Get ready to rock and roll at Dwyer Stadium Friday night with Batavia's own "In Plain View."
Pictured above in the band's poster are lead guitarist Joe Lambert (top left), drummer Mark Assenato (top right), bass player Mike Burns (bottom left) and singer Pete Cecere.
"In Plain View" has roots in the players' high school days, but officially got its name last year -- during 4th of July weekend, to be exact.
Burns, a graduate of Batavia High School, said his class celebrated its 26-year reunion -- that's right, 26-year reunion -- at that time, and the band got back together to play for the occasion. They were asked to play again the following night at a private party, which was held at Haul 4 Less.
"(And we thought,) 'Here's four guys who haven't played in 26 years,'" Cecere said, "'and what people see is what they get, in plain view.'"
Included in the group's repertoire are rock songs from almost every era, from the '60s to the present. They play songs that multiple generations will know and appreciate, as evidenced by the fact that Cecere has received positive comments from his daugthers and from some of his aunts and uncles.
"(We'll play) anything from The Kinks to Jimmy Eat World," he said. "We like to pick songs that are interesting and out of the ordinary, but still popular."
"Our goal is not to be the typical bar band," Burns said.
Dedication is a key ingredient in the work that "In Plain View" does. Lambert, who lives in New York City, flies into Batavia for every gig, which is followed by a good five, six or seven hours of rehearsal.
Cecere and Burns, for their parts, have been able to manage this while working full-time jobs. Cecere works in sales at Diamond Packaging. Burns is a manager of client services at the Rochester Institute of Technology -- and coaches a girls soccer team through a season of near total victory.
When asked how they found the time for rehearsals, Cecere replied: "Very carefully."
If you're going to be part of this band, he added, "You've got to do your homework."
"In Plain View's" pre-game concert will start at 5:30 p.m. and last about 45 minutes.
Anyone who purchases tickets to the Muckdogs game will get to see Friday's show at no extra cost.
The band's expenses are being covered by the Juliano Allstate Agency, but they themselves are not getting paid for the concert. As huge Muckdogs fans, all four members are more than happy to donate their time.
"We are extremely blessed to have the Muckdogs," Cecere said. "It's cheap (price-wise) family fun."
"We went by (Dwyer Stadium)," Burns said, "and Joe said, 'This is where we've got to play.'"
For more information on "In Plain View" and their upcoming concerts, visit www.inplainviewband.com.
Bottom two photos taken by Stephen Ognibene.
