Category Archives: Gig

Banjo-Rama 2016

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May 15, 2016

By:  Sheila Welt
Photos by: Bob Nelson

The Lion’s Gate Hotel in Sacramento was a beautiful venue, and the parking was easy.  The drive from Concord was approx. 80 miles.

We played from 1:40pm until 2:10pm.

Banjo Players included:  Tom Brunetti, Rich Combs, Jack Convery, Betty David, Bob Ehrhorn, Barbara Findley, Karen Hefter, Red Higgins, Deb Hobson, Ardie Jarrett, Trent Jones, Bob Malucelli, Linda Myers, Phil Myers, Kit Nelson, Bud Pearce, Larry Risner, Jan Ruzicka, Slavka Ruzicka, Jack Starr, Marilyn Starr, and Sheila Welt.

Bass:  Guy Black

Vocalists:  Bob Ehrhorn, Red Higgins, Kit Nelson, Bud Pearce, and Sheila Welt

The audience seemed to enjoy our presentation and responded with much clapping.

The vendors were well represented and had a lot of goodies for us to purchase.  It appeared that some of them were doing a very brisk business.

It was a good play out and great fun!

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Castlewood Country Club Playout

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December 9, 2015

By:  Diane Malucelli
Photos by:  Bob Nelson

On Wednesday, December 9, 2015, eighteen members of our East Bay Banjo Club came to Castlewood Country Club in Pleasanton for a playout.  We performed for the Kaiser Retirement Group and we entertained 220 people after their luncheon.

Castlewood Country Club is on a hill overlooking the valley.  It is a beautiful and very impressive, large building that was decorated with trees, wreaths and lights for Christmas.  We performed on risers in their main ballroom so that we were above the audience.

Since it was such a large room, we really played and sang vigorously so everyone could hear us.  Betty David led us and Larry Risner sat behind the group to help with the rhythm.  Guy Black was our lead on bass guitar.  Our other players were Clyde Dedmon on guitar, Jesse DeTorres, Bob Ehrhorn, Don Granberg, Ardie Jarrett, Garry Kerr, Chris Lardge, Bob Malucelli, Diane Malucelli, Dina Melamed, Phil Myers, Kit Nelson, Bud Pearce, Jack Starr, and Sheila Welt.

We played traditional banjo songs, as well as Jewish and Christmas songs.  The singers were Jesse DeTorres, Bob Ehrhorn, Don Granberg, Chris Lardge, Kit Nelson, Bud Pearce and Sheila Welt.  Phil Myers led the Club on “The Bear Mist the Train” and Kit Nelson sang “Silent Night” as our last song.

Zio Fraedo’s Play Out

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The Retired Officers’ Military Wives Club
Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015

By:  Sheila Welt
Photos by:  Bob Nelson and Diane Risner

This play out at Zio Fraedo’s Restaurant was great fun!  The women in attendance were a fun group to entertain.  They enthusiastically joined in with our songs and danced with us during our closing number of “When The Saints Go Marching In.”  We entertained with the requested “oldies” and Jack Convery did a banjo solo of medley of the military songs.

Banjo Players:  Jack Convery, Bob Ehrhorn, Don Granberg, Garry Kerr, Annie Lem, Bud Pearce, Kit Nelson, Bob Malucelli, Larry Risner, and Sheila Welt

Other Instruments:  Guy Black (Bass), Clyde Dedmon (Guitar), Dina Melamed (Washboard), and Don Granberg (Washboard)

Singers:  Bob Ehrhorn, Don Granberg, Bud Pearce, Kit Nelson, and Sheila Welt

Lindsay Wildlife Museum Playout

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October 11, 2015

by:  Karen Hefter
Photos by:  Bob Nelson

The Club had a wonderful afternoon helping the Lindsay Wildlife Museum celebrate their 60th anniversary.  The museum is an educational center and rehabilitation hospital for local California wildlife.  We performed for an hour outside, under some beautiful trees.  To celebrate the museum’s history, we worked a number of animal related songs into the show list.  Some featured animal songs were “Jungletown,” “Bye Bye Blackbird,” “Under the Double Eagle,” and “Alley Cat.”  Kit Nelson sang “Alley Cat” and Dina Melamed wore cat ears,  held up a cat poster, and added all of the ‘meows’ needed for her favorite song.

