May 16th
After taking a couple years off from international touring, the band ventured back across the Atlantic... along with 47 friends, fans, and family... for their first bus-tour of Ireland. While the tour's 9-day schedule was necessarily shorter than the 16-days of the previous two, the band was content that 47 people were willing to spend a week of vacation with them. The 51 travelers (in total) arrived in Shannon and hit the ground running. Upon their arrival, they met up with their driver/guide John Costelloe - a knowledgeable, witty, affable, and gracious gentleman who would singlehandedly make the week an unforgettable one.
Their travels took them through Lehinch, Ennis, and Limerick; Dingle, Tralee, and Listowel; Galway and
Cong; Castlebar, Sligo, and Ballyshannon; Donegal, Enniskillen, and Mullingar; Tullamore and Naas; and Dublin. The band turned in performances at John B Keane's Pub in Listowel, the Abbey Centre in Ballyshannon, the Mullingar Arts Centre in Mullingar Town, and the Moat Theatre in Naas. And it seems the group hardly missed an opportunity to spend an afternoon or evening in whatever pub was close by... Dolan's Pub in Limerick, John B Keane's Pub in Listowel, the Thatch Pub in Ballyshannon, the Castle Pub in Donegal, the Hairy Lemon in Dublin, and O'Donahue's in Dublin... and EVERY one of them was the BEST pub in Ireland!
They took in such sites as the Cliffs of Moher, Limerick Castle and Treaty Stone in Limerick City, the
storybook village of Dingle, the Slea Head Drive out on the end of the Dingle Peninsula, the Burren in Co. Down, the incredible Ashford Castle just outside of Cong (where the group spent an evening in magnificent luxury), the Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery in Knocknarea, the town centers in Sligo and Donegal, Triona Design and Woollen Mill in Ardara, the 6th-century monastic settlement on Devenish, and the Tullamore Dew Heritage Centre. In addition to the performances, and all of these picturesque landscapes and attractions, there were several stand-out moments on the tour.
The first such moment was the second evening of the tour. The evening begin with an exceptional
dinner for the group at the Listowel Arms Hotel. From there, it was a short walk to John B Keane's Pub for the band's first performance of the tour. A communications breakdown had prevented the band from performing a concert at St John's Arts Centre, so close friend Damian Stack worked with Billy Keane (the son of John B) who opened his pub up for a session. It was a very low-key, informal session... an excellent way to kick off the performing aspect of the tour. Being a session, a few of the local musicians dropped by. One of those musicians was Mickey MacConnell, the singer/songwriter from Bellanaleck (Co. Fermanagh) who penned the protest song Only Our Rivers Run Free. It was a pleasure and honor to meet Mickey, and even more so to receive compliments from him. After sets from the band and the 'locals', Jennie Nichols got in the act singing a song a cappella, as did LeeAnn Harkness in getting out her fiddle and joining the band for a few numbers. There were a couple requests, and then a couple more sets. Then all the musicians collaborated on a couple numbers - Will Ye Go, Lassie and John B's traditional closer of the night, the Black Hills Of Dakota. It was a very rewarding evening all around - from the great dinner, to getting to see Damian again in his home town, to meeting Billy and getting a taste of his generosity and graciousness, to meeting Mickey and having the good fortune to visit and perform with him.
A special acknowledgement needs to made, at this point, to Lee Worman and Hugh Morrison - two
friends and fellow musicians who joined the band in their performances throughout the tour. Lee has been a close friend of Mark and Mary since meeting at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival in the early 1980s, and a friend of the band throughout its entire 15 years. He and LeeAnn were two of the first registrants on the tour, and the demand for him to join the band onstage for a number or two was made as soon as he let them know he had registered. Hugh has been a close friend of the band since meeting at the Texas Scottish Festival in 2007. He arranged for the band to enjoy a night's hospitality at his family's home in Tain during their 2008 tour of Scotland, and shortly afterward the band arranged for him to accompany them as a guest-artist on their next tour, whenever that would be. The participation of Lee and Hugh in the tour made for many great personal moments for the band, and that's all there is to say here. Big thanks to Lee and Hugh! And now back to the stories...
