music.  I wrote an article for the Morgan Messenger about one of the bands that has been playing at the party or about 20 years and until recently has had no name.  It appears in the September 14 issue in a edited, slightly shorter version.  The original version follows:

Cacaphonics 2

Band Heard Only Once a Year Named After River

A band named after the Cacapon River has been playing at an annual cabin party along the river near Largent for more than 20 years. The unique thing about this band is that it plays only once a year. Ron Wilson started his cabin party in 1986 the year after he bought his rustic cabin on the banks of the river near Largent. His son, Nathan, brought his bands from the Washington area to play. In 1990 the band , Loose Change, started playing, consisting of Joe Chiocca, lead guitar; Eddie O’Brien, guitar; Tad Farrington, drums and Nathan Wilson, bass, and have played every year since. After a few years they stopped playing as Loose Change, all playing in other bands and off onto different careers. However, the group continued to play at Ron’s party each year. Until a few years ago, the band had no name. Ron, who is the President of the Friends of the Cacapon River (FCR), was looking at a very old map of the area and notice the river was spelled as “Cacaphoen.” While the band’s music is far from “ a harsh or discordant sound,” (cacophony - Webster), the similarity seemed to be a good match for a the band name, hence, “The Cacaphonics.”

Joe has been a full-time musician in the Washington, Northern Virginia, area for many years, and can be seen/heard with The Joe Chiocca Band , The Folsom Prisoners, and The Deep Crater Boys. One of Joe’s bands, The Tone Popes, now only plays at Ron’s party. Tad is a lawyer and Eddie an information technology program manager, both in the Maryland suburbs of Washington. Nathan is a full time musician, as is his wife, Jenny, and they live in Morgantown WV and play there, the Deep Creek area, and other venues in WV, Maryland and Pennsylvania, where they appear as the Jenny Wilson Jazz Trio, the Nathan Jazz Duo and Tupelo Honey. Nathan has also played in the Pittsburgh area for a number of years in rock bands, and with Pittsburgh’s Squonk Opera both national and internationally. He still plays with the Opera . The Squonk, with Nathan on bass, made it to the quarter-finals of America’s Got Talent in Los Angeles this summer.

The party has grown in size over the years and has drawn as many as 200 people with about half of them camping overnight. Many of those attending say the quality of the music is one of reasons they come back each year. People have come from as far a way as China, Australia, Belgium and England. Nathan has become a fine salesman for the cause of protecting the river whenever he gets on the mic. Ron’s party has turned into a successful fund raiser for the FCR, with an information booth, canoe/kayak raffle tickets and FCR items for sale.

Many other musicians and bands have played at the party over the years. One year there were 5 organized bands. Jenny’s two kids, are also excellent musicians and often join the different bands, Ava playing bass and Evan on drums. The bands, with professional sound systems, play until late evening, but in respect for the neighbors, move to the campfire and play acoustic music until the wee hours. Midmorning the next day all the musicians gather on the front porch for a jam session, where everyone can join in with anything that makes sounds. There’s no cacophony on the Cacapon when the Cacaphonics are playing.

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