Joe Neminich RIP

[mjb]

my buddy joe neminich just died. the only reason i'm putting this up is because joe has been in bands since i don't even know when, and his name has come up before on here. moxam123 will probobly be able to give a bio of joes work. i met joe maybe 8 years ago, i bought a hammond C2 with a big ole' leslie from him for like 600 bucks and we were friends ever since.

i'd go to joes on friday nights grab a pizza and a six pack and go hang out. early on i would go to joes and we'd be sittin around pickin and he'd run up stairs and come back with a sweet 57' sratocaster, then next time he disappeared he come back down with maybe a 62' strat and then it would be original 59 tweed bassman he had two of them at one point. just a super neat guy and pretty eccentric too. and we would sit eat pizza pick around and joe was the best storyteller. you know, some people are just really good at that and he was one of them. i'd laugh so fuckin hard, he was a master story teller, great musician, and a good bud.

i could go on and on about joe, but i know some of you knew him too and if you could post a joe story it would be cool.

man, i'm gonna miss you

RIP Brother.

[moxham123]

I am deeply saddened by this shocking news about one of my dear friends, Joe Nemanich, passing away at the age of 58. He and I played in Lickety Split together for 7 years from 1978 through 1984 and we had a record out on the radio together in 1978. He had played in many top notch bands over the years, such as The Grapes of Wrath, Gaucho Marx, Down To The Wire, Stillwater, Lickety Split, and Kindred Spirit and was on both of their records that went national. A fantastic guitar player, he was in high demand to play with the best bands in the region. He and I were also friends outside of the band and went to concerts, vacations, and just hung out together. Joe was a great guy, a great friend, and a great musician and he will be sadly missed.

[homerski]

What ????

Not Joe ???

Thanks for letting me know.

John Homerski Jr.

[RamRod 1]

Wow! What a shock!

In "69" or so Joe was with Kindered Spirit, and I remember their record "Under My Thumb" going national and seeing a local band with a real national hit. Their version was so much better than the "Stones". It really deserved to be a hit. I still have the "45".

Great Guy. Sad Day.

[metalchurch]

I'm sorry to hear of your loss guys, I lost my best friend a few years ago and it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to deal with because he was really more like a brother to me.
It's still hard to hear his recordings or even something else that reminds me of him and the times we had together.
It really puts things into perspective, because at any time it could be us, yet we're too busy living to appreciate that.

My thoughts and prayers to his family, friends, and especially to you guys on here who were close to him.

Remember we keep their spirit alive by our thoughts and good memories.

[Hawk]

I remember Kindred Spirit very well. I didn't know Joe, but I've seen him with the band many times. They use to play at the Penn Alto regularly and I always tried to catch their shows.

Sorry to hear that.

[mjb]

i remember joe gave me a 56' strat (not a reissiue) the real deal, to take home and play. just to take home. i had that thing at my house for a couple of years. it wasn't mine and therefor was always nervous about having it around. that thing was worth more than anything in my whole house. but thats the way joe was with his friends, if you were lucky enough for joe to call you his friend, anything he had, if you showed the slightest intrest in it he was loading it your car after your visit.

it worked both ways though, joe loved to go to potter county hikeing or riding his bicycle. one day he called and said he picked up a new truck and was saying that it didn't have a cap on it like his old one and he was wondering what he was going to do cuz he wwas used to loading all his gear in the back for his little get aways. i told him i don't have a cap but i got a big toolbox that would work for him and he came and got it. it worked perfect for him and he'd thanked me for it every time he'd see me.

it's been quite a few months since i talked to joe and its funny cuz he's been on my mind the last couple of days. you know how your thinking of somebody and you think to yourself "i gotta give him a call" and i just kept saying to myself, " i'm gonna give joe a call tonight" and i never did, and now i never will.

thanks for listening everyone. this is helping me cope right now.

[jangel]

Joe and I go way back ....played in a band in the early seventys called Brother John.....played mostly at colleges in western pa. frat partys. etc. we had a manager book us. we also played at the Penn Alto hotel in Altoona one snowey freezing night. Joe used to stop at my place get a pizza and we would talk about the fun times we had. Joe was a great guy, and a great guitar player. He will be sadly missed.

[mjb]

there will be a mass at 10:00 am on monday at st. theresa church on decker ave. in johnstown. for anyone who is interested.

[homerski]

Obit for Joe, from Tribune Democrat:

Joseph Neminich

NEMINICH– Joseph, 58, Johnstown, died Feb. 6, 2009, at home. Born June 22, 1950, in Johnstown, son of the late Joseph and Mary (Hrebar) Neminich. Survived by cousins. Employed as a security guard. No public viewing or visitation. Member of St. Therese Catholic Church, where friends and family will meet at 10 a.m. Monday for a funeral Mass, the Rev. Bernard Karmonicky, OFM. Interment, Grandview Cemetery. Arrangements by Francis G. Ozog Funeral Home Inc., Broad Street.


http://www.legacy.com/Tribune-Democrat/ ... =123804649

You can also View/Sign the guestbook at this link.

John Homerski Jr.

[HurricaneBob]

RIP Joe. Great stories guys.

[rickw]

When you lose someone close they take a bit of you with them. That way, they will never be lonely.

