ShyCloud.com

Music Scene Loses Another Brother

Still reeling from the death of Craig Yerkes, the San Diego Music Scene lost yet another brother Wednesday, with the passing of poet and photographer Billy Brazier, the younger sibling of Louis Brazier of Lestat's Coffee House.

I learned this news a few hours ago from a bulletin posted on MySpace by Kill Poet Press, which was co-run by Billy and a partner. Comments posted there in the hours since have expressed sadness at the news.

I went to grade school and college with Billy's and Lou's aunt Linda, and I first saw the brothers way back in 1975 when they were two of Fagin's Boys for a production of "Oliver!" that I photographed. Their sister Theresa also was in that show.

My heart goes out to all the family members, and also to everyone in the local music scene who are about to be hit with more sadness.

For Craig And Those Who Love Him

I received this e-mail today from Cathryn Beeks:

Good people,

The need to gather, love and remember Craig Yerkes is overwhelming us all right now. With Marcia and Virginia's blessing, Craig's friends have organized a gathering on Sunday, July 27th, at The Boat and Ski Club in Pacific Beach from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Directions can be found at ListenLocalsd.com under VENUES.

This evening, lovingly started by Kristen Cusato, will be open to anyone who wishes to join us. There will be music and donations will be accepted, all monies going to trusts Marcia has set up for Brent and Trevor Yerkes. There are so many people who love Craig, it's impossible to contact them all... please help us spread the word.

Music Scene Mourns Craig Yerkes

Craig Yerkes, the lead guitarist for a San Diego Americana band called The Grams, was killed around 11:30 a.m. Saturday morning in a one-car crash in Bonsall. He and The Grams were scheduled to play at the Ocean Beach Street Fair that afternoon.

Following are some reports about the accident.

KFMB-TV Video About Craig's Accident

SignOnSanDiego.com Article About The Accident

San Diego CityBeat Blog Article With Comments

Photos Of Craig By Dan Chusid With Comments

I didn’t know Craig very well, but I crossed paths with him many times over the last few years when I was out shooting music photos, and I liked him quite a lot. He always was smiling and laughing when I saw him, and that always made me smile too.

On June 14th, my friend Marsi and I made a last-minute decision to accept an invitation from Chuck and Joanna Schiele to go to the house concert The Grams were performing that night in Harbison Canyon, and I’m glad we went, as that wonderful evening will be my last memory of Craig. I shot this photo that night.

My heart is with his sister Marcia, who I know better than I knew Craig, and to his wife Elise and all their family and friends.

Dave Fresina In Boston-Area Paper

Filmmaker David Fresina was interviewed recently by a Boston-area newspaper about his upcoming documentary, "Return to Dwight and Nile."

To read the article from The Patriot Ledger of Quincy, Massachusetts, Click Here.

I was one of the reporters David talked with during his visit to San Diego at the end of March, and I took him to my alma mater, St. Augustine High School, where we met with several faculty members who, like me, were there the day of the crash. I shot this picture of him later that day, at a PSA exhibit inside the San Diego Aerospace Museum.

David has named me Associate Producer of his film.

DMG's Resume On LinkedIn.com

I've found another site that is proving useful. It's called LinkedIn.com and it offers a profile that is mostly just your professional resume.

That allows you to connect with your friends on a professional level. I uploaded my address book, and LinkedIn used it to find all my music and theatre friends, but their occupations all list their day jobs as computer geeks, or whatever they do for their actual livings.

Check out my public profile at:
www.LinkedIn.com/in/shycloud

So, there now are four web sites where you can find me besides ShyCloud.com. The other three are:

Meetup.com
www.Meetup.com/members/2546273/

Facebook.com
www.Facebook.com/profile.php?id=509722634

MySpace.com
www.MySpace.com/shycloud

Red Bull Air Race Returns To SD

I got to attend the Red Bull Air Race over San Diego Bay on Saturday, September 22, 2007, thanks to Larry and Judy Thrall and thanks especially to their friend Mary Ann Williams.

Thanks again to Larry, he and I will be going back again on Sunday for the finals of the 2008 race! Whooo Hoooo!

One of my photos from September is above. To see a gallery of my other pictures from the event, click below:

Red Bull Air Race: San Diego 2007

By the way, people often say that watching one of my slide shows is like being at an event right beside me! To watch any slide show, click on the first picture in a gallery, then click on "Start Slide Show" at the top right corner of the next screen.

So Far DMG Likes Facebook.com

I joined Facebook.com last Thursday, and so far I'm liking it. The site doesn't allow the flashy layouts you see at MySpace.com, but it allows users to add 100s of 3rd party applications that do all sorts of things.

