Eldorado Saloon

What a fun place!!  The Eldorado Saloon was full of people from the time we got there up to the time we left!  We had some great food and the people were so nice.

Lots of our Band friends came out to see us.  

Betty and Gary brought their daughter Vickie and her daughter Sarah (?did I get that right?)

Really nice people.  It's always so great to see friends!!

Here is a friend of mine, Beth.  She brought a few people with her too!  I think that Beth's Sister in Law actually rode the bull!  

Speaking of the bull.....wow....what fun!  It's crazy!!  I am amazed at the the folks who rode the bull.

 There were lot's of fun people all night partying with us!  

And, there was dancing!

 And dancing....

 And dancing....

 

Here's why:

Steve wanted ME to get on the bull just for a picture.  I couldn't even figure out how to get on!!  So, he jumped up there himself.  They didn't turn it on...wouldn't that have been interesting??  John decided not to climb up on the platform, which was like a trampoline, very bouncy and hard to walk on...so here we are:

We could have played all night, actually it seemed like all night...we stopped around 1:30am.  And right about then it decided to rain.  And, by rain I mean POURING rain!  Whew.  We were pretty much drenched at the end.  We got home around 4am...what?  Yep.  That's right.  

If you are in the area of El Dorado Hills, check out the Eldorado Saloon.  And, if you ride the bull, please post a video on Facebook!!  Did you know that we are on Facebook?  www.facebook.com/crystalimagemusic

Ciao Bella

This was a new venue for us and we were so happy to see so many of our friends arrive to see us!!  We loved playing for Ciao Bella, Jose and the crew were super nice to us.  And, we will be back on March 5th!  So, come join us then!

Thank you to all of our friends who came to see us!!  And, we made a lot of new friends too!  

If you want people to dance, it has to be dark.  If you leave the lights on, they won't dance.  It's just the way it is.  Jose at Ciao Bella knew that and turned off the lights.  The only problem was, John then couldn't see his song list!  Oops.  So, I went rummaging through the bags looking for his light and I couldn't find the plug.  All this was taking considerable time and Michael filled in with some funny jokes.  Jerry joined in with his drums and it was a regular stand up comedian show!!  So folks got 2 shows in 1!   Eventually, I found the cord and the show went on.  Then Jose figured out our problem and adjusted the lights for us.  So nice.

But, it was still too dark for video.  I always think it's going to work because I can see everyone just fine.  The camera sees things differently.  Gotta figure out a solution for that!  I need a light for my video cam.

People dancing is the funnest part of the evening!  And, they were dancing the whole night at Ciao Bella!

We are looking forward to going back!  See you then!

Hometown Gig

It feels like "home"!  Steve and I live just a few miles up the road from the Hotel Leger.  What a treat to only have a few minutes there and back!!  Since we have lived here a long time....we have always called it the Hotel Leger (sounds like lee-jay).  But, so many people call it the Hotel Leger (led-ger).  So, which is it?

I see Susan and Suzette and the rest of the gang....I love you guys sooo much!!  If I was not in the band, I would be out on the dance floor with the the WHOLE NIGHT!  Oh Yeah!

Every time we play for the Hotel Leger, it's different, we never know what to expect!  But, one thing we can count on is a REALLY FUN TIME!!  And, lots of dancing....and lots of friends!

My daughter and her good friend.

There were several birthdays and we did the Beatles "Birthday Song" for them.

It's a long night that goes TOO FAST!  

Our drummer Jerry was the main singer for the popular band "The Detours", so you will be hearing him more and more.  I just love this song and it was stuck in my head (in a good way) all week....enjoy:

Thank you to the Hotel Leger for having us ...and come see us there again on  February 19th!  

They love to dance!

Yes...they DO love to dance and it's so much fun for us to play for them!  We are grateful to be invited back each month to play for this wonderful group.  The atmosphere is perfect, with a mirror ball twinkling lights and a huge ballroom dance floor (which is full the entire night!).  

