Brookdale Senior Living

August 23, 2019

Your East Bay Banjo Club entertained an enthusiastic audience at Brookdale Senior Living in Danville on Friday, August 23.  It was a return engagement for the club and this year’s performance was just as rousing as the previous ones.

Bud Pearce served as music director for the performance, and Paul Mack did his usual fine job as master of ceremonies, providing some interesting historical background about what was happening in the early 1900s as he introduced each of our songs from that era.  In addition to Bud and Paul, club members at the playout were Don Granberg, John Greitzer, Jan and Slavka Ruzicka, Betty David, Rich Combs, Chris Lardge, Kit Nelson, Tom Brunetti, Deb Hodson, and Doug Johnson.  Our vocalists were Bud, Rich, Chris, Kit, and Slavka.  Bob Nelson and Mimi Johnson also attended, and Bob snapped some photographs for us.

We played a well-constructed set, including some of our time-tested standards as well as a couple of songs we don’t play very often, such as the Beatles’ “Honey Pie.”  We opened with the old chestnut “Hello My Baby” and ended with our standard closer, “When The Saints Go Marching In.”  Along the way, we did a version of “Beer Barrel Polka” in which Slavka sang a couple of verses in English and then a verse in Czech.

Our club members had as good a time as the residents, and we hope to perform at Brookdale again.

Stoneman Village

June 14, 2019

The East Bay Banjo Club played a spirited one-hour set for Flag Day at Stoneman Village in Pittsburg.  Stoneman is a lovely setting, and we played in their attractive courtyard on a beautiful day surrounded by bougainvillea plants and a nice soft breeze.

To mark the Flag Day occasion we played a patriotic set, starting with the five songs of our U.S. Armed Forces — The Marines’ Hymn, The Caissons Go Rolling Along, Anchors Away, the Air Force Song, and Semper Paratus (the Coast Guard song).

Twelve club members played the event, and several others attended.  Banjo players were Paul Mack, Ardie Jarrett, Tom Brunetti, Garry Kerr, Betty David, and Chris Lardge.  Don Granberg played keyboard and also doubled on washboard for a few songs.  Jan Ruzicka played guitar, Slavka Ruzicka played autoharp, Doug Johnson played clarinet and John Greitzer played bass.  Kit Nelson sang several numbers.  Don, Chris, and Slavka also shared some of the vocal duties.  Other members in attendance were Bob Nelson and Mimi Johnson.

We are fortunate to have played at Stoneman Village every year for the past several years, and we certainly hope to be invited back again.

Kensington Walnut Creek

November 11, 2018

By Don Granberg
Photos by Bob Nelson

EBBC celebrated Veterans Day by playing at the Kensington Assisted Living Facility in Walnut Creek. The residents enjoyed our singing and playing. Our singers were Sheila Welt, Kit Nelson, Don Granberg and Red Higgins. Intros were played by Larry Risner and Betty David, and by Don Granberg on the piano. Doug Johnson helped carry the melody playing his saxophone, Terry Horner kept the beat with his magnificent gutbucket bass.  Don doubled on washboard.

Slavka and Jan Ruzicka treated us to the song “Tancuj Tancuj” with Slavka handling the vocals in Czech and Jan playing guitar. Ardie Jarrett did a good job of keeping the rhythm along with Dina Melamed (washboard) and Clyde Dedmon (guitar). It was nice to have Linda and Phil Myers playing along too. Also attending were Bernadette Granberg, Dianne Risner and Mimi Johnson.

Paul Mack did a wonderful job announcing and giving the history of each song. Our thanks go to Bob Nelson for taking pictures of the event (see below). Bob and Diane Malucelli did their usual great job of setting up the sound system. We closed the show with “When The Saints Go Marching In,” as Diane Malucelli and Sheila Welt marched around the room carrying umbrellas, even though there was no rain in sight. It was a great playout that went fast and very well. EBBC appreciates the chance to play at the Kensington and we hope return soon.

