Alive and funky

A medical and musical miracle is coming to the Festival at Sandpoint on Aug. 8 in the person of Francis Rocco Prestia, bass player for funk band Tower of Power.

Suffering from hepatitis C, Prestia received a life-saving liver transplant last July. He's now touring with the band and, I can personally testify, was fabulous in Seattle on Saturday night. The notes for Tower of Power's new CD, "The Oakland Zone," contain a touching plea for organ donors.