Nice Work If You Can Get It

It was good to back together again after a long summer break. 

A couple of practices had us ready for the first gig of the season

--at Edwards Road Baptist Church. 

They seemed as glad to have us there as we were to be there.

If you're a long-time reader of our blog, 

you know about the many dinners we've  enjoyed 

over the years.

 This dinner ranks right at the top of all we've had.

This church has some amazing cooks.

Don't let anyone tell you differently---

we love singing for our supper!

So many people came up after the program 

to tell us how much fun they had.

But the best comment was from a lady 

who slowed down as she passed by on her way out.

She waved and shouted, "You all were better than dessert!"

At this church, that's saying a lot.

Nice Work If You Can Get It, by George & Ira Gershwin, 1937

I Love Being Here With You

The performing year has ended for the Yesterukes,

 but the desire to get together has not. 

It's hard to imagine not being together once a week.

So for one last time before our summer break, 

the Yesterukes, spouses and guests 

found time to meet for lunch.

No performance this time. It was just us.

Just a time to enjoy good food and fellowship.

But as you can imagine, it's impossible 

for this group to be in one room without music.

So there were a few group songs, and some members 

shared a fun song, a poem or just a little nonsense.

It was fun to hear about summer plans--one couple is on a cruise to Scandinavia already, there is a cruise to Alaska for another couple in a couple of weeks. Trips to the beach and the mountains and time with family are already booked, too. But as the summer ends, you can be sure the ukuleles will gather again. Everyone will be rested and refreshed. Good thing, because our fall calendar is already full. We are now booking for 2013! We still find this hard to believe. 

HAPPY SUMMER, EVERYONE!

I Love Being Here With You, Peggy Lee, 1961

Getting Some Fun Out Of Life

It is only fitting that we ended our season in the very room where this crazy venture started. The Yesterukes began, not as a band, but as an 8-week "Learn To Play The Ukulele For Fun" class at Martha Franks Baptist Retirement Center. Five people completed that class but continued to play together and then to perform together. And that little band of beginners grew, picked a band name, grew, bought blue shirts, and grew some more, until we have 21 members in today's band.

We still practice weekly at Martha Franks Baptist Retirement Center even though now only one band member is a Martha Franks resident. Our band members come from across the upstate of South Carolina. And we continue to grow. This was the first performance for our newest member.

The residents and staff of Martha Franks gathered on a weekday afternoon to participate in The Big Sing! And everyone enjoyed joining voices to sing old favorites. Our program ran a little longer than we intended but we don't think anyone noticed. It was all good fun.

One resident left after the program and then wheeled her walker back in and said she just had to come back to tell us that a couple of our songs were special to her. She had worked in Atlanta as a young woman, across the street from the Ansley Hotel and often heard the band there practicing Sentimental Journey. That would have been when that song was a new hit!

Some of these residents had only heard us at the very beginning and were surprised at the sound we have now, after five years of playing.  We have worked hard to make our music snappy and to make our program entertaining. 

And after all this hard work, we are taking a summer break. There might be an occasional blog post during the summer, but look for us back here full time in the fall.

Getting Some Fun Out of Life, Billie Holiday, 1937

A Wonderful Time Up There

The road started to rise and twist as we drove to find Washington Baptist Church, located in the foothills. It was our first time there. When they start setting up more tables and chairs for an extra large attendance, we knew they were expecting good things from us. We didn't disappoint.

And neither did they. The lunch was delicious. 

We always enjoy good food. And these Baptists fed us well.

As much as we enjoy making music, 

we enjoy the fellowship that each gig affords us.

There is even time for visiting as we get set up.

We had a couple of panicked moments waiting for the last folks to arrive. But they got there just in time.

After the program the hostess congratulated the program chairman for the good job he had done all year. And then she told him that he had outdone himself when he booked us. No one at Washington Baptist Church had heard us before so they weren't quite sure what to expect.

But after the program, many there came to tell us how much they had enjoyed the music and how much fun they had.

They wanted to know about our assortment of ukuleles. 

And they wanted to know if we'd come back.

Some of the other comments that were heard were:

"I've never seen anything like this." (We think that was a compliment.)

"Who knows how many girlfriends I'd have had way back 

then if I had known the words to all those songs you sang today!"

"I played ukulele as a child. It belonged to my mother. 

But my sister inherited it. Darn."

"This was just the best program ever."

"How hard is it to learn to play one of these things?"

We had a great time, too. And it's there's a good possibility we'll be back there next year.

A Wonderful Time Up There, Pat Boone, 1958

Blue Hawaii

We took a 40-minute music cruise to Hawaii this week with the good folks at Christ Church Episcopal. We knew ahead of time that they were using a Hawaiian theme for their luncheon, so we pulled out every Hawaii-related song we had in our big book.

They decorated the tables with colorful arrangements.

They fed us delicious chicken kabobs.

They even decorated us!

When our time was over and our musical "ship" had docked, everyone had thoroughly enjoyed the voyage. This was our fourth time playing for this group and one lady afterwards told us, "There is no way I'd ever miss one of your programs." And another said, "I'll guarantee you that everyone leaves here feeling better than when they came!" 

That's our goal. We want people to forgot their worries. Forget their aches and pains. And for about 45 minutes just have fun. And they did.

Blue Hawaii, from the Elvis Presley film of the same name, 1961

Time After Time

This was our fourth visit with the senior adults at Buncombe St. United Methodist Church. It's always good to be in places where we know we'll be comfortable and welcomed. We knew ahead of time how to set up in this space.

We had added several new songs to our set list to be sure the audience was not hearing the same things that they had heard before, being sure not to take out the favorites.

After the program the pastor said, "It is so much fun to see people who enjoy what they do. And it is evident that this group totally enjoys what they are doing." 

After the program we were invited to join them for lunch.

And we never turn down a good meal!

Time After Time, Sammy Cahn & Jule Styne, 1947

Some Enchanted Evening

One way we measure if a gig was a good one is by how many people hang around after the program to talk to us and by how long they are willing to wait their turn. By this measure, last night was a total success. The good people at Forestville Baptist Church really seemed to enjoy the evening.

We did have fun playing all the songs "from our courtin' days" as one lady put it. Her husband quickly chimed in, "And from our honeymoon days." Then he looked at her with a big grin. These songs trigger powerful memories.

One sweet lady came to tell us, "This was the best entertainment we've had...." and she paused and thought for a few seconds....."in YEARS!" We hear similar comments often. Now we will never win a prize for playing perfect music but we have learned a lot about how to entertain a crowd.

A couple came up with a different kind of question ---"What is the youngest age in your group?" 61 "Well, then what is the oldest?" mid-80s  So glad they didn't ask WHO was the oldest and youngest!

A man who, retired from 33 years of teaching music and years of experience playing in rock 'n roll bands, asked how he might join our group. Many of our current members came to us just this way. They saw us perform and decided they had to do this, too.

People continued to hang around as we packed up sound equipment, still chatting and just enjoying the fellowship. The last few followed us to the car and were still asking about how they could book us for other groups. Good thing we had printed out more brochures before this program.

And, perhaps the best measure of how much the huge crowd enjoyed us was when the gentleman in charge of programs asked, "Can we book you to come again?"




Some Enchanted Evening, Rogers & Hammerstein, from the musical South Pacific, 1949