Atria Walnut Creek

October 26, 2018

By Paul Mack
Photos by Dianne Risner

We played a fun gig on Friday October 26 at Atria Walnut Creek. We were situated in the dining room, and although it was a tight fit, we made room for all 25 of us. Our group included Red Higgins, Sheila Welt, Ardie Jarrett, Doug Johnson, Paul Mack, Dina Melamed, Clyde Dedmon, Debbie Hodson, Karen Hefter, Don Granberg, Chris Lardge, Linda Myers, Phil Myers, Garry Kerr, Kit Nelson, Bob Malucelli, Diane Malucelli, Rich Combs, Jan Ruzicka, Slavka Ruzicka, Tom Brunetti, Bob Ehrhorn, Betty David, Larry Risner and Guy Black.

It was very exciting to have both Karen and Betty performing with us again. In addition to their participation, the audience was looking forward to hearing their very own resident, longtime banjo club member Red Higgins.  She wowed the crowd when she sang “The Crawdad Song.” Toward the middle of the program Red and Kit performed “Bill Bailey” and had the crowd singing and clapping along. Later on Bob Ehrhorn and Red did a wonderful job with “ Darktown Strutter’s Ball.”

We ended with Sheila and Debbie parading through the audience while Don sang our traditional closing number, “When The Saints Go Marching In.” As we were packing up afterwards, a number of people told us how much they enjoyed the show. As the staff was busy getting the room ready for dinner, I looked at the menu and the entrees were Grilled Chicken, Lamb Chop or Salmon Piccata. Yum, yum.

St. John Vianney Church

July 27, 2018

By Paul Mack

On Friday July 24, 2018 the East Bay Banjo Club performed at St. John Vianney Church in Walnut Creek for their Senior Social Luncheon. We were in the beautiful Monsignor William J. Mullen Commons. The church is named after St. John Vianney (1786-1859) who is the patron saint of parish priests. Bud Pearce was the patron saint of this playout as he was the musical director, master of ceremonies and set up the sound system!

We had eighteen musicians and singers: Kit Nelson, Ardie Jarrett, Paul Mack, Slavka Ruzicka, Jan Ruzicka, Clyde Dedmon, Dina Melamed, Rich Combs, Don Granberg, Bud Pearce, Chris Lardge, Bob Ehrhorn, Red Higgins, Tom Brunetti, Doug Johnson, Larry Risner, Garry Kerr and Terry Horner.

Just before we started, it was announced that a member of the audience was celebrating her 90th birthday.  We played and sang “Happy Birthday” to honor her.  As lunch was being served we began our program with Bob singing “San Francisco Bay Blues”. We also performed two instrumentals: “Missouri Waltz” and “Darkness on the Delta.” As we continued our playing more and more people were singing along, and several people were dancing in the aisles. We took a short break while the church announcer told a funny story involving his driving, his wife and a cop who pulled him over. We played a few more songs and Kit sang “Happy Days Are Here Again” as our closing number. After the show we were graciously offered lunch, which we all enjoyed.

Fortunately, this event was video taped by Adrian D’Souza of St. John Vianney Church. Thanks Adrian! Click here to view!

Stoneman Village

July 3, 2018

By Don Granberg

Photos by John Greitzer

WOW!  Another great playout, this one at Stoneman Village Senior Living in Pittsburg.  We all arrived early and got our seating arrangement from Karen Hefter, who did a wonderful job as music director for the gig.  As usual, Paul Mack gave great background and historical information about each song we sang and played.  Our singers — Kit Nelson, Bud Pearce, Sheila Welt, Bob Erhorn, Don Granberg, Chris Lardge, Bob Malucelli and Slavka Ruzicka –did a great job and earned loud applause.  Don, on his washboard, thrilled the crowd.