The second moment was the group's stay at Ashford Castle. Not knowing how the bus-tour would go
and whether they would be doing another bus-tour in the future, the band decided to include a castle stay in the itinerary. Ashford Castle was the ideal castle for several reasons... its location in relation to the tour's itinerary, its size and capacity to receive the entire group, its reputation as the top-rated castle in Ireland (and 3rd in all of Europe), and the fact that it's so damned beautiful! The journey from Listowel was arranged for the group to arrive in the very early afternoon, so they could take advantage of all of the amenities the Castle had to offer... and that they did. Many strolled around the grounds and gardens, some went the equestrian route, and yet others went for the falconry. That evening was another group dinner to end all group dinners in the banquet room in the castle - a perfectly delicious dinner. Afterwards, many of the group went to the lounge where the chanteuse and her accompanist conducted a very classy evening of karaoke. Others walked the half-mile into the tiny village of Cong to spend the evening in the Crow's Nest Pub (a.k.a the Quiet Man Pub after the John Ford classic that was filmed in and around Cong). It was the day of a lifetime... and after the tour, it was the general consensus that the stay at Ashford Castle was, hands down, the high point of the tour. So all you folks reading this and considering the Scotland Tour in 2012, keep this in mind... Dalhousie Castle.
The third moment occurred the following evening in Ballyshannon, the evening of the band's second
performance. The home of the world famous Ballyshannon Folk Festival, the town has a thriving music scene, and quite a few turned out for the band's concert. The group was staying at Dorrian's Imperial Hotel that night - a very lovely hotel that, in its prime, was likely the gem of Co. Donegal. But Ben Dorrian has a second business - proprietor of the Thatch Pub (pronounced 'tatch') - and it was into this pub the majority of the group would squeeze after the concert. Named for hundreds-years-old thatched roof, the pub wound its way back through three rooms and into a courtyard. Ben was ever the gracious host, and kept the pub open as long the group required. It was a wonderful evening in general, and the magical moment came when Jack Phillips sat down at the piano in 'the big room' and regaled the group with several songs from a musical he has written, the Us & Them Reunion. Whether comical, ironic, sardonic, or just downright clever, each song thoroughly entertained the group... and it was a great opportunity for the band to sit back and relax, and take in the experience of enjoying the camaraderie and being entertained with the group.
A fourth moment came the next day as, after departing Ballyshannon, John gave the group his personal
tour of Co. Donegal. The tour included a stop of special interest at the Triona Design Centre and Woollen Mill. Having been given the heads up, by John, of the group's impending arrival, they shuttled the group inside and warmed them up with tray upon tray of Irish coffee. Then they gave the group an enjoyable account of the woollen mill and its role in Irish life and the Irish economy since its inception, and a demonstration of one of the age-old looms upon which they still weaved their wool. They then innocently led the group to the showroom and left them there with their Irish coffees. Oh what to do next...?!? While the majority of the group was shopping, at the suggestion of Kevin Church, Mark went out to the bus and grabbed his guitar and brought it back in. Getting the Mulhern family back together again, the band sang them their rendition of the Scottish traditional song The Work of the Weavers, a song that transcended the four generations there. As the great-grandfather's eyes welled with tears, it was obvoius how truly touching a moment it was. After a while he requested the band sing one more song for the youngest child, and the band performed Robbie Burns' Tae the Weavers Gin Ye Go. After the poignant moments, the group went back into the showroom and proceeded to relieve Triona of a few thousand dollars worth of merchandise. Who says you can't mix business with pleasure?
The final moment occurred the next evening on the way home from the band's final concert in
Naas. To create the proper context for this moment requires much to be said about the tour's driver/ guide John Costelloe. When the band arrived at Shannon Airport and the group first met John, he was all business... pleasant business... but all business. He didn't lose a second in getting the group corralled, all of the bags identified and tagged, setting the group up for their departure from the airport, getting the bus loaded (bags AND folks), and getting on the road. Moments later, though, his pleasant-but-efficient-businessman facade came down, and his gracious, thoughtful, clever, impish charm began to radiate... and radiate is as good a word as can be used to describe the impact he had on the 51 people who would be travelling together, by bus, for a week. The more he radiated, the greater the level of failte and hospitality there was among the group. He informed, teased, shared, joked, scolded, enlightened and even pleaded over the course of the week, all to the immense satisfaction of the group. He made some thoughtful suggestions on how the tour might go more smoothly, spurring some on-the-fly alterations to the itinerary... and he used his wealth of insight from decades of experience in Ireland's tourism industry to insert unplanned-yet-perfect stops in just the right places that utterly magnified the enjoyability of the tour. By the end of the week, there was not one among the group that did not regard John as a friend, and his contribution to the tour as indispensable. This was the John the group came to know and, yes, love as an ambassador of all that can be said to be great about Ireland. So... Friday evening, the group left Dublin (where they had already arrived and checked in) en route to Naas for the band's final concert. John didn't need to go along - he had driven his allotment of hours for the day, and a relief driver/guide was taking the group to Naas and back. John went because he wanted to be part of the evening with the group. After the concert, on the way back to Dublin, John shared at length about his experiences around Dublin throughout his life. As the bus came to the edge of the older part of the city, he regaled the group with an impromptu performance of Pete St John's The Rare Ould Times, a poignant song that suited John nearly as much as it did the city of Dublin. It was a beautiful and enduring moment, after which the group presented him with their gift to him - a collector's bottle of Tullamore Dew.
