Archive for the ‘Live Music’ Category

2022 was

Posted: April 9, 2023 in Live Music

There were sudden small openings in late summer, Var Mints, Art and Laurie, Polka Cowboys, a couple of new venues, old festivals, and a party. Wow, seems like there were no gigs, but we were busy. There is zero Possum Family in it all, tho Joanie still calls me Possum.

It also appears that I gutted my photo stream, in a wild frenzy of deletion.

The whole schedule that I recall, with some oblique photos below:

7.17 the true Var Mints, Joanie and I alone, played a stunning set at Brew ha ha, w/ wonderful sound system and a borrowed bass rig, and a view of the lovely garden.

8.1 the Farmints/Var Mints con Arturo performed at the New Farm. I didn’t get photos, except of these old goats in the audience.

8.13-14 As Art is the president of the International Musical Saw Association, we host a twoish-day festival at Roaring Camp in Felton. A jam at the Tom Scribner statue in Santa Cruz on Saturday; setup, a set, and support, and breakdown on Sunday.

8.18 Var Mints played a short set at the Bayview Boat Club, San Francisco, well received in spite of our wires being literally crossed, leading me to turn Joanie’s guitar down because my bass was too loud. Sorry, it was dark, no stage, no sound check.

8.20 Art and Laurie played the 2022 Cotati Accordion Festival. Art had sent me a copy of the blurb he wrote–I said, interesting, but who’s the girl?? The gig was great, my voice in fine form, we were super cute, enough so that a photograph from our Noon Set appeared above the banner on the front page, AND the two-page article about the festival in the Santa Rosa Sunday Press Democrat. I don’t have a copy of the paper, just blurry photos sent by text . . . yes, I already posted some of these.

8.27 Another sort-of gig was at a Memorial Day weekend campout with a full sound system, and some jamming . . . Grr, more photos missing.

9.20 Art, Joanie and I played at a woo woo picnic in Strawberry Creek Park. Not a gig, but really fun, with Miss C.R. on some fiddle tunes. A musical introduction to our new milieu, and an odd early rain.

10.15 The Polka Cowboys played the annual Sunol Wilderness Cowboy Hootenanny, now renamed, something I can’t remember. I lost a photo of the whole band with Fiddle Ray, Greg Pratt, Cynthia Wilson on drums–this is all I can find (red skirt) after I did some extreme photo pruning this winter.

Super props to my brother Lenny, pictured here with our niece Becky. Lenny taught me to tune a guitar at the age of twelve. He even gave me an acoustic guitar, which I was so excited about I tripped and fell down the stairs and broke the neck. Not my neck, lucky.

Special thanks to listener and chef Kevin, who liked, reminding me I am a musician.

batcactus.com

peskyvarmint on instagram

Front Page News

Posted: September 15, 2022 in Live Music

Vikki checked in with a copy of the (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat that her neighbor brought over. Art and I made the front page, above the banner, AND page 4, with our names under the photo!

p.s. i play bass, but, yeah.

Nevermore

Posted: July 4, 2022 in Live Music
Tags: , , ,

The Starry Plough reopened Sundays – Wednesdays in early 2022, as yet not open weekends or booking bands. Meanwhile, the PFS dis-banded, a victim of the Eternal Lockdown and playing for beer.

Since summer of 2020 the Var Mints can be found on Facebook, with videos. Check out upcoming appearance at the Farm, 10 Cargo Way, San Francisco, CA, Sunday August 7, 2022–between noon-2 PM . .

Art and Laurie play the Cotati Accordion Festival, Saturday, August 20, at 12:40 PM.

We also host the International Musical Saw Festival in Santa Cruz and Roaring Camp, August 13/14, 2022. http://www.sawplayers.com for info.

Saw Jam at Santa Cruz Bookstore

The Polka Cowboys return for a near-yearly appearance at Sunol Regional Wilderness Cowboy Hootenanny, Saturday October 15, 2022 at 11 AM and 2 PM.

From I-680 exit at Calaveras Road (near the town of Sunol.) Turn right at the exit onto Calaveras Road and proceed about four miles to a left turn onto Geary Road, which leads directly into the park. (If you find yourself driving uphill on a narrow winding road you’ve missed the Geary Road turnoff.) To reach the Old Green Barn take the first left after the park entrance.

https://www.facebook.com/ThePolkaCowboys and thepolkacowboys.com

Thanks everybody. See you