Time After Time

Even though there have not been blogs about all we've done, we've been busy playing time after time for so many audiences—groups we have been with before and new groups, too. Take a look at our last few weeks...

First Baptist Church, Simpsonville

We entertained a couple of hundred folks at the JOY club.

We loved seeing the surprised look on the faces at 

First Presbyterian Church, Greenville, when they

heard us play for the very first time.

We "sang for our supper" (actually it was lunch) 

at Washington Baptist Church, Greer. 

We enjoyed the food. They enjoyed the music.

Martha Franks Baptist Retirement Center in Laurens

 is the birthplace of the Yesterukes. 

We were happy to play for their Christmas dinner.

Our final gig of 2013 was at the beautiful

Greenville Women's Club.

What a wonderful way to end our season!

We are taking a well deserved winter break. 

Look for us back here in February 2014.

Time After Time, Sammy Kahn & Jule Styne, 1947

Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin'

When the mid-morning program at Quillen Manor was over and the wheelchairs were rolling away to wait for lunch, one lady walked slowly to the front with her cane. She told me, "I cried this morning. Your music brought back so many memories. You've made me very happy." And she left smiling.

Enough said.


Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin', Rogers & Hammerstein II, 1947

A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening

The senior adults at Edwards Rd. Baptist Church 

started gathering just before 6:00 PM.

We watched as they just kept coming...

so many tables filled with people 

who had come for an evening of fun.

I think we would sing and play without being fed.

But we will all admit we love the 

church dinners we get to enjoy. 

This one was spectacular.

I ended up sitting with the lady who made the caramel cake.

Keeping my fingers crossed I get the recipe.

But we were there to provide the entertainment.

And visit a little with each other.

We heard so many comments that our band 

was the best program they've ever had 

after we played there a couple of years ago. 

We did our best to live up to their high expectations.

And when the evening was over, 

we were rewarded with a standing ovation. 

We don't always get one, so we truly appreciate

the evenings when everything is just right.

One of our own members said after the program, "We brought our A-game tonight." And I think she was right. We can't always explain why one program goes a little better than another one. There are so many factors. Could have been the caramel cake. Could have been the wonderful audience. They just radiated excitement during this program. And that gave us an extra boost of energy. We love a gig like that!

A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening, Frank Sinatra, 1944

She'll Be Coming 'Round The Mountain

Heading up the mountain was a treat for the Yesterukes.

The leaves were just beginning to show some color.

We were there to play for the NC/SC Airstream Rally.

Those people are as passionate about their Airstreams

as we are about our ukuleles.

The Yesterukes got a chance to spend a little time 

just hanging out and visiting with each other.

We were lucky this year--the weather was perfect!

Before we played, the Airstream Unit 

treated us to a delicious lunch.

And then we treated them to an hour of some favorite songs.

We even discovered that one of the 

Airstream people played ukulele. 

We asked him to join us (he's on the left) 

and he was thrilled to be part of the show.

We had a fun day in the mountains.

Maybe they will invite us back another year.

She'll Be Coming 'Round The Mountain, folk song, late 1880s

You Make Me Feel So Young

 

What do Yesterukes like to do as much as make music?

They like to be together and talk to each other.

And they like to eat.

So this week, we moved our practice from our regular location...

...to a location with more space. 

Space for lunch, for practice, for visiting.

Before our practice—and yes, we practiced hard

—we had time for good food and fellowship.

Being together is as important as performing.

One band member said yesterday, 

"The Yesterukes makes getting old worthwhile."

Be watching for our updated look. 

When we started this group seven years ago,

it never occurred to us that we would be playing for years.

Simple T-shirts were enough then.

Now that we've realized we're in this for the long haul, 

we're moving up to shirts with collars!

You Make Me Feel So Young, Frank Sinatra, 1956

I Remember You

Most times we play our programs for 

senior adult church groups who always love our programs.

But this past Saturday was different. 

We gathered to play for some very fragile folks, 

and their friends and families.

Sometimes it's a significant effort 

for our own members to get to our venues,

that range across several counties. 

It's a real commitment of time and energy.

But when we do find the space and get set up, 

we realize how much we bring to these audiences.

When our program on Saturday 

(presented in honor of World Alzheimer's Day)

was over one of our band members remarked, 

"I saw tears and I saw smiles. It was perfect."

Music has the capacity to go deep 

and touch spaces that can be hard to reach. 

It helps memories float to the surface, 

even if only for a short time.

I Remember You, Johnny Mercer, 1941

If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Of Baked A Cake

 

For the first time in about three months,
we set up the sound sytem.

We tuned the ukes and got out the music.

It was our kick-off program for the 2013-14 season.

And it was our first dinner of the year, too.

The good cooks at San Souci Baptist Church did not disappoint.

The cakes were wonderful!

Just like the rest of the meal.

The visiting and getting acquainted is as important 

as the music.

The audience had fun. We had fun.

It was nice to get off to such a good start!

If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Of Baked A Cake, Eileen Barton, 1950

Together Again

We're back!

Back hard at work after a long summer break, 

getting ready for our first gig of the season.

Back together with friends.

Back together doing what we love.

We start this season with a slightly different band. One member decided that after six years with us, it was time for her to retire. We will miss her. On the other side of the coin, we have two new members, who are so excited about playing their first gig with us next week. We are happy to have them join us.

Check in here with us from time to time to see what we are doing. We'll keep you posted.

Together Again, Buck Owens, 1964

See You In September

We are almost to the end of our season, so yesterday we celebrated a successful year with a special cake. (We also celebrated summer birthdays!)

We reserved the final two weeks of practice for "learn to jam" sessions. We pulled our chairs into a circle and just enjoyed playing and singing songs that most everyone knew. It was fun for all ages. It was a chance to learn to hear the chords instead of reading them off the printed page. 

Group singing is an activity that is as old as the ages. According to Wikipedia, "It has been suggested that human group singing was primarily promoting the cohesiveness within human groups,^[2] and was possibly used to defend human groups from predators and competitors."

And as luck would have it, this practice was just in time for today— "National Music Day"— and a nearby ukulele celebration and observance. Let's hope that a few of the Yesterukes will take their uke skills to this event and try out what they've learned.

After next week's final practice, we will be taking a long summer break to rest and enjoy families. We will be back here, blogging about our ukulele adventures in late summer.

See You In September, The Tempos, 1959