After a free day in Dublin, John took the group to Dublin Airport on Sunday morning and, bidding them
safe home, sent the group on its way back across the Atlantic bound for home.
April 25th
Tullamore returned to the VFW Post #7397 for the 9th annual Rogue's Gallery Spring Hoolie. The hoolie is the brainchild of one of the band's biggest fans - Dan Robertson, USMC (ret) - who conceived of the idea eight years ago, that idea being a subtle confluence of all-request-show, anything-goes, and any-reason-for-a-party. The set-list goes around the room as the requests are made for the benefit of those who aren't intimately familiar with the band's repertoire. And then... well... whatever happens happens. It was a great evening with a turn-out of 60-70 folks, so the folding wall was opened and the gang spilled out into the main room at the VFW. When it came time to turn in the obligatory solo pieces of the evening, Mary played the tune Greensleeves, Rachel sang Dale Ann Bradley's Run Rufus, Run, and Mark performed Bill Staines' River and Francis Scot Key's Defence of Fort McHenry (which was a big hit with all the veterans in attendance). And as has been its wont, the Hoolie ran its length and then some... until they were forced to pull the plug. Only then was it over.
April 4th
This past Thursday evening found the band beginning their annual expedition to Oklahoma for the 35th annual Norman Medieval Fair for what would be their 11th appearance there in the past 12 years. Their Thursday travels came to an end at DeLuca Villa, where friend and former-King Ron DeLuca would (for the first time since 2006) play host to them for the weekend.
Friday morning, with a hearty McDonald's breakfast inside them, they turned up at Reaves Park to learn
that Dirk VanBuskirk had 'retired' as sound-man for the Gryphon Stage. Mark joined the effort to help Chris get sound set up, and was subsequently joined by Ken (Cannizzo). Between them all, there was amplification at the stage by the time the Rogues kicked off their set. The weather (always a dicey prospect in Norman in early-April) was already great (low 80s), and would remain so all weekend (though it would get fairly windy come Sunday). Throughout the weekend, they would share the stage with the Rogues and Black Oak Shillelagh. When the day was over, the gang were joined by Randy, Ken, Nelson and Jeania, and Skip for some Tex-Mex at Chelino's. Then it was back to Ron's for some visiting, and then off to bed.
The next day would be the best day of the weekend - with a great temperature, a mild breeze, and
gigantic crowds. Considering how things had gone the previous morning, the gang got out to the park earlier than they had on Friday... which ended up being prudent move as the sound-gear had yet to arrive... and Mark and Ken again conspired to set the sound-gear up when it was finally dropped off. It seemed ALL of the band's friends and fans turned out on Saturday, so naturally the bocce set and stretch-stakes came out and gauntlets were thrown down. The band's sets went well, and it was a downright lucrative day. Afterwards, the gang went out to dinner at Johnny Carino's, and joined by Craig and Terrie, David, Ted, Christopher, Nathan, and Skip. Then it was back to Ron's for some more visiting, and then off to bed.
Sunday would end up being the hottest day of the weekend with some pretty stiff wind... suffice it to say
that the gang ended up inhaling a lot of dust and hay. But the wind didn't have much of an impact on the sets, which came off nicely. The gang made their goodbyes over the course of the afternoon, so by the time the Last Huzzah ended, they were ready to jump in the car and take off. After a small pit-stop to change and eat, it was back in the van and back to KC.
