They’re called Exit 46, which our neighborhood entry point onto the Merritt Parkway off Stratfield Road. It’s a band put together of folks who live within a five-block radius; at one point the name was Josh and the Dog Walkers, because that’s how a lot of them met.

Exit 46, rocking Fleetwood Mac. (Jim Motavalli photo)

I heard about Exit 46 from Tracy, a/k/a “Malibu’s Mom,” one of the singers. Vocals, and harmonies, dominate; the repertoire is primarily oldie comfort food. We were, well, walking our dogs around Lincoln Park, which is now closed because of coronavirus. (Dogs are still getting walked, with social distancing arrived.)  I heard more about the band from Josh across the street when he was, what else, walking his dog.

We agreed that a public appearance on WPKN would be a swell idea. Exit 46 practiced, wrote a couple originals to complement the Fleetwood Mac, and we set a date—which came and went; I don’t remember why.

Exit 46 was happy, and so was I. (Jim Motavalli photo)

Finally the big night came. The band is big, nine or 10 pieces, and had to be accommodated in the studio next door. This was when such things could happen. Remember? The lineup included a psychiatrist who’s a nationally known sleep expert; a former NBC Sports executive; a co-owner of a professional audio company. One of the singers, Ari, has a dog that hates my dog, and once bit the poor guy on the ass.

They played. They sounded great, especially the numbers with a lot of harmonies. The sax player added a lot. They were really into it. So was I. Look at that photos, taken through the glass window!

Now we’re back to walking our dogs. We talk about doing it again. Right now, no guests on WPKN. But life will go back to normal, really it will.