We had a great turnout from club members.  Our 18 fabulous performers were:  Guy Black, Tom Brunetti, Betty David, Clyde Dedmon, Bob Ehrhorn, Don Granberg, Karen Hefter, Terry Horner, Garry Kerr, Chris Lardge, Annie Lem, Dina Melamed, Linda Myers, Phil Myers, Diane Malucelli, Bob Malucelli, Kit Nelson, and Larry Risner.  This was Annie’s first playout and we hope she joins us for many more in the future. Club member Bob Nelson was our photographer.  We also had a few spouses and other supporters join us for this performance.

Picnic at Lander’s Landing

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August 15, 2015

by:  Karen Hefter
Photos by:  Karen Hefter

The East Bay Banjo Club would like to give a huge thank you to Bobbi Landers for hosting the annual picnic at her home on the Delta once again.  It is so much fun to sit out on her deck at the edge of the water and, eat, chat, and, did I mention eat?   People trickled in throughout the morning and enjoyed sitting out on the deck and talking with each other.  The weather was hot but there was a nice breeze, at least in the morning.  Boat rides and waterskiing lessons were available to those who wanted to go out on the water.  Carl, this year’s exchange student from Tabor in the Czech Republic, gave it a try and got up on skis on his very first day.  Karen brought along a small monkey organ that she recently made from a kit and played it for the group.  Bud and a couple of other people also gave it a try.  Bob N. and Bud were in charge of the barbecue this year and they masterfully grilled corn on the cob and 4 kinds of sausages.  There were plenty of salads and delicious desserts as well.

After lunch, everyone got out their instruments and we had a jam session out on the deck.  In addition to all of the banjos, we had Don on the keyboard, an autoharp and a guitar played by some of Bobbi’s Czech friends, Annie’s husband Dan on harmonica, and Annie’s granddaughter Danielle on the ukulele.    Bud, Kit, Don, and Chris sang along with the group, as did some of the Czech guests.  The club had a great turnout and many people attended with their spouses, children, grandchildren, etc.   This year’s EBBC deck chair brigade included:  Guy and Mary Black, Betty David, Don Granberg and Bernadette, Karen Hefter, Harry and Red Higgins, Ardie Jarrett, Bobbi Landers, Chris Lardge, Bob and Diane Malucelli, Linda and Phil Myers, Kit and Bob Nelson, Bud and Gloria Pearce (plus other assorted family members), Annie and Dan Lem (plus other assorted family members), and Sheila Welt.  A wonderful time was had had by all, as evidenced by all of the smiles in the photos.

Atria Senior Living Playout

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August 14, 2015

By:  Diane Malucelli
Photos by:  Bob Nelson

We performed on Friday, August 14 from 3:30pm – 4:30pm at Atria Senior Living, 1400 Montego Street in Walnut Creek.  It is a very nice assisted living facility that was extensively renovated last year.  We played in a medium-sized community room for about 25 residents.  The theme was the Spirit of ’45 and it was intended to celebrate the end of World War II.

Betty David led us and Guy Black provided our bass.  Our other players were Clyde Dedmon on guitar, Bob Ehrhorn, Don Granberg, Ardie Jarrett, Chris Lardge, Bob Malucelli, Diane Malucelli, Kit Nelson, Bud Pearce, and Sheila Welt.  We had our special guests of Jim Abele and Bob Nelson.  Our vocalists were Bob Ehrhorn, Don Granberg, Chris Lardge, Kit Nelson, Bud Pearce and Sheila Welt. Bob Nelson was our photographer. There was a full piano in the room so Don Granberg played the piano with us on “Cuddle Up a Little Closer,” “Nobody’s Sweeheart Now,” and “Darkness on the Delta.”  Some of the residents sang along with our songs and one energetic lady danced to the songs while using her walker.

We ended our performance with Sheila singing “America the Beautiful” and Kit singing “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”  It was a very moving and patriotic tribute and a very nice playout.