March 18th
What would St Patrick's Day be without a performance by Tullamore at O'Malley's Pub?!? To avoid finding out, the band turned in a handy, 3:30-7:30, late-afternoon performance. As a testament to the adage that it's always 5:00 somewhere, the pub was mostly full by the time the band's set started. It was a predictably lively and noisy crowd, and they only got livelier and noisier as the evening wore on. By the time the Three Dollar Band began their 8:00 set, it was a madhouse. They were up for it, and were far into a great set by the time our gang called it a night. And all through the evening, Bob Reeder kept it going in the upper pub. Friendly faces for the afternoon included Marion and Diane, and Mike and Gayla; Jason, Lloyd, Jheri, Garrett, and Michael John; Megan and Jacob - who were there celebrating their 11th anniversary; Gerry - who was there celebrating his 86th birthday; and kudos to Dawn who was there, all the way from Binghamton NY, visiting her incredibly talented brother Mark (in the band!). The early set time allowed the band to get their business over and done with, catch the other performers, dine, AND get some real sleep. A great day overall!
March 15th
The weekend run-up to St Patrick's Day began with the band's return to Waxy O'Shea's and a great night with the fans who turned out from everywhere. First, there were the typical KC friendly faces - Dan and Norma, Pat and Carol, and Sean; Jason and SueAnn, and Michael Sean; Lloyd, Mike and Karen, Rachel and Chris, and Jennie; Linda, Jim, Cynthia, and AJ (who danced for the crowd during some tunes); Jamie and Lydia, and Michael Kendrick; Lonnie; and Steve and Marcia, Mike and Julie, Mike and Linda, Nancy, and Bill (who resurrected his Jolly Tinker-ing and sang St Brendan's Fair Isle). Then there were folks in from out of town - Scott and Louise from Maryville, and Bob from Cedar Rapids. Then to top it off, Fred and Linda, Mary, and Joan (from the Irish American Club of Johnson County) paid the band a surprise visit with Damian and Tom in tow, all the way over from sweet Listowel. The entire band was fighting off colds and verging on being hoarse, but they weathered the night to the delight of the audience. It was a great night all around!
A couple days later, they found themselves running down the highway to the east-central-Kansas farm-
town of Emerald for their seventh annual pilgrimage to St Patrick's Parish to entertain for their Dinner and Fund Raiser in honor of their patron-saint. There's not much to be said that hasn't been said six times over already - a very friendly and good-natured crowd, a great corned beef dinner, and a selection of pies whose delectability excels that of all pies known to man. Being in town for the Waxy O'Shea's performance, Bob made the drive to Emerald to join the band in the day's festivities. As usual, the parishioners loved having the band there, nearly as much as the band loved being there.
March 6th
The band's appearance at the North Texas Irish Festival was their fourth in as many years... and it was their most enjoyable appearance by far. The weekend began with a Friday afternoon flight on Southwest into Love Field where Bob Harmon was waiting to pick the band up. Once everything was loaded in the car, it was over to the Radisson Central (the host hotel for the Festival) to unpack and get all gussied up for Friday evening's set, then on to Fair Park. They arrived, checked in, and made their way over to the Star & Harp Pub Stage just as Nine-8ths Irish was setting up to sound-check for their set. Performing at the Star & Harp would end up being quite the blessing for the band as they would end up sandwiched between Tommy Sands and Ed Miller for much of the weekend, a fairly enviable position. The band played a warmly-received set, and then turned the stage over to Tommy and his very talented kids Moya and Fionán, who turned in a lovely set. An hour of visiting followed the completion of Tommy's set, and then it was back to the Radisson for some very late dinner and a little more visiting. And then off to bed.
Tullamore's Saturday set wasn't until late-afternoon, so the morning included breakfast with Kathleen
and Richard at the Original Market Diner, then a visit to Dallas' Northpark Center for Rachel to make a jeans run, and then off to Fair Park. The Irish Rogues, one of Dallas' longest-running Irish bands, was wrapping up the last few numbers of their set when the band arrived. Around all the socializing going on, the gang managed to catch the majority of great sets by Ed & Friends (Scooter Muse, Jil Chambless and John Taylor) and Tommy & Family. They even managed to catch a good bit of a rousing set by Seamus Stout while getting set up for their own set. After their set, they packed up and dropped all their gear off at the musician's check-in before heading off to catch some of the sets by McPeake, Altan, the Rogues, and the Elders before heading back to the Radisson for another late dinner and a night of sessioning and socializing (read 'drinking').
