This is a re-release of Marv in the Morning Episode 87, as some listeners experienced technical problems with that episode’s audio. Episode 88 will be released Friday 2/13 according to the regular schedule.
— Automated Transcript —
Welcome to the Marv in the Morning podcast. Now, here’s Marv.
And here we go again, my podcast friend, with another episode of the Marv in the Morning podcast on the Fort Not Lost in the Woods Podcast site. Brought to you by the Bank of Crocker, Paul’s Furniture, Shelter Insurance Agent, Dave Hollen of Richland, St. Robert Auto Supply, Seeker Toyota, the Pulaski County Health Center, STR Glass of St. Robert, the VFW Post 3168 of Leakway, TK’s Pizza, and Bales Construction.
Welcome to February, and let’s hope the normal temps for this time of the year hold true. Normals are nearing 50 degrees as we head toward Valentine’s Day and daily temps, even near 50, will be welcomed by all non-Eskimos that I know.
The start of January was okay, but the latter part of the month got right cold. Overnight lows and those afternoon highs were well below normal. But we did escape some of the nastiest of Old Man Winter. Parts of the South and Southeast of the U.S. got ice. And as of earlier this week, all power had not been restored and temps and wind chill indexes were well below the norm and abnormal for Florida.
I still remember the ice storm we had several years ago and being without power for 14 days. Thank goodness for a spring on the farm, a wood stove to keep warm while sleeping on the floor in the living room. It taught me a lot about survival of the fittest and thank God I married a good woman.
One thing I found out the hard way while our snowfall was a dry snow and removal from the vehicles and porches was rather easy. When it started melting, it was still snow. And while there was not a lot of moisture in it, when temps finally got above freezing last Sunday, the packed snow, which was easy to navigate with boots on, when you found a place that had been trampled, that snow melting made it a little slick.
And my truck was parked on a very slight hill on Sunday. I went to get into the truck in the afternoon with a little bit of sun shining. Hit one of those slick spots and my butt ended up partially under the truck. As I went down and started sliding down that little embankment.
I used the running boards of the truck to pull my fattiest butt out from under the carriage. Got to my feet and decided I needed to move the truck. It meant traveling a little bit more in the snow to get to it, but it was better than the tumble I took and while it wasn’t all that bad because I’ve fallen in snow before, like most of us, ending up partially under the vehicle was not something I want to experience again.
Maybe you know, why is February such a busy month? Maybe because we needed January to recover from the holidays before we got hit with more ways to watch our money go down the drain. I don’t know.
We made it past Groundhog Day, and the rodent in Pennsylvania, Punxsutawney Phil, predicted six more weeks of winter when he saw his shadow. This stems from some old farmer’s predictions years ago, and those in Pennsylvania turned it into a national thing, and let’s face it, it’s all for show. The third week of March is the first day of spring, which is about, guess what, six weeks away.
Also, when they bring the groundhog out of his condo, the sun’s not even over the horizon. So there’s no shadow yet. If they use a light to see his shadow, that’s just flat cheating. I’ll take six more weeks of the winter we had around Christmas, or even six weeks of normal temps. But that is not a given.
We call February the super month. The early days of the NFL’s big game, it came on the last Sunday in January, but then with the addition of the wild card teams, more weeks were needed to complete the bracket for Super Sunday, and more time needed to get the halftime show ready, and of course, more time needed for the networks to promote the big event, and we’ll have more on that in sports coming up.
February is also music’s big night, the Grammys, which was last Sunday. And then there’s Valentine’s Day coming up on the 14th. And also in February is NASCAR’s biggest race of the year, which is their Super Bowl, the kickoff to their season, the Daytona 500.
Then add to the fun the 2026 Winter Olympics this year will air from Italy all month. I hope Lindsey Vonn, one of the great American downhillers in skiing, could pick up a medal in her last Olympics, but crashed last week going down the mountain saw her airlifted off the hill. She said she’ll be back, but the medical assessments on her body will be the determining factor. But I, along with hopefully other Americans, are praying for her return.
