"The Hardtacks" at Smith Church, March 4th, 7pm

Second Annual Cabin Fever Sing-Along, Friday, 2/22/13 at 7pm

Before we get the weekend's forecast 12" of snow and while you can still get out of your driveway, come sing with us!  Come out tomorrow night (Friday, February 22nd) to the Second Annual Cabin Fever Sing-Along at the Fuller Public Library, where familiar songs will be lead by:

7pm - 7:30pm Rick and Toni (also known as "Rigatoni")

 

7:30pm - 8pm  Amy Conley (find out about her at amyconley.com)

8pm - 8:15pm  Intermission (with goodies!)

8:15pm - 9pm The Bible Hill Boys (no parenthetical statement required!)

 

We had an absolute blast last year at this sing-along and I know everyone else who attended did, too.  Rick & I have booklets prepared so you can have the lyrics right in front of you to the songs he and I will lead.  We bet you'll want to sing along with us on these classics:

 

Blue Suede Shoes

Bobby McGee

Brown Eyed Girl

All I have to do is Dream

Wake Up Little Susie

Long Black Veil

Margaritaville

When I’m 64

Peaceful Easy Feeling

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

Tennessee Waltz

 

Another free evening out with friends and music.  What could beat that?  We look forward to seeing you there!

The Open Door Supports HDHS Music Department's April Trip to Perform at Disney World!!

The next Open Door community coffee house, Friday, March 8th, will feature Red, White & A Capella (RWA), Hillsborough-Deering High School's accomplished a capella singing group, directed by Heidi Welch, NH's reigning Teacher of the Year.  All proceeds from the night will be donated to the HDHS Music Department for their trip to Walt Disney World in Florida over April vacation.

The HDHS Music Department performs in Walt Disney World every four years, the first time in 2005, and this April marks the third time they will have made the trip. After the first year, it was such an amazing experience for the students that Mrs. Welch felt strongly that all of the musicians should have that opportunity at least once in their four year music career at HDHS, and so began the challenge of going every four years. They currently have just under $30,000 left to raise, and have raised nearly $60,000. Their efforts began last May and they have done everything from selling candy bars to citrus sales to concerts to concessions to parking cars at NASCAR races to help raise funds to alleviate some of the financial burden to the families, as the trip cost for each student is just over $1,000. The drop dead date for all funds to be in is March 22nd.

The buses will depart at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 17th to return Tuesday, April 23rd. It is a 26 hour bus ride each way . . . but that ends up being one of the best parts of the trip! The Marching Band will perform two pieces in the Magic Kingdom parade at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 19th, and the Chorus and RWA will share a half-hour program in Downtown Disney on the Waterside Stage at 6:30 p.m. that evening. They will serve up a mix of Beatles songs, as well as a variety of choral literature that focus on hope, love, and courage.

You can make a donation online by going to www.gofundme.com/HDHSDISNEYMUSIC and following the instructions there. If you would prefer to mail a donation directly to the HDHS Music Department, please send your check to:

HDHS Music

c/o Heidi Welch

12 Hillcat Drive

Hillsborough NH 03244

Please write "2013 Disney Trip" in the check's memo line.

Remember: ALL DONATIONS MUST BE IN BEFORE MARCH 22!

Even small amounts add up if everyone pitches in, and this is a great opportunity to support deserving and accomplished kids in our community. Just Desserts is proud to support these efforts and have earmarked ALL of the donations received at the 3/8 Open Door for this cause. There are a lot of kids in need this year who could use a hand, financially, in order to get to participate. Please make a special effort to come out to The Open Door on Friday, March 8th to hear our excellent line-up of performers, including a 30-minute set by RWA, and please do make as generous a donation as you can.

The Open Door is an entertainment event held once a month in the function hall at Smith church. There’s lots of free parking and the doors open by 6:30pm. People bring goodies to share and Just Desserts band provides decaf coffee and decaf tea, ice water, and hot cocoa and, of course, the exciting entertainment. Admission is FREE.

The Talent Line-up for Friday, March 8th:

7pm-7:15pm Bible Hill Boys (songs to include "The Open Door Anthem")

7:15-7:30pm Sharon Dowling on Celtic harp

7:30-7:45pm Phil Duke

7:45-8:15pm Just Desserts

INTERMISSION

8:30pm-9pm RWA

9pm-9:15pm Arte Kenyon (Boston area Blues performer)

9:15-9:30pm Rob Carlson (another! Boston area performer)

The Open Door's warm and welcoming atmosphere, wonderful audience and great performers will keep you coming back month after month. Just Desserts has an exciting and fun evening planned for March 8th, including a 50/50 raffle in addition to the musical entertainment, and are looking forward to seeing YOU there!

