KaRTunes Blog - Early 2020

KaRTunes Blog - June 2020

June 6 - Doogie & Ozzy, Dick's Market 27th Annual Kielbasa Cookout

Steve was on the fence about going forward with the Kielbasa Cookout right on the edge of COVID-19 re-opening. Lots of restrictions are still in place. Some people are very paranoid and we need to respect their desire for ultra-safe conditions for themselvels and their families. We also have to think of the people who are sick of being coooped up and cut off from their community. The annual Kielbasa Cookout is a signature event for Dick's Market and the Dorr community who they serve. It's a tradition that defines who we are. We are not the faceless big city marketplace and festival. We are friends, neighbors, and family who need to hug each other when we meet in the street. We've been cut off from a lot of that, so the Kielbasa Cookout at Dick's Market is a breath of fresh air to our family spirit. At the same time, Steve wanted to respect the desire and the need for "social distancing". So, we bring you the first ever "Social-Distancing Kielbasa Cook Out". We marked out 6-foot spaces on the ground and there were no tents and tables. Steve thought we should add live music since people might be standing in line longer than usual, because of the spacing. So, without much notice, we got the old Doogie & Ozzy Acoustic Duo up and running, and the event became a party. There were a couple dozen chairs scattered around the lawn for anyone who wanted to sit and eat their Kielbasa on a Bun while visiting and listening to the acoustic rock music. The line moved very fast and all 600 Kielbasas were sold in a little over two and half hours. Beautiful sunny weather and not too hot. Thanks so much to the Dick's Market crew, Sam & Pat at the hot grill. Thanks to Steve. Most of all, thanks to the beautiful people of Dorr for the wonderful lunch in the sun.

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KaRTunes Blog - May 2020

May 30 - First KaR Tunes Post-COVID 19 party - 40th B-day party for twins Ryan & Sean

One our first Krys & Rick gigs after Rick losing his factory job in 2009 was a 30th birthday party for Sean & Ryan Andrus. We didn't have much of a nice sound set-up back then, we just stole speakers and amps from the Tricks band set-up. The party was arranged by Tiffany Andrus. I remember playing for some fun people in a garage in Otsego. I remember it was raining, and I think it was on a Sunday. Let me see if I have the photo album link. (Found it here.)
A couple years after that 30th b-day party, Tiffany called us for another small family party. This time it was a house-warming party at their new place a few miles south of Otsego. I remember lots of good food and fun times with family and friends. Now we come back for Sean & Ryan's 40th b-day. Very small gathering of immediate family. But what a great day and a fun milestone event. We are so honored to be part of the family events. It's my favorite part of being a musician; we get to be an honorary family member.
Thanks so much to the Andrus family and relatives. Thanks especially to Tiffany the party maker. Beautiful job. Finally, a chance to chill out and make some tunes with appreciative friends. Love, love!

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KaRTunes Blog - March 2020

Mar 14 - Tricks Trio, Russo's St. Patty's Day party, Cutlerville

This is our first but hopefully not last Tricks Trio show at Russo's Pizzeria Bar & Grill. The world is gripped in hysteria and panic over the Corona Virus, and Michigan government has shut down any public gathering of more than 50 people (they will shut down all restaurants, bars, and theaters  in a couple days). Brian the new owner put a lot into publicizing this party, and we all expected a full house. It was not to be. We had about 10 of our Tricks fans/friends there and about 20 Russo's regulars. Brian was giving away door prizes for St Patty's; hats, necklaces, and such. When someone joked that he ought to include toilet paper in the raffle, he showed up with a 4-pack of TP. The very next person who got their name drawn took the TP and said, "this will save me from standing in line at the store". (There has been a buying frenzy in the past few days of panic, mostly including toilet paper, hand cleaner, and water.) Thanks to our dancing gal pals, we had almost everyone dancing throughout the night. The Tricks Trio was really hot and tight. Thanks to Dave for showing up to tweek our sound, and thanks to Linda for taking a bunch of pictures. Thanks to Brian for hiring us; we hope to come back for another event, after this pandemic cools down.

