ALL ABOUT The NEW EARTH BAND – New Earth Band members, their musical bios and pix.

by admin

See the source image

 

ALL ABOUT  THE NEW EARTH BAND

 

New Earth Band at Babylon

    Rick Guinan      Mark Miller      Lee Schappell      Joel Zarska

  The original  NEW EARTH BAND  in the Fall of 2007      

 

The NEW EARTH BAND  is comprised of committed, active believers from Southeastern Pennsylvania.  Our passion is sharing, in song and testimony, the Good News of the Gospel and the soon return of Jesus Christ   Our organic, good-time music is a loose and easy, down-home blend of Country Gospel, with a smattering of Traditional Country, and a pinch of Southern Gospel.

Each musical selection is carefully chosen for the purpose of communicating a positive, uplifting message that’s firmly rooted and grounded in the Scriptures.  The NEW EARTH BAND  is verily a gospel ministry, delivering the undiluted Word of God  in easy-to-assimilate 5-minute segments!

*  *  *

 It was in  January of 2010 that bassist Harry Wilkinson joined our ranks, in the wake of Joel Zarska‘s  departure, to pursue new directions.  We continue to wish Joel all the very best, as he applies his numerous God-given talents to the advancement of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

However, following a lengthy absence due to illness which extended through the greater portion of 2010, bassist Harry Wilkinson opted near year’s end not to return to The NEW EARTH BAND.   Our prayers remain with Harry for his temporal and eternal well-being.

*  *  *

The inimitable Warren “Mose” Boyer  came on board in early 2010, accompanied by his earthy, gritty fiddle-work.   As our gentle, warm-and-fuzzy version of Charlie Daniels, Mose dazzled audiences with his down-home licks and fills, as well as with his “break-my-heart” solo work.  And then, during Harry Wilkinson’s  lengthy illness, Mose turned in an equally-fantastic job for us, filling in on bass for much of that year!

 

In Mid-Summer 2010, The NEW EARTH BAND looked like this …

 

Rick, Lee, Markie, and Mose

Mark,    Rick,        Lee,      Mose

 

Mose on fiddle 100_2145

WARREN  L. ”Mose” BOYER   (10/11/1927  –  09/13/2011)

With immeasurable fondness now, we remember the Grand Master, Warren ”Mose” Boyer – those  two incredibly fun-filled years with The NEW EARTH BAND  —  and a grand total of  77  years of making music of every genre,  from rock’n’roll and pop, to classical and country, as well as his seven years as the full-time organist at St. John’s United Church of Christ, also known as Hain’s Church, Wernersville, PA.

Mose is best remembered by far for those eighteen great years that he spent as the lead-man of the Top-40 icon band “The Cat-a-lacs”, whose home turf was Weller’s Tavern, in the pleasant Reading, PA,  suburb of West Lawn.    Warren could play nearly every and any musical instrument, because he had made his living in musical instrument sales at The Eckert Brothers Music, in downtown Reading.

You really don’t ever replace a Mose Boyer, because that cannot be done!  You simply continue moving in a forward direction, and miss him continuously, which we most certainly have done!  “The Moser” played fiddle on seven tracks of The NEW EARTH BAND’s second CD, “Gospel Truth”, which we absolutely guarantee you’ll love – particularly the tracks “Rock of Ages” and “Tell Me the Story of Jesus” – so earthy, so gritty, so gooood!!  You can pick up a copy right here – click the “Gospel Truth” icon, just a few paragraphs below. scan0002

 *  *  *

Then, at the beginning of 2011, we introduced a new but so thoroughly-seasoned veteran bassist,  Stan Witinski, affectionately-dubbed “Stan-the-Man Unusual”, who brought with him a well-rounded resume, a massive volume of Tales of the Trade” stories, and a great big bucket-load of laughs.  Dependable , loyal and so true, Stan always delivered the goods!

