Hello, Goodbye

We had planned a little pre-practice party 

to say goodbye to one who is leaving us

to move to another state.

She was our very first member. 

Without her, there would be no Yesterukes.

Of course, there was cake.

The surprise was that we got to say hello 

to one who has been away for quite a while.

We've missed her.

We allowed extra time for visiting.

The cake was delicious.

It was great when former members stopped by.

Maybe a tall tale or two was told.

Our newer members had a chance to get to know those 

who have been in the band a long time.

Then we got down to business...

...and played the songs in our new set list.

The next gigs are going to be good ones!

Yes, we take our music seriously and work hard to make it good. But what makes this band a success is the community it has created. These people have come from so many places and so many backgrounds, brought together by the music. But they have found family here. That is why is we do what we do.

Hello, Goodbye, Beatles 1967

After You've Gone

You'll have to take my word for it. The Yesterukes did indeed play a great program for the senior adults at Buncombe St. United Methodist Church yesterday. I just forgot to make a photo until everyone had moved on to the dining area for lunch. 

We have played for this group so many times that no one could remember how many programs we have done there. And they still tell us we are their most favorite entertainment. We think they are pretty special, too.

After You've Gone, Layton & Creamer, 1918

You've Made Me So Very Happy

 

Almost everyone in the band was in attendance for our first gig of the season. It was good to be back and the audience could feel the enthusiasm. 

Over 100 people filled the ballroom. The residents at the Cascades Verdae sang along with us as we played through our set list. We could see them stretching and moving around to watch the band members. They wanted to see who the whistler was, to see who was "cracking the whip," and to watch all the fun that was going within the band.

When it was all over, the residents couldn't wait to come up and tell us that spending an hour with us had made them very happy. That's what we try to do—make people happy. We succeeded this time.

You've Made Me So Very Happy, Blood, Sweat & Tears, 1969

At Last

After a long summer break (seemed like forever,) the Yesterukes are back together again. The first practices after summer are always filled with as much visiting as playing. These folks miss being together. But the music is still our focus. And it sounded good.

Our calendar for the coming season is filling up quickly. People are always shocked to find out that we book our engagements  9-12 months in advance. We are as surprised as they are. But groups love us. What we bring to these groups and clubs is great music, an upbeat program and a sense of joy. It's infectious. We leave behind happy people. They often leave humming a favorite tune. What a pleasure it is for us to make them smile.

Watch here for updates on our upcoming gigs as we enter our eighth year. Who would have ever thought we would still be here making music together!

At Last, Etta James, 1960

In The Summertime

When last night's program ended and the host for the Golden Age group thanked us for coming, he said, "Let me say that you are better than anything they have at the Peace Center!" For those of you not from around here, the Peace Center is our wonderful performing arts center that brings in entertainment such as Phantom Of The Opera, Evita, Harry Connick, Jr., Wicked, Martina McBride, Itzhak Perlman, Vince Gill, the Joffrey Ballet... And the list goes on and on. 

Now, we know we are not in the category with the professionals (the Peace Center surely hasn't called us,) but it was nice to hear him say that. We love that he felt so strongly about the music we played for the senior adults at Apalache Baptist Church.

This church is one of the most beautiful places we get to visit.

A beautiful church with some of the best cooks ever. We enjoyed the meal as much as they enjoyed the music. It's an arrangement that works for us all!

What a great way to wrap up the season! This is the time of year that we take a much needed break to enjoy the summer.  

We will see you back here in the fall. 

In the meantime, you can still find us on Facebook. 

In The Summertime, Mungo Jerry, 1970

With A Little Help From My Friends

While the Yesterukes leader (and writer of this blog) is away on extended grandmother duties, this blog will be short and simple as band members contribute photos and comments from each gig.

A first time visit to First Baptist Church Greenwood 

was a good one.

One of our band members said, "It was a thrill to see 

their faces when we started Sweet Georgia Brown."

When people hear us for the first time, they are 

always surprised by the quality of the music.

All of the hours of rehearsal paid off. 

Changes in our regular routine are bound to happen,

but the show went on without a hitch!

With A Little Help From My Friends, The Beatles, 1967

It's Been A Long, Long Time

Yes, it HAS been a long time since a new blog post. We ended our 2013 season just before Christmas and then took a long, much needed break. But the Yesterukes are back together with a couple of practices under our belt.  It's been fun to dust off the old songs and try some new ones.

You could tell by just looking at the band members that everyone had really missed being together. The music is the reason this group was formed, but the friendships that have developed might be the reason we've stayed together for so long. I often hear them say "my ukulele family" as they talk about each other.

One of the best comments about the comraderie of this group came from first-time visitor to our band. She said she was worried about being a newcomer in a long-established group. (If you've ever been that newcomer, often you feel very much like "the outsider" and it's difficult to break into the social circle.) But after her first visit with us, she told me that she was happy to find that she was greeted warmly by many and that our band was a very accepting group. We hope she stays!

Our first program for the year was for an almost all-wheelchair bound audience. It took nearly a half-hour to get everyone rolled into place. They were ready just about the same time as we got our sound system set up. We played our old favorites and a few songs that were new to our list. As we played and sang, we could watched these residents singing along with us, fingers tapping out the rhythm.

When we ended, they had to wait for staff to come roll them back to their room, so we had to chance to visit a little as we packed up our equipment. One lady told our bass player she hoped that we could come back soon. He replied, "Just ask us and we'll come." She immediately shouted back to him, "Well, I would--but I don't own this place!!!"

Another lady told us, "I've been bugging them to get a rock band in here...but ya'll were just as good!"

It's good to be back.



It's Been A Long, Long Time, Harry James, 1945