Hotel Leger Friends, Family and Pirates

We always have sooo much fun at the Hotel Leger. It's such a cool place. This was my first gig with my new Iphone. I took this picture with it as we were setting up and uploaded it to Facebook LIVE! Wow. Modern technology. I tried to post more things, but I have a lot to learn before I will be good at it. I ask you to forgive me for the low quality of some of these pictures.

Set up at the Hotel Leger is always tricky. The space we have is small and we are always cramped. But, that's all part of the charm. We are also next to a large door to an outside porch, with room for our stuff and sometimes a nice breeze. This was our first time at Hotel Leger with our new speakers and monitors. We put the speakers up on tripods and it all worked out PERFECT!

Usually, the evening starts out pretty slow when we are here. But, this time, that was NOT the case. The place was almost full when we started! And, as I looked around the room, I recognized many of the folks. Yay, Crystal Image FRIENDS!! Thank you all soooo much for coming. We even had some friends that we have met at our gigs at the Stockton Moose, I wish I had a picture for you. These folks KNOW how to dance! What a great treat.

Did I mention that this was Steve and my Anniversary? 27 years (so far!) And, some really great band friends, Astrid and Lou, gave us this pretty and thoughtful card. Thanks!!



We first met Astrid and Lou at Gold Country Lanes and they also came down to Lodi Wine Cellars to see us. That just means the world to the entire band!!

These ladies are soooo nice! And, Lou LOVES to get out there and dance....YOU GO GIRL!!


The more shows we do, the harder it gets to remember where we met people. If we don't remember right away....please, please, please remind us!! We are an older band after all ...and remembering is a challenge!! (at least that's the best excuse I can come up with right now) It's so fun to see people and KNOW that you know them. Then frustrating to not know how. Ugh.


Here is my lovely daughter and her hubby. We were so happy that they came and brought friends. It's always a treat when family is there.

These girls are FUN FUN FUN!! They love to dance and always smile. Susan is on the far left and it was her birthday last week. So, I talked Michael in to playing the Birthday song by the Beatles. We did our best and she seemed pleased. I think that she hasn't missed seeing us once at Hotel Leger, and we appreciate it more than she can ever know!!


About half way through our show a bunch of Pirates came in. They were having a Mystery Dinner and the costumes were Fabulous! They were wild and crazy and made it so very festive. They stayed til the very end of our show....1:30 or so!

I'm rather fond of these fellows!!


That guy in the blue was terrific! He kept the Pirate theme going and never broke character. I'm sure I would not recognize him in real clothes!


And the music....well, we ramp it up at Hotel Leger and really ROCK IT! Another reason why we love it there.

My daughter and her friend, Kelly.

More.

Well, she IS my daughter....here's another picture of her (and me). Sometimes I tease her and call her "mini me"...we are very much alike. But seriously, she is so much more than I ever hoped to be in every way. Aw. What can I say?

You have to agree that this looks like tons of fun, right?



The Pirates with John and Donny, our drummer for the night.


Donny is really great to play with. He has a very easy going, friendly personality. One thing I have noticed as I meet more and more musicians that have been playing for some time...they will have the most interesting stories. John and Michael have both played with really famous people. I will have to interview them sometime and share it with you. You would probably be as amazed as I am. I was sitting by Donny and Michael as they were swapping stories about the good ole days. Donny knew the BEACH BOYS, yep, that's right. Then he was talking about sitting backstage with the Allman Brothers and Billy Gibbons peeked in to say "boo" (heard of ZZ TOP?). I can listen to those stories all night.

This gig is four hours. We usually do 3 hour shows, so this is long for us. But, when there are lots of people there, we never want to stop! This is a little clip of the very end of the night and we are still going strong and Michael is still ROCKIN and being funny (Steve zooms in on the clock):

I am kicking myself for not remembering all 3 names, ugh. But, here are THE DANCING ladies, my kind of gals for sure! They stayed til the very end as you will hear!