The next day started out with a tiny amount of apprehension as the band found themselves sandwiched
between Drowsy Maggie and Cathie Ryan on the Trinity Stage - one of the two main stages indoors. It would be their first appearance on one of the main stages and, as such, was very well-attended - no small relief for the band. They caught the lion's share of Cathie Ryan's excellent set while they were breaking down for the last time. And then, because they had a late flight back to KC, they had the opportunity to catch a bit more music by Jed Marum & Friends (Kendall Rogers and Hugh Morrison), Dervish, and Clandestine. From there, it was piling into Bob's SUV, off to Love Field, and back to Kansas City.
It was a truly an incredible weekend, and the band considers themselves fortunate to have, on an
ongoing basis, the honor of performing for such a great show and in front of such a great audience. And rather than say "they were too numerous to name", here's some of the friends and fans who helped make the weekend so rewarding... Mike, Bob and David, Mark, Guy, Brent and Suzanne, Bill and Wendy, Tony and Dorothy, and Kent; Chris and Melissa, Charlie and Donna, Rick and Sharon; Richard and Kathleen, Ros and Paul, Katrina and Bob, Phil and Michelle, Stu and Becky, Ricky, Charles, and Joe, Mark and Rhea, Eugene; Joe and Heather, Jimmy, Jo, and Drew, Bryan, Becky, Steve, John and Audra; David and Michelle, Brian and Beverly; Lee, Jessica, Alan, Ed and Janice; Dean and Patty, Gail, Mary, Mike and Ellen, Adam, Dustin and John, Greg, Timothy, and Brian, Marc, Ginny, Ian, and Jackson, David, Bill, Paul, Sonny, Richard, Cora and Rosanna; and last, but not least at all... Ed, Scooter, Jil, and Dan; Tommy, Moya, and Fionán; Hugh, Jed and Louisa, Kendall and Lisa; Craig and Deanna; Al, Emily, Gregory, and EJ; Randy, Michael, Marj, Rodger, and Steve; Randy, Nelson, Cory, Keith, Ken and Denise; Kelly, Mike, Gordon, David, and Julian; Ian, Brent, Steve, Norm, Joe, and Tommy; Betsy, Kristy, Gordon, and John; Sarah, Dana, Alexis, and Nick; Don, Red, Eric, and Christy. The band has hopes of returning for the Festival's 30th anniversary next year.
February 7th
Tullamore returned to Waxy O'Shea's this past Saturday night. Their 15th season. It wasn't until articulating those words in this journal-entry that that longevity became real. Tullamore is the longest-standing Celtic band, not just in Kansas City, but in the Midwest. While the band may want to have accomplished more in the past 14 years, they're taking it as it comes... and Saturday night, it came in the form of another great night at Waxy's. The band arrived about three hours ahead of start-time. The restaurant was already half-full of friends and fans wanting to get both a choice table and a head-start on the evening's fun. It would go on to fill up and stay full until about 11:00 or so. While the band took a break, Jack Phillips took the stage to regale the audience with a performance of "I'm Developing A Taste For You", an original tongue-in-cheek song if you will... one might call it a piece of biting satire. Following Jack were Albert, David, George, and Clint - four members (or former) of the Musical Blades - with a mini-set of their own. Then the band took the stage for the remainder of the night. Friendly faces in the crowd included Dan and Norma, Pat and Carol, and JR; Bob, Lloyd, and Dale; Bill and Kathleen, Dave and Carol, Mike and Cindy, Reg and Tracey, and Frank; Mike and Karen, and Gary and Lynne; Jim; Nikki and Duane; Bryan, Erika, JT, and Kat; Cecil, Marjorie, and Heather; Albert, Dave and Tina, George and Breezy, and Clint; Nick; Jack and Angie, and Andrea; Mark and Rhonda; Tim, Kathy, and Jessie; John and Megan; Steve, Jim, Vicki, and Allie; Greg and Ali; Kaya and Jason, and Rachel and Chris; and Shawn. It was a great night, and a wonderful kick-off for the season. (Plan to see Tullamore back at Waxy's in early-February.
