TUCK’S TROUBADOURS at BJ’s Creekside Pub, Saturday October 26, 2013, 7:30pm

Surely they were exaggerating. Dave Carlson claimed that they hadn’t got together for a rehearsal since April. If that was the case it didn’t show in their performance. There were a couple of false starts on a tune here and there but apart from that they sounded like they were in top form. Tuck’s Troubadours is the finest country band in the area.   Larry Tuck on bass ukelele (in place of Larry’s usual bass guitar) and vocals was in full voice, Doug Simpson on rhythm guitar was in fine form, as was Dave Carlson on vocals and mandolin, and Bud Decose on lead guitar was even better than his usual silky smooth self. That Eastman Arch Top Guitar that he plays is a visual and aural delight. Through out the evening they worked their way through an impressive list of songs and tunes that included Chasing the Neon Rainbow, Just Call me Lonesome, Rose of San Antonio (Bob Wills), The Great Divide (Kate Wolf), My Heart has a History, Green Wood (John Reischman), The Lonesome Fugitive (Merle Haggard),  Last Kiss (Ricky Nelson), Satisfied with You (Hank Williams), Mary (Marty Robbins), Don’t Get Around Much any More (Duke Ellington), Folsom Prison Blues (Johnny Cash), Muddy River and the power house instrumentals Razza Ma Tazz Polka, Bucks Polka and a Brazilian tune we have come to know as Aqua Velva (only because we can`t pronounce the Portuguese name). As always, it was another night of an almost unlimited tour of the whole scope of country music  played by this very tight knit (despite their disclaimers) musical unit.

OPEN MIC SESSION AT BJ’s CREEKSIDE PUB hosted by Fraser Armstrong, Saturday November 2, 2013, 7:30 pm

SERENDIPITY (noun: the faculty of discovering pleasing or valuable things by chance – The New Penguin English Dictionary) is what it is all about. Open Mic sessions are serendipitous opportunities for memorable music. It doesn’t always happen but in this instance it did. Fraser Armstrong  was the host and the anchor for a number of musicians that included Barry Jacklin, Alphonse Joseph, Jon Bisset, Sam Hornberger and Darin Welch. Fraser with his marvelous tenor voice, foot operated percussion, back up and lead guitar set the tone of the evening and when others stepped onto the stage it was the icing on the cake. Everyone was at the top of their game but there should be special mention made of  Daren Welch`s performance. Darin played original material that included Pretty Water, Wilderness (his backyard) and a new tune that was so fresh of the press that it still needs a title. Together Darin and Fraser sounded like they had been aggressively rehearsing for months. The truth of the situation is that they only met for the first time when Darin stepped onto the stage. How do they do that? My head is still shaking with disbelief.

Here are some images from the evening:

Thanks go to Fraser for hosting the evening and also thanks to BJ`s staff (Shannon, Clare and Shelby) and, on a parting note, a little piece of trivia – serendip  is an ancient name for Sri Lanka (I have no idea if that has anything to do with anything).

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