At the end, after everyone is gone, we are all packing up and walking in and out. And, as we do that the folks behind the bar are cleaning and mopping. This is a picture of the friendly folks who keep the whole place running. They are always so nice to us and we appreciate them! (wish I had names....if you give them to me I will put them here!)

We'll be back!! We are scheduled to play for the Hotel Leger December 18th. We will even have some Christmas songs for you! Put it in your calendar right now!!

Big Crush

Big Crush Weekend! We played on Saturday for Amador Foothill Winery. Ben and Katie are so nice and we had a great time.


The weather was perfection, a little warm and dusty. Thankfully Ben put up some shade and we had a great place to set up and play.


People were touring many wineries and they came and went throughout the time that we were there. As people arrived they would stay and listen until our next break and then move on. We met so many wonderful folks!


This is Chuck, our guest drummer for the day. He is always fun and has a great smile. And, we always enjoy having live drums!!


Wine, nice weather and Rock N Roll. You just GOTTA dance!!


The time FLEW by! We could have kept going...and going!

One fun thing...we could hear a band playing down the hill at another winery. Every once in a while during our breaks we would listen and recognize a song. What a fun day with wine and music and the beautiful scenery. If you haven't been to the Big Crush, put it on your calendar for next year!!


Everyone kept asking if we were coming back the next day. We told them that "we" weren't coming back, but the guys, John & Michael, were booked for the next day at C G Di Aerie as a duo. Unfortunately, the winery also booked another band and our guys didn't get to play. Darn. I know that they were looking forward to it. Thanks to those of you who showed up to see them. Things happen. They were listed in the schedule and we had a contract to show up, but it just didn't work out. Maybe the guys needed a rest anyway!!

Swiss Park

After I booked Swiss Park, and realized how far it was...I was regretting it...a little. But, hey, it's another adventure, right? Swiss Park found our band on the internet and we (none of us) can say no to a gig!! This was my first view of the place:

When we went inside, I was in LOVE with this place. It's soooo cool! It was originally built by the Swiss farming community a long time ago. Can you imagine a FARMING community in Fremont? Well Newark, actually. The members of the community all paid dues to build and maintain the property, and...get this...they still pay dues and own the property, to this day! Wow. Great piece of history.


The inside is spectacular. Very tall ceiling. Lots of space. Twinkle lights. I just LOVED it. They had a big stage, that was very high up. Bob, the manager who booked us, told us it was our choice to set up on stage or down on the dance floor. He didn't expect a big crowd, so we set up down below. The folks at Swiss Park were all so nice to us! I wish we did live closer, I would love to be a regular patron.

They also rent out the hall for events, and they have a HUGE picnic area out front. It's a very cool place.



Last week we played for a private party in Pine Grove (very fun group!), and we met a new friend, Janet, who was visiting from the bay area. Janet came to Swiss Park to see us and for the first two sets, she was pretty much the only person there!! Janet loves to dance and made good use of the dance floor!! And, she is so sweet that she called a couple of people to come join her. Wasn't that nice? Eventually, she had to leave and we were left to wonder if we were going to play to an empty room for the rest of the night.


There were a few folks in the bar, and they were enjoying us. We know, because they would applaud our songs.


And, then, during our 3rd set, a lady called her "country" friends to come down and dance. We played some line dance songs for them and that was a BLAST. And, soon a large party of folks in formal attire showed up to PARTY! They had left a wedding and were ready to have a great time.


That really boosted the energy for us and soon we were all having a ROCKIN time!


By the end of the evening we did 5 (YEP 5) encores! And, when we were breaking down the equipment, a fellow came over to Steve and offered to pay us to do ANOTHER set. Steve was bummed that we already had the equipment half put away. I think he really wanted to play another set. It was a four hour gig, so I think we were all ready to take the long trek home.

All in all, it wasn't really that far. We loved the place and the people and would absolutely go back!

Vintage Woods

We knew right away that this was going to be a really fun gig. It's a retirement community and they were celebrating 6 or 7 years since they opened (sorry I can't remember). This is a really nice and pretty place to live. And, the staff was sooooo awesome to work with!!