They don’t come any more determined than Lindsey Vonn. And the green light to compete will be a great American story. And right now, America is needing a few good stories to squelch the negative vibes in the U.S.A. that’s going around the world. News came Monday, Vonn will be ready. The injury was not career ending and go, Lindsey.
Then there is spring training in Florida and Arizona, as the Major League Baseball season gears up for the boys of summer as they get ready to play ball. And that’s my favorite sign that spring is on the way.
Now, can somebody explain to me why some news reporters got arrested at a church in Minnesota that was holding a protest meeting? Yes, they were interviewing the protesters. But is that a crime inside a church? Or did these news reporters organize this protest to get some new stories? Do something the Department of Justice disagrees with and the hammer comes down. If it’s not a crime, that department can find a way to make it one.
Today on the podcast, we go back to the radio station I used to work for and visit with a retired Army veteran who took a part-time job at the station and was also a member of the 399th Army Band, which is now a band in the history books. Here’s a little teaser. One of my stories is the 399th Army Band’s gig was opening up for a three-dog night concert on the same stage Buddy Holly played days before the plane crash that took his life on the day the music died. An interesting chat with Steve Law is coming up next.
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### Interview with Steve Law
On the podcast this week, we visit with another returning guest, one of my favorites, because like some of my other guests I have, all you have to do is say, “Hi, Steve Law, how are you doing?” And Steve takes over. Hey, thanks for visiting with us.
Oh, no problem. I like being here.
Yeah. Steve is a former colleague at the radio station I used to work for. Steve is still there, and we’re going to talk a little bit about that right off the get-go. Apparently, you got some changes coming up, huh?
There’s some things on the horizon. I don’t know if I’m at liberty to say too much, but I do know that there are going to be changes coming to the KJPW, KFBD, KOZQ, KKIK Four-station conglomerate here in Waynesville, St. Robert. Changes for the good. Of course, that’s an opinion, but, you know, I I really can’t speculate too much on what’s happening because we haven’t really been told what’s happening, but they just said, “We’re looking forward to some positive movement forward.” So we’ll keep that, keep our fingers crossed on that and see how that goes. Until then, I’ll just keep playing the music that I’m playing.
Since we lost our jobs back in May of 2024.
2024.
Two years now.
Wow. Man. The station has been sold two more times.
Yes. That is what’s going on. It’s in the process of being changed over into another hand right now and uh, I don’t I don’t think I should say anything more about that, but looking forward to some positive changes.
That sounds that sounds good. Good enough for me. No, I’m not coming back, by the way.
Oh, man.
At least at this point in time.
Oh, there goes our softball team.
First off, I haven’t been asked, officially. I’ve been talked to several times, but I’m kind of really enjoying this podcast stuff.
Well, why not? You can do it on your own terms.
Yeah. And coming here and I really didn’t think last week’s podcast was going to happen with the weather. Now, you are from the Minnesota area.
Yes.
Where temperatures get a hell of a lot colder than we had. And I had 20 below at my house. Uh, that one Sunday morning, the morning of the AFC and NFC championship games. I said on the podcast last week, I was up at 3:00 in the morning firing up vehicles that I just never thought we’re going to start at 20 below zero because I have never experienced 20 below zero.
My brother Jim lives up in Ely, Minnesota, and he was telling me it was it was probably in the 40s, 40, 45, somewhere around there below.
Below.
Below zero, yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. So yeah.
But people up in Minnesota are more accustomed to the cold weather. I mean, you have the heaters on the vehicles to keep them running. The water pipes are buried far below ground compared to what they are here. If we get six inches to a foot underground, you know, we’re doing good. Of course, we don’t we don’t expect these cold Arctic air blasts and this global warming stuff. On that noise, that’s what I said when I got into that truck at 3:00 in the morning. Global warming my butt.
The reason I really got you here, Yeah. is because you are retired military. While you were in the United States Army, you were a member of the 399th Army Band.
That was my last duty station. Yes, it was right here at Fort Leonard Wood with the 399th Army Band.
That was one of the neatest bands. I mean, you guys played everything. You of course, you used to come into the radio station around Christmas time and perform a little 15, 20-minute gig. Yes. The musicians in the 399th Army Band are just that. They are musicians. Yes. You guys are good.
