BRC Activities

The summer members` show at the local community art league is an annual open and un-themed competition. This enables artists to submit a diverse range of works. In a world troubled with conflict, the BRC craftsman fashioned the “Concordia” banjo named after the ancient Roman goddess of harmony or peace. The peg head and lower neck present snowy doves carrying a sprig of olive branch- a traditional symbol of peace.

The upper neck echoes these universal motifs of amity. Although each BRC banjo is a one-of-a-kind instrument, the ever important theme of global peace has been a design feature of several of our 5-stringers that can be accessed by entering “dove” in the search engine on the BRC homepage.

At the gala opening reception of the exhibit, gallery visitors closely study the Concordia banjo and its harmonious imagery.

For the eyes only of the musician, all BRC banjos have a signature inlay (below) on the heel of the neck.  Nearby, the inscribed serial number of the instrument is located on the rim. The Concordia banjo was purchased by a patron before the exhibit opened.

From the BRC: Wishing us all everywhere a peaceful summer filled with harmony.

About 15 years ago, the Gainor & Friends jam band evolved its moniker at the Artisan Cafe which was located nearby the University campus. The popular coffee house was a student haunt, and we performed weekly noontime gigs on Thursdays for the Children`s Hospital. For a back-story on our tenure at this venue, enter “artisan” in the BRC homepage search engine which will take you to the “At the Artisan” posting of December 5, 2020.

One day in September of 2009, we showed up at the Cafe door with our instruments, ready to pick and sing. To our surprise, the basement establishment was darkly shuttered, locked-up, and permanently closed-down. Undaunted, we crossed the street and walked up an alley leading to the back door of the newly opened Broadway Brewery which faced the main thoroughfare of our university township. One of the owners of the family-friendly brewpub consented to have us play a few gigs as an audition. By December, the management agreed to have us perform weekly as the house band with all tips going to the Children`s Hospital.

Initially, we were housed in an alcove next to the stairs leading down from the main street to the microbrewery front door. Although we were somewhat cramped, customers could glimpse our live-music band on their left as they descended the steps to the entrance of the restaurant.

Despite the close quarters, the acoustics were surprisingly well-balanced in this small corner locale. We performed in the alcove (below) for several years until the summer of 2015 when the owners built a stage for us on the other side of the main dining area.

Our weekly performances were then moved to Sunday midday when the peak number of families came to dine at the brewpub. We were initially worried about the acoustics in this spacious stage location, but the newly-built stout wooden platform proved to enhance the tone of our instruments. The stage easily accommodated double the number of musicians compared to the small corner alcove.  For the new Sunday gigs, the Brewery provided afternoon snacks for the G&F musicians during our break-time.

Since its inception in 1995, the G&F musicians have donated all tips to the Children`s Hospital, and our total collections recently surpassed the $30K milestone. Three-fourths of those monies have been donated by the generous patrons of the Broadway Brewery. We salute the brewpub owners for hosting our weekly benefit gigs all these years and the faithful customers for their support of our University pediatric medical center.

From the BRC and the G&F musicians: Thank-you everyone.

The community art league has its festive “Let Them Eat Art” fund raiser reception at the end of every February to wrap-up its annual food-themed show which was entitled “Nibble” this year. Munchies and boutique beverages are supplied by local entrepreneurs, and gallery visitors cast votes to determine the most delectable finger food, drink, and dessert offerings. Ballots are counted at the end of the gala evening. After snacking on culinary delights, sipping flavorful beverages, and examining the Gone Fishin`  BRC 5-stringer (center right), art league members and guests gather to listen to the announcement of the people’s choice award winners.

Our banjo craftsman is pictured below with a valued customer who, over the years, has purchased three BRC banjos- one for each of her three children. The  Nibble exhibit remained open an extra day, so attendees of the university’s 23rd annual Chancellor`s Art Showcase could visit the gallery which is contiguous with the Missouri Theatre.

In the coming week, our BRC founder will enjoy yet another birthday milestone, and his all time favorite greeting card is revisited again below.

From the BRC: Alas, springtime cannot be far away.