In the autumn of 2009, the four year tenure of the G&F band at the underground Artisan Cafe coffee shop ended unexpectedly. The popular student haunt suddenly shuttered its doors leaving the puzzled band and patrons on the sidewalk. The musicians trundled up a nearby alley to the back door of a recently opened brewpub and secured an audition. The management was content with our music and song, and we were consigned to a stuffy alcove next to the stairs that descend from the street level sidewalk of our university town`s main thoroughfare.
Despite the cramped quarters of the alcove, the acoustics were marvelous, and we gigged there on Sunday afternoons for several years. Youngsters would sit nearby to watch our percussionist Mr. Bones step from the alcove to juggle his tambourines during spirited hoedown tunes. As the patronage to the brewpub increased, the management decided to build a stage for us overlooking the adjacent and spacious dining hall. There was some concern to the G&F bandleader that a stage facing this large seating area would impair the tonality of our acoustic instrument and the unamplified voices of our singers, but the structure`s wooden flooring enhanced the timbre of the guitars, banjos, fiddles, and vocalists. A hammer dulcimer proved to be a splendid addition to our group for several years.
As all tips were donated to the local university Childrens Hospital, the management decided back then to also have quarterly Friday evening gigs in addition to our weekly Sunday afternoon performances. A surviving flyer (above) from that era announces a Friday night performance on the eve Valentine`s Day. The flyer chronicles that for every beer purchased, the management would generously donate a dollar to the local pediatric medical center.
(band pic)
The G&F band has been blessed with the gracious support of the brewpub owners during our 17 year tenure at the family-friendly restaurant. We are pictured above this year on the Sunday afternoon preceding Valentines Day. We affectionately extend our best wishes to all our faithful listeners and our grateful thanks to the generous brewpub owners.
As seen below, a reciprocal sunrise photo of our neighbor`s shoreline taken previously from our back deck was softly colorful and suggested a rosy and inviting day was in store. In the foreground, our dock serenely rests in still waters.