BRC Activities

Springtime reawakens our hinterland, and wildlife reappear in the Missouri countryside. The lake behind the BRC domicile will soon witness the return of the Great Blue Herons from the Southland where they wintered.

In the early morning sun, a doe and her tiny fawn graze on the lush lawn behind the BRC domicile undeterred by a plastic heron perched nearby on the patio woodwork.

Moments after a cloudy sunset, a rainbow appears briefly on the far side of  our backyard lake.

From the BRC: Summer cannot be far away.

Like his gifted older brother, the BRC musician is blest to be able to play several instruments in addition to the banjo: viz., guitar, electric bass, mandolin, and harmonica. He solves chordal problems on the piano. What might be his favorite instrument? The answer is simple- the larynx, the human voice box. Above all other musical endeavors, he enjoys harmony singing ranging from tenor to baritone. Fortunately, at Sunday brewpub gigs and at the mid week jam among friends by the Lake of the Ozarks, he is surrounded by skilled musicians and talented vocalists who grew up learning harmony singing in church.

At a recent weekend joint performance at the brewpub, the singers of both jams were combined into a splendid afternoon chorale. Seated on the edge of the stage (above right) is a trio of harmony vocalists, and one is a soprano with opera training. Other harmony singers include the fiddler and our bassist. The BRC mandolinist (center) mostly sings lead or baritone.

Mid way through an afternoon of blended singing, joyful picking, and collecting donations for our university Childrens Hospital, the singers and musicians pause to sit-down together for a hearty snack provided by the management. We have been performing weekends at the brewpub for 17 years and much appreciate the owners` gracious hospitality. We salute the faithful patrons for their generous support of our local pediatric medical center. What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon?

From the BRC: Wishing you happy pickin`, grinnin`, and singing.

The below archival photo was taken in 1970 by a friend of the BRC banjoist during Thanksgiving weekend in rural Glenmont, NY. The two guys grew-up neighborhood pals and shared a mutual hobby interest in darkroom photo developing. To this day, they still regularly exchange interesting cell phone snapshots by email. A few months after the below vintage image was taken, the couple in the picture were joined together in matrimony on the Eve of Valentines Day.

Now senior citizens, the above married couple extend their fondest good wishes to all BRC website visitors on this Valentines Day and every day.

From the BRC: We offer a very heartfelt thank-you to our frequent international website visitors.

In the autumn of 2009, the four year tenure of the G&F band at the 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 promptly trundled up a nearby alley to the back door of a recently opened brewpub that fronted on the main thoroughfare of our university town. We secured an audition, and the management was content with our music and song. We were consigned to a small alcove adjacent to the staircase that descended from the street level sidewalk down to the front door of the underground brewpub.

Despite the cramped quarters of the alcove, the acoustics were marvelous, and we gigged there on Sunday afternoons for several years. An accordian player (above center) who could sing Cajun songs in French joined us for a while. 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 of 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 instruments 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 our tips are donated to the local university Childrens Hospital, the management back then decided to have several quarterly Friday evening gigs in addition to our weekly Sunday afternoon performances. A surviving archival flyer (above) from that era announces a Friday night performance on the eve of Valentines Day. The rosy flyer announced that for every beer purchased, the management would generously donate a dollar to the local pediatric medical center.

The G&F band has been blessed with the gracious support of the brewpub ownership during our 17 year tenure at the family-friendly restaurant. We heartfully extend best wishes to all our faithful audiences and our grateful thanks to the generous brewpub owners.

From the BRC: All good wishes to our readers on Valentines Day.