I think most of the applications are goofy, but I have found some I like, including Simply RSS, which will stream this blog entry I am writing here at ShyCloud.com right onto my profile page at Facebook.com!

Check me out on Facebook.com at:
Facebook.com/profile.php?id=509722634

My not-very-flashy MySpace profile is at:
MySpace.com/shycloud

DMG's 1978 PSA Crash Story

Plane crash victims

'People on the floor are the lucky ones'

By David Matt Green
September 25, 1978
Southern Cross Assistant Editor

"The people here on the floor are the lucky ones," said Augustinian Father Tom Bonica. "It's their families who are going to feel the pain."

Father Bonica was standing in the gymnasium of St. Augustine High School in San Diego. Three days earlier he had stood in the same building for a pep rally for the school's football team.

On this day, however, the gym was filled not with enthusiastic students, but with the remains of the victims of the crash between a Boeing 727 and a Cessna 172.

The gymnasium was now a morgue.

Earlier in the day, at a little after 9 a.m., Father Bonica had been one of the first people to reach the scene of the crash.

"I heard the explosion and saw the smoke," Father Bonica said. "I gave general absolution from where I was, then got into a car and drove six or seven blocks to the site of the crash.

"The police were already there. At first they weren't going to let me through, then one officer came over and said, 'If I were one of those people, I would want you there with me, Father.'

"The officer got me into the area, and I anointed about 50 bodies," Father Bonica said. "I've never been involved in anything like this before, and I hope I never go through anything like it again. It was gruesome."

Another Augustinian actually saw the mid-air collision.

"I was standing outside talking to the principal and the vice principal," said Father Jim Clifford. "I happened to look up and I saw the jet and a small plane near it. I said, 'They're too close!' just as the jet started to bank slightly.

"Then the small plane hit the wing of the jet and there was an explosion," Father Clifford continued. "The jet's wing burst into flames and the jet turned right toward the school.

"It looked like it was going to hit us, so I started yelling, 'Run! Run!' But it went down about six blocks from here. It was a sight I'll never forget."

Father Clifford went to the crash site with Father Bonica and two other Augustinians, Fathers John Ranallo and Anthony Wasko, the St. Augustine principal.

A number of students also hurried to the area, according to Bill O'Shaunghnessy, a lay teacher at St. Augustine who also went to the site.

"I saw about a dozen of our kids over there," O'Shaunghnessy said. "They were running up into the flames with little garden hoses, showing no regard for their own lives. I had to keep chasing them back to where they would be safe."

"Return To Dwight And Nile"

Boston filmmaker David Fresina will be in San Diego from late Friday night until Tuesday afternoon, to do pre-production work on his film, "Return to Dwight and Nile," a documentary about the Pacific Southwest Airlines plane crash that killed 144 people in North Park on September 25, 1978.

I was there that day, as a reporter/photographer for the Southern Cross Catholic newspaper, and I shot this photo, which is posted in several places on the Internet. Dave found it and contacted me, and I've been helping him connect with others who were there.

Following is Dave's proposal for the film. If you also were involved with the crash in some way and would like to meet with Dave while he is here, please click on his name above to send him an e-mail. Actual filming will take place in September, around the time of the 30th anniversary of what was then the worst air disaster in American history.

NANTASCOT FILMS

January 25, 2008

Dave Fresina
Hull, MA

NANTASCOT FILMS is an independent production company specializing in short films and documentaries.

SUBJECT: Documentary Film about the 1978 PSA Crash in San Diego

PRODUCER, DIRECTOR, WRITER: David Fresina

WORKING TITLE: “Return to Dwight and Nile”

FORMAT: Mini DV or HD

PROPOSED LENGTH: Approx 80 minutes

STATUS: In pre-production

ABOUT THE DOCUMENTARY: Proposed principal locations will include San Diego International Airport, San Diego Aerospace Museum, the crash site in North Park at Dwight and Nile, St. Augustine High School, various locations in and around San Diego.

Interviews and subjects will include those who witnessed the crash, those who were at the crash site, reporters, photographers, fire/rescue/police, relatives of the crash victims, residents in and around the crash site, PSA employees, FAA/NTSB officials, city officials.

As we approach the 30th anniversary of the disaster, this documentary will serve as a memory of the tragedy, using photos, archival and current film footage, and interviews with persons who were there to witness the event unfold.

The crash of PSA 182 is not only a major part of San Diego and California history, but it is also an important part of aviation history, photo journalism, and American history as it was the worst airplane crash in the USA at the time.

The project is still in the pre-production/research phase as I am seeking persons who are willing to tell their story on film and to return to the crash site on the anniversary in September 2008.

I am also seeking access to the various locations mentioned above as well as archival film footage, photos and perhaps the whereabouts of the remaining wreckage.