Reutlinger Community for Jewish Living Playout

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July 21, 2015

By:  Diane Malucelli
Photos by:  Bob Nelson

On Tuesday, July 21, 2015, the East Bay Banjo Club performed at the Reutlinger Community for Jewish Living in Danville for the first time. This is an assisted living residence and there are many buildings and residents.  We performed for their ice cream social and the theme was “Remember the Good Old Days.”  We played in a large dining room and there were probably around 70 residents and helpers there.

We had 18 people playing instruments and six of them sang as well.  Our group included Guy Black, Tom Brunetti, Betty David, Clyde Dedmon, Jesse DeTorres, Bob Ehrhorn, Don Granberg, John Greitzer, Karen Hefter, Ardie Jarrett, Garry Kerr, Bob Malucelli, Diane Malucelli, Dina Melamed, Kit Nelson, Bud Pearce, Larry Risner, and Sheila Welt.  The singers were Jesse DeTorres, Bob Ehrhorn, Don Granberg, Kit Nelson, Bud Pearce, and Sheila Welt.  Club member Georgette DeTorres was in attendance and Bob Nelson took photos.  Diane Risner attended as well.

It was wonderful to have Jesse back with us to play and sing.  John Greitzer played with us for the first time at a gig and he enjoyed it.  The audience was enthusiastic and sang along with the songs such as “You Are My Sunshine,” “California Here I Come,” and “Five Foot Two.”  They were dancing in their chairs and smiling.  Even the helpers were dancing and clapping with the residents. Kit Nelson ended with a beautiful “God Bless America.”  It was a good performance and a lot of fun for all of us.

Orinda 4th of July Parade

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July 4th, 2015

By:  Karen Hefter
Photos by:  Karen Hefter

The Fourth of July was a beautiful day, perfect for a parade.  The weather was warm, but a cool breeze kept us from overheating.  Spirits were high as we decorated our float with bunting, flags, signs, etc.  Bob Ehrhorn brought a sound system so that we could hear Betty better this year.  This was a big help!  The parade is always a fun event and it is great to see all of the smiling faces along the street.  People make lots of eye contact with us and cheer and clap along to our music.   Our players were:  Guy Black, Betty David, Clyde Dedmon, Bob Ehrhorn, Don Granberg, John Greitzer, Karen Hefter, Bob Malucelli, Diane Malucelli, Dina Melamed, Linda Myers, and Phil Myers.  Kat and David Hefter joined us on the float and threw candy for the kids along the parade route.  Dina wore a special, star spangled 4th of July hat that she created herself, complete with an eagle, for the occasion.

A big thank you goes to Bobbie Landers for arranging this playout for us year after year and for coordinating the hay and truck logistics.  Extra thanks go to Bob and Diane Malucelli, who brought coffee and donuts for the float decorators.  They also brought all of the signs, decorations, etc, as well as the all important ladder needed to get on and off the float!  They are kind enough to store all of these items for the club all year long.

Castro Valley Masonic Center Playout

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July 2, 2015

By:  Sheila Welt
Photos by:  Bob Nelson

This evening was dedicated to the youth groups that the Masonic Lodge sponsors.  A young lady from the Rainbow Girls spoke to us about patriotism.  She was an eloquent speaker and her presentation was enjoyed by all.  The Rainbow Girls, Job’s Daughters, Boy Scouts, and Cub Scouts brought in the Colors.  The Rainbow Assembly served the diners their chicken dinners, which included dessert. The crowd was welcoming and enjoyed our entertainment.  We played patriotic songs, as well as some of our traditional songs.

Those playing were:  Guy Black, Tom Brunetti, Betty David, Bob Ehrhorn, Don Granberg, Ardie Jarrett, Bob Malucelli, Kit Nelson, Jack Starr, and Sheila Welt.  Vocalists were:  Kit Nelson, Bob Ehrhorn, Don Granberg, and Sheila Welt.  Don Granberg also played the washboard.  Bob Nelson was our photographer.

