Mike’s Garage Band plays for fun, to help others

Mike Haase and his wife, Lyn, found their ideal retirement community when they moved to St. James Plantation near Southport, N.C., in 2010. Although Haase loves music and has played the guitar since he was 12, he didn’t foresee that he’d be a featured musician and recognized philanthropist by 2014.

Forming a band when he retired and relocated from Cary, N.C., was “sort of” in his plans, and the process of developing Mike’s Garage Band is explained on the website Haase created, www.mikesgarageband.weebly.com. His story, though, goes beyond those facts.

Haase said he was apprehensive about his band’s first performance in 2011 at St. James Plantation Community Center, but 300 people showed up. Patrons decided to “pass the hat” to defray the cost of the venue, and the amount collected was $500 more than what was needed. The seven-member band, all residents of St. James Plantation, unanimously agreed that charity would receive the extra money.

Operation Ease, an organization that provides a get-away weekend for a military family, was the first beneficiary. Since that performance, the band has raised more than a quarter of a million dollars for nearly three-dozen charities, including Brunswick County Literacy Council.

“It’s not about me or the guys in the band,” Haase said. “It’s about the people you touch.”

The band includes Tony DeFilippis, guitar; Ken Haubrich, bass; Dave Holly, drums; Mike Horgan, guitar; Chuck Krambuhl, guitar and vocals; and John Staryak, keyboard and vocals. Marty Wozniak, drums, was a member until 2013, while Chris Webster and Chuck Jackson were sound engineers and setup until earlier this year. DeFilippis, a pharmacist, is the sole, full-time employed member. The group maintains active schedules, so it is available for performances only 26 weeks of the year. The band’s 2015 schedule is already half full.

Haase said he does not come from a musical family. He was born in Germany of a German father and Latvian mother, but his family immigrated to the United States when he was 2. He grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, as an only child, with his father in sales, his mother a homemaker. At 12 years old, he decided he wanted to play guitar, so his parents arranged for lessons. He played in his high school’s rock and roll band and other bands through the years.

Lyn, Haase’s wife of 39 years, said when they met at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, Haase talked of getting a band together, and he organized several college friends to that end.

Haase majored in marketing and management, and spent 35 years in that field with Caterpillar Inc. He accepted positions all over the world, including Switzerland, Germany, Japan and Brazil, and speaks German, Portuguese and a smattering of Spanish and French. He and his family also have lived in Chicago; Peoria, Ill.; and Baltimore.

Haase said his children — son Grant, wife Mercedes and their son Aiden, 8 — live in Apex, N.C., and their daughter, Erica, lives in Holly Springs, N.C., but they aren’t musicians.

Ten years ago, Haase was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. It hasn’t affected his singing, but occasionally it interferes with his guitar playing, so he learned to play the harmonica. Several well-known artists have harmonica melodies that are major parts of some songs, and the instrument blends well with the melodies the band plays, Haase said.

“[Parkinson’s] doesn’t stop him,” said DeFilippis, the first band member to accept Haase’s invitation to play music together. “He’s an inspiration to all of us.”

“I’m a pretty happy guy,” Haase said. “I’ve done a lot of things. I make the most of where I live. Attitude is a big thing.”

Haase’s interests include radio-controlled sailboat racing and sports, especially the Carolina Hurricanes hockey team. He has written about 20 songs, one of which is “Southport,” a tribute to that town.

“He’s a tremendously giving person,” DeFilippis said of Haase.

“I was the last one in,” said Krambuhl. “We see people dance and sing the words. That’s a great feeling, and besides, we can benefit others. There are a lot of wins in that and no losses.”

This story was originally published January 22, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Mike’s Garage Band plays for fun, to help others."