The Famous Final Scene

The Dave Poelke Band has its final gig at Matt Paletz's graduation party

They seemed to have come out of nowhere. To many of their fans, it all began with all those photocopies of a picture of Mr. David T. Poelke, Harrison High School's assistant principal, with "The Dave Poelke Band" boldly written next to his face.

The band performed at the 1990 HHS Talent Show. That year, the Student Council had taken steps to make sure that the Talent Show was "a 100% Harrison talent show"--no alumni, and especially no students from other schools like North Farmington High. Nobody could have predicted the success of that show--or the band.

Then came the fateful winter night. Amid a host of great acts, The Dave Poelke Band--drummer Matt Paletz, keyboardist Chuck Alkazian (then known as Chuck Lagas), guitarist/lead singer Jeff Szymanski and guitarist Jon Blatt ('91)--was the greatest. The auditorium rocked with their covers of "What I Like About You" by the Romantics and "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" by Great White. Paletz stole the show by ripping his shirt open as he leaped off the stage, gaining a spot in the May 30, 1990 Swing-Out slide show and garnering a few tongue-in-cheek "Best Body" votes.

The Dave Poelke Band could be thought of as a supergroup, because its members came from other bands. Alkazian and Szymanski played in another band in the 1989 Talent Show. Alkazian drummed and Szymanski played guitar with that band, which, in that 1989 show, performed a rendition of Guns n' Roses' hit, "Patience." But after the Student Council banned alumni, that band could not perform intact.

Meanwhile, Paletz and Blatt had another band. It formed when Paletz was a junior and Blatt a sophomore. But Ron Letwinski (a 1989 alumnus) was in it, and so he, too, could not perform at the 1990 Talent Show.

The band's name was Paletz's idea. He and Mr. Poelke got to know each other (to say the least) during lunch hours when Paletz was a freshman. Conversation topics included Paletz's dream of taking Cindy Green ('87), to the 1987 Senior Prom and his misadventures with two other '87 graduates, Theo Chalogianis and Scott Wallach.

After that unforgettable Talent Show, fans praised and idolized The Dave Poelke Band. The awesome foursome served as a backup band on a bumber of occasions. At Swing-Out, Paletz, Alkazian and Szymanski put Mr. Poelke's photocopied face on their caps. Catalyst writer Scott Hale predicted that Paletz would lead the band to greater success--"They even dedicate one concert to a hair transplant for Mr. Poelke."

And as the great rock groups of all time do (just ask The Rolling Stones, The Who, Pink Floyd, etc.), they came back one more time, to "Mippy" Paletz's house, for its final gig at his June 24, 1990 graduation party. When Paletz announced this party, he didn't mention anything about a band playing. So, their appearance surprised many of the guests, including HHS band instructor Mr. Mark Phillips. But all the makings for the last bash were there--even an opening act.

Yes, indeed, concertgoers got to enjoy a little "calm before the storm": Todd Rope, acoustical guitarist. Szymanski introduced him to the spectators. Rope sang a few oldies, starting with "Looking Out My Back Door" by Creedence Clearwater Revival and "Rocky Raccoon" by the Beatles, delivering the melodies from his trusty six-string. Paletz's father Robert began filming a homemade concert video. It is noted that one spectator yelled, "I WANT MY ROPE TV!" In the meantime, the main event was getting set up.

After Rope finished his set with "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by the Tokens, the band finished fine-tuning their instruments. Szymanski tuned up with bits and pieces of famous guitar solos (like Eddie Van Halen's legendary "Eruption"). The amplifiers were set, as were Paletz's old, Duct-Taped drums. Then, the Olde Franklin Towne subdivision would experience a totally different eruption.

One of the last songs The Dave Poelke Band ever performed was "Talk Dirty to Me," by Poison. They once again established themselves among the greatest of high school bands. Their music was raw and loud, like a rock concert should be--not too slick or polished.

The band officially disbanded when Alkazian and Szymanski packed up their equipment around 6:00 p.m. But it will never vanish from the menagerie of the Class of 1990's memories.

Szymanski and Alkazian joined a band called Mr. Slate, named after the Flintstones cartoon character. Blatt formed a rock-jazz (a.k.a. fusion) oriented band while at the University of Michigan. Paletz continued to make good use of his drumming talents well into the '90s as a member of the University of Michigan Marching Band. He joked that one day, he may represent Mr. Slate as their lawyer.