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BRC Activities

BRC Activities, Cell Perches & HVO, Jamming

Amigos & Pals

August 20, 2022

This has been an off-center summer with blanketing heat waves almost everywhere, a global omicron surge, and troublesome wildfires out West and beyond. Although local musicians have been sometimes scarce to find during the current and previous calendar year, pickers and singers are slowly emerging from covid hibernation to volunteer and entertain at the mid-town brewpub on Sunday afternoons in support of the Children`s Hospital. On a recent weekend, a trio of physicians took to the stage for a benefit performance and described themselves as the “3 MD Amigos.”.

A very special pal of the Gainor & Friends jammers is a secretary at the University orthopedic hospital who for many years has supervised the monthly forwarding of all collected jam band tips to the Children`s Miracle Network.

In gratitude for her devoted administrative management of these monies, she was gifted a “Paws for the Cause” smartphone holder earlier this month celebrating the total G&F donations which had recently surpassed the $28K milestone. A treble clef inlay is seen on the back of the sturdy red oak desktop implement signifying the homespun music that brings the tip money to her desk for the benefit of our pediatric medical center.

To view other similar items from the BRC workshop which are decorated with banjo fretboard spare-parts, enter “smartphone” in the webpage search engine and scroll down.

Sojourning a 130 mile round trip to our University township, Bluegrass musicians from a weekly Wednesday afternoon jam session in a rural Ozark burger shop trekked north a few weeks ago in the middle of vacation season for a Sunday gig at the brewpub. Afterwards, all enjoyed a BBQ picnic at the lakeside BRC domicile. We applaud the generous civic spirit and fellowship of these pickers and singers seen below.

From the BRC: Who could have better pals than these good amigos?

Art Shows, BRC Activities, Cell Perches & HVO

Kudos & `Scapes

August 6, 2022

The G&F jam band was founded in 1995 and first billed itself as The Bluegrass Jammers at community festivals and street fairs. From its very beginnings, all tips and fees have been donated to the University of Missouri Children`s Hospital. In a few years, the band’s name morphed into The MoonShyne Reunion at local picnics. When this ensemble of Bluegrass musicians began to entertain weekly at a basement coffee house near the University campus circa 2005, the Gainor & Friends moniker evolved. Since 2009, we have performed regularly each Sunday afternoon at the mid-town Broadway Brewery, except during the deep pandemic months when gigs were sporadic. The family-friendly brewpub has been a gracious host to us, and its patrons have consistently donated to the Children`s Miracle Network over the years. Last month, our total donations to the local pediatric medical center surpassed $28K, and three-fourths of these monies have been collected at the popular and busy brewpub.

The BRC craftsman salutes the many devoted musicians, like the ones pictured above during the milestone jam last month, who have donated their time on Sunday afternoons to play music for the brunch crowd and afternoon patrons who have generously supported our fund-raising initiative. Well done, all.

As the emblematic mascot of the University of Missouri sports teams is a fearsome feline, the BRC craftsman fashioned a “Tiger Country Cell Perch” smartphone holder this summer by incorporating thematic fretboard inlay materials left-over from previous banjo projects.

Similar to all BRC banjos having a signature inlay on the heel of the neck for the eyes-only of the musician,  the “Tiger Country Cell Perch” has the silhouette of a leaping big cat on the under surface of its wooden base for the enjoyment of its new owner.

The tiger-themed red oak smartphone holder was gifted to a fellow musician who is a veternarian and research director at the University.

Previously featured in the 5/28/22 “Outback” BRC webpage posting, the  “Ozark Wilderness Cell Perch” is based on the observations of an old-time Bluegrass fiddler who is an avid outdoorsman and cherishes the southern Missouri woodlands and wildlife. These earlier photos can accessed by entering “fauna” in the search engine and scroll down.

A field of 138 oil and watercolor paintings, sketches, fiber art works, photographs, and sculptures were submitted last month to the competitive mid-summer “Scapes” art exhibit at the local community gallery. The Ozark Wilderness Cell Perch was among the 88 entries accepted into the juried show which focused on the world of escapes. At the gala opening reception, guests closely study the diminutive smartphone holder.

From the BRC: The BRC guy applauds the G&F jammers for collecting three hundred hundred and twenty dollars in tip donations during this past month of July at the brewpub. Y’all are the best.