The cooks had hot dogs ready for those of us who arrived early to set up, which we greatly appreciated. They also offered us dinner after the meeting and some of our group took it home in carry-out containers.   We only had one little glitch with the sound system, which Bob Malucelli found and fixed very quickly.  He needed to replace a fuse.  Overall, we were all very pleased with the evening.

Aegis of Pleasant Hill Playout

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June 19, 2015

By:  Diane Malucelli
Photos by:  Bob Nelson

The East Bay Banjo Club playout was on Friday, June 19 at Aegis of Pleasant Hill, which is a beautiful assisted living residence.  We played in the garden in front of the colorful flowers and cascading water fountain.  It was sunny at first when we set up the equipment, so we moved our chairs around to get some shade.  As the sun moved, it became shady and very pleasant to play outside.  About 45 residents and visitors came to listen and they sang along to some of the songs.  We saw a special resident with our gold vest on and Betty recognized him as Jack Hicks.  Jack is still a member of EBBC.  Bob and I talked to him afterwards and he has many membership cards and has been part of our club for 45 years.

Betty David was our leader for the day and Guy Black played the bass.  The vocalists were Don Granberg, Kit Nelson and Sheila Welt.  The banjo players were Tom Brunetti, Betty David, Don Granberg, Ardie Jarrett, Bob Malucelli, Diane Malucelli, Kit Nelson, and Sheila Welt.  Dina Melamed played her washboard and Clyde Dedmon played his guitar. Bob Nelson was our photographer. We ended with “When the Saints Go Marching In” and the workers danced with the residents and everyone enjoyed the music.  It is a fun place to play and it is full of nice people.

Stoneman Village Playout

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May 26, 2015

By:  Sheila Welt
Photos by:  Bob Nelson

It was a beautiful day for an outdoor playout.  The weather was sunny, with enough breeze to keep the heat down. Our audience was spirited and sang along with many of our songs.  A lot of the residents came up to talk with us after our performance.  It was good to see friends from past EBBC performances in attendance.

Banjo Players in attendance: Tom Brunetti, Jim Blankenship, Betty David, Clyde Dedmon, Bob Ehrhorn, Don Granberg, Ardie Jarrett, Bob Malucelli, Diane Malucelli, Kit Nelson, Bud Pearce and Sheila Welt.  Singers were:  Bob Ehrhorn, Don Granberg, Kit Nelson, Bud Pearce and Sheila Welt.  Bass:  Guy Black.  Washboard: Dina Melamed.

Set Up, Break Down and Sound Crews included:  Tom Brunetti, Bob Elrhorn, Ardie Jarrett, Bob Malucelli, Diane Malucelli, Bob Nelson, and Sheila Welt. Our photographer for the day:  Bob Nelson.

An interesting side note to this playout: There was a  scheduling conflict between our playing and some kind of meeting that was scheduled for the same time slot.  We were informed that we needed to turn off the mics because we were too loud and the people in the meeting couldn’t hear each other speak.  With mics off, the singers could not be heard and it was difficult for the banjos to stay in sync with each other.  Regardless of the restrictions, the audience enjoyed our performance and the EBBC had a good time.

Sacramento BanjoRama 2015

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5-17-2015

by:  Karen Hefter
photos by:  Bob Nelson, Karen Hefter

The EBBC made a very strong showing at the 2015 Sacramento BanjoRama.  We were one of the largest banjo bands present that day, with 19 performers up on stage. We also had more singers than any other banjo band.  Our performance was very spirited and was very well received by the large crowd.  We started out with our club’s theme song, “The Banjo Picker’s Ball,” and our club members sang the song with gusto the second and fourth times through.  This gave the performance a very strong start.

We played a total of 9 songs, which featured 6 of our fabulous singers: Bob Ehrhorn, Don Granberg, Red Higgins, Kit Nelson, Bud Pearce, and Danielle Torres.  The singers were all real crowd pleasers and the audience happily sang along to many of the songs.  One of the crowd favorites was “Crawdad Song,” led by Banjo Hall of Famer Harry Higgins and sung by his wife Red Higgins and granddaughter Danielle Torres.  Bud Pearce always gets a lot of enthusiasm from the crowd when he sings “Hello Ma Baby” with his tiny plastic megaphone. The other singers were equally well received.

