BRC Activities

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.

The BRC craftsman grew up in the Northeast folk music scene. In 1960, he built his first banjo, a long neck 5-stringer, from parts left-over at a fire sale. He later procured a decaying pot-belly or “tater bug” mandolin and performed with it occasionally in a folk music duo. The ancient mandolin eventually crumbled in disrepair.

Years later, the BRC musician relocated to the Southland for medical training where he was also immersed in the surrounding Bluegrass music culture. His professional journey eventually settled him and his young family in Mid-America where he discovered a vibrant music scene. His interest in the mandolin revived, so he purchased one in the early 1990`s from a local craftsman/musician who he befriended in a weekly jam session that convened in the basement of a hardware store. The payment check dated Feb. 5, 1992 still resides in his instrument case as a keepsake.

The luthier personally delivered the hand-crafted mandolin to its busy new owner. With its marvelous tone, the splendidly constructed instrument became the musician`s go-to option when a jam session needed a crisp “chop” to focus the off-beat accented rhythm of Bluegrass music.

Mandolin strings are duplicated and strung in like-pairs. As evidenced below, a musician`s fingertips experience double duty compared to when picking the single light-guage strings of a banjo.

When jamming with a younger and flourishing banjoist, the BRC craftsman regularly turns to the mandolin to give a burgeoning 5-string musician room to polish-up some chops.

Above far right, our bassist routinely wears a glove on her right hand to protect her fingertips while manipulating hefty bass strings. She is also a skilled hammer dulcimer player which requires no protective wear. Far left is the BRC craftsman`s Texas son who joins our Thursday evening jam sessions when visiting from the Lone Star State. He also plays electric bass for us when needed.

From the BRC: Happy picking y`all, whatever instrument you play.