Tuesday, June 23, 2009

We Are So Hot!

And if you don't believe it, check out the photos section of our home page!

The last weekend of Spring continued to feel like mid-August. We hit triple digits all three days, but we weren't all that concerned. Our one Friday evening gig was indoors, and our group outdoor activity on Saturday afternoon was a joy for all of us regardless of the heat.

On Friday, June 19, we played our usual "third Friday" gig at Orderup in the Colonnade. Once again we loved playing at the location and enjoyed the company of their wonderful staff. It's a kick when even the cooks stick their heads out of the kitchen to say hello. We were celebrating the fact that the entire band was together, and so we featured a lot of four-part songs. Mary Lou debuted two new songs: Don McLean's "Vincent," and Jonathan Edwards' "Sunshine." Steve and I played our latest composition, "Thirteen Miles From Comfort" for the first time. We now have added three new songs since our CD came out in October. At this rate we'll be making another trip to the studio in ... well, let's not rush back, shall we? The highlight of the night for me, and for the audience I'm sure, was the inclusion of Dan Fogelberg's "Leader of the Band." Steve thought it appropriate to play with Father's Day just around the corner, and I heartily agreed.

Tim and Bob Nationals Richard and Justa, Peggy, Pam, Karen, and Casey were there, and Steve's colleague Patricia showed up with her family. Once again, playing at Orderup was like playing at a party. A great night.

Saturday afternoon, the band reunited at a local Target store to buy 18.6 lbs. of cat food. No, this wasn't in support of some radical health-food kick that had captured us. This was us following up on our promise to our friends at Pet Pals of Texas. The previous Saturday, we'd donated our services as the featured performers at a Pet Pals fundraiser. We also promised to buy a bag of cat or dog food for each CD we sold. We met up with Vicki and Linda at the Pet Pals office/store room and made our deliveries. We're hoping that the work we do and have done for these folks can help the animals that are so vital to the elderly and disabled people they serve. We'd do anything for Pet Pals, and why not? Vicki is one of our biggest fans.

Next weekend will provide us with a bit of rest. We'll be performing next on July 4, and there'll only be three of us, as Mary Lou takes a few weeks off after some surgery. Where do we PLAY NEXT? What does the rest of the year's schedule look like? Are we really as good looking as the gossip columns say? Check out our WEB PAGE to answer all these questions. And while you're there, TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!

Monday, June 15, 2009

The Hat Beats the Heat



According to my calendar, it's still spring. However, down here in South Texas this late spring weekend featured triple-digit temperatures in abundance, just what a band whose youngest members are in their 50s needs!

On Friday, we returned to Beto's Comida Latina for our monthly gig on their inviting covered patio. We were grateful for the breeze we got throughout, since we were setting up our gear outside in 101-degree temperatures. Tim and Bob Nationals Matt and Beth were there, along with Brett and Lisa. We made some new friends also, and Steve enjoyed his forays into electric guitar land. But the star of the evening was, without a doubt, Steve's new hat!

On Saturday, we had our much-anticipated fundraiser for PetPals of Texas. This organization is devoted to helping the pets who help their disabled and elderly owners. We've done several fundraisers over the years -- including a couple for PetPals -- but this one was one we had great hopes for. Vicki, who is in charge of the group, is amazing at coordinating these events, as well as publicity. She also LOVES The Tim and Bob Show.

The place was so filled with Tim and Bob Nationals that it seems almost excessive to mention any, never mind all. We were pleased, however, to meet a good friend of Vicki's, KONO disc jockey Steven O. Sellars. KONO features the 60s and 70s music we specialize in, and Steve and Kathy chat with Steven on Facebook all the time, but this was the first time he'd actually met the band and listened to us play.

And play we did. We decided to spice up our usual covers with several of our originals. Why? Because we had pledged to purchase 3 lbs. of pet food for each CD sold at the event. Well, that's one reason. The other is that we like to do the songs that Steve and I wrote.

We had a ball, and the music sounded good. We raised a lot of money for Pet Pals, and we will be delivering 18 pounds of food to them very shortly. It was wonderful to watch all of PetPal's volunteers get the venue and food ready. It was great to play "concert-style." It was wonderful to watch Vicki dancing to our music again. It was fantastic to meet El Perro Loco [as selected by the San Antonio Fiesta Committee] and his owner Ozzie, one of three people whose lives this little Fox Terrier has saved. It was great to have Steven tell his Facebook friends "You have GOT to hear this band." It was wonderful to be part of the occasion. But, best of all, it was great to share the stage with Steve's new hat!

Monday, June 1, 2009

Hail and Farewell


Well, May is finally over. The month started out with an extended [and unplanned] down time, but it ended with six gigs over the last three weekends, and some of the "older" members of the group are a bit tired. Well, okay, ONE member. Okay, me. And with a free weekend in front of us, it's time to celebrate the last two gigs of the month.

Saturday night found us in a familiar location on a very unfamiliar night. We play at Orderup in the Colonnade on a regular basis, but always on a Friday. Kathy's play had ended, but she was leaving on business the next morning, so we loaded up on our recently-neglected four-part specialties. We also invited our friend Karen along -- she of the breathtaking flute work on "It Ends, It Begins" on our CD. We'd jammed a little with her at our Memorial Day BBQ, and so she showed up prepared to play on three consecutive numbers -- on three different instruments. We had fun running through them, and hope that Karen picked up the performing bug again. it would be great to be able to go and watch her perform soon.

Tim and Bob Nationals Matt and Casey were there, and we made some new friends, one of whom made a quick stop by our tip jar and dropped in $20. Whoever you are, we love you too.

Sunday was perhaps the highlight of the year for Steve. In addition to being a guitar god, Steve devotes a lot of his time to church work. For several years, Steve was a youth advisor. On Sunday morning, four of his former youth group members -- now all grown up -- showed up for services and announced their plans to come to our show. Katie and Elizabeth had heard us play before, but Shira and Bryn had only heard Steve play at youth gatherings.

Our Sunday night gig was our final one at Fralo's Art of Pizza -- the very first place The Tim and Bob Show ever performed. We had played there regularly for almost four years, but it was becoming difficult for us to resolve our calendar with theirs. The presence of Steve's young friends -- and new friends to Mary Lou and me -- merged with the knowledge that we were playing Fralo's for the last time, made for an interesting mix of emotions.

Since former youth group members were there, we had to do "Rocky Raccoon," and I can guarantee that they really enjoyed watching their former youth group facilitator sing Ringo Starr's "The No-No Song."

Long time Tim and Bob friend Deedy was also there, along with a pretty full table that included Tim and Bob Nationals Steve and Jackie and friends. We made new friends in Chris and Cara, who promised to come back and hear us in the company of her father, who taught her and her brother the songs we sing when they were both very young. All in all, there was a great crowd for our last gig, and we think we gave them a good performance. Steve especially ripped into his solos on the Epiphone with zest.

So, hail to new friends, hail to old friends from whom we've been separated, and farewell to the place where it all began.

Here's to a weekend's rest for the band. And You'll find a list of our upcoming gigs HERE . And, while you're perusing our web site, stop HERE and tell us what you think!