Tag Archives: October 2013

Halloween Costume Contest

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October 29, 2013

By:  Karen Hefter
Photos by:  Linda Myers and Karen Hefter

Tonight was our annual Halloween Costume Contest and banjo practice at Luigi’s Deli. Just about everyone came in costume! The costumes were quite original. Our costume contest winners were: Most Original: Danielle Torres, Scariest: David Hefter, Funniest: Bud Pearce, and Best: Jesse De Torres.  One of the highlights of the evening was a vocal/banjo duet by Harry Higgins and Danielle Torres.  We had a great turnout for the evening and it was wonderful to see everyone in such great spirits!

Salem Lutheran Home Playout

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October 27, 2013

By:  Karen Hefter
Photos by:  Karen Hefter and Linda Myers

When we arrived at the Salem Lutheran Home in Oakland, we were expecting to play “background music” as chartered.  However, it turned out that we were a main event for a completely filled room for our 2 hour performance!  It was a groundbreaking performance for the EBBC because neither our bass player nor our gutbucket player could make it to this gig, so Don Granberg turned in his banjo and washboard and played the piano with us.  This was a first (as far as I know) for the EBBC.  The piano sounded wonderful with the banjos!

I think the club members enjoyed the afternoon as much as the residents did!  We didn’t bring our sound equipment, but used a karaoke system for the announcements and for the singers.  It worked great and didn’t involve a lot of equipment hauling and setup.  None of the banjos were amplified. Bud Pearce, Sheila Welt, Jesse de Torres, and Herb Moore were our singers.  Jesse and Don did a piano/voice duet, which was really nice.  Our players were:  Betty David, Jesse de Torres, Don Granberg, Karen Hefter, Deb Hodson, Ardie Jarrett, Herb Moore, Linda Myers, Phil Myers, Bud Pearce, and Sheila Welt. Club member Georgette de Torres was an enthusiastic audience member.  In honor of Halloween next week, Ardie sported a convict costume and Phil and Linda kept us all guessing with rubber snakes climbing over their music, a rubber tarantula that climbed up their music stand, and the various pieces of costume headgear that appeared on their heads from time to time.

A great time was had by all and the club members appreciated the fabulous snacks that were provided for us during our break. We look forward to a repeat performance in December.

Smith Family Farms Playout

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October 26, 2013

By: Sheila Welt
Photos and video by:  Linda Myers

What a WONDERFUL venue! It was very festive, and centered on family participation. We played in a small gazebo that cozily held about 10 of our 15 players. Those that played this gig were: Music Director Betty David and banjo players Phil Myers, Linda Myers, Tom Brunetti, Bob Malucelli, Ardie Jarrett, Kermit Collins, and Tracy Woodard. Jesse DeTorres, Chris Lardge, Bud Pearce, Gerald Reeves, and Sheila Welt all sang and played their banjos. Don Granberg played the banjo and washboard and Guy Black played the bass banjo.  Our loyal “groupies” were: Georgette DeTorres, Robin Reeves, Yvette Lardge, and Bernadette Espejo.

We played songs written from 1900’s to the present. The gazebo was in the picnic area so the audience joined us when they wanted to eat or just sit and enjoy. They joined in when they knew the songs.  Some people clapped along and some of the children bounced and swayed to our music.

There were two little boys off to the side that decided to play in the dirt (remember those days?). I believe that all of the players enjoyed this gig. I know that I did and I certainly hope that we are invited back again. The Smith Family Farm turned out to be a really nice setting.

 

“Bye, Bye Blues” and “Carolina In The Morning” from East Bay Banjo Club on Vimeo.

Dallas Ranch Playout

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October 17, 2013

By:  Diane Malucelli
Photos by: Bob Nelson

The people at Dallas Ranch Commons in Antioch were very friendly and they decided to have us play in their large dining room, which is off of the main entrance.  It is a very bright room with high ceilings and we played in front of the large windows and faced the audience in the rest of the room.

We had at least 35 residents listening to us and singing along with many of the songs.  Claire and Fred Miller, residents of the Commons and friends of Diane and Bob Malucelli, sat in the front row and smiled and sang the whole time.  Beverly Torres, Activities Director, and Dora Branch, Activities Assistant, were extremely enthusiastic about our group.  They clapped and sang along to a lot of the songs.  Several other employees also stopped by and enjoyed the performance.

Betty David, our leader, chose songs that the residents would recognize and enjoy such as “You are My Sunshine,” “Bill Bailey,” “Bye, Bye Blackbird,” “Cuddle Up,” “Nobody’s Sweetheart Now,” “Saint Louis Blues,” and “America the Beautiful.”  The East Bay Banjo Club performers were: Guy Black, Jim Blankenship, Betty David, Don Granberg, Bob Malucelli, Diane Malucelli, Linda Myers, Phil Myers, Kit Nelson, and Ken Williamson.  We sounded great in that large room and it was really fun to play for this appreciative audience.

 

Orchard Nursery Playout

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October 12, 2013

By: Karen Hefter
Photos by: Karen Hefter and Linda Myers

I was tempted to sing “It’s A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood” as we set up for the playout at the Orchard Nursery in Lafayette. It was a beautiful, sunny fall day and the band played in a gorgeous spot – a shaded area surrounded by lush plants. Our mission was to play background music for the shoppers at the nursery. We were a bit concerned about our ability to be successful in this endeavor, since we had a record turnout of 18 players for the gig! We weren’t quite sure if 16 banjos, a washboard, and a gutbucket could play quietly enough to be “background music”… We set up in a circular arrangement, which was really nice, because everyone could hear each other. There was no amplification whatsoever, which forced everyone to play quietly enough to hear our leader, Betty David. Bud Pearce attempted to sing with the group, but was drowned out, even with everyone playing as quietly as possible. So, he sang another song, accompanied by just Betty David on banjo and Terry Horner on gutbucket. This worked out quite well and the rest of the players just kicked back and listened.

The entire program was very laid back and consisted of 2 hours’ worth of banjo standards, crowd pleasers, and patriotic songs. The players all enjoyed the afternoon very much and lots of people stopped by to listen and sit down for awhile. One couple had heard about the band and drove up from Pleasanton to hear us! The players for this occasion were: Tom Brunetti, Kermit Collins, Betty David, Virgie Fitzpatrick, Don Granberg, Karen Hefter, Deb Hodson, Terry Horner, Chris Lardge, Diane Malucelli, Bob Malucelli, Mickie McDonald, Dina Melamed, Herb Moore, Phil Myers, Linda Myers, Bud Pearce, and Ken Williamson. Club members Jim Abele and Clyde Dedmon were in attendance as well.