Donate today and help save the music!

What started in a basement in Lake Hiawatha in the early 1970’s turned in to a force of nature with a huge following of love and loyalty that has spanned decades. When it was discovered that there were recordings of the original Haystack Band and versions that followed, the call to get this music out in a more modern format was loud and clear. Reel to reel and cassette tapes were dug out of drawers and closets and the task at hand was to turn these dinosaurs into clear recordings that could be turned into digital files and CD’s in order to share these relics with fans, friends, band mates and their families; many of which had heard colorful stories of this Jersey Jam band but never had the pleasure to actually hear why they were such a big deal, “back in the day”. It might sound simple but the actual task of doing this was monumental. Eric Marcus gathered all of the old tapes and had to procure quite a bit of equipment needed to get the music off of antiquated media and re-record onto something from this century! With the help of Rick Donavan, (the bands “sound guy”) and hours upon hours of painstaking work the dream is almost ready to come to fruition. Unfortunately all good things come with a price. Eric, in the middle of a serious health crisis has paid out of pocket for ALL equipment and engineering costs. He is hoping that with the promise of the fresh recordings becoming available soon, you all might be encouraged to donate in order to help offset all he has had to put out. Eric has a sense of urgency regarding this project as with his and “Texas Ed’s” current health situations and the fact that several former members of the band are no longer with us. If this story in anyway touches your heart my hope is that you touch your wallet and make a donation. As a point of reference, to do this work at an outside studio near where Eric lives it would cost a minimum of $200 per hour. We have DAYS worth of tapes being converted. Personally, I am grateful to have Eric, Rick, Chrissie Summers and Carol Ewing (for starting the FB group) and all those involved with the production process. I only wish George, John, Ray and Gary were still alive and able to hear the music that we all loved so much, just one more time… Thank you in appreciation of your generosity, Rosemary Villani Donations of $50 or more will receive a newly mixed set of CD’s