I loved the sign that they had by the back door, "we're not old, we're just recycled teenagers!". That about sums it up!! They are a fun group that LOVES to dance and sing along.

Did WE have fun?? Watch and see for yourself. Steve and I laughed out loud through this whole video....note that Steve is filming the entire time...even when he is playing his harmonica. Now that is multitasking!

Diane's Hippie Party

When we did this party for Diane last year, it was originally supposed to be Michael and John as a duo. John invited Steve and me to join them. It was the very first gig we did together. So, last night was a sort of 'anniversary' for our band. And.....Michael is Back!!

On the left is Marty, Michael's wife. He was still not okay to drive to the gig and she was his Chauffeur. Marty is very supportive of Michael's music and of the band. It was fun to have her there.

Here is a little video of Michael Bowers being funny, and then Marty talking about Michael's surgery. Marty...you are adorable!!!

When we set up and tear down, everybody helps. Steve thinks he is so funny:



I call it "Dad" humor. Kinda corny...but I like it!

Sometimes it's hard to recognize people when they are in Hippie dress. I saw someone at at show and she asked me which one was my husband. I pointed to Steve and she said that she thought I was married to the "blond guy" at the Hippie Show. Hmmmm. Yep. That is Steve, also known as the "blond Guy".

Diane has a lovely home and very fun friends!


Peace!

Fun!!

Michael Bowers on drums.

Another first for us. Michael S and Steve played guitar together tonight. Steve only played a little. I am looking forward to some guitar solo duels in the future!! I understand that there is a lot we can do with two guitars. Steve can back Michal up on some of the songs. Won't that be great?



Mmmmmm can't say enough about the food!! Yummy! This party is so fun and Diane and her husband make us feel so welcome. I told her that it feels like we are not just playing for the party....we are "at" the party too!

And, did I tell you that this group loves to DANCE!?

Here is Michael singing "Hey Jude" by special request. Perfect for our Hippie Themed show.

They danced right up to the last song. Only 1 complaint from neighbors. A very good night!!

Connie & Curt

We love to play for private parties. So much fun. This party was for Connie & Curt's 50th Wedding Anniversary. We did a party for just their family back in June and this party was for family and friends. What a fun group.


Because Michael S. was still recovering from his eye surgery, we had to do the show without him. Steve learned to play some of the guitar parts just for this show. I can tell you that he was pretty nervous! Steve is always ALWAYS cool as a cucumber and never nervous....I enjoyed his being nervous. Is that mean?



Michael Bowers was our drummer that night, and he really helped fill the void left by Michael Samaritano. Two Michaels is confusing, so we call him Bowers, or as Johns says "Bowser'. Michael B. is a fabulous drummer. The best!! And, he sings too. He is a real "wisecracker", always trying to mess with each of us.


John doesn't really need anyone else in the band. He can be a one man band with his keyboard. Here he is in "control central". He is constantly "tweeking" the sound all night long.


He not only survived, he did wonderful. There were a few times when I even forgot that he was playing, it just sounded "normal". But, make no mistake about it, we were all missing Michael S.


Did I tell you that these guys are all jokers?


Michael B is always trying to get a reaction from me. So, when I asked him to pose for a picture, he made some pretty lewd gestures. I told him that I was going to put that on the internet. Well, I can't seem to do it. So, I will post this cheesy picture of him instead. I'm still keeping it "G" rated around here. So, use your imagination!!


Breaktime! Connie & Curt fed the band, and we (especially the guys), just love it when there is food involved!


This night was so fun. The people danced and danced. And, because it was a family event, there were children running around. And, there were some adorable little girls that kept coming up and hugging me over and over during our show. Precious!!

Michael's update

I talked to Michael today and he sounds great!! He is in full recuperation and is expecting and planning to perform with us next week. Yay!! He is supposed to be taking it easy and I promise you that is really hard for a high energy guy like Michael. Only one more show (tonight) without him. It will be so awesome to have him back, we really have missed him! Thanks again for all your prayers and well wishes.