Sweet Apple forges bittersweet partnership between Cobra Verde singer, J Mascis
John Petkovic’s parents didn’t approve of a life he has devoted to music in bands such as Death of Samantha, Cobra Verde and most recently, Sweet Apple (which plays Saturday at the Abbey Pub). But he was close to them, Serbian immigrants who instilled in him their intellectual curiosity, independence and resilience.
So it was particularly devastating for Petkovic to watch his tough-as-nails mother whither away from pancreatic cancer three years ago. When she finally succumbed to the disease in December 2007, Petkovic himself was a wreck. He had been sleeping by his mother’s bedside for weeks and was bedeviled by insomnia and weight loss. He couldn’t play guitar because of ligament damage to his right hand. About eight days after she died, he jumped in his car and headed east from his Cleveland home.
“I really didn’t have a destination,” he says. “I just wanted to drive, smoke cigarettes and listen to music.”
So it was particularly devastating for Petkovic to watch his tough-as-nails mother whither away from pancreatic cancer three years ago. When she finally succumbed to the disease in December 2007, Petkovic himself was a wreck. He had been sleeping by his mother’s bedside for weeks and was bedeviled by insomnia and weight loss. He couldn’t play guitar because of ligament damage to his right hand. About eight days after she died, he jumped in his car and headed east from his Cleveland home.
“I really didn’t have a destination,” he says. “I just wanted to drive, smoke cigarettes and listen to music.”
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