Bio, BRC Activities

Amongst Kith and Kin

July 23, 2022

The week before the Fourth of July holiday, our out-of-state offspring converged with their families on the lakeside BRC home, so the grandkids could attend a nearby horseback riding camp. Included in the visiting assemblage was a large dog that slept everywhere and anywhere. During the week-long equestrian tutorial, the youngsters frolicked in the refreshingly cool waters of our backyard lake after each long sunny day in the saddle. The canine proved itself to be an ardent swimmer. Picking, singing, and fishing followed in the evenings. The BRC father and son (dark shirts) attended the weekly Thursday night local jam session as seen in the below photo taken by our fiddler host.

Our Texas granddaughter, who soon starts 7th grade, entertained us after dinners with a crystal clear songbird voice that had won her a place in the high school Varsity choir. Proficient on the ukulele, she is a 4th generation musician in our family tree.

Two of the Chicago grandkids joined their grandad`s Gainor & Friends band on stage for a song at the local family-friendly brewpub during a weekly Sunday afternoon benefit gig for the Children`s Hospital.

From the BRC: The arbor of family and friends is a precious and leafy tree.

 

BRC Activities, Cell Perches & HVO

Preserve the Environment: Tiny Steps

March 12, 2022

Banjo pickers are eco-friendly. Scratch a Bluegrass musician, and you will find an environmentalist underneath. The BRC workshop was founded 11 years ago, but we overlooked its 10th anniversary last year while distracted by the pandemic. Over the past decade, unused spare parts have steadily accumulated in the workshop. To avoid dispatching these materials to a land fill, our 10th year of business will be celebrated belatedly by the purposeful re-incorporation of extra materials into inventive mini projects.

The local community art league has an annual “Tiny Things” competitive show each Spring where artists submit works measuring no more than 8x 8 inches in size. As a banjo clearly exceeds these dimensions, the BRC craftsman decided to apply left-over inlay inventories into decorating cell phone holders and submit these tiny entires into the yearly competition. Hopefully, these inlayed and practical desktop items would be of interest to the judge adjucating the exhibit, gallery visitors, and musicians. What banjo player would not want a smartphone stand to check-out online picking turorials?

Last year was our first occasion to experiment with this modest eco-strategy, and “The Lair” was accepted (above) into the springtime Tiny Things show. After the annual community exhibit concluded, this prototypical and planar pine model was gifted to an out-of- state friend. The dragon image on the front was so fearsome, that the new owner reported months later that the family dog had mauled the piney item beyond repair one night.

Despite the almost poetic Viking`s demise of The Lair, a peaceful array of leaping dolphins had resided quietly on the flip side. To see previous dolphin-themed BRC banjos, enter “dolphin” in our home page search engine.

This year, the BRC craftsman has ambitiously fashioned two upgraded desktop items for submission to the Tiny Things exhibit. Both feature a sturdy center post secured with wood glue and a stout rebar-like screw. The smaller cedar model (below) entitled the “Unicorn Cell Perch”‘ measures just over 3 inches at the base.

It is inlayed with enamel-covered laser cut wood images and some mother of pearl stars.

If you look closely, you might recognize the inlays that appeared on the “Unikorn” and “Moonshine” banjos previously depicted on the BRC website.

Another slightly larger and even more rugged red oak iteration for this year’s competition is entitled the “Tree of Life Cell Perch.”  It measures just over 6 inches in length and is decorated with mother of pearl leaves and iconic Tree of Life symbols.

The leafy mother of pearl inlays may remind you of our “Time for Tea” and “Tea Leaves”  BRC banjo. The aforesaid 5-stringer can be reviewed by entering “tea” in the search engine on our home page. It is hoped that the serene imagery on this year`s fortified smartphone holders will not provoke canine reactions.

The BRC focus remains building art show crafted banjos at modest prices for entry level buyers. Although desk top cell phone stands with fingerboard inlay decorations could potentially attract a niche market of stringed instrument musicians, or perhaps evolve into a profitable franchise for pet chew-toys, these diminutive but sturdy items will mostly be devised in our workshop around the time of the annual Tiny Things art show. This mini project is our small step to preserve the environment.

From the BRC: Be well, be safe, be eco-friendly.

P.S. Have a happy St. Paddy`s Day.

 

BRC Activities

Best to You this Season

December 18, 2021

The BRC workshop has been busy supplying 5-stringers to Holiday gift givers for delivery near and far.Maybe, Santa has a banjo planned for someone special on your shopping list?

Have a wonderful Holiday, and keep on pickin`.

From the BRC: We wish you Peace this Season and Good Health in the New Year.