Oh, yeah.
You know, I mean, you don’t make the band if like we would say maybe a shade tree mechanic. No, you have got to perform and be good to make the Army band.
And actually, in the last 30 years, it has become more of an elite musician ship through that, uh, through the transition of many bands to few bands. So, it’s it’s even tougher and the musicianship has actually gotten a lot better. I I don’t want to say better, but the musicians that since there’s so few of them, they can be more particular as to who they choose to join the Army band.
The 399th Army Band, that is not just the 399th Army Band at Fort Leonard Wood, is it?
Yes. Yes.
Oh, it is just at Fort Leonard Wood.
It was. Yes, yes. Until until they left last year. Yes, until they were deactivated. Yeah, there was when I joined the Army, and I hope you don’t mind me doing a little history lesson here. When I joined the Army Band system in 1984, there was over 50 bands throughout the United States and the world. Actually, that was during the Cold War. There was actually eight active duty bands in Europe alone. Um, and then through the years, after the Gulf War, they they uh, drew down into the 30s and then they kept drawing down. And because of budget cuts and because of, you know, the invention of um, electronic music being a little more available. They’ve, you know, decided that they didn’t need as many. So now we’re down to 15 active duty bands. Um, the general purpose of the Army bands, when I joined, there was a three-pronged thing. It was um esprit de corps for the troops. It was ceremonial, you know, doing different ceremonies and stuff. And then it was, of course, public support. That’s where the 399th Army Band excelled in my opinion was because there were so many schools at Fort Leonard Wood. You had basic training, you had the MPs and the uh, radiological and the chemical corps, Yeah. and then the engineers. So, it was essential to have a band here. And this is one of the things that I’m confused about is that if if two of our three missions are for support of the Army, why shouldn’t there be a band at the places where the Army schools are? Um, we still have a band for some reason in Heidelberg, Germany. And there’s not a lot of support, troop support, and morale over there that I can see. I know in as a cynical view, I could say the reason they have it over there is so that people guys can still go to Europe. They’d rather go to Europe than Missouri. Go figure. But that’s just a cynical view of the whole thing. They have their reasons for the reasons that they cut the bands that they cut and they went with what they did. When I joined as well, it was a situation where you could join out of high school. And if when they um, auditioned you, they auditioned you on your potential. Not on how good you were, but how good you could become. And so then you went to basic training and you learned how to be a soldier. Then you went to the Army School of Music for six months and you learned how to be a musician. They actually said that when we first got to the Army School of Music. They said, “You just learned how to be a soldier, now you’re going to learn how to be a bandsman.” And they taught us for six months, you know, music theory and ear training and marching band and concert band and jazz band and you learned all the traits of being an Army bandsman and then you went out to the band and you did it. Well, now they’ve actually with the 15 bands, being so select that they are, they don’t need the school of music anymore. So they’re actually from what I understand, getting rid of the school of music and you’re just going to go straight to a band and you’re going to play. My opinion on this whole thing is that back then, you learned how to be an Army bandsman and then you went and you became a good band. Nowadays, you have good musicians who go to bands and then they have to learn how to play well together and it’s in some some instances you you may have better musicians, but you don’t have a good total band sound. And that’s just my opinion.
Well, it takes a little bit longer also. Yeah. If you are just joining a band to come together and make a good sound.
Yeah, it’s I I equate it to sports. Missouri S&T, I I talked to Coach Bill Walker about this last year when they went to the national tournament and all that. I said, “You know, the year before you had a lot of good players, but this year you have a good team.” And that’s the difference. It’s about the team. It’s not about the individuals, it’s about the team. And in the Army Band system, I don’t want to cause problems, but it feels like I I don’t know that there’s so much concerned about the team as they are about the individual. And that’s sad.
You were the 399th Army Band here at Fort Leonard Wood, and we’ll talk about some of the locations you’ve played around here. But you were also in bands across the pond and have played in several different locations. Where are some of the places you’ve played overseas?
Well, my first station as a 19-year-old kid out of high school was I was stationed in Germany in 1985 to 1987 in the middle of the Cold War. Playing music and getting paid to be in Europe. That was a good gig.