 

Jan Ruzicka played the guitar intro to the great song “Tancuj” from his homeland, Czechoslavkia, and his wife Slavka  sang.  The audience enjoyed it and clapped along.  Other club members at the playout were Tom Brunetti, Diane Malucelli, Ardie Jarrett, Phil and Linda Myers, John Greitzer and our great bass player Guy Black.

 

Our audience sang along with us on many of the songs.  Karen Hefter was about to end the concert as our hour was up, when a woman in the audience yelled out “play God Bless America.”  We did so, bringing the joyful afternoon to a stirring end.  Thanks to Karen for a great job directing, thanks to Bob Malucelli for being responsible for the sound equipment, and thanks also for the help from other club members in setting things up.

 

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Montecito Senior Living

By Paul Mack

June 7, 2018

We played a terrific show on May 25 at Montecito Senior Living in Concord.   Playing songs with an Americana theme, we had fourteen musicians and singers: Paul Mack, Slavka Ruzicka, Jan Ruzicka, Sheila Welt, Ardie Jarrett, Kit Nelson, Tom Brunetti, Diane Malucelli, Bob Malucelli, Chris Lardge, Bud Pearce, Garry Kerr, John Greitzer and Guy Black. Paul was the Master of Ceremonies, Bud was the Music Director, and Bob Malucelli set up the sound equipment.

This was our second playout at Montecito this year, as we did a show in March. Since this was the Memorial Day weekend, we began our program with a moment of silence to honor those who died while serving in the country’s armed forces. Our first five songs were the songs of each branch of the armed forces — Anchors Aweigh, The Marine’s Hymn, The Caissons Go Rolling Along, The Air Force Song, and Semper Paratus (a Coast Guard song). We continued playing another eighteen songs to complete the hour-long performance.

The audience loved the show as most everyone was singing and clapping to the songs. During the show Bob Nelson was handed a note which read, “Claire’s mother loved the music you brought to us. It brings back memories.”  As we were putting our equipment away after the show, a resident showed us a George Formby songbook which she graciously gave to us.  Formby was a British entertainer, popular mostly in the pre-World War II era, often playing banjo or ukulele to accompany his singing.

Stonebrook Health Care Center

April 2, 2018

By Paul Mack

The East Bay Banjo Club entertained the residents of the Stonebrook Heath Care Center in Concord on Tuesday March 13, 2018. Don Granberg worked with Valarie McDaniel of Stonebrook to organize the playout. Our musical director was Rich Combs, Paul Mack was the announcer, Guy Black played the bass and Bob Malucelli handled the equipment.

We set up the sound equipment and chairs as our performance was in the dining hall. Our musicians and singers were Doug Johnson, Paul Mack, Lary McGrew, Kit Nelson, Rich Combs, Don Granberg, Bob Malucelli, Sheila Welt, Ardie Jarret, Tom Brunetti, Slavka Ruzicka, Jan Ruzicka, Bob Erhorn, Garry Kerr and Bud Pearce.

We took the audience down memory lane by playing twenty songs, starting with “Bill Bailey” and ending with “When the Saints Go Marching In.” Although many in the audience were in wheelchairs, that did not stop them from moving to the music, singing and clapping along with the songs. With their smiles and applause it was clear that they were having a great time.

 

 

Posted in Gig

Orinda Masonic Lodge

March 13, 2018

By Paul Mack
Photos by Bob Nelson

The East Bay Banjo Club put on an outstanding performance at the annual Orinda Masonic Lodge Crab Feed on Friday February 23, 2018. The place was packed as each table was filled. Not only did the audience dine on crab, they also dined on an hour of great tunes.

All 21 of us had to fit onto the small stage, but that didn’t stop us from entertaining the crowd. Banjo players and singers included Bob Malucelli, Rich Combs, Karen Hefter, Don Granberg, Bud Pearce, Sheila Welt, Ardie Jarrett, Jan Ruzicka, Slavka Ruzicka, Tom Brunetti, Dina Melamed, Clyde Dedmon, Paul Mack, Garry Kerr, Deb Hodson, Bob Ehrhorn, Doug Johnson, Kit Nelson, Phil Myers and Linda Myers. Guy Black played bass, Bob Nelson served as photographer and Bob Malucelli handled the equipment.