[BassFinger]

I've know Joe for 20 years and played in Still Water with him for a few years. What a great, interesting, funny and talented guy. I remember chatting with him up at George's Music in Westmont or would always run into him at Music Haven trying out a guitar. I went to a few guitar trade shows with him and he would always come home with a few thousand dollars worth of vintage guitars in the car trunk. I'd worry when we would stop to get something to eat on the way home. I'd really enjoy his stories and he would always get me rolling when he would tell me stories about the Brinks truck and their only defense was an old, rusty 0.38 service revolver. He ended up working for a better outfitted security transport service. I would occasionally run into Joe in Altoona at Target when he was coming out with a bag of money. I'd ask him how much cash was in the bag and he would reply with, "Just try it and I'll drop you like a sack of potatoes".



I've been meaning to give him a call the last few months and chat about guitars but never found the time. A lesson learned I guess.

We'll miss ya Joe!

[mjb]

I've know Joe for 20 years and played in Still Water with him for a few years. What a great, interesting, funny and talented guy. I remember chatting with him up at George's Music in Westmont or would always run into him at Music Haven trying out a guitar. I went to a few guitar trade shows with him and he would always come home with a few thousand dollars worth of vintage guitars in the car trunk. I'd worry when we would stop to get something to eat on the way home. I'd really enjoy his stories and he would always get me rolling when he would tell me stories about the Brinks truck and their only defense was an old, rusty 0.38 service revolver. He ended up working for a better outfitted security transport service. I would occasionally run into Joe in Altoona at Target when he was coming out with a bag of money. I'd ask him how much cash was in the bag and he would reply with, "Just try it and I'll drop you like a sack of potatoes".



I've been meaning to give him a call the last few months and chat about guitars but never found the time. A lesson learned I guess.

We'll miss ya Joe!

Dollor Bill, your story made me laugh that same laugh i would have going when joe would tell a story. "just try it and i'll drop you like a sack a potatoes". thats joe all the way, He had tons of one liners like that he'd slip into his stories. he had a story for everything. one of my favorites one-liners is " mike, i seen him play live, and he played like he had mittens on". you would of just spit your beer all over the place. i did.

i went to a show or two with joe and it was always fun. he was just so funny.

his bigfoot stories and ufo stories were the best.

[mjb]

That guestbook is really cool for the obit. alot of cool stories

http://www.legacy.com/Tribune-Democrat/ ... =123804649

[Banned]

Reading all these posts made is easy to see that he was a great guy and great musician. I only wish I had known him. A great loss.

[moxham123]

I have been talking to some musician friends of mine and Joe's who played with us in Lickety Split and we have been sharing stories about him. I could tell so many stories that it would take a long time to write them all.

One absolutely flithy toilet of a place we used to play back in 1982 and 1983 called the Ellerslie Tavern in Ellerslie, MD was one of the roughest places we played. You know a place is rough when they have a sign with different levels of expulsion based on how many fights a patron is in. First offense for fighting - barred for 30 days, 2nd offense for fighting - barred for 60 days, 3rd offense for fighting - barred for life. Even the owner was involved in fights while we played. The owner paid us extremely well and treated us fantastic. The place had a bar and had an ice cream stand in one side of the bar and people would be getting drunk and kids would walk in an get ice cream cones late at night.

We had a girl singing with us and some drunk started giving her a hard time and Joe tore into him. Not a great thing to do at this place. The floor was so dirty and the rug where the band set up was filled with dust that would rise up around the band as you tapped your foot on it.

One vivid picture I have of Joe playing there is that there was no air conditioning in the bar and they would open the rear door behind the band in the summer. Joe stood in front of the open door and while we were playing, freight trains would go speedng a few feet past the building very loudly and shake the whole building. I would look at Joe while he intensely playing his guitar with the train flying behind him and I said to Joe that we should be playing Train Kept A Rollin' or Train, Train.

[moxham123]

Here is an article that was in the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat about Joe Nemanich.

http://www.tribune-democrat.com/local/l ... 34048.html

[jangel]

Duane that is probably the best article that could describe Joe. My opinion.

[BDR]

Never met Joe but sounds like the classic nice guy that no one could dislike. To those who loved him I'm truly sorry for your loss.

r:>)

[moxham123]

John,

I agree 100%. Joe was a great guy and he was like Johnstown's own Wilson from the TV show Home Improvement as a man of many unique interests and insights. Yesterday's memorial service was a somber experience for all of us in attendence and after his passing and even yesterday after the service some things happened to me to reconnect me with some friends who were also a part of his life and I saw that as another way of Joe somehow getting many of us to get together again.

[mjb]

Here is an article that was in the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat about Joe Nemanich.

http://www.tribune-democrat.com/local/l ... 34048.html

that was really nice to read. i was a little sad that his obit was short. that more than made up for it.

[lonewolf]

I didn't know him...but I wish I had.

[songsmith]

Yeah, me too. He must have been a memorable character, gauging from the amount of kind words. Makes me wistful, like I missed something. We've lost a number of "characters" recently, when the Steelers won, my wife remarked that Don "Ditty" Dittsworth didn't get to see it. Lots of us have Ditty stories, too. I know how you guys feel.--->JMS

[moxham123]

One more thing about Joe that many people may not know is that he was one of the few regional musicians who played guitar on three hit records.

Kindred Spirit - Under My Thumb (A) and Blue Avenue (B)
Kindred Spirit - Peaceful Man (A) and Clown (B)
Lickety Split - Bring It On Home To Me (A) and Bookin' Back (B)