This year’s BanjoRama performance was a real showcase of our club’s talents – songs were led by 4 different banjo players and sung by 6 of our singers.    Our performers included:  Tom Brunetti, Jack Convery, Betty David, Clyde Dedmon, Bob Ehrhorn, Don Granberg, Karen Hefter, Harry Higgins, Red Higgins, Garry Kerr, Bob Malucelli, Diane Malucelli, Dina Melamed, Phil Myers, Kit Nelson, Bud Pearce, Larry Risner, Danielle Torres, and guest performer John Stafford on bass.

Later on in the day, our own Jack Convery was featured in his own solo set and he started out performing solo, accompanied by Evan Dale on bass.  Next, Jack invited John Stafford up with his clarinet for another song.  As time went on, Jack slowly built up the group on stage by inviting several outstanding EBBC members, including Kit Nelson, Harry Higgins, Danielle Torres, and Bud Pearce, to join him one or two at a time. Jack ended his set by playing Dueling Banjos with a friend who played the 5-string banjo.  Jack’s set was a half hour of outstanding music!

Pittsburg Senior Center

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May 16, 2015

By:  Diane Malucelli
Photos by:  Dianne Risner

The EBBC playout on Saturday, May 16th was at the Pittsburg Senior Center and it was for their Senior Health Fair.  They had tables with health information throughout the building.  They had a wide variety of  entertainment before our performance, such as follies dancers, singers and tap dancers.  We played while people ate lunch, but we were delayed about a half hour because of the equipment setup. We played for about 45 minutes.

Betty David and Larry Risner led our group and Guy Black was our bass player.  The other banjo players were Tom Brunetti, Bob Ehrhorn, Don Granberg, Bob Malucelli, Diane Malucelli, and Bud Pearce.  Bob Ehrhorn, Don Granberg and Bud Pearce were our vocalists.  The audience really enjoyed our music and several of them got up and danced to our music.  There were two ladies that danced together and a gentleman that did a soft shoe dance.

The organizers of the event would love to have us come back again next year but we explained that we need to have setup time factored into the schedule.  We’ll see what happens next year.  It was a fun event and the seniors seemed to really enjoy it.

Sheep Shearing Day at Forest Hill Farm

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April 18, 2015

By:  Karen Hefter
Photos by:  Bob Nelson and Karen Hefter

It was a beautiful day for shearing sheep (and playing the banjo) at Forest Hill Farms in San Ramon.  We played in a (mostly) shady corner, outside the old barn, from 11:00 am to 2:30 pm.  This was one of our longest playouts ever!  It was very low key and was well attended.  Betty and Larry took turns leading the club, since the playout was so long.  We had lots of singers for the day, including Sheila, Bob, Kit, Terry, Don, Chris, and Bud.   Our players were:  Guy Black, Tom Brunetti, Betty David, Clyde Dedmon, Bob Ehrhorn, Don Granberg, Karen Hefter, Terry Horner, Ardie Jarrett, Garry Kerr, Chris Lardge, Dina Melamed, Linda Myers, Phil Myers, Kit Nelson, Dick Neumann, Bud Pearce, Larry Risner, and Sheila Welt.  Bob Nelson was our photographer.

We also set up our “Try A Banjo” area and it was staffed by Karen, Phil, Sheila, and Ardie.  As usual, we had a great response to this. Lots of kids, including an adorable one and a half year old named Mary Ella,  tried our banjos and ukuleles and we even had several adults who were able to learn the chords to Camptown Races well enough (in about 5 minutes) to play the song along with one of our banjo players. They took business cards and might actually show up at a club practice and learn to play the banjo!  We can hope…  We also had a few people who wanted to try their hands at the washboard and gut bucket.  One man played the gut bucket so long that I was afraid that Terry wouldn’t get it back!

