These guys actually could quit their day jobs

West Milford — You’re shoveling snow, hurt your back and the next thing you know you’re in therapy. When your therapist walks in, he looks familiar. Isn’t that the guy who was singing at Open Mic night at Music at the Mission last week? Well you’d be right - it’s Sean Kane, physical therapist/singer and guitarist with the West Milford band, The Knuckleheads. He’s a multi-talented guy with hands that can heal and also make beautiful music. Kane and his wife Anne have owned West Milford Physical Therapy for the last 23 years. The self-described mouthpiece for The Knuckleheads, he has been playing guitar since he was 12 years old. In the past five years he has gotten back into the joy of making music with the seven-man band comprised of friends and family. Playing classic rock and roll and some original tunes written by his brother Brian, The Knuckleheads play out about 6-8 times a year, mostly at Music at the Mission and the South Shore Grill in West Milford. The Knuckleheads get together every week at local studios to rehearse and record and he’s not above advertising the band at the office. “Most of the members of the audience are my patients. I require them to come,” he said with a laugh. While two careers should be enough for any guy, Kane also plays a lap drum with the Irish Wave band. Along with the three Kelly brothers, Owen, Dan and John, they play locally several times a year. Kane enjoys the camaraderie that the band affords and while his family is very supportive of his musical talent his kids would prefer he was into rap music. On the same night that The Knuckleheads were performing, a half mile away another local businessman was shedding his daytime image and rocking the packed house at the Valley View Pub. Jimmy Thurstans, a.k.a. Jimmy the Barber, was out playing with the Rockaholics, his four-man classic rock band, doing what Thurstans likes to do best - singing and entertaining. The owner of Jimmy the Barbers in West Milford since 1972, Thurstans has been together with one of his band members, Bob Space Manning, since they were in garage bands at Lakeland High School. All band members have been friends for many years, and The Rockaholics emerged 20 years ago. Jimmy and The Rockaholics play out about 3-4 times a month at the Valley View, Mountain Rest, South Shore Grill, Joey’s Casa Italiana and the Pioneer. They rehearse and record once a week at Twain Recording in West Milford. Having fun is the main idea behind the band, the local tonsorial expert said. “Some people work, some people play. As my son describes it - its four old guys having a good time,” he said. Thurstans often sees customers in the audience and once people hear them they often come back for more, he said. So next time you are lying flat on your back in therapy, or you’re draped with a barber’s cape, listen for the background music. Is it just the usual canned tunes or could it be the voice and music of the very guy who’s attending to you? Just in case, be sure to be complimentary - you’ve got a lot at stake. The Knuckleheads can next be seen on March 13 and the Irish Wave on March 17 at the South Shore Grill. Jimmy the Barber and The Rockaholics will be playing at the Pioneer on Feb. 20, the South Shore Grill on Feb. 27 and Joey’s Casa Italiana on March 26.