Bio

Young Artists Emerge

September 27, 2025

Every Sunday afternoon, the G&F Band performs for our university Children`s Hospital at a nearby family-friendly brewpub. During the lunch hour, curious youngsters come to the foot of the bandstand to dance while their parents happily take photographs. Some of the more adventurous kids will wander up onto the stage to examine our musical instruments and sometimes sing along with us.

Last Sunday, a young listener about age 5 years old spent her lunch hour industriously sketching the band. Periodically, after completing a few drawings, she would step-up onto the bandstand and distribute her works to the musicians.  Over the time frame of her family meal, each band member was gifted two sketches. These playful images surprisingly reflected our music and fellowship.

Our banjoist was among the first to receive such an artwork as seen above.

Soon thereafter, one of our guitarists was gifted an impressionistic rendering (ala  Picasso…?) of his instrument pouring-out music.

Our bass player happily accepted an artful representation of her oversized instrument sprinkled with musical notations.

Lastly, and most importantly, we were presented with the young artist`s perception of our happy faces, while we were pickin` & grinnin` & singin`. She anonymously autographed this final work with “Love,  Friend (sic)” In all, we were gifted with about a dozen of her sketches, and the Mom took a photograph of her talented daughter on stage with us grateful musicians. It was a joyful afternoon for all.

The previous weekend, the BRC founder and spouse visited their daughter`s family in Chicago for the local high school Homecoming festivities. Our talented grandson (seen above center) plays horn in the brass section of the school marching band, and he sings and dances regularly in school theatre productions. This young fellow and his friends decided to dress-up as the “Blues Brothers” for the post game evening dance party.

His grandfather instructed the young musician how to play blues harmonica in preparation for the evening of fun. All ready proficient on a wind instrument in the marching band, the kid proved to be a  “natural” on the blues harp.

From the BRC: Our family tree is blessed with musicians.

Bio

Images & Straps

September 6, 2025

A college chum recently mailed some archival photos to the BRC owner. In those days decades ago, photography was an active hobby for the BRC banjoist, and these forgotten B&W pictures had been developed in his dark room. The vintage images depicted the modest Florida bungalow and flourishing backyard vegetable garden of the young BRC husband and wife. As seen below, a B&W snapshot portrayed the youthful BRC musician playing his long neck Ode banjo that he had procured circa 1972. This open back 5-stringer still resides in his music room, and it offers a mellow and wife-friendly tone especially suited to clawhammer tunes.

The engraved leather shoulder strap seen above was fashioned by the BRC craftsman in the mid 1960’s when he was in a folk music duo with a pal who also enjoyed hand crafting. Nowadays, this strap resides on the mandolin featured in the previous website posting last month entitled “The Mandolin Option.”

Another engraved shoulder strap from that era is on his vintage Gibson Mastertone banjo. These leather straps have been preserved and remained supple over the intervening decades via annual applications of mink oil. In more recent years, however, the BRC spouse has fashioned many splendidly decorated shoulder straps at her sewing machine for her husband’s collection of acoustic instruments as depicted below.

These wide and well-padded straps are valued and comfortable accessories.

From the BRC: Welcome to Autumn.

BRC Activities

The Mandolin Option

August 23, 2025

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.

 

BRC Activities

Remembering

August 9, 2025

Last month, the brewpub band performed at a memorial gathering of friends and family to honor a very special lady who loved music and passed away at age 94 earlier in the summer. It was a bright sunny day, and the home was thronged with visitors. One of the guests (center) was a soprano singer who joined our ranks to augment the group vocals.

The musicians and assemblage of guests enjoyed the blended harmonies of our songs performed in front of the living room hearth. It was an especially lovely occasion to remember a very lovely lady who lived next door to our banjo player.

From the BRC: Peace.

Bio, BRC Activities, G&F Band

Precious Listeners

July 26, 2025

Last month, the mid week jam in a village near the Lake of the Ozarks convened again in a community retirement facility. As usual, our afternoon gig was held in the dining hall to accommodate the crowd of listeners who received us graciously. Following our performance of hoedown tunes, sing-alongs, and instrumentals, an elderly resident walked-up to us to say hello. With appreciation, she commented that at age 91 years old, she enjoyed our gospel tunes the most. The band thanked her for the lovely feedback, and we then regrouped for a gig photo at the festively decorated doorway to the sunny back patio.

Later that week, the Gainor & Friends jam band performed on Sunday afternoon at our hometown Broadway Brewery. During the gig, an elderly gentleman ambulating with a walker slowly proceeded to a front row table under the watchful eye of his granddaughter. After they had ordered their mid day meal, the granddaughter approached the bandstand and reported that her grandfather, who had celebrated his 100th birthday 3 months previously, wanted to hear the traditional song “Oh Shenandoah.” This tune is a sentimental favorite in the Show-Me State because of its lyrics, ” Oh Shenandoah, I long to see you/ Away, we`re bound away, across the wide Missouri.” It was a delight for us to render this treasured Heartland anthem for our century-old listener and his granddaughter.

At the brewpub on Sunday afternoons, our favorite and most faithful listener (seen foreground above) misses our performances so infrequently, that we made him an ex officio member of the band. We routinely invite him to join us at our mid afternoon snack break for fun conversation.

.From the BRC:  We are blessed with precious audiences.