And so, The Wretched Group has announced the dates for their 2023 Farewell Tour.

They will play the songs of the ’60s for the last times on Thursday, July 27 and Saturday July 29.

Both shows will be from 6 to 9 p.m. at the beautiful Beach House Bar and Grill in Wright Park in Dunkirk on the lake.

The band has issued the following statement:

The group in earlier years.

“It is with mixed feelings that we announce our Farewell Tour and our final two shows. We are incredibly grateful to all our friends and fans who have supported us for the past 58 years. Whether you were there at the beginning, dancing along with us at The Hub in the ’60s — or you became a fan in our ‘more mature’ years — we love you all and we are so grateful for you and your support.”

The band continues, “So we want to invite all our friends and fans, to come out and party with us — two more times.

“The shows are 6 to 9 p.m. Many of our fans have been asking for earlier shows, and we listened,” said a band statement.

The Wretched Group is an authentic 1960s rock and roll band that originally consisted entirely of members of the Fredonia and Dunkirk High School Classes of 1968. They formed in 1965 and are celebrating 58 years of making music. This makes them one of the oldest rock and roll bands still performing.

“If The Rolling Stones are the oldest rock and roll band, we’re not far behind,” says the band.

Current Wretched Group members, or “Wretchies,” include Mike McEntarfer of Fredonia on keyboards; Tom Benton of Woodstock on lead guitar and vocals; Jim Modisher of Longmont, Colo., on bass guitar and vocals; David Greenleaf of Boston on percussion; Vince Gaeta of New York City on drums; Rob Nichols of Fredonia on guitar and vocals; Bill Smith of Silver Creek on guitar and vocals, and the legendary Mickey Mamp of Fredonia on percussion and vocals.

“And Aerosmith just announced their farewell tour after 50 years. Only 50 years? Isn’t that cute?” notes the band with a smile!

“We were best friends in school before we formed the band. And we’re still the best of friends,” band members agree. “We get together with very little time for rehearsal, but there remains a special bond between us that makes it all work. We couldn’t get together in 2020 and 2022 due to COVID. We can’t wait to see everyone again,” band members agree.

The band members believe there is also a special bond between the band and the many friends who come out to see them play. In many cases it is the same folks who came to see them play as teenagers in the 1960s. “It’s so cool to look out at the crowd and see so many familiar faces from our youth,” band members noted.

The 2023 Wretched Group line-up consists of musicians who live all across the United States. Current Wretched Group members, or “Wretchies,” include Mike McEntarfer of Fredonia on keyboards; Tom Benton of Woodstock on lead guitar and vocals; Jim Modisher of Longmont, Colo., on bass guitar and vocals; David Greenleaf of Boston on percussion; Vince Gaeta of New York City on drums; Rob Nichols of Fredonia on guitar and vocals; Bill Smith of Silver Creek on guitar and vocals, and the legendary Mickey Mamp of Fredonia on percussion and vocals.

It is always a special event when these longtime friends get together to recreate the music of the 1960s including many classic songs by The Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, The Animals, Bob Dylan and more.

Teen dances with live music were common on most weekends during the 1960s. High school football and basketball games were followed by dances in the school gymnasium, and chances were good that the live music was provided by local bands like The Wretched Group, as well as other local groups such as The Children of Stone, The Raque, The Cavemen, The Velvetones, and The Squires.

The band performed regularly between 1965 and 1968 at local teen dances at venues such as Fredonia’s Teen Center “The Hub,” St. Anthony’s CYO Youth Center, and the Fredonia Grange Hall. They were the very first band to play at The Hub on it’s opening night in 1967.

The band also performed regularly for teen dances at local higb schools including Fredonia, Dunkirk and Cardinal Mindszenty as well as dances in Brocton, Van Buren, Silver Creek, Mayville, and even Midway Park.

Truly a “garage band”, the group had its’ humble beginnings in the summer of 1965 in original drummer Greenleaf’s garage in Dunkirk. They practiced every Saturday afternoon, playing their little teenage hearts out in that garage.

On a good day several local Dunkirk girls would stop by to watch them and inspire their practice. And on not-so-good days the local police would stop by to tell them to go home and “stop making all that racket.” But the following Saturday they’d do it all over again

Their first paying gigs were two Saturday afternoon dances at Dunkirk Jr High School where they were paid a total of $5 — to be divided among six band members. And their first big break came when a Fredonia High School sorority asked them to play at a teen dance at the Fredonia Grange hall in the fall of 1965. Several hundred kids showed up to see them play. And the band was thrilled to earn $65 for their efforts that night.

The Wretched Group eventually disbanded in 1968 as the individual band members graduated and left for college.They reunited for the first time in 1999 to perform at their high school class reunion and have continued to reunite regularly ever since.

In addition to these performances in Fredonia and Dunkirk, the band has played in Albany, Latham and Vermont. They were also honored to play two shows at the legendary Colony Cafe in Woodstock in 2006.

The band also continues to honor and celebrate the lives and memories of Hank McKee and Jim “Quale” Pasquale. Both were members of the band who have sadly passed away. McKee was the band’s original lead singer and Pasquale was their drummer. They were life-long friends. The band firmly believes that Hank and Quale are with them in spirit when they play.

The band has issued this statement: “We urge everyone to bring your dancing shoes because we’re going to rock the house on both nights.”

This is great opportunity for folks who have moved away to return home to reconnect with their hometown and see old friends.

The band members also wish to salute several musicians who have played with the band over the years. These include original member Jim Giatas of Fredonia; Ken Colby of Vermont; Mark Brown of Washington, the horn section “The Wretched Horns”; Jack and Jodi Pasquale of Dunkirk, Chris Sargent and Jim Dretch of Vermont, and the late, great John Dickenson of Fredonia.

“And here we are 58 years later. Still wretched after all these years – and as our awesome drummer Vince Gaeta likes to say, “We made cool stuff happen”

The band is pleased to have the outstanding folks at Chautauqua Audio Works of Fredonia providing sound and lighting once again this year.

“And please don’t be sad that it’s coming to an end…….let’s all just be glad that it happened”, says the band.

“A Wretched Group performance is truly a celebration of of music, fun and friendship. Won’t you join us?”

Additional information about the Wretched Group may be found on its Facebook page

And when asked if this is really the end, the band members responded with a smile, “Yes, we’re serious. It’s our farewell tour. … But hey, The Who has had at least six farewell tours so far, so you never know.”