The G&F band began performing weekly gigs at the family-friendly Broadway Brewery in 2009 and donating all tips to the Children`s Hospital. With the Covid plague blanketing the globe last year, the musicians were driven from the stage on the Ides of March 2020. Jam sessions were thereafter conducted at the BRC bandleader`s home for well over a year. In mid-May of 2021, the pickers ventured back onto the brewpub stage and were welcomed by the entertainment-starved customers who longed for signs of normalcy. By late August, however, a surging delta viral variant caused the band members to retreat once more from the venue. With the recent availability of vaccine boosters and seasonal flu shots, the G&F band has again returned its music to the Brewery during the Sunday brunch hours. Our percussionist nicknamed Bones, a showman and audience favorite, happily holds his rhythm instruments aloft.
In the meantime, we await a foreseeable future when hopefully the G&F Singers can again serenade kids and families at the Children`s Hospital, and the band can perform on the psychiatric ward of the university hospital during the Holidays. Time will tell, but we remain optimistic. We wish you renewed optimism and good times ahead, too.
Recently, the BRC craftsman donated a banjo to the yearly Columbia Art League fundraiser exhibit. At the “Patron`s Party” reception, he puzzled and amused potential buyers by counseling them that each BRC banjo had a threefold purpose. It was first and foremost a musical instrument. Secondly, in an energy crisis, it can be used as firewood. Lastly, in the event of civil unrest, it may have utility in home defense. Amidst a gallery filled with 76 paintings, sculptures, and multi-media works, the “Autumn Leaves” 5-stringer was the second item promptly sold in the gala evening affair.
From the BRC: Be well and have a restful Thanksgiving weekend.
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