A Fallen Hero

Do you remember where you were when you heard about the Space Shuttle blowing up? How about September 11th, 2001?  April 17th will be one of those milestone days for me because I was sitting at Starbucks, uploading band photos from the previous night when I read about the demise of Jimmy Pagano.  My first thoughts were - was it a car accident or a heart attack?  I would never have imagined him getting involved with a bar fight (trying to help the bartender collect on a bar tab).  He was definitely not a figher.  The most physical he would get would be to give you a hug!

In the other hand, Jimmy was a soldier.  He was one of the few people I knew who fought for the right of local bands to have an audience.  He was proud of his history of holding jam sessions at local bars so that musicians could network and get an extra day of playing in front of a live audience instead of their garages.    If you were part of his Facebook friends network, you probably remember how frustrated he would get with people who promised to come out and see him or his bands play but didn't show up.  While he used Facebook extensively to keep in touch with his extensive network of friends, he really believed in the power of seeing people in person.  I remember how happy he was to see me last time I saw him.  It's one thing to communicate online - it's another to follow up with a personal visit.

On April 17th, I changed my profile photo to show a flag at half mast because Jimmy is a fallen hero and it's the only way I know to honor him for all the hard work he has done for our local music scene.  I am not sure who is going to trace that bad wire next time I attend a local band's concert.  I am not sure who I will approach next time with my ideas for a local music festival.  All I know is that his hard work did not go un-noticed and he will be missed by everyone.

The newspaper and mass media called him a drummer.  I am not sure how Jimmy would have felt about that description.  Sure, he played the drums, but that is not how he wanted to be remembered.  His Facebook page says exactly how he wanted to be known.  Here's what it says: "Promotions/ General Manager/ Event Producer/Coordinator at Self Employed  who Studied at The School of Life.  He Lived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida From Bedford, New York Born on January 4, (1957)."  May he continue to live in the hearts of us all for ever and ever.

More photos and event listings can be found at http://www.weekendbroward.com/