Bud Pearce was the Master of Ceremonies. He gave a little history of each song as he introduced it. We had two duets as Kit and Don sang “Bill Bailey” and Don and Sheila sang “Your Cheatin’ Heart”. Some audience members loved all of the music so much they stopped eating crab and got up and danced! They also got in their exercise as Sheila, Paul and Deb got the crowd moving during “When the Saints Go Marching In.” It was a wonderful audience and we received a standing ovation.  As Karen Hefter wrote, “It was a great team effort. Everyone did their bit as part of the team and it really showed tonight.”

Posted in Gig

Montecito Senior Living

February 13, 2018

By Sheila Welt
Photographs by John Greitzer and Dianne Risner

The East Bay Banjo Club played a rousing set on the afternoon of February 13 – Fat Tuesday – at Montecito Senior Living on Clayton Road in Concord. An enthusiastic crowd of about fifty residents clapped, sang (and a few danced) to the old-time standards ringing out from our banjos and singers.

This playout was so much fun to play. It is so nice when the audience members sing along with our songs. Several ladies in the audience spontaneously got up and danced to our songs. When we played our traditional closer, “When the Saints Go Marching In,” there was a lot of participation in the parade by women and men.

The East Bay Banjo Club played 21 songs, 16 of which were vocals. Two of our members got up and danced, Rich Combs danced with an audience member, and Sheila Welt led the parade for “When the Saints.” A great time was had by all.

Mt. Diablo Pilots Association

July 21, 2017

By John Greitzer
Photos by Bob Nelson

Capping off a busy June and July, the EBBC entertained a meeting of the Mount Diablo Pilots’ Association on July 21 in Concord. Participants included Tom Brunetti, Jack and Diana Starr, Tom Brunetti, Bob Ehrhorn, Bob Malucelli, Kit Nelson, Deb Hodson, Don Granberg, Jan and Slavka Ruzicka, Doug Johnson, Chris Lardge, Betty David, Guy Black, Larry Risner, Dina Melamed and Clyde Dedmon. Below are some photos taken by Bob Nelson.

Wives Of Military Officers

June 27, 2017

By John Greitzer
Photos by Georgette DeTorres

The East Bay Banjo Club entertained a gathering of the Wives of Military Officers at Zio Fraedo’s Restaurant in Pleasant Hill on Tuesday afternoon, June 27. Due to the limited space, a smaller-than-usual contingent of 14 EBBC members participated. The group of military wives particularly enjoyed the salute to all branches of the Armed Services. There was a representative of each branch of service in the audience. Perhaps the highlight of our performance was Jesse DeTorres’s version of Satchmo Armstrong’s “Hello Dolly”

EBBC singers and musicians who participated were Jesse DeTorres, Bob Ehrhorn, Don Granberg, Bud Pearce, Karen Hefter, Betty David, Garry Kerr, Bob Malucelli, Rich Combs, Clyde Dedmon, Ardie Jarrett, Red Higgins, Dina Malumed, and Guy Black.

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Stoneman Village

May 30, 2017

By John Greitzer
Photos by Bob Nelson

The East Bay Banjo Club entertained a small but enthusiastic audience at Stoneman Village, a seniors’ residence in Pittsburg, with a Memorial Day program on May 30 at 2 p.m. The program started with a song recognizing each branch of the military – “The Caissons Go Rolling Along” (for the Army), “The Air Force Song,” “The Marines’ Hymn,” “Anchors Aweigh” (for the Navy), and “Semper Paratus” (for the Coast Guard).

