Lee Cronbach

                    FROSTY 2: FROM THE DUKE TO PURPLE JUMPSUIT   3a) The Other Side - Opening the Ears of Boston's Gay Crowd                         One week Frosty felt that the band was getting slack, with all these note-for-note covers we were playing.   So he decided that for one week, we would practice at least 2 hours a day individually, 2 hours full band practice, no grass, alcohol, or any other intoxicant, and half an hour of physical exercise running, jogging, pushups and pullups - whatever was our favorite.                  So, when we hit the Other Side for the start of next week's gig, we were ready!  By a lucky chance one of the more famous queens had a gay we...

                INTERLUDE : ANIRUTH                                                                                                                                                         Once we were established at the Other Side and our money got a little looser, I started taking the bus down to New York on our off nights.   This was just a few years after the Gay revolt at the Stonewall Tavern, and in the middle of the ...

                           FROSTY's PACK HITS THE BOSTON SNOWS:      1) Frosty Furman - Frosty was a natural-born leader.  He liked telling people what to do, when to solo, or if they needed to adjust their tuning. And also, the good stuff:  praising players for strong solos, harmonic inventiveness, or taking a familiar pattern into an unexpected direction.  And it was done in a no-take-back tone of voice, like Jack Nicholson correcting a confused Marine.  When he wanted to persuade, his voice would become relaxed, easy, and friendly; this was the voice he used to persuade me to finally chose his band and school over Chambray and the Bay area life .            And he was a good team leader.  Making sure everybody practiced relentlessly, calling long group rehearsals, scouting out agents and bookings so we were almost always ...