How to go
Who: The Stumps
Where: Fraze Pavilion, 695 Lincoln Park Blvd., Kettering
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12
Cost: Free
More info: (937) 296-3300 or www.fraze.com
Artist info: www.stumpsdayton.com
Once you’ve been bitten by the rock’n bug, it’s hard to shake, a situation Mark Fraze knows all too well. This summer the Dayton native returned from his adoptive home in Arizona to reform The Stumps, a local rock band he fronted from 1963-72.
“I’m semiretired now so I had time to come get the band back together, and I wanted to play as much as possible,” Fraze said. “I don’t care — I’m here to play anywhere, anytime for anybody.”
The current lineup — original members Fraze (bass), Jim Daily (guitar, harmonica), John De Boer (keyboards, flute), Kenny Collins (guitar, harmonica) and new recruit Gary Marcum (drums, percussion) — has performed frequently at area clubs since the spring.
“The first Phone Booth weekend was through the roof,” Marcum said. “We draw well south of town — lots of dancing. The band is better this year from all of the gigs we’ve played. We have an older crowd, but when the young’uns stumble upon us, they have a blast.”
The Stumps, who played a one-off show at Fraze Pavilion last summer, have a return engagement on Wednesday, Aug. 12. Fraze is the son of Ermal Fraze, inventor of the pop-top aluminum can and the namesake of the outdoor amphitheater in Kettering.
“It’s fun to have a Fraze on the Fraze stage,” general manager Karen Durham said. “They were just getting together to play their reunion at Fairmont last year and took a shot at talking to Mark. I said, ‘Would you ever want to play here?’ He was like, ‘Oh my God, yes!’ It was cool to be able to offer that.”
And for Fraze, the experience was as good as he had hoped.
“We had such a good time last year,” he said. “I can’t wait to get back and play there again after doing all these club dates.”
Fraze credits his mother’s love of music for not only fostering his rock ’n’ roll addiction, but for also making the concert venue a reality.
“It’s neat for me because my mom is really the one who got me interested in music and pushed me along,” Fraze said. “She’s 91 now and she still enjoys it. It’s really amazing.”
Durham says the family’s impact on local culture can’t be discounted.
“The whole Fraze family has been enormously supportive of what we’ve done here,” she said. “They’ve truly helped make this place a success. I think the region should be very thankful they opened their checkbooks to put us on the map.”
Contact contributing arts and music writer Don Thrasher at donaldthrasher8@aol.com.
About the Author