I bet so. Where you playing in Europe?
I we played in, well, I was stationed in a little town called Bad Kreuznach, which is down by the French border in in West Ger what was West Germany. And then I played in nine different countries while I was there. I played in Denmark and and Switzerland and Austria and, boy, uh, Belgium and Nijmegen, Holland, and France. Uh, we were all over the place and it was a lot of fun. We traveled a lot. We played a lot. We did a lot of outreach programs. We did a lot of we still did a lot of military programs because at that time there was a huge U.S. military presence over in Germany. So we played, you know, freezing cold February up in Baumholder, Germany for uh uh Army school graduation and stuff. And we did a lot of different things like that. It was a lot of fun. It was a great place to for me to cut my teeth. And a lot of good people. Again, we had a great group of people that made a great band. And that’s what made it a lot a lot better was just having great musicianship.
Did you get in on any of the Oom-pah-pah music?
Oh, yes. Oh, yes. We always went to play in the summertime we’d go to small towns and play their fests, you know, and you’d go to like I don’t even know I’ll just say Rüdesheim. I don’t I don’t remember the names of the towns, but you’d go walk into this town and there’d be a fest tent that was three blocks long and you’d be playing on one end and they’d be celebrating like their 1500th anniversary of the town. You know, so and and the whole town, I I always said I was spoiled for audiences over there because from 8 to 80, it didn’t matter what kind of music you played, they came to listen to you. And we would play a lot of German traditional German songs. We’d play marches. We even had a rock band and a jazz band and we would play some of the current hits of the time. Like I was in the rock band and we played Billy Idol and Simple Minds and different things like that and Huey Lewis. And and with the jazz bands and stuff. And no matter who what we played, as long as we played it and we were in their tent, they were dancing and they were loving it. It was a lot of fun.
Now you played one of the key instruments uh that is in Germany and that’s the tuba.
Yes. Yes. I am born and raised a tuba player.
I have never seen and I’ve been in music for a long time at the radio station. I’ve I’ve been to I don’t know how many concerts. I have never seen a tuba in a rock band.
Well, that’s because I also sing. So I sang with the rock band. I didn’t play tuba in the rock band.
Oh, okay.
No. No. I I should have I should have clarified that. But I did play tuba in the jazz band every once in a while.
I can understand a tuba in the jazz band, but of course, I never thought I’d ever see a flute in a rock band, but Jethro Tull proved me wrong on that one.
You proved me wrong. Yeah. Yep. And Jim Horn playing flute solos on all those 70s disco songs and all that stuff. Yep. But yeah, from Germany I went to Colorado and was stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado and Colorado Springs for about nine months before I got out of the Army the first time. Then I was um in Minnesota working in radio, but I was in the Minnesota National Guard Band. And that was great, too. We got to play Vikings games and different things. And being in the National Guard Band is a little bit different because you only play one weekend a month and then two weeks in the summertime. But I it kept me in the military. So that in 1998, when I was tired of living paycheck to paycheck in radio, I uh decided to go back active duty. And that was a good good choice on my part because all I had to do was just transfer back over and I ended I ended up in San Antonio, Texas, which is one of the most beautiful cities in the United States, by the way.
I’ve heard that. Yes.
Before you go off this mortal coil, go to San Antonio, Texas just for uh three, four days. You’re going to absolutely love it. It’s it it doesn’t look, you know, you think of Texas and you think of the plains and the the the the longhorns and all that. San Antonio looks nothing like that and it’s absolutely gorgeous for a big city. It is one of the prettiest big cities I’ve ever seen.
Well, doesn’t San Antonio have a river that runs through it and The River Walk.
The River Walk, yep.
The River Walk is I see that on the you bet it’s got to be amazing.
Oh, it is.
Just walk along there, there’s shops and there’s restaurants and then about a block and a half away is the Alamo. So you just walk up and see the Alamo, which is weird because if you look at pictures of the Alamo, it always looks like it’s out in the middle of nowhere because they have one angle where you can take a picture and there’s no buildings. But it’s right in the middle of downtown. There’s skyscrapers all over the place.
