Fall 2019 Schedule

Hey folks, we have a fall schedule of Band 101 happenings!

September

Sunday, September 8th-- Band 101 plays Deep River Grinders base ball game, Deep River County Park. (Directions at link) 2 p.m.

Friday, September 13th-- Hank Williams singalong at Hyde Park UMC in Hammond. 6:30 p.m.

Monday, September 17th-- Hank Williams singalong at East Chicago Public Library Pastrick Branch, 1008 W. Chicago Avenue, East Chicago. 6 p.m.


October

Sunday, October 6th-- Band 101 plays Deep River Grinders base ball game, Deep River County Park. (Directions at link) 2 p.m.


November

November 23-24. The Dune Devils play Miller Beach Arts and Creative District's annual holiday bazaar at the Marshall J. Gardner Center for the Arts, 540 S. Lake Street, Gary, IN. Beginner-friendly jam hosted by Band 101 following immediately afterward.

We're back! (on Fridays, that is.)

Hi folks, after spending most of December on Wednesday nights, and having that sweet Winking Owl party at Mary's house where we blew the doors off nicely, to a nice relaxing week off in the beginning of the year-- we are back to Fridays at 6:30 p.m!

Fridays at Hyde Park United Methodist Church in Hammond, of course. The first one will be Friday, January 11th.

Here's a teeny tiny hint about what's in store for you a few days from now. Anyone who guesses what I'm on about gets to sing one of her songs on Friday. See you soon!

'I Saw Three Ships,' take 2

Hi folks, thank you all for coming out last night! We're doing Band 101 on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. this week and next, still at the Hyde Park United Methodist Church, 6348 Harrison Avenue in Hammond.

I made a couple of goofs on last night's 'I Saw Three Ships' song sheet. Here is the new, improved song sheet, hopefully with new and improved goofs.

And special bonus, because I am ~~very mature~~... here is a clip of Shelley from South Park singing my favorite rendition of this song. 😂

Light housekeeping

Hey folks! Band 101 is going strong, but you'd never know it from the number of blog updates recently.

Here's the rundown:

For the next three weeks, Band 101 will be meeting on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. instead of our usual Friday night class/jam.

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, December 5th at the Hyde Park United Methodist Church, 6348 Harrison Avenue, Hammond, Indiana. The fun starts at 7 p.m. $5 gets you song sheets (often with the correct chords), snacks (usually), the warm feeling that comes from playing music together, and all the coffee you can drink. Have you ever spent five bucks in a better fashion? We think not.

We hope to see you there!

Band 101 About Town

You can catch Band 101 at a couple of upcoming events-- check it out!

Friday, July 27th-- Gail DeWitt and Linda Ruxton are playing their ukuleles at Whiting's Pierogi Fest! Sharpen your appetite for dumplings while listening to beautiful music. Their performance starts at 11:30 a.m., right before the official start of the festival.

Sunday, July 29th-- Members of Band 101 will be providing the music for the 12:30 p.m. service at Hyde Park United Methodist Church, 6348 Harrison Avenue in Hammond, Indiana. Darryl Dorton, Band 101 member and deacon of Hyde Park UMC, will be leading the congregation in song. Make a joyful noise and make your mom happy by parking your hind end in a church pew once in a while.

Sunday, August 5th-- Band 101 is returning to Deep River Park in Hobart, Indiana to play music during the Grinders vs. Shriners charity game! It's free to watch the game. Bring a blanket, stretch out under the trees and enjoy a thrilling afternoon of baseball played the old-fashioned way. All proceeds from snacks and sarsaparilla sold at the game will benefit the Shriners Children's Hospital.

And finally, an exciting announcement from our bass player Katy Garza-Province: she is starting her own food business! Packrat Salads are delicious, hearty, healthy vegan salads named after folks from right here in Northwest Indiana. I've had the pleasure of eating Katy's salads and they manage to be light, filling and delicious all at the same time. I don't know how she does it, but I'm glad she knows how. Keep checking the Facebook page for the official word-- it should be any day now.

More events coming this fall. Stay tuned, and we hope to see you around this summer!

True story: "You're never too old, busy or rusty to make music."

From the Baltimore Sun: "Eighty-five percent of adults in the U.S. who do not play a musical instrument wish they had learned to play one, according to a 2009 Gallup Poll; 69 percent would like to play one now. Nearly all believe musical skills can be learned at any age. Yet a 2012 National Endowment for the Arts survey found that just 12 percent of U.S. adults were playing musical instruments."  

(The rest of the article is available here.)

My complimentary copy of Amy Nathan's new book arrived this week! Making Time for Making Music: How to Bring Music Into Your Busy Life, is now available for purchase. I'm in the book, and so are a lot of my friends from the Old Town School of Folk Music. Ms. Nathan was particularly interested in talking to people who make music, but also have 9-5 jobs like ordinary mortals. 

I filled out Amy's questionnaire in 2015 and a lot has changed in my life since then, but my love for making music has never gone away. There's something really empowering in learning how to play an instrument. It's even more satisfying to learn how to make music with one another. I love it so much that me and my friend Rich decided create our old Old Town School-like experience right here in Northwest Indiana!

So if you live in Hammond, Indiana or parts nearby, never again do you have to wonder what your life might have been like if only you'd picked up an instrument, because Band 101 is here for you! We are a group of fun loving folks who love to relax and unwind at the end of a busy week by playing music together. 

Band 101 gets together every Friday night at 6:30 p.m. at the Hyde Park United Methodist Church in Hammond, Indiana. The address is 6348 Harrison Avenue, Hammond, Indiana. Marissa puts on a pot of coffee, Alan brings sweets and we sing and play music together to our hearts' content-- usually about 90 minutes or so. 

It doesn't matter if you've never played, because we have the tools to get you started. And if you're shy, that's okay-- we're here to help you get your confidence so you can start your own Band 101 someday. 

We hope to see you this Friday! 

Gone fishing-- see you April 6th!

Hi folks, we're taking next week off and will regroup on Friday, April 6th. In the meantime, check out the series of logos that Band 101 member and graphic artist Katy Garza made for us! We're going to vote on a favorite at a future meeting TBA.

And, as a bonus, watch Mother Maybelle Carter and the Carter Family Sisters in their rendition of Wildwood Flower, one of the songs we covered tonight. Enjoy, and we'll see you in two weeks!