We also had an old friend, Jack Burros, visit our area.   Jack currently plays with the San Francisco Banjo Band and is a former member of the East Bay Banjo Club and the Oakland Banjo Band.  He borrowed a banjo and played along with us for awhile.  He even sang a song, which was fun.  Another man, who introduced himself as Gary,  visiting from Indiana, came up and asked to sing “Indiana.”  We are a flexible bunch and let him sing along with Bob Ehrhorn.  All in all, it was a fun day.

 

Orinda Masonic Crab Feed Playout

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February 27, 2015

By:  Diane Malucelli
Photos by:  Bob Nelson

We had a  playout on Friday, February 27 from 7pm – 8pm at the Orinda Masonic Temple at 9 Altarinda Road.  It was their annual crab feed and we estimated about 140 people were there, including guests, cooks, and servers.

We were on a low stage and it was a challenge to fit 14 people and the equipment on the stage.  Betty David was our lead player and Guy Black was on bass.  The rest of the players were Tom Brunetti, Clyde Dedmon, Don Granberg, Harry Higgins, Ardie Jarrett, Garry Kerr, Bob Malucelli, Diane Malucelli, Dina Melamed, Kit Nelson, Larry Risner, and Danielle Torres.  Red Higgins, Diane Risner, Kasey Torres and Bob Nelson were in the audience to support us.

Danielle started off singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and Red joined her for “Bill Bailey” and the “Crawdad Song,” which was such fun.  Kit sang “Nobody’s Sweetheart Now,” “Give My Regards to Broadway,” and “This Land is Your Land.”  Don Granberg sang “Oh Susanna” and “Five Foot Two.”  Red also sang “Darktown Strutter’s Ball.”  Danielle closed out our performance by singing “South.”

It was a fun playout and our sound system seemed to work really well for the vocals.  The audience appreciated the music and songs.

Oakland Masonic Crab Feed Playout

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January 17, 2015

By:  Diane Malucelli
Photos by:  Bob Nelson

We were invited back to the Masonic Lodge in Oakland for their annual crab feed.  We played on a raised stage in a nice, large room on the third floor. There were around 100 people attending and most of them responded to the music when they were not eating their crabs.  We played on the stage, so we had lots of equipment in addition to the 17 banjo and bass players up there.  Guy Black played the bass and Terry Horner played the gut bucket.  Jack Convery was our lead banjo player and we played a wide variety of fun, toe tapping favorites.  Betty David, Bob Ehrhorn, Don Granberg, Karen Hefter, Deb Hodson, Ardie Jarrett, Garry Kerr, Chris Lardge, Bob Malucelli, Diane Malucelli, Linda Myers, Phil Myers, Kit Nelson, and Bud Pearce were the rest of the banjo players present that night.

Jack had us each choose songs to play and Bob, Don, Deb, Chris, Kit, Terry and Bud sang many of the songs.  One of the guests, Suzi Phillips, came on stage and sang “You Are My Sunshine.”   (Suzi is the daughter of past Masonic Master Joe Bettencourt.)  Bud then sang “If You Knew Suzie” for her.  At the end of the evening, we played “When the Saints Go Marching In.” Deb led a parade through the audience with her banjo and she was accompanied by Don and Terry with their washboards.  The audience had fun, we had fun, and it was a successful playout.

Walnut Creek Civic Arts Playout

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December 4, 2014

By: Diane Malucelli
Photos by: Bob Nelson and Linda Myers

Our playout on Thursday, December 4 was for the Walnut Creek Civic Arts League’s annual holiday lunch. The Civic Arts League promotes the arts in Contra Costa County and will celebrate their 50th year in March, 2015. There were probably 150 women in the audience and many wore a lot of bright red and green.

Jack Convery led us in a variety of Christmas and Jewish songs, in addition to songs from our regular EBBC book. We started out with “Winter Wonderland” and performed some new songs like “Sunrise, Sunset,” which was sung by Sheila Welt. Chris Lardge sang “Hava Nagila,” in addition to a song by George Fromby called “Fanlight Fanny.” Don Granberg sang a song and played his washboard. Dina Melamed and Don played their washboards together to “Coney Island Washboard.” Terry Horner sang a couple of songs and played the gut bucket, to the delight of the audience. Bud Pearce sang several songs, including “Swanee.” Kit Nelson sang also and we ended with “When the Saints Go Marching In.” It was a fun playout and the audience sang and clapped along with the songs.