Really? Now that that amazes me.
It freaked me out when I first time I saw it. I was like, it’s right here. That’s really strange.
So after San Antonio, uh, was Fort Leonard Wood your next stop?
Then I was uh, volun-told to become a recruiter for three years. Every once in a while, in the military, no matter what field you’re in, every once in a while you get tagged to be a recruiter or be a teacher at the schools and different things. So I was tagged to be a recruiter and I got back to my home state in Minnesota. I got to recruit for three years in my hometown, which was awesome. It’s where I’ve met my wife, too, which is kind of cool. And then from there, I went to just outside of Baltimore, Maryland. A little post called Aberdeen Proving Ground, which had another Army band there. And we played a lot of gigs in in Washington D.C. uh for different gen generals and stuff like that. Now D.C. has their own Army band, but we actually got to play down there a little bit. And we that was uh when I was in um Maryland is when I got the chance to go over to Southwest Asia during uh Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. And I played over in Iraq and Afghanistan and Cutter and Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Uh, went on two different two-month tours over there with our rock band. So I went over there and we took our rock band on Black Hawk helicopters and flew out to forward operating bases and brought a little bit of music to the guys that were sitting out there in these little forward operating bases in the middle of the desert. So that was kind of cool. You know, go out there and sing some songs for them and perform for them since all they had basically was the internet. We’d go out and play and I remember this one time we played in a little theater in this little forward operating base and we did American Soldier by um Toby Keith. And I looked down in the front row and there’s a colonel, full bird colonel just weeping, just crying because I was singing this song. And it was like, “Okay, I’m not going to be able to finish this song if I look at this guy because he’s way too emotional.” So it was that was really rewarding. To be able to go over there and bring some entertainment to the to the guys that were working so hard over there.
And especially with that song.
American Soldier is the is the ballad about getting, you know, going to work and, you know, fighting for your for your for your country.
Yeah, that’s one one of those songs I played uh almost every morning on the radio.
For your patriotic tune.
For your patriotic tune. Yep. Exactly. But yeah, that was um very rewarding to be able to go there. And then from there, I went to El Paso, Texas for two years. And that was okay. I always say the best thing about El Paso, Texas is it’s two, three hours away from a lot of good places.
Uh, we apologize from anybody from El Paso, Texas.
It’s got some nice things there, but we my wife and I loved going up to Ruidoso, New Mexico and Las Cruces and Albuquerque. And we drove out to San Diego. And we drove all over the place in New Mexico and stuff. And it was just it’s beautiful country. It really is. And it was nice to be there for two years. And then from there, I came here. Was here for two years. They sent me to Korea for a year, and then I came back here to finish my career. So, 31 years later, here I am, staying here.
Yeah, and from being all over the world. Yeah. And apparently, you like it here. We’re going to take a break and we’ll be back with Steve Law in just a moment.
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### Interview with Steve Law Continued
We’re back with Steve Law, my former colleague at the radio station, and a good friend and wanted to get him on board here and talk about again, the 399th Army Band, which is no longer, and from what you described in the first half of this podcast interview. It amazes me that with all the support that you did and the support of the troops in Black Hawk helicopters flying to different locations, that the government has squelched the 399th Army Band.