In the past, we have played this show without a drummer.  We used a drum machine to keep the beat.  But, this time, Jerry joined us and WOW, it was fantastic.  

Almost everyone dances and they really know  how to dance.  I just love this couple...they are FANTASTIC!  I tried to capture it on video, but unfortunately it's too dark to see them!

I did a little research on the internet and was able to lighten up the video so you could see all of their fabulous dance moves....enjoy:

Steve stepped away to video me, how sweet!  What's funny is that the video has a gap in the middle where his harp (harmonica) solo was.  Usually he just videotapes himself!  Here is just the first part:

Our dear friends, Karen and Deiter were there and mmmm mmm mmm Karen baked goodies for us all!  She didn't know about Jerry, so Michael opened his package and shared it with the whole band.  Before long, we opened our package too!  Oh my gosh....we were all on a sugar HIGH for the last set!  Thank you Karen!!  You are a terrific baker and we love you for thinking of us!

We are truly looking forward to playing for the Stockton Singles again on February 11...get out your dancing shoes and join us!  If you would like to come, please contact Dan for more information, 209-951-0554. 

Thank you to the Stockton Singles for having us.  

Gold Country Lanes and a special announcement...

Wow, so much is happening right now and we are on fast forward!  We had a great time at Gold Country Lanes this past Saturday.  Thanks to all of our friends who came out to have fun with us, and thanks to our NEW friends too!

Saturday was 1 week and two days since my surgery.  I was feeling pretty good, not all the way better, but I really wanted to be at the show.  This lady, Tammy (center), came over and asked me about the surgery.  I met her at the hospital!!  She brought friends with her and danced the night away.

I made it through the whole show, but I didn't have any energy at all when it was over.  I can't wait to feel like myself again....hopefully this weekend!!

I missed the New Year's show and with Christmas, it felt like a year since I was with the band.  It was so great to be back in the groove!

We are always soooo excited to see our friends when we play.  It means the world to us when you come to see us!

One of our special friends...Lou, asked Michael to dance with her.  Of course!!

Our Drummer for the night was Jerry.  He is a fantastic drummer and he just made it more fun for us than ever!  .

Not the best picture...I'll blame Steve for that!

Over the past year, we have been so very fortunate to play with several great drummers.  We love them all.   But, they all had other bands that they played with and sometimes we had difficulty even finding a drummer to play with us!  Soooo...

Now for the announcement....Jerry has agreed to be our "permanent" drummer.  All of us in the band feel so LUCKY to have him.  Jerry was the drummer for the popular band "The Detours".  He is (as I said) a great drummer, and he is a wonderful person too!  In December you will recognize him as Santa Claus.  And, now you know what Santa does the rest of the year!  Jerry lives in the Sacramento area, but when he heard that Michael is from Brooklyn, he shared his New Jersey roots and the two of them can go on and on!  Come meet Jerry this weekend and say hello.  (Stockton Singles Friday and Hotel Leger Saturday)

A guy came up to Steve and said his name was Louie, and asked us to play "Louie Louie".  That song is not on our play list.  But, that didn't stop us (thanks mostly to John).  Here is a little sample:

It was a really fun night.  I will leave you with a taste of Rock N Roll until we see you again:

Ready for the New Year.....

Yay! 2011 is here! It's going to be a great year....I can just feel it! Can you?

I have been calling for bookings to fill our 2011 schedule and we have some exciting new venues that we will be playing at. We are also hoping to go back to all of our favorite places from 2010.

I'm already talking to people about the summer schedule. Can you believe it? I'm looking forward to fairs and festivals, parties and weddings.

It all begins on Saturday, our first gig of 2011 at Gold Country Lanes in Sutter Creek. Join us for a fun night...the first of the year!! Drummer Jerry will be with us. Have you ever wondered what Santa does for the REST of the year? He plays the drums of course! Don't believe me? Come this Saturday and I will prove it to you!

From our family and our Band family to yours....Happy New Year and best wishes for 2011!