Serapis 2010.1

Serapis rockin' at The Highlands Brewery, in Kirkwood, Mo.

We have been waiting for this gig for a couple reasons - the folks at The Highlands have been working hard on remodeling of the club. New carpeting is down, the bar is almost finished. The bar is huge. I am not very good at guessing lengths, but I'd guess it will be around 954 feet long when it is finished. Just my guess, though.

And now that Kirkwood is smoke-free, it makes for a more pleasant place to hear a band.

It was a terrific night. Many friends stopped in...some from work or business associates, some were musician friends that we know, some were family, others were just friends who showed up. Like good neighbors. Smoke-free MO had a contingency. Some friends who quietly follow us stopped to say hello. The Beck sisters were there.

Singer-songwriter Mark Moebeck, a St. Louis treasure, sang a couple songs. Randy DeSplinter worked his magic on the skins, as did Spencer Gleason. Kurt Jackson slapped some palm on the bongos.

The Highlands Brewing Company has a lot of potential to be a great little venue to see a show. Make it a point to check their schedule and get by. It is on Jefferson at Kirkwood Road.

Serapis is playing at Venice Cafe on March 6th. That will be really really neat. The Colin Sphinctor Band will be back at the Sheldon Concert Hall in a couple months.

Here comes 2010.

Christmas 2009

-Got the blog fixed.

I wrote once about a Christmas when I was a child. Someone asked me to post it again. It is the story of the night that O Holy Night! became my favorite Christmas song.

Here it is:

*****

When I was around 10 yrs old, about 1969, I remember being at midnight mass on Christmas Eve at St. Robert's Catholic church in St. Charles, MO. My parents were involved with the choir; my mother, Shirley, sang and my father, Robert, was the choir director - despite being a Lutheran.

This midnight night mass had a special feel. The church was so beautiful, with the richness and colors of Christmas – the deep reds of the poinsettias and the greens of the wreaths, the priest and the servers in their colorful celebratory robes. Incense filled the air, and the music sounded wonderful as the choir sang the familiar Christmas hymns. And, heck, it was Christmas Eve!

For some reason the songs of the choir sounded especially beautiful that night. More than just the standard Christmas feeling, the songs seemed to ring beautifully in the night. Joy To The World. Angels We Have Heard On High. Adeste Fideles. (Venite Adoremus Dominum)

A woman sang "O Holy Night!" and it sounded so beautiful. The song seemed to hold real meaning - Fall on your knees/Hear the Angel voices The notes and words were so clear and so perfect that I decided right then, at 10 years old, that this was my favorite Christmas song.

When mass was finished, I asked my mom who was singing that song, because it sounded so pretty.

"Don't you know who that was?" she said.

I replied that I did not, and she said "That was me."

I always knew that my mom had a beautiful voice, but that night I heard the music through new ears. With my senses filled by the beauty and magnificence of the occasion, the beautiful song and the beautiful performance took on a new meaning.

That night my mother was lifted a little in the eyes and heart of a Christmas-awed little boy; and "O, Holy Night" was elevated to the top of my favorite Christmas song list, where it remains today.

Happy Christmas from Serapis.

Keller & King Quotes

Two people from whom you can usually find a nice quote are Helen Keller and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Helen Keller said:

The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of tiny pushes of each honest worker.

A nice thought. It is also a line in a Serapis song.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said:

It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can stop him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important.

My favorite King quote is:

Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars... Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.

More Sphinctor Sheldon

Further…

• It was a terrific night for the Colin Sphinctor cd release party. The cd, titled "The Colin Sphinctor Band" (though some were referring to it as simply "The Brown Album")
• Carol Eder provided a stunningly refreshing jazz guitar improvisation as a prologue to “Tucumcari Tonight”
• It was also a celebration of Brain Sandwich mayhem, brought about through the hard work of Mike Madonna. Thanks Mike. Check out the Brain Sandwich stuff at http://brainsandwich.bravehost.com/
• Mark and Judy Moebeck highlighted their thespianic talents.
• Jay Schober was on hand, helping to Stomp Rats – figuratively, of course.
• The entire evening was captured through the photographic wizardry of Mike Bizelli. Look for pictures soon.

Old friends were there, new friends were there, and we enjoyed seeing them all.

And, dude - it was The Sheldon.

The Colin Sphinctor Band at The Sheldon Concert Hall

You would think…

You would think that playing at the legendary Sheldon Concert Hall would be a noteworthy event in any musical career. After all, it is acclaimed worldwide for its perfect acoustics. The classic setting has been host to performances such as Dave Brubeck, Doc Watson, Bela Fleck, Al DiMeola, Crosby & Nash, David Grisman, and far too many others to mention in this small space.

You would think the sound system to be professionally manned, and sound to be in peak form.

You would expect that the performers would be excited and eager to play.

You would be correct on all counts.

The folks at the Sheldon could not have been nicer – or more professional. Sarah in Marketing, Tim the sound guy, Dale Benz – Operations Manager, all went out of their way to make sure that everything was exactly as it should be. As a musician – whether you are Bonnie Raitt, or The Colin Sphinctor Band, this is all you can ask for.

Thanks mostly to all of the folks that came to share the fun.

Recaps and Things

Okay - first of all, this is so way past due that the teacher probably won't even give me partial credit.

Acknowledged.

Moving on - let's recap a few exciting things that happened this summer.

Serapis in Concert - Live at Bum's Hollow: This is such a cool place to see a show. It has been used as a natural amphitheater since the turns of two centuries. Turn that into a sentence and diagram it.

The weather was beautiful, the crowd was great. Dave Cheli, of Tribal Chicken and The Little Hills Jazz Quartet, sat in on sax, everyone had a great time. Playing for the home town - there's nothing like it.

Near the end of the summer, Serapis kicked the summer tour into high gear with a swing through Shelbyville, KY. This is one of the most beautiful parts of the country - and the Saddle Horse capitol of America. We were thrilled to provide entertainment for the wedding of Toni Knight and Mark Utoft, studs of the American Saddle Horse world. (not "studs" literally, of course)

Through an unfortunate, last-minute turn of events, Bob was unable to make the show, so Todd threw his drums in the truck, and off we set. When we arrived, as luck would have it, approximately 29 people had friends...whose brother played drums...

Fortunately, Mark the groom had a friend, Mark Mayo - an outstanding drummer who would be in attendance, so Mark convinced him bring his stick bag. Honestly, when he arrived you could tell he was a player, so it was nice to have him sit in for the night without haveing to worry if he could follow along. He did an outstanding job. Thanks, Mark. And Mark.

While there, we took a quick jaunt to Lexington to hear guitarist extraordinaire, Ben Lacy. We first heard Ben play at The Sheldon Theater with Al DiMeola. Ben was a very gracious host, and we enjoyed talking with him, and hearing him play. Ben Lacy is a guitar monster.

Then come Octoberfest in Saint Charles. Serapis on the Main Stage. Oddly, it was the end of September, and not November. Again - showing off for the home town. Sound guys were very good, and did a great job of making us sound good. Props and a large kudo to Scott Kanne. Brian Moskop, of QuikTrip reknown was in attendance with his stunning wife, Ruby. Brian is a whiz at presidential trivia. Name a year - he'll tell you who was president.

Up next - Colin Sphinctor Band cd release party at The Sheldon Concert Hall on November 11, 2008.

Serapis at Bum's Hollow

Don't forget the big show at Bum's Hollow, in Blanchette Park , St. Charles.

We're really excited about this one, as it is a great opportunity revive the natural amphitheater as a concert showcase location.

Serapis at Bum's Hollow, June 21, 8pm
http://www.iloveserapis.com