Well, it’s one of those things. And and there are there are people out there that don’t believe that, you know, the Army band is is a or the military bands in general are necessary for everybody to have. And I can understand that when you have lots of budget cuts and there’s a lot of places in the United States where money is wasted in the government and it happens and then they have to react to that. So, like I said, if they’re going to decide that they need to cut bands, I get that. It’s not essential for the, you know, the mission to of the United States Army. Um, but it is essential for morale. And having 15 bands left is fine, but the placement of the 15 bands is the part that concerns me. Um, you know, you need you should have them closer where there’s big amounts of troops. You don’t need them where there’s smaller. I mean, like they still have one in Korea, which is probably necessary because there’s still a big presence in Korea. I I’ll reiterate, having one in Germany, uh, 80-some years after World War II ended over there and almost 40 years since the Cold War ended. That one doesn’t feel as essential as something here at Fort Leonard Wood or at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where they have basic training and schools and all those type of things. But they make the decisions that they made. Um, way back in 2004, I’ve I’ve I’ve often thought about this because, you know, I was never high ranking enough to be one of the people that makes decisions in the Army Band system. But I always thought back in 2004, you probably could have seen the writing on the wall. We all did. And my thing that I my bugaboo about the world in general is that the people that um succeed in the world are proactive and not reactive. And if you’re proactive, if the Army Band maybe had been proactive in 2004 and said, “Okay, this is coming down. Let’s make our plan the way we want it to be made, then it’ll be done.” Um, I don’t know that they did that. I can’t say if they did that. I don’t want to be sued for saying that they didn’t do that. But if they didn’t do that, then eventually the Department of Defense is going to come down and say, “Okay, well, we’re just going to cut these bands.” And they’re going to do it on the and and so then we have to react instead of be proactive. I don’t know that that’s the way it went, but it feels like this whole Fort Leonard Wood band going away was more of a reaction than it was a action taken to save money.
Do you know where the bands are in the United States, other than?
I have I I was just looking it up on it before I came over here and I know that there um, there’s 15 bands. There’s um, three of them are overseas. One’s in Hawaii, one’s in Germany, and one’s in Korea. So that’s at least 12 bands here. I know there’s one in Washington State, which is a big school area. Uh, there’s there’s two or three of them on the East Coast. I know Fort Monroe has one. The the Army band and the Army Field Band are stationed in in uh D.C. Um, Fort Gordon, which is another big Army post with school presence. And then where the divisions are. Uh, El Paso has a division. Fort Riley, Kansas has a division. Fort Campbell, Kentucky has a division. So basically where the divisions, the division bands didn’t go away because they’re attached to an actual division. Whereas the Army band here wasn’t really attached to a division as it was just attached to a center of um you know, the center of excellence.
So how many soldiers are in a division?
Thousands, thousands, thousands, literally thousands. I know when I when I left El Paso, they were just building up the First Armor Division. They had just moved them back from Germany. When I was there before, it was just a regular Army band and then then it became a division band. Anyway, in El Paso, Texas, where the fort is, that’s where they have the First Armor Division now. They literally doubled the size of that post in about 10 years, building out into the into the desert. They built a whole new city of for the division to live in. So they have that one. There’s also at the medical school in Fort Sam Houston is still there. The band is still there. Um El Paso is Fort Bliss. I loved being in El Paso. I learned a lot to be there.
I bet you did. Where have you played when you were back at Fort Leonard Wood with the 399th Army Band besides the Waynesville, St. Robert area?
Well, we played up in Fulton. We we did lots of different things. We played all over the all over the state. We played. Um, you know, a couple of uh, 4th of Julys when the rock band was playing on Fort Leonard Wood. They played down at Silver Dollar City. And we’ve done we went up to Moberly. We went down to West Plains. We played all over the place. And but the the big one was I uh, I maneuvered our rock band to play up in Clear Lake, Iowa at the Surf Ballroom. And if you know what the Surf Ballroom is, it’s pretty special. That is the last place that Ritchie Valens, Big Bopper, and Buddy Holly played. And then they took off from that airport that night and it crashed just outside of Clear Lake, Iowa. So the Surf Ballroom was where Buddy Holly last played his gig. That’s the the and they’ve kept the Surf Ballroom looking exactly like it did in 1959. The same wallpaper, the same everything. They’ve preserved it. And they still use it as a venue. And people go there to play all the time. Uh, rock bands. They have a Winter Dance Party. As a matter of fact, they’re having it this weekend to celebrate the Day the Music Died. And so, um, in 2011, in August, my wife and I went up to Minnesota and on the way up there, um, we got tickets to see Brian Wilson at the Surf Ballroom.
Beach Boys.