These were followed by standards such as “Five Foot Two,” “Bourbon Street,” and “Bill Bailey,” to name a few. Bud Pearce handled the announcing duties and Bob Malucelli set up and worked the sound system. Some 22 club musicians and singers participated, including Guy Black, Rich Combs, Betty David, Clyde Dedmon, Alex Dongallo, Bob Ehrhorn, John Greitzer, Don Granberg, Karen Hefter, Red Higgins, Ardie Jarrett, Doug Johnson, Garry Kerr, Chris Lardge, Bob Malucelli, Dina Melamed, Kit Nelson, Bud Pearce, Larry Risner, Jan Ruzicka, Slava Ruzicka, and Sheila Welt. Other club members attending were Bob Nelson, Diane Risner and Cathy Dongallo. The audience was smaller than anticipated, possibly due to the cloudy weather, but they had fun, clapping and singing on familiar songs. EBBC thanks Stoneman Village for inviting us back for another Memorial Day performance.

Banjo-Rama 2017

April 23, 2017

By John Greitzer and Karen Hefter

The East Bay Banjo Club played two sets at Banjo-Rama on Sunday, April 23. We played in the morning and afternoon programs. Our two sets were to include geographically titled songs such as “California Here I Come,” “Georgia On My Mind,” “Carolina In The Morning”, and “Alabamy Bound,” and a wide variety of other songs including the “Battle Hymn Of The Republic,” This Land Is Your Land,” “Beer Barrell Polka”, “Heart Of My Heart”, “Take Me Out To The Ballgame,” and the “youngster” of all the songs in our list, the 1960s hit “In The Summertime” by Mungo Jerry. Due to some logistical issues our sets were shortened a bit, but the show nonetheless provided an opportunity for EBBC to “show our stuff” to the crowd.

Twenty-five of our members participated, including Tom Brunetti, Rich Combs, Jack Convery, Betty David, Clyde Dedmon, Jesse DeTorres, Alex Dongallo, Bob Ehrhorn, Barbara Findlay, Don Granberg, Karen Hefter, Deb Hodson, Terry Horner, Ardie Jarrett, Garry Kerr, Bob Malucelli, Dina Melamed, Linda Myers, Phil Myers, Bud Pearce, Jan Ruzicka, Slavka Ruzicka, Diana Starr, Jack Starr, and Pat Warnick.

Group gathers after performance

Alamo Easter Egg Hunt

April 15, 2017

By Karen Hefter
Photos courtesy of Skip Kuebel, Cyber Island Graphics / skiptown@comcast.net

Music Director Karen Hefter extends a big “thank you” to everyone who attended the playout at the Alamo Rotary Club’s Easter Egg Hunt at Livorna Park on April 15. Karen says it “was a really fun event and we got really favorable comments both from the client and from audience members. It’s neat that they want us back next year!”

Karen noted that the club overcame numerous obstacles to make it work. “We pulled off a great performance even though over half of our singers cancelled within 24 hours of the gig due to illness, plus we were unable to use the monitors, mixer and my banjo mike because the mixer wouldn’t turn on. In addition, we ended up charging the mics before (and even during) the show because they were not charged when we got to the gig. I appreciate the flexibility of the singers who did extra duty and of everyone else who just went with the flow. A big thank-you goes to Garry Kerr for hauling the equipment. I’m also very proud of Ardie Jarrett and Tom Brunetti who did a great job starting songs for the first time at a public performance. It was a great team effort.”

EBBC also thanks photographer Skip Kuebel of Cyber Island Graphics for permission to use his images.

In addition to the aforementioned, participants included Don Granberg, Jack and Diana Starr, Bud Pearce, Betty David, Jan and Slavka Ruzicka, Terry Horner, Barbara Findlay, Pat Warnick, and Phil and Linda Myers.

