Doogie Blog - October 2012

Oct 20 - KaR Tunes at Odd Side Ales in Grand Haven

Our farthest regular gig is an hour drive from Allegan to Grand Haven - Worth the drive for a fun party every time!
I know it gets repetitive reading my blog comments about Odd Side Ales. You have to come and check this place out. As I always say; the brews are adventurous and the people like their music adventurous as well. You won't get the regular boring beers there, and you won't get the regular boring bands there either. There's a special ambience here; the way a micro-brewery ought to be. Thanks to Chris the owner and Eric the music manager for having us.

Doogie Blog - September 2012

Sept 29 - KaR Tunes at Sarah & Jimmy's wedding, Masonic Center, downtown G.R.

Krys and Rick Tunes supplied the Cocktail Hour and the Dinner music for this big Saturday night wedding.
Sarah is daughter of Karen Smalla, Krystal's good friend, kayaking pal, drinking buddy, & dancing partner, Tricks fan, and day-care provider for two of K&R's grandkids (Kyra & Niko). In contrast to the more intimate wedding that we played on Friday night, this Saturday night wedding was a big bash. They had about 300 people, and everyone was hungry and thirsty after the long traditional Catholic wedding ceremony (been there, done that, many times). We played music starting at about 4:15, and played some pretty lively tunes while we waited for the wedding party to arrive around dinner time at 6pm. After dinner started, we played some mellow quieter love tunes to add to the dining ambiance. There was a DeeJay for big dancing fun later on, but we provided about 3 hours of prelude music. We even had our share of dancers, as you can see from the photos. Like I said, the mother of the bride Karen loved to dance, and we couldn't stop her from grabbing people to dance with.
The big highlight for us was the father-of-the-bride dance with the bride, with Krystal singing a "Soft but Intense" version of Stevie Nicks' "Landslide". After that, the DeeJay kicked in the dance tunes, and we could relax and have a drink while we packed up. It was an absolute blast, even though we didn't stay for the later DeeJay dancing and drinking, because we were mighty tired from all that wedding action on Fri & Sat.

Sept 28 - KaR Tunes at Meagan & Jeremy's wedding, Noto's, G.R.

Lots of romantic slow-dancing . . . . . Special music from Ozzy's mom & son . . . . The dancing got rocking later on
Krys & Rick were asked to play at this wedding many months ago by our bass man John "Ozzy" Boscher. His step-daughter Meagan was actually married to Jeremy over a year ago, so that they could be stationed together in the US armed services. They came back home in order to do a "proper" wedding with family and friends. And, it sure was a nice wedding and reception. There were a little less than 100 guests, so the whole event had a cozy family feel to it. As soon as dinner was done and the cake was cut and served, the wedding party wanted to dance. The guys even wanted to sing a couple songs, so they did "Friends In Low Places" with Rick, which was a hoot. And later they got up and sang "Love Was Made For Me And You" by Nat King Cole. It was all very fun. We managed to keep some dancing going for the entire 4 hours that we played.
A highlight of the reception music, besides the guys getting up to sing a couple times, was Ozzy's mom playing her harmonica. That lady can play. She did about four traditional tunes, to the delight of everyone there. I see where Ozzy got his love for music, because she really loved playing for us. Also, Ozzy's son John got up and played Kansas "Dust In The Wind" on his flute to Rick's guitar accompaniment. Very good job!
Did I mention that the lay-out and the decor? It was all very fancy and elegant. Check out the Noto's website to get the inside scoop on that place. Ozzy took us downstairs to show us the wine cellar, and there are a couple pictures of that in our album here. I guess that wine cellar is where they have public dining, and you can also rent out that room. The staff was very friend and helpful. We heard lots of compliments on our music from the staff, and a couple of them wanted our card. Maybe we'll be back at Noto's sooner rather than later.
Thanks so much to Ozzy & Flo for getting us for this beautiful family event. We were so honored to be a part of it all. Thanks to Meagan and Jeremy for trusting us with the music for your wedding reception. We had a great time. Hope all went well at the after-party. I don't have photos, but at 10pm when we were finished with Noto's, the wedding party and other friends and family took off in a limo for an after-party. Good luck to Meagan and Jeremy. We wish you all the best in your life together.

Sept 23 - Unplugged Tricks at Hillards Sunday

Friends came in to hear some Stones . . . Ozzy, Krystal, & Rick deliver . . . These folks like when we play "their" music.
Just about the most fun we've ever had at Hilliards Corner Lounge for Doogie's solo Sunday time. Ozzy was there to add some smooth bass lines, and Krystal was there to sing her heart out. I was really impressed with our performance, and I'm not easy to please. We got adventurous with some acoustic attempts at songs that we normally do hard and heavy with Tricks. But we had to keep it light and low key for the all-ages dinner crowd there at Hilliards Corners. Even with one foot on the brake like that, we managed to pull off some pretty cool numbers. I especially liked doing Deep Purple "Hush", James Gang "Funk 49", Black Crowes "Hard To Handle", and Talking Heads "And She Was" - ACOUSTIC STYLE. What a blast that was. I'm surprised I didn't break any strings, I was having so much fun. There are still a few Tricks rockers that I'm interested in trying as an acoustic trio, like "Two Princes" or "Ballroom Blitz". How 'bout an acoustic "Smoke On The Water"? HA!
This Sunday we had to ease back on the heavy tunes, because there was an "all ages" crowd. We had to make room in the set for some Roger Miller and Elvis. Van Morrison for the kids. All in all, it was one of the best Sundays, as far as music quality and as far as attendance. Thanks to John Frederick and his family for stopping in. Thanks to Deb & Willie for driving from Grandville. And we were amazed to see our friend Denny walk in about ten minutes before we were finished. So, we had to stretch out and play a little over-time. Krystal and Deb managed to snap a few pictures.