Recap of the 2/1 Open Door

What a variety of music we had on our stage last Friday night!  I heard from many people how they thought this might have been the best Open Door line-up EVER!  It went like this:

First up was Virginia Rubino on the keyboard, and we were happily surprised to see Fred Sprague and his beautiful bass join her onstage.  Ah, the smooth, full jazz sounds they made together!

The Hickory Horned Devils (or 3/7ths of them anyway) made their debut at The Open Door and wowed us with their traditional sounds.  Brit on the fiddle, Will on mandolin and vocals, and Larry on guitar (too windy to try to manage bringing his stand-up bass!) livened up the place with their fast-paced tunes.  We hope they will want to come back again!

The third act to take the stage didn't.  They performed in front of it.  A handbell duet (Barbara Daley and Sam Bradley) started off the set with a beautiful tune artfully played.  Then they were joined by Jon & Heather Daley for a couple of elaborate and lovely handbell quartet pieces.  Wonderful!!

Next was Just Desserts doing a bouquet of love songs and we were thrilled that Laura Troian agreed to join us on "The Rose" to sing the high harmony parts.

After intermission came the Feature of the evening, Myschyffe Managed.  This a capella group has been with us several times now and never fails to bring great music well sung, as well as humor to our stage.  They always leave us with fond memories and a warm, light feeling in our hearts.  Bruce Hoskins (the only boy in the group!) suggested they close the evening with a surprise encore, which they did and I'll describe later in this post.

Laura Troian climbed the couple of stairs to the stage for a second time that evening for her own set and wowed us again with her lovely, clear voice and incredible range.  We're very happy she has become part of The Open Door family!

The next set belonged to Greg Gage who brought along a couple of friends.  Chris O'Connor, barely recognizable in his hat and sunglasses (not to mention his full beard!) played harmonica and lent his voice to the set.  Dave Wilkinson played percussion and also sang some back-up.  It's always fun to have Greg play for us and the addition of Chris and Dave only added to our enjoyment.  If you want to see more of  Greg Gage and Friends, he's going to be the featured act at the Round Room Coffee House in Mont Vernon on Saturday, 2/9!!  Congrats, Greg!

And last, but not least, came the promised encore.  Myschyffe Managed performed a lovely rendition of a song from "The Lord of the Rings" called "Into the West" and Pam Stohrer accompanied this usually a capella group on her beautiful Celtic harp. A totally magical ending to a wonderful evening!

Thank you to everyone who performed, to each person who brought something for the refreshments table, and to every person who showed their appreciation of all we do by being a valued member of our audience at The Open Door!  We couldn't do this without any of you!

If you took pictures and want to post them, and/or have any comment at all to add, please click the comment link below and go for it!!  We love to see your photos and hear what your experience was at The Open Door!

The next coffee house will be the second Friday in March, the 8th, same time and place.  We have a fun line-up in store for you, so you won't want to miss it!!

February 1 Open Door TOMORROW!!

     So, here we are on the eve of the February Open Door.  Can you believe 1/12th of the year has gone by already?  Hmm, too soon for all that count-down stuff, huh? Sorry.  Let's start over, then:

    

     So, here we are at the dawn of February, just in time for The Open Door!  We have lots of fun in store and a couple of surprises, too!  You won't want to miss any of it, so we hope you will all be there with us on Friday evening, 2/1.  Come early (the doors open no later than 6:30pm) and stay late (the music will run to about 9:30pm).

 

     Since Valentine's Day is this month, Just Desserts has planned a set full of love songs.  We know you'll recognize them and we hope you'll sing along!

 

More Than Words (by G. Cherone & N. Bettencourt)
Amie (by Pure Prairie League)
Love is a Rose (by Neil Young)
Shower the People (by James Taylor)
Dream a Little Dream (music by F.Andre & W.Schwandt; lyrics by G.Kahn)
The Rose (by Amanda McBloom)
Harvest Moon (by Neil Young)

 

     My post from Tuesday, January 15th will give you lots of info on the talent line-up for the evening.  We are looking forward to seeing and hearing our old and new friends on the stage, and chatting with those who make up our Wonderful Audience!  Bring something for the goodies table and share the evening with us.  The weather may be dreary and drizmal (drizzly + dismal) but the welcoming atmosphere at The Open Door will warm the cockles of your heart.  Nice, since it's "Valentine's month!"