January 31st
January ended in high style, much the same as it has these past several years that the band has been working with the Scottish Club of Tulsa. Saturday night was the night of their Burns Supper 2011, the night when the Club can be found putting on the Ritz in celebration of Scotland's national hero and bard, Robert Burns. It was Tullamore's eighth appearance at annual black-tie gala (they love the Club as much as the Club loves them), so it was with anticipation and excitement that the band made the four-hour drive to Tulsa. It was your typical 60° January day, so the drive, load-in, and load-out were plenty pleasant. Roger drove down from Pryor and helped the band set-up, but was unable to stay for the Supper. The set-up was done just as Miss Demeanor and the Minor Convictions (Julie, Norman, and Rachel) were taking the stage to set up and sound-check). The gang left to get themselves presentable and, upon returning, took their place at a table to be joined by Allan and Laura, and (eventually) Julie, Norman, and Rachel - who played through the cocktail hour. The evening proper began with a handful of sets by the City of Tulsa Pipes and Drums followed by some opening remarks by Steve Campbell and Eric Robertson. The Selkirk Grace was proffered by Charlie Sherwood, and then the tables proceeded through the buffet line. The supper was, as usual, incredible... as was the haggis and whiskey... and while folks were eating, they were treated to a recounting of the Immortal Memory of Robert Burns as well as the customary toasts... to the Lassies, the Lads, Scotland, the President, and the USA. After a couple presentations and a few more formalities, the band took the stage and played the night away. Friendly faces that night included Dan and Anita; Charlie and Donna; Derryl, Mary, Heather, and Aiyana; and Rick, Steve, Eric, and Bruce. Some time over the course of the night, Roger returned from his previous commitment, and shared in the remaining festivities. There was dancing and to spare, and everyone was well worn out by the time "Flower of Scotland" and "Auld Lang Syne" were called for. The incredible evening ended with Roger helping the band break down and load out, and they were off for an arduous drive to Springfield. They arrived at the home of Lee and LeeAnn at about 3:30 AM, and after the welcome, brief pleasantries, and bringing the instruments inside, they made short work of getting to sleep.
They were up bright and early the next morning after four luxurious hours of sleep, and on their way over
to Christ Church Unity. They would be playing in the church's two morning services before performing an afternoon concert. They met up with minister Sue Williamson and sound-man John Merrifield, and began setting up while visiting with the praise band (also setting up) - Bill, Richard, Terry, Darcy, and Cindy. It's always a treat to be a contribution at Unity's services. After the services, Martin and the YOU (Youth of Unity) held a potato-bar for the congregants who would be sticking around for the concert.
The gang hurried through their meal, set up the remainder of their gear, and sound-checked... and the concert was on. It was one of the band's best concerts ever. Friendly faces at the concert included Lee and LeeAnn; Kurt; Mike; Kevin, Michelle, and Lauren; Martin and Kelly; Kathy, Paul, and Sam; and new friends included Terry, Adelle, Lean Jeanne, Douglas, Sharon, Cathy, Betty, and Simone. A small group went out after the concert to try out a new Japanese restaurant - Sakura. And after dinner, while Kurt and Mary drove back to Kansas City, Mark and Rachel stayed another night for a lovely visit with Lee and LeeAnn, and headed back to Kansas City on Monday morning, well-rested. A great weekend altogether.
January 17th
This past Friday night, Tullamore kicked off their 15th season with a performance at Waxy O'Shea's. Their 15th season. It wasn't until articulating those words in this journal-entry that that longevity became real. Tullamore is the longest-standing Celtic band, not just in Kansas City, but in the Midwest. While the band may want to have accomplished more in the past 14 years, they're taking it as it comes... and Saturday night, it came in the form of another great night at Waxy's. The band arrived about three hours ahead of start-time. The restaurant was already half-full of friends and fans wanting to get both a choice table and a head-start on the evening's fun. It would go on fill up and stay full until about 11:00 or so. While the band took a break, Jack Phillips took the stage to regale the audience with a performance of "I'm Developing A Taste For You", an original tongue-in-cheek song if you will... one might call it a piece of biting satire. Following Jack were Albert, David, George, and Clint - four members (or former) of the Musical Blades - with a mini-set of their own. Then the band took the stage for the remainder of the night. Friendly faces in the crowd included Dan and Norma, Pat and Carol, and JR; Lloyd; Dale; Bill and Kathleen; Mike and Karen, and Gary and Lynne; Jim; Nikki and Duane; Bryan, Erika, JT, and Kat; Cecil, Marjorie, and Heather; Albert, Dave and Tina, George and Breezy, and Clint; Nick; Jack and Angie, and Andrea; Mark and Rhonda; Tim, Kathy, and Jessie; and Shawn. It was a great night, and a wonderful kick-off for the season. (Plan to see Tullamore back at Waxy's in early-February.