Nightlife / Stephanie Depasquale

Funktastic Five guitarist gets a ‘fresh start on life’

By Stephanie De Pasquale | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 | () comments

Two months ago, just standing and holding a guitar was a difficult task for Funktastic Five guitarist Nate Nicholson.

Five years earlier, he had been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, and his doctor gave him one to five years to live at the time.

But a little more than six weeks ago, he underwent a bilateral lung transplant. On Friday in late September, he played a set with the Funktastic Five at Martini’s on the Rock in Rock Island.

“It’s a blessing. Someone had to die in order for me to get these lungs,” Nicholson said. “I consider it a blessing from God.”

Nicholson originally expected it would take three to four months before he would recover enough to play with the band again, but while he remains sore, he expects to begin playing full-time again this weekend.

“I have all this energy and I feel great,” he said. “I feel like I’ve got a fresh start on life.”

The Funktastic Five is a cover band that plays classic R&B, hip-hop, soul and funk hits. For more information, visit myspace.com/funktastic5 or funktastic5.com on the Web.

The band plays at 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17, at the Rock Island Brewing Company, 1815 2nd Ave., Rock Island.

Stephanie De Pasquale can be contacted at (563) 333-2639 or sdepasquale@qctimes.com.