The Beat Goes On For Waukesha County Musician And Band

WAUKESHA COUNTY, WI — The Appalachians, a Milwaukee band, headlined its first show since 2018 at Friday Night Live on July 16 in Waukesha.

It had been several years since performing due to marriage, children, divorce, jobs and life threatening cancer. Playing together again is a sign of life improving for the better.

The Appalachians formed in 2009 when lead singer Adam Sutkiewicz looked for other musicians to jam with. Through various connections, the band members met and formed a group that includes Jake Wachal (lead guitar), Adam Plew (bass), and Ryan Claxton (drums).

Sutkiewicz joked the audition process was like the "Dating Game" show.

His aunt thought the band's name came from hiking the Appalachian Trail and a form of self-discovery and finding yourself.

Not so.

"We were playing an open mic and needed a name. I was drinking an Appalachian Pale Ale and said we were The Appalachians," he said.

The musicians write and perform their own original songs.

That was until life happened.

2020 Sucked

Before 2020, the friends were busy with spouses, children, and jobs, which led to a hiatus from performing. In 2020, besides the pandemic, they faced all types of adversity.

Plew went through a divorce and spent time with his3-year-old daughter, Hazel. He credited Hazel with keeping him positive and also credited the band with helping him get through things.

"Adam [Sutkiewicz] called and threw it[band performing again] out there in May 2020," Plew said.

Plew said the news was a huge motivator for him to keep his spirits up.

The pandemic also allowed him to keep playing bass more and improve his craft. He said he was able to come up with more ideas to bring to the table.

"It made me grow as a musician and appreciate original ideas," Plew said.

Wachal was an assisted living facility manager during the pandemic. He dealt with the loss of many residents to the coronavirus while juggling job and family life. When people talk about the pandemic, they discuss hospitals but not nursing facilities.

"People in nursing homes, we don't see people come and go. Patients [in a hospital] come in, get better and leave," he said.

Nursing facilities staff develop long-term relationships with people. He experienced the death of residents who were with him since his 4-year-old son was a newborn.

"I got pretty burned out, and I guess had trauma from the whole thing," he said.

He had to miss a ton of band practices because of his work schedule and not knowing if he had the virus or not.

He eventually left his job.

"It wasn't until this past spring that we finally could practice consistently," Wachal said.

Sutkiewicz found music to be therapeutic and just what the doctor ordered.

A Near-Death Experience

Sutkiewicz, a Waukesha County native, had a tree removal business and began having arm pain and numbness. Sutkiewicz assumed he tweaked his arm and nursed it for a while.

"In winter I tried to throw a snowball at my wife, and the motion just killed me," he said.

Even holding up a gallon of milk at eye level was excruciating for him.

At his wife Kara's instance, he went to see his doctor. The doctor found a lump on his back.

"It was the size of a baseball," Sutkiewicz said.

An MRI revealed he had cancer. He was diagnosed with dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma in January 2020. The form of cancer is highly aggressive.

According to Sarcomehelp.org, it is a type of sarcoma that affects the bones and joints and has a mortality rate of 90 percent. It accounts for about 20 percent of bone tumors and is diagnosed in approximately 600 patients each year in the United States.

Chondrosarcoma affects adults between 20 and 60 and is more common in men.

Sutkiewicz said being given the news felt like an out-of-body experience. He threw things around in the doctor's office and cursed.

"I had everything to say and everything to ask, but no words would come out of my mouth at that moment," he said.

He said he had images of his wife and three children at his funeral.

The tumor was removed and tested.

"Luckily for me, when people are diagnosed with this, it is too late. It was spotted relatively early, and it didn't spread to other organs," he said.

Sutkiewicz said he considered it a blessing that he is still alive. He has scans every three months, and so far the tumor hasn't returned in almost two years. After five years, he will do an annual scan. After 10 years, he will be considered free of cancer.

"When you get that type of news your mind goes to the darkest corners. I thought if I had to do this over what would I do differently," Sutkiewicz said.

The biggest things to him were his family and staying with music.

While recuperating, he said his fellow bandmate Claxton brought him a guitar. Claxton asked if they were going to play as a band again.

The rest is rock and roll history.