How it all Started - 2010 HISTORY
The band has quite a short history. It actually started during a Bluegrass Jam Sessiom in SW Tucson on Feb 22,2009. Charlie Sides and Bill Paul were having a conversation when Charlie commented “I have the itch to start a Band, are you interested?” Banjo Bill responded: “Yes, I’m very interested.” Two days later Sam Brown (fiddle) responded to a written request saying, “I think a Band is a grand idea”. The search was now in full swing for the guitar player. Since Sam has been in the Tucson music scene forever, he was aware of the many potential candidates. Charlie wanted a strong rhythm guitar player that was retired and didn’t live very far away. None of the known candidates met these requirements, so the criteria had to change. When the “being retired” requirement was dropped, the selection was easy. After an E-mail and telephone call, Bill DeVinney (guitar) agreed to attend the first band member meeting held on March 5, 2009. The band was complete except for the bass player.
A get-together was held March 5th. It was not a practice, it was a business type meeting to verify everyone was on the same page and shared a mutual vision of where this was going. Then a "fun Jam" was held March 10, 2009 - two weeks before Bill Paul left for Iowa.
The band first practice was scheduled for Oct 7, 2009, still without a bass player.
On Oct 6th, Reid Griffin asked Bill Paul if he knew a band needing a bass player. Bingo! The band membership was set. A set list was developed and two day a week practices were initiated. Many of these sessions were recorded to allow for “fine tuning” the music and the harmonies. The Band’s musical presentation was polished and became “performance ready” by year’s end. Booking started in Jan 2010.
The band played Jan 15th at a private party at the South Forty RV Ranch in Tucson. The event was so well received the South Forty booked the band for next year’s party immediately following the performance. The first public performance was held in the Heritage Highlands Clubhouse on Jan 22nd. The event was covered by the press (see press article in the NEWS ITEMS page) and it was a huge success. Future performances were scheduled for April and again next January. Many phone calls and e-mails of congratulations were received. Here’s a sample of the E-mails:
“Your group put on an excellent performance! You have selected a very professional, individual cast...each one has their own special characterand talent. The best part of all, of course, is your sense of humor and showmanship! We are proud to know you. We enjoyed the concert more than any other at Heritage. You should be in Vegas! When you get your first booking there, we will be in the audience!
Thanks for the fun!”
“What a fun evening. I brought two others and my wife and a neighbor came on his own.Great crowd and they loved you all. A satisfied fan”
“Really enjoyed you guys last night. What a fun group and good time. And, based on the attendance, we'd say it was a smashing success! Keep picking'!”
“Congratulations on a great performance. My wife and I enjoyed your band and apparently so did everyone else there. I hope you had as much fun as we did.”
“Great show !! We both enjoyed it. I'm sure you were worn out by the end of the evening. Did you notice, I'm sure you did, everyone stayed for the entire show. Good luck in the future with the band.”
‘Many thanks for such great entertainment. Mary and I did the waltz you played and even though we were a bit rusty, it was "fun time". And we're looking forward to seeing your band many more times.”
Our goal is to give an audience more than just a musical presentation. The band members are all showmen and entertainers as well as musicians. Remember our Motto is:
“if it ain’t fun – it ain’t us!”
A get-together was held March 5th. It was not a practice, it was a business type meeting to verify everyone was on the same page and shared a mutual vision of where this was going. Then a "fun Jam" was held March 10, 2009 - two weeks before Bill Paul left for Iowa.
The band first practice was scheduled for Oct 7, 2009, still without a bass player.
On Oct 6th, Reid Griffin asked Bill Paul if he knew a band needing a bass player. Bingo! The band membership was set. A set list was developed and two day a week practices were initiated. Many of these sessions were recorded to allow for “fine tuning” the music and the harmonies. The Band’s musical presentation was polished and became “performance ready” by year’s end. Booking started in Jan 2010.
The band played Jan 15th at a private party at the South Forty RV Ranch in Tucson. The event was so well received the South Forty booked the band for next year’s party immediately following the performance. The first public performance was held in the Heritage Highlands Clubhouse on Jan 22nd. The event was covered by the press (see press article in the NEWS ITEMS page) and it was a huge success. Future performances were scheduled for April and again next January. Many phone calls and e-mails of congratulations were received. Here’s a sample of the E-mails:
“Your group put on an excellent performance! You have selected a very professional, individual cast...each one has their own special characterand talent. The best part of all, of course, is your sense of humor and showmanship! We are proud to know you. We enjoyed the concert more than any other at Heritage. You should be in Vegas! When you get your first booking there, we will be in the audience!
Thanks for the fun!”
“What a fun evening. I brought two others and my wife and a neighbor came on his own.Great crowd and they loved you all. A satisfied fan”
“Really enjoyed you guys last night. What a fun group and good time. And, based on the attendance, we'd say it was a smashing success! Keep picking'!”
“Congratulations on a great performance. My wife and I enjoyed your band and apparently so did everyone else there. I hope you had as much fun as we did.”
“Great show !! We both enjoyed it. I'm sure you were worn out by the end of the evening. Did you notice, I'm sure you did, everyone stayed for the entire show. Good luck in the future with the band.”
‘Many thanks for such great entertainment. Mary and I did the waltz you played and even though we were a bit rusty, it was "fun time". And we're looking forward to seeing your band many more times.”
Our goal is to give an audience more than just a musical presentation. The band members are all showmen and entertainers as well as musicians. Remember our Motto is:
“if it ain’t fun – it ain’t us!”