Orinda Masonic Lodge

February 24, 2017

By Sheila Welt

The East Bay Banjo Club played for an enthusiastic audience at the Orinda Masonic Lodge Crab Feed on February 24. A 20-strong group of musicians and singers represented the club. Club musicians included Guy Black, Tom Brunetti, Rich Combs, Betty David, Bob Ehrhorn, Don Granberg, Karen Hefter, Red Higgins, Terry Horner, Ardie Jarrett, Doug Johnson, Garry Kerr, Bob Malucelli, Bud Pearce, Larry Risner, Jan Ruzicka, Slavka Ruzicka, Diana Starr, and Sheila Welt. Doug Johnson’s wife Mimi attended as a guest.

EBBC started off with Master of Ceremonies Bud Pearce giving introductions and information to introduce each song. Some in the audience sang along and several got up to dance. The club played a good mix of songs including instrumentals and vocals.

The club’s traditional closing number, “When The Saints Go Marching In,” included a parade line led by Sheila Welt followed by audience members and Terry Horner with his washboard. The club thanks the audience as they made it a wonderful experience for those of us who performed. A great time was had by all.

Posted in Gig

Veterans Day at the Kensington

By John Greitzer
Photos by Bob Nelson

The East Bay Banjo Club provided Veterans’ Day musical entertainment at the Kensington senior community in Walnut Creek on Friday, November 11. Some 19 EBBC members participated in the event, receiving warm applause from appreciative audience members who sang along on several numbers.

The program began with five military songs, one for each branch of the Armed Forces. We started with “Marines’ Hymn,” then “Caissons Go Rolling Along” for the Army vets, “Anchors Away” for the Navy vets, “Semper Paratus” for the Coast Guard vets, and the “Air Force Song.” Following those numbers, the club played songs highlighting each geographical area of the country, from “Give My Regards To Broadway” to “California Here I Come” to “St. Louis Blues” to “Alabama Jubilee” to “San Francisco Bay Blues” and many places in between. “This Land Is Your Land” and “God Bless America” also were performed.

Participating musicians and singers included Guy Black, Rich Combs, Betty David, Don Granberg, John Greitzer, Karen Hefter, Red Higgins, Ardie Jarrett, Garry Kerr, Chris Lardge, Kit Nelson, Bud Pearce, Larry Risner, Jan and Slavka Ruzicka, Jack and Diana Starr, and Sheila Welt. Bob Nelson took photographs of the event.

The club has performed at the Kensington several times now, and we hope to make plenty of return appearances.

Annual Picnic In The Delta

By Diane Malucelli
Photographs by Bob Nelson

On Saturday, August 20, we had our East Bay Banjo Club picnic at Landers Landing in Tracy. It was a cool morning on the Delta with a nice breeze off of the water as we all arrived to enjoy the day. Phil and Linda Myers and Karen Hefter started playing banjo songs on the deck. When they took a break, Bob Ehrhorn, Diane and Bob Malucelli played ukuleles and sang songs.

Don Granberg played his piano keyboard and Larry Risner, Bud Pearce, Richard Combs, Phil, Linda and Karen and Bob Malucelli played banjos. Slavka Ruzicka played her autoharp and Jan Ruzicka played his guitar. Kit Nelson sang many of the songs. Jim and Angelina Blankenship, Dianne Risner, Sandy Ehrhorn, Lito and Darlene Calimlim, Bernadette (Don’s wife), Mary and Guy Black, Bob Nelson, Gloria Pearce and Michael Stein and his wife were all there. The lunch featured sausages, corn on the cob, lettuce, fruit and pasta salads and lots of desserts.

Our host Bobbie Landers’ daughter, Holly, and friend David, took several people out on boat rides. One of our younger banjo players, Connor Calimlim, went on a ride with his brothers, Aaron and Sean and their friend, Madison. Bud and Gloria Pearce’s grandchildren, Aiden and Maya went boating. All the young people went out later on a paddle boat and kayaks.

It was a fun day at Bobbie’s home on the Delta and we thank her and her family so much for inviting us and for organizing the picnic and the food.