Yes. And we got to we we were standing around beforehand. We got to like we stood right at the stage. So we were probably 10 feet away from Brian and the horn section was by us and we were singing along. And the horn section was looking at us like, “You guys know all the words.” And and but before the gig, I was talking to one of the people that worked at the Surf Ballroom. And I said, “Man, I said, I’m in I’m in the Army band in in Fort Leonard Wood. One of my dreams would be to play on this stage sometime. I wonder if we could ever do that.” And the guy said, “Well,” He goes, “I know where you’re we’re looking for an opening act for Three Dog Night coming up in September.” Um, “Let me get you in touch with the manager.” So I said, “Okay.” So after the show, he introduced me to the manager. We went to the office. I said, “Yeah, we’ve got this rock band. And uh, we play kind of 70s and 80s and 90s stuff.” He goes, “Well, he goes, give me your number and let’s kind of work something out.” So we went back to the to Fort Leonard Wood and I was talking to the commander and he checked with Jag and, you know, the to make sure everything was legal that we could play at a gig that was, you know, they were paying money for it. And it turned out because they weren’t paying to see us, we could. So we booked a gig to open up for Three Dog Night at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. And that was probably one of the most heaviest experiences of my life. And the second song we played was a Buddy Holly song. I sang Not Fade Away. It was just weird. I I actually felt like I was like floating over the audience. It was just cuz it was
So was that the that had to be the highlight of your uh career?
Of my life. Well, apart from apart from my wife and my dog. You know. Wow. Man.
Wow. Man. Steve Law has been our guest. And anything else you want to add about this? I just I can’t believe the 399th Army Band is gone.
I don’t know. I just I I just can’t believe the 399th Army Band is gone. And it’s it’s it’s a very strange thing. And it was it was sad the way that they went out. They kind of went out they they had their final concert and I guess it was good and all that. But it just felt like it was kind of anti-climactic the way that it all ended. It was just one of those things where like anything in the world, nothing lasts forever. And, you know, you try to you try to keep things going. And it was sad that it was gone. But now we move on and uh, maybe we can uh, get something better going on here.
Sounds great, buddy. Thank you for your time.
Thanks, Marv.
Steve Law, our guest on our podcast today. We’ll take a break and we’ll be right back.
### Sponsor Break
Step back in time and support a great cause at the Fort Wood Community Spouses Club 2026 Roaring Hearts Speakeasy and Basket Auction. On Saturday, February 28th, at 6:00 PM, the doors swing open at the Nutter Field House on Fort Leonard Wood for a night of glamour, giving, and excitement. Enjoy live and silent auctions, thrilling games of opportunity, a wine and whiskey pool, and so much more. All wrapped in a Roaring 20s speakeasy atmosphere. Tickets are on sale now and they start at $40 or $50 at the door. And every dollar raised goes directly toward community grants and scholarships through the Fort Wood Community Spouses Club. Dress to impress. Bring your friends and be a part of an unforgettable night that gives back. Get your tickets now. Email basketauctionFWCSC@gmail.com. That’s basketauctionFWCSC@gmail.com.
Since 1911, the Bank of Crocker has served the greater Pulaski County area. This year marks their 115th year. How do you last that long? Well, by giving their customers cutting-edge banking services with a hometown flair. You can do your banking from anywhere in the world with their convenient online banking. At the big banks, you’re just another number. At the Bank of Crocker, they know your name, maybe some of your family, and might even know the name of the dog sitting next to you in the drive-in facility. It’s called the personal touch, which is why they’re celebrating their 115th year as your hometown bank. And there’s four locations for your convenience in Crocker, Richland, Waynesville, and St. Robert. The Bank of Crocker. Remember, FDIC and Equal Housing Lender.
Are you tired of all the games that other furniture stores play? At Paul’s Furniture, we’ve got the biggest name brands at the guaranteed lowest prices. You come in, you’re going to see that price on it. The next time you come in, it’s going to be the exact same price because we always have the best deals, the best prices, and the biggest name brands with free delivery. We’re going to do whatever it takes to earn your business at Paul’s Furniture. That’s what’s made us the number one furniture store in Pulaski and Phelps County for the last 30 years. If you’re tired of the games that others play, come see us at Paul’s Furniture.
### Back to Marv
Well, it’s on to Sports on the podcast. And of course, the biggest news in sports is the saddest day of the year for football junkies. It’s the end of the season with the championship game known as the Super Bowl. A phrase coined by the owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, the late Lamar Hunt, who named the title game after the merger of the National and American Football Leagues back in 1966.