The people who performed today were Guy Black, Tom Brunetti, Jack Convery, Betty David, Clyde Dedmon, Bob Ehrhorn, Don Granberg, Terry Horner, Ardie Jarrett, Garry Kerr, Chris Lardge, Bob Malucelli, Diane Malucelli, Dina Melamed, Linda Myers, Phil Myers, Kit Nelson, Bud Pearce and Sheila Welt. Bob Nelson took photos for us.

Kensington Playout

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November 11, 2014

By:  Diane Malucelli
Photos by:  Linda Myers

When we walked into the Kensington, they had a very large, beautiful American flag across the foyer.  It made you feel patriotic right away.  We played in the foyer and we had around 45 people in the audience.

Our leader was Betty David and our bass players were Guy Black and Terry Horner.  The banjo players were Bud Pearce, Bob Ehrhorn, Don Granberg, Phil Myers, Linda Myers, Tom Brunetti, Ardie Jarrett, Diane Malucelli, and Bob Malucelli.

We played the military songs first and everyone enthusiastically joined in as Bud Pearce and Bob Ehrhorn led us in those songs.  We sang some of the songs from Betty’s List and it was fun to see how much the residents enjoyed the music.  Don Granberg also sang a few songs.  We closed with “America the Beautiful” and “God Bless America.”

Many residents told us how much they enjoyed our performance.  It was so nice to play music on Veteran’s Day.

Montecito Oakmont Senior Living

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November 10, 2014

By Ardie Jarrett

Our playout at Montecito Oakmont Senior Living turned out to be a wonderful experience for all.  I don’t think I have ever seen as many people sitting in the audience for one of our playouts as there were today.  We tried to count the audience members, but they just kept on coming into the room.  We guessed that the crowd included at least 100 people.  The director of the facility welcomed everyone (including us) to the Veteran’s Day celebration, and read a wonderful poem called, “The Best On Earth.”

We started our program by playing songs as a tribute to each branch of the military….Marines, Navy, Army, Coast Guard, and Air Force.  Then, we just started having fun by playing lots of the “oldies but goodies” songs that everyone was familiar with.  Our singers included:  Don Granberg, Chris Lardge, Sheila Welt, Bud Pearce, and Bob Ehrhorn.  The audience joined in and sang while we were playing.  We all had a great time.  Our players were:  Betty David, Don Granberg, Tom Brunetti, Chris Lardge, Bob Malucelli, Linda Myers, Phil Myers, Sheila Welt, Guy Black, Bud Pearce, Bob Ehrhorn, and Ardie Jarrett.

Orchard Nursery

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October 25, 2014

By:  Karen Hefter
Photos by:  Karen Hefter

The Orchard Nursery playout is often one of the most fun playouts of the year and this year was no exception.  It rained earlier in the day and we weren’t sure if the playout would be rained out, but we ended up with a beautiful day.  The nursery was kind enough to provide a large canopy for us to play under.  We enjoyed the gorgeous foliage and festive Halloween and fall decorations that surrounded us as we played.

A small audience was able to sit under the canopy with us and many shoppers stopped by to listen to us.  We do not use amplification for this event because no electricity is available.  This also meant that we had no mics for singers.  However, that didn’t stop us at all!  Don and Sheila gave their best efforts at singing (and being heard), before the group decided that singalong style was the way to go!  Chris stood up and used Tom’s tap dancing cane to conduct the band (and the audience) in a singalong version of “You Are My Sunshine.”  This was a real hit! We closed out our program with “Take Me Out To The Ball Game,” in an effort to give the San Francisco Giants a boost for their World Series game later in the day.

Our players were:  Betty David, Don Granberg, Terry Horner, Tom Brunetti, Karen Hefter, Ardie Jarrett, Garry Kerr, Chris Lardge, Bob Malucelli, Diane Malucelli, Linda Myers, Phil Myers, Larry Risner, and Sheila Welt.