Uncle Carmine (Rotolo) is on the right. Aunt JoAnn (my mother's sister) is on the left. And Skippy, with a shaved midsection at the time, due to an operation from wounds he sustained from a fight with a dog about 10 times his size! (Its a long story). This picture was taken many years ago, when my mother, my sister, and me, were still living in Fairlawn, New Jersey. My father, had very sadly (and very unexpectedly) passed away several months after moving there...
Just received a text message from my sister, that my (former) Uncle Carimine has passed away. He was the one that I mentioned, who came up with the idea for the name of our band: "The New Era" when we were still kids, all those years ago. Rest in peace, Carmine, we will never forget you...
I can still remember, last I spoke with him on the phone, some years ago already (and while I was still living in Maryland) we had discussed and caught up on many things (being that we hadn't spoken to each other in quite some time) and during our conversation, he told me a pretty incredible story, in relation to some kind of potential epiphany in his life. So, in the spirit of that, please say hello to eveyone when you get there, Carmine, and pray for us...
One last thing that I thought worth mentioning, for whatever its worth (and which I just remembered) is that my uncle was also pretty smart (in his own sorta' way) and he mentioned something during the last conversation that I had with him (that I mentioned above) which was a total mind blower, and which REALLY made ME think, anyway; and something I will probably never forget. (And it was during that part of our discussion about the events of 9/11, and that I just happened to be living in the very area where the Feds had traced the source of the 2001 anthrax attacks, and also regarding the fact that I was working within the mortgage industry during that same period, and that I was seeing and hearing some pretty suspicious sh*t). He said, something to the effect, that it seems to him, that there is an organization (or corporation) trying to take over the country! (Among other things). Hmm? Some kind of inside information, or knowledge, that he himself had? Not going to go there, but I sorta like knew EXACTLY what he meant. Whoa. What was said after that bombshell (no pun intended) I am NOT going to share here. Just for the record...
Wow. Just remembered that I recently posted the following Music Video to my Twitter account - which is a track about life, and yep, death...
Update - Feb 27th
Yep, just confirmed with my aunt, that Carmine passed away on Feb 24th. The date of this Twitter post! Whoa. I just had that feeling, man...
Finallly, I would like to share the following music video, in memory of my Uncle Carmine. (As he would get this). Ya see, one of the things that we both had in common, my Uncle and me, is that we both loved music. My uncle had a very large record collection, but he was mostly into musical acts like The Temptations, Earth Wind and Fire, etc. (which I also liked) but he also had a pretty open mind, in a hip sort of way. So when I first had my own musical epiphany and discovered Progressive Rock (which had become quite popular back then) and introduced him to the following group, it like had the same effect on him that it had on me. And like myself, it just blew him away when he first heard it. In fact, my friends and I, would sometimes invite him along with us to a few concerts, and the band 'Yes' was one of those groups (and new acts) that we all really dug ALLOT. The following track that I am going to share here, especially blew our minds at the time. And REALLY impressed my uncle, as well. I dedicate this to you, Carmine. Rest in peace, man...
And just revisiting old memories (in a song that I can seriously relate to) of that time in my own life. 'The house that built me.' Yea, says allot...