Sept 21 - KaR Tunes - Krys and Rick at Rhino's Hometown Bar in Plainwell

Friends, . . . . . . . . . . . . . Friends, . . . . . . . . . . . . . and More Friends . . . . . . . . Rhino's is a friendly place.
Here we are again. This is becoming a habit at Rhino's. We're showing up at Rhino's every other month. Sometimes more often than that. We'll be back here in 4 weeks, on October 19. And it might be interesting to do a Tricks Lite show at Rhino's. They've asked a couple times about our band. It's a pretty small room, even for Tricks Lite with Steve on Electric Drums (because those drums have a volume control). Anyway, you never know. We've heard the same questions at Odd Side Ales in Grand Haven, but these people don't know what they're asking for. Tricks is not very good at keeping one foot on the break, if you know what I mean.
This rainy Friday in Plainwell was the same old story. Too much fun, too much to drink, too much to eat, and too much singing and dancing, and just plain old "hanging out with friends". That's the feeling at Rhino's Hometown Bar. Rick started with "Please Come To Boston" for a warm-up, and a guy sitting at the bar jumped up and threw some $$ in the Tip Jar. That was encouraging, so we got a little bit agressive with the rockers.
Usually, we try to alternate the dance mix, so that every third song is a slow song. After all, we are advertising ourselves as "Classic Rock and Folk", so we gotta slow down and do a James Taylor or Neil Young song every now and then. Well, this night we mixed in the rockers extra thick. It just seemed like the thing to do. No one was dancing, except Krys and Jamee a couple times, but it still seemed like we were getting a lot of hooting and hollering over the acoustic rockers. So we braved the waters of obscurity just a little bit. That means we did Krys & Rick versions of "Pinball Wizard", REO's "Music Man", "Radar Love", Pink's "You And Your Hand", Heart's "Even It Up", Warren Zevon's "Lawyers, Guns, and Money", and so on. We also debuted our new longer version of Adele's "One And Only", which Krys sings that crap out of. And Rick got brave and tried Porcupine Tree "Feel So Low". It was that kind of night.
Thanks so much for coming out pals. You give us the adventurous spirit when we see you watching. We're kinda working, so we can't socialize as much as we would like, but you know we're partying with you, and that's the main thing. Thanks for braving the cold rain and the construction mess in Plainwell. We appreciate you and love you so much. Thanks to Dave our bartender for working so hard to keep the party running smoothly. Thanks to Phil the owner who we've never met, but as musicians who come from a small-business owning family, we appreciate your efforts as owner and commander-in-chief. Thanks Jen for booking us, we miss you and your mom.

Sept 1 - Krystal & Rick at Kim & Duane's party, Irons

Duane has nice new Man Cave barn . . . . Nothin' like a Party on the Patio . . . . with Lots Of Wild Dancing Action
Krys & Rick seem to gravitate to certain party places. One of those places is Irons, Michigan. We've played about a dozen parties in the Irons area over the past ten years or so. Most of those Irons parties have been at Tommy & Tara Phelps' place in the woods. But, that "Phelpstock" party always got invaded by a couple of Rick's Trendway friends, Kim and Linda, ... along with a growing number of Linda & Kim friends. They finally wised up a couple years ago, and hired us for their own party. This party at Kim & Duane's was our 3rd party for this group of family & friends.
This time, the occasion was a barn-warming party to celebrate Duane & Kim's new barn. Plus, it was Duane's birthday. There was quite a spread of food and beverages. The new barn is built for a party. They have a pool table, cable TV, bathroom, kitchen. A "home away from home" in the backyard of their home away from home in Irons. They actually live in Holland.
Let's get talking about the party. I told you there was plenty of food & drinks. But they also had a great cement patio for us to set-up on, with plenty of dancing room left over. And these people get the prize for dancing action. They danced to songs I've never seen anyone dance to before. They danced to Jim Croce "Operator". They danced and sang along to Peter Gabriel "In Your Eyes". And they danced along to Krys singing acapella Janis "Mercedes Bentz". At one point after a couple slower songs, someone said "now you have to do something lively". So, I launched into "Pinball Wizzard". Only the second time I've ever done that scary song in front of people. The guitar parts are a frenzy of fast strumming. But, guess what? They danced to that one, too. And the Duck Fart and other shots kept coming and coming. We did Folsom Prison and King Of The Road for Kim's pa, who was out there dancing with the young-uns all night long. We played nearly three straight hours without a break, and then we played an extra few songs for one more blast of dancing fun.
Thanks to everyone for such a great time. Thanks to Kim & Duane for hiring us. It was worth the drive; it always is. Thanks to Val & Brian for the bottle of wine, and good to see you. (We played in Kaleva for their 35th wedding anniversarty party). Good to see you, Tommy and Virginia (they hosted the other party in Kaleva, in 2011). Thanks for showing up, Tommy Phelps. Thanks for showing up and taking a few pics, Dave Lopez, Tricks band sound man.
Thank you dancers! And lots of singing along was also appreciated. Heart-warming memories; these are the good old days.

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