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

Mount Pleasant Winery 08

Kicked off the 2008 Mt Pleasant season. Mt. Pleasant is one of Missouri's premier wineries, and it sits atop a bluff overlooking the Missouri river valley.

The only thing that kept the temperature from getting unbearable, was the unbelievable wind.

It was a good season opener for us.

The Bizellis stopped for a visit - Beno and Mary, Mike and Kay. The Bizellis are Saint Charles OG. Joining them were Mike and Debbie Hall. Mary and Mike are pretty old skool SC, too. In St. Charles, Bizelli means photography. (In Peers, MO, it makes catfish nervous.)

Annnnnnnnnnnd.................. It was Beno who knew the correct answer to the question about June Cleaver's maiden name(Bronson).

A new question...maybe Gilligan's Island. Ask about names of the two astronauts who flew over over the island, and the flaming log fiasco.

Other assorted Mt. Pleasantries abounded.

Pause ll

www.iloveserapis.com

Serapis - Authentic Rock Music
St. Louis, MO Area Band
http://www.iloveserapis.com
Todd Luerding - keyboard, Bob Gleason - Drums, Tony Chambers - Guitar, Gene Carroll - bass.

Serapis Schedule - http://www.iloveserapis.com/schedule.htm

The Little Hills Jazz Quartet

The Little Hills Jazz Quartet is: Dave Cheli, tenor saxophone; Gene Carroll, bass guitar; Tony Chambers, Guitar; Todd Luerding, drums.

Dave Cheli is a bona fide jazz player, and has sat in with Serapis on several gigs. He has played with top players in the area, and one of his bands - the now defunct "Tribal Chicken", with Doug Carson and Dave Sweet on bass and drums respectively, was a heck of a good listen.

A couple of occasions lately have called for a small jazz combo, and so The Little Hills Jazz Quartet was created. We played at the Chemin de Fer fete at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in St. Charles, and one of the Cancer walks at St. Charles West High School.

Miles Davis, Coltrane, Monk, Sonny Rollins...a couple standards, some bop and post-bop. Dave's bread-and-butter, we were still dusting of the chops.

But, man, is that fun.

A Partial Reunion

Tuner's on Friday and Saturday, April 4/5

Steve Snyder was in town. Randy Desplinter was there. Mark Moebeck, Jim Gould. Only person missing was Rick Clifford. Chris Black of Arbogast sat in on bass. (That's a good band - check them out when you can)

Now living in the DC area, Steve hadn't been back to StL (don't EVER call it "The Lou") since about 1995. He's playing in a couple bands out there, and sat in on skins and congas, and sounded great. He also played water on "Little Dead Surfer Girl".

The remarkably talented drummer Randy DeSplinter just keeps getting better, and singer/songwriter Mark Moebeck is a Saint Louis treasure.

At the end of the night, a fellow from the Scottish festival (Holden MacGroin) played a number on bagpipes.

This was a fun weekend. If you were fortunate enough to be there, you know what I mean.

The Gramophone

Old friend Benet Schaeffer - drummer extraordinaire with Gumbohead and others, mentioned that there was a new club called The Gramophone, getting ready to open in the "Grove" neighborhood - near Kingshighway and Manchester, and talk was of a gig featuring Serapis and Gumbohead on their grand opening weekend.

While that never came together, Serapis took the gig and came on after a killer show by Alvin Jett & the Phat Noiz Blues Band.

This has the potential to be a great spot to hear music - _Roo and the gang have a great lineup of acts, and best of all - it is a smoke-free club. Check out photos here: http://www.thegramophonelive.com/multimedia.html

There was a great turnout of friends from the Royals Rugby Club, some smoke-free Missouri friends stopped by, friends from SLU, KSDK, and a whole table of Sphinctors. Jim Findlay opened the show with a solo set.

Get down to The Gramophone.

Support live music.

Gold Lame'

March 8, 2008.

Bogey Hills Country Club.

Michelle Spezia passed the bar exam.

Big party.

Gold lame' dress.

Good heavens.

The Last PJ's

If every night was like last Saturday night at PJ's, they would continue having music. The crowd gathered early - as is always recommended in our emails.

It was standing room only for our final gig at PJ's before the music stops on March 29th. Friends from SLU stopped by.

Jeff Strickland took time off from his insurance office (I won't say which company, but even if you don't have a Farm in this State, you ought to call Jeff) to stop with wife Laurie, and son Bob. It's a pretty talented family. Jeff and Laurie are friends from way back, and each are loaded with stories which shall never be told. Son Bob is a talented singer/musician/performer.

Catch up #2

Tuner's in Saint Charles.

Several new faces during the weekend. This seems to be the case at Tuner's lately. That is great. Main Street is a happening place and it's nice to see new faces.

Randy DeSplinter, drummer extraordinaire, stopped by on Saturday. He just keeps getting better.

Tom and Debbie O'Brien stopped in on the way home from a Village People concert. Tom had disco balls - a condition for which there is no cure.

Catch up #1

The Famous Bar, early Feb.

As usuaul, a great gig. We love the people, fabulous babes.

Old friend Satyen "Seth" Vora from Elsevier publishing stopped by.

Get a cigar for the ride home.

PJ's in Kirkwood

In Kirkwood, there is a nice small-town feel, where people live near to the things they like to do. Restaurants, markets, shops are almost all only a short walk away. It's nice to play at PJ's, the folks are friendly, there is a decent "walk-in" crowd, and it's a little different from the typical drunken bar scene.

It was disheartening to hear last week that as April 1, 2008, they will no longer have live music. They have a very nice kitchen, and feel that they can more money per sq ft with a white-tablecloth restaurant. Probably they are right.

We are there once more before the change - on Feb 23rd.

Celebration at Tuner's

Lots of fun and friends at Tuner's.

Songwriter extraordinaire and Prime Sphincter John Garbo was there...and there was a birthday party for one of the Goulds. I won't say which one, out of respect for Mary's privacy.

Do you have one of the new Serapis stickers for your car yet?

Come On, 2008!

Generally we take a little time off in the winter. We try to do a little recording, and gear up for the coming year. But some late gigs have made the winter calendar pretty crowded.

This year we got a late booking for an early January company Christmas party at The Tap Room- for Stone Technologies, playing for some interface-code-writing computer geeks - and their hot-babe girlfriends. A great bunch of folks, we had a blast.

Find a way to see "Before the Music Dies" - an "extraordinary documentary and cautionary overview about the state of the music business in America."

You know the world is now completely digital when you Google the word "Amazon", and the first page has no references to the largest river in the world!

More to say...too tired to make the words appear.