Next Open Door, February 1st

    Can you believe we're half-way to the next Open Door!?  The line-up's full already, bursting at the seams with a great variety of talented performers, some you know and some you'll come to know.  And, speaking of newcomers, we were all so thrilled to meet and hear Laura Troian that we invited her back for February - and she accepted!

     But instead of talking about who is on the list, I'll share the list itself:

7pm-7:15pm Virginia Rubino (vocals & keyboard)
7:15-7:30pm Handbell Quartet: Barbara, Jon & Heather Daley; and Sam Bradley
7:30-7:45pm Larry Houghton & Friends (guitar, vocals, fiddle, & bass)
7:45-8:15pm Just Desserts
INTERMISSION
8:30pm-9pm Myschyffe Managed (Medieval singers of a capella songs)
9pm-9:15pm Laura Troian (vocals & keyboard)
9:15-9:30pm Greg Gage (guitar & vocals)

 

     The other Open Door first-timer is Larry Houghton.  He is part of the group "Hickory Horned Devils" from New Boston, and a couple of the other group members will be joining him on our stage on 2/1.  Check out their website at:  http://hickoryhorneddevils.com/

 

  Find Virginia Rubino on facebook  at: http://www.facebook.com/search/results.php?q=Virginia+Rubino&init=public#!/virginia.rubino.3

Myschyffe Managed at: http://www.myschyffemanaged.com/

Greg Gage at: http://www.reverbnation.com/greggage

 

Laura, if you have an online presence, please post it for us in a comment!  I'm sure there are many of us who would love to follow you.

 

 

 



Brook House Notice from Carl Beverly

     Yes, January 26th! That would be the fourth Saturday in the month, rather than our usual slot. A few thoughts on that; it moves us out of the same time slot as the Spireside Coffee House in Dunbarton, that many of use would like to visit once in a while (me too), and...it's been a busy month. Why not try it? Regardless, it's been too long, hope to see you all again at this month's circle.

     On a sad note, for those that do not know, Carolyn's dad passed away on January 1st. Thankfully, he suffered little, and was able to have his family near. Carolyn was a blessing to him, as she is to me, and all who know her. We will both miss her dad.

     Many thanks to Frank Kelacy for such a great job as our guest performer in November. Wow, it has been a while. Frank's a great guy, and an amazing songwriter and guitarist. Love that "Circle Round the Sun". Speaking of being a great guy, he donated his tip money to the local food bank in his neighborhood, very cool.

     This month's guest performer is not scheduled yet, as I'm a bit behind this month, but I'm working on it! I've kind of fallen behind. I know people have suggested people to me, now would be a good time to send me an email with a name and contact info. Help!

     Great News! Very deservedly, Greg Gage is to be featured at the Round Room Coffee House in Mount Vernon, NH on Feb. 9th, the second Saturday of the month...it's also an open mic, so bring your guitar and sign up to play a few yourself, and support Greg. It's a great place, really nice people, and great musicians. Sign up at 7:00 pm, music starts at 7:30.

     Talking with Greg the other day and he has a concept that I would like him to promote, as part of the Brook House group. The raw idea is for us to pool our talents and make some recordings here at Brook House. It could be fun. He has some songs that he wants to put down and I do too...anybody else? Perhaps those that want to get involved and help out can meet early in the afternoon, before the circle, and figure out parts, practice a little, then record. I have my Tascam 24 track digital recorder available and our music room.

     I personally want to record "Going Home" with our group. Many voices, harmonies, leads, maybe some fiddle, and a banjo. I think it would be awsome. My goal is to send it to the living relatives of Nathaniel Greene, the civil war soldier it's about. If interested....let me know, and we'll meet this month as a start.

Brook House, Saturday, Jan 26th

Doors open: 6:30....early birds 3:30 pm (if you just can't get enough, or want to colaborate)

Music Starts 7:00 pm

Pot Luck Snacks at 8:00 pm

Carl and Carolyn Beverly

14 Mink Hill Lane

Warner, NH 03278

456-2364

See Brook House on Reverbnation.com