NEB Stan Rick Lee Mark 869

 Stan                     Rick            Mark                Lee

 

*  *  *

 

Stan Smith Witinski

Stanley  L. Witinski   (08/05/1943  – 06/26/2016)

Remembering The NEW EARTH BAND bassist and beloved friend Stan Witinski.  Stan was not only a superb bassist, but he was also a fine pianist and organist, having played keyboards for many years with Bobby Newton & The Band.  Stan, whose father was an icon in motorcycle racing, had a long and well-traveled career in rock, pop, blues, and jazz, dating back to the late 1950′s, playing with more headliner bands than memory allows – including Rock’n’Roll pioneer Chuck Berry -before ultimately joining The NEW EARTH BAND in January of 2011.  Pleasant, easy, and so agreeable, Stanley L. “Smith”  Witinski was truly loved by all.  To say Stan will be sorely missed would constitute the understatement of the 21st Century.

*  *  *

During the school year, Stan drove school bus for the Berks County Intermediate Unit  by day.  This situation opened up the opportunity for our good friend, Gary Yerger, an ally from our gigs at the Mohnton Navy Yard Galley, to sub for Stan on bass, whenever we had an afternoon gig to play.  It was more than  providential for us  at Stan’s sudden and untimely passing, that The NEW EARTH BAND  was blessed to have a fully-prepared bassist who knew us and our music so well,  and who would be able to immediately step into the gap, that we could continue moving forward.
NEB Oct 2016

Gary                      Lee                Mark                 Rick

 

Current members of The  NEW EARTH BAND  are:  Lee “Little Buford” Schappell, guitar and vocals; “Marvelous Markie” Miller, guitar, Dobro and vocals, Rick “Slim” Guinan, harmonica, and bassist Gary “Choo-Choo” Yerger.

The individual band members come from extensive and varied musical backgrounds.   Rick’s  past experience was “harping”and bending those notes in blues bands, while Markie has been comfortably grounded in bluegrass and traditional country since time immemorial.  

Gary is living out his geriatric fantasy, having retired from a long and successful career as an electrical engineer, while filling those in-between moments with playing his guitar, primarily for his own pleasure, until … well, until Gary’s daughter, Yvonne Hartman,drafted him to play bass with her Contemporary Christian band. Then came Stan’s sudden passing, on which occasion Gary joined the ranks of  The NEW EARTH BAND  full-time.

Lee  is an old, reformed rock’n’roller with a feel for the raw rock-a-billy and country roots of the  1950’s.   Lee slurped a brief “cup of coffee” (oh yes, it was decaffeinated!) with Cameo Records  (C-194)  as LeRoy & His Rockin’ Fellers  in 1961.  Here’s the link to the Cameo-Parkway discography   >>>

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Cameo-Parkway-Fan-Page/106406212753244 – yup!

Now, when you’re done there, you’ll want to check out the LeRoy & His Rockin’ Fellers  page link, which you’ll find at the upper right of this screen, under the “Pages” heading.

Now … when all of these diversified influences  were carefully blended together and brought to a low simmer, they formed the nucleus and foundation for the unique sound that, today, comprises and defines The NEW EARTH BAND.

 ”Wait a minute … wait a minute!  Stan told you he’s HOW OLD?

 “Hey, Slim.  Is that your stomach growling, or is it mine?”

 

If you would like to purchase The NEW EARTH BAND’s  CD’s, you can reach us directly via email at  thenewearthband@gmail.com .

 

The NEW EARTH BAND  performs for church functions, from a full concert to a music night, a youth gathering, a seniors group, to special music for the worship hour.  We also play at personal-care homes and residential facilities, in coffee house settings, community centers and outdoor events, and  have performed three concerts at Berks County Prison.  And yes, wonder of wonders, they let us out again!

We sincerely hope you enjoy our music and are lifted up by the messages God entrusts to us … and …

If you would like The NEW EARTH BAND  to bring its bouncy, happy, throwback Gospel music to your group or occasion, please email us at  thenewearthband@gmail.com .

 

Yo!  Hey!!  Hey!!   You wanna see something that we guarantee you’ve absolutely never seen before?  Or for a precious few of you, do you wanna see something you haven’t seen in a long while?  Click on “The Time Machine”  link, at the upper right of the screen, under “Pages”.

 

{ 0 comments… add one now }