The first Super Bowl was in January of 1967. This is the 60th edition of the big game and will bring in a pair of teams who have played each other in this magical game before. It was number 49 in Glendale, Arizona, and the Pats won it 28-24 when Malcolm Butler intercepted a Russell Wilson pass in the end zone with 20 seconds left and the Patriots beat the Seattle Seahawks. Watch the pregame show Sunday and you’ll see that play, I’m sure, more than once.
This time, new coaches, new players, including new quarterbacks. And for Seattle, they hope a different outcome. Seattle’s only Super Bowl win was the year before in a 43-8 blowout of Denver. One local note in that game, Lebanon Yellowjacket offensive lineman Justin Britt was a starter on that Seahawk team. He did get himself a ring and bragging rights of a national title.
One of my favorite St. Louis Cardinals from last year is on his way to Seattle. As the Redbirds dealt Brendan Donovan to the Mariners for a right-handed pitcher and a couple of outfielders. Donovan was a great utility player who could play both infield and outfield and was an All-Star last year and the first Cardinal rookie ever to win a gold glove.
In district high school basketball that’s coming up at the end of the month, two gyms in the Frisco League will be hosting three district basketball tournaments. Richland will host a Class Two Boys District with Crocker, Newburg, and Plato joining three others in that District 9 tournament. Richland will also host the Girls Class Two District 9 tournament with Crocker, Iberia, and Plato coming in from the Frisco League. And the other team in the Frisco League to host will be Leakway. That will be the Class Three Boys District 8 tournament, joining the Hornets will be Dixon and Iberia from the Frisco, along with Bell, Bourbon, Fatima, and Steelville. And we’ll have more on districts coming up next week.
Back in a moment.
In these days of texting and emails, words, phrases, and names are shortened to letters. It doesn’t change anything, it just makes things easier. That’s the case of STR Glass, a St. Robert establishment since the 60s. Still the same great service when it comes to autoglass, windows, shower doors, and anything to do with glass. And when it comes to fixing chips in your windshield to prevent cracking, there’s none better. They’re still in the same location on VFW Memorial Drive and still have the same phone number, 336-4122. They’ve just shortened their name from St. Robert Glass to STR Glass, but will never shorten their services to you, the customer.
As women, we are often the caregivers to others, but tend to neglect care for ourselves. Mark this year, your year for good health with the Show Me Healthy Women program at the Pulaski County Health Center in Waynesville. If you are between the ages of 21 and 64 years old, have no insurance with a fixed household income, you can qualify. There’s no time like the present to take care of you. For more information or to make an appointment, call 573-774-3820 or stop by the Pulaski County Health Center at 104 Ashley May Lane in Waynesville.
Well, that’s a wrap on this week. And thanks again to my sponsors, Paul’s Furniture, Shelter Insurance Agent, Dave Hollen of Richland, St. Robert Auto Supply, Seeker Toyota, the Pulaski County Health Center, STR Glass of St. Robert, the VFW Post 3168 of Leakway, TK’s Pizza, Bales Construction, and the Bank of Crocker.
If you’re enjoying the Marv in the Morning podcast, we invite you to leave a review on whatever app you’re listening on. We would also love for you to share the episode with family and friends on your social media accounts. Be sure to follow our podcast on Facebook on the Marv in the Morning podcast page. And you’re also invited to join us on Facebook on the Fort Not Lost in the Woods podcast group. This podcast is a production of O Quinn Media. Thanks to my producer, Tracy, for gluing this together. And thanks to you, my podcast listeners, for letting me into your life. So, I can ramble on. Join me for another episode next week. When we get another interesting guest, until then, enjoy the non-Arctic weather for a change and pray it stays up in the north where it belongs. Later.{“promptTokenCount”:80592,”candidatesTokenCount”:10719,”totalTokenCount”:91311,”promptTokensDetails”:[{“modality”:”TEXT”,”tokenCount”:104},{“modality”:”AUDIO”,”tokenCount”:80488}]}