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KaRTunes Blog - February 2020

Feb 8 - First weekend of the month - Tricks Trio +Don at Iron Bridge Sportsbar, Allegan

The band sure was fun tonight. Too bad there were only about fifteen people in the bar ... and that's counting the band and the staff. It was cold and icy out, but not bad for travel. Maybe good for staying cuddled up on the couch with your blanky. Anyway, back to the band. It's been two months off for the Tricks Trio, so we had some rust to work out. That almost increases the excitement, as you get that "no brakes, no net" feeling of going out on a limb. We were happy that Don showed up to sing with us. That's always fun. Tricks goes into Steve's basement on Monday, so this was like our final fling before winter break. Hopefully we can attract a bigger crowd at Iron Bridge next time, so the bar can make a little money. That's the whole idea of live music; it's all a trick to make you come out and spend money. That's why the band is called "Tricks" get it? As Bob Dylan once said,
"You never turned around to see the frowns
On the jugglers and the clowns
When they all did Tricks for you
You never understood that it ain't no good
You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you".

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KaRTunes Blog - January 2020

Jan 18 - Tricks Trio at South Haven Moose Lodge
*(So sad that our camera messed up after just a few pics.)

As we lose weekend bars to play at (AJ's in Dorr & Wayland Hotel), we are gaining clubs and parties. The club gigs are a lot earlier than the 1am or 1:30am bar nights. We are grateful for that. Also, it seems like the Eagles, Legion, Moose, and VFW members are a lot friendlier than the typical bar crowds. Maybe it's that sense of ownership from being a card-carrying member. Or maybe it's the less expensive drinks. Anyway, we really like the club scene. We always get lots of dancers. And there are usually some kids - it's a family atmosphere.
When TRICKS played at the Allegan Eagles for their Halloween party in 2017, Krystal & Rick went there on the afternoon before the party in order to decorate the stage with Halloween stuff. There was a little 7-year-old girl who wanted to help, so we let her put cobwebs on the speakers. A few days after that party, we got a call from a guy at the Otsego Moose Lodge. He said, "we are also members at the Allegan Eagles, we were the ones who had our granddaughter there who was trying to help you decorate". They asked us about a few 2018 dates, but TRICKS was mostly booked for 2018 already. The only opening we had was the date of their Otsego Moose Halloween party. Go figure! After we played that super fun Halloween party, they asked us about 2019 dates. The only opening we had was the date of their infamous Camp-O-Rama party in the campground behind the Moose Lodge. That campground party turned out to be what we call a "party of the year". There were so many dancers there with the all-ages Moose Lodge campground crowd. We had to ask about a dozen or more people who were wearing matching neon-green t-shirts that said something about "South Haven" and "Pirates". Turns out, those wild dancers were all from the South Haven Moose Lodge. We had to exchange contact info. Rick didn't call right away, but around December we got a call asking if we could do this Jan 18.
Even though it was nasty, cold, windy, and icy outside, we had a hot night inside. Less than 30 people there, but about 20 of those 30 wanted to dance a lot. We missed having brother Steve there, who was a main attraction at the Camp-O-Rama gig that led to this gig. A few people asked "where's your drummer, he was awesome at the Camp-O-Rama party. We also missed having our guest singer Don, but there's always next time. It was a bad night to travel; most of the people we talked to lived within just a few miles. Thanks to the South Haven Moose Lodge for having us for your Soup Cook-Off and "Warm Your Heart" benefit to buy blankets for local poor folks. We heard lots of apologies for the small crowd of about two dozen. But, we couldn't have had more fun. Everyone was giving us the same love that we felt back at the Camp-O-Rama party in summer. And we were warned that we better be playing for the 2020 Camp-O-Rama. We'll make a couple phone calls this week.