Your voice here

Last month we featured what may, or may not, be Cape's best guitarists.

I wonder if anybody cared (other than the lovely people on CapeScene, that is).

When we set out to write this article, we thought, "Hey, everybody has an opinion on this subject."

Probably so, but we sure didn't hear them. I had hoped to be buried under a barrage of e-mails telling us how stupid we are, or how amazingly intelligent. That didn't happen.

You see that little thing over on the right there, the one that says the word "LETTERS" in really big type. It's there for a reason: we want to hear from you.

You see, this is simple: Here at OFF, we really don't know if we're doing a good job or not unless you tell us. Not only that, but we want your feedback to be a big part of this magazine. We want to print your words every month, we want YOU to be the opinion leader. We want to know what you think.

So please, if you have something you want to say, don't be shy. We'll be here waiting to hear from you.

In that dicussion of Cape's best guitarists I mentioned above, there was a small reference to one of the best who didn't make the list, Tommy DeWolf. When we printed this article, we had no idea that just a few weeks later, Tommy would no longer be with us.

By now I'm sure every local music fan has heard about Tommy's untimely demise back in April at age 40. After all, everybody knew Tommy, and from what I hear, everybody liked him.

And here again, we're begging for your input.

For our June issue, OFF is planning a tribute to Tommy, our own little way of helping to immortalize this guy who was more than a rocker -- he was also just a nice guy. Sure, that doesn't sound glamorous, but there are few things you can say about a man that mean more than saying he was a good person.

So, here's where you come in. All month long the OFF staff (basically James Samons and I) will wait on your phone calls, e-mails, however you want to contact us. All we want from you is this: to hear from you what made Tommy Tommy.

The inbox is open.

For now, try to enjoy this issue of OFF Magazine. In the wake of the craziness at Virginia Tech, we set out to see how the worst mass shooting affects us here in Southeast Missouri. Our local agencies say they're better prepared for such an event, but we'll let you be the judge.

We also sent out Davis Dunavin to dig into Cape's skateboard culture, and a group that's trying to gain some real respect for the skateboarders -- a group that has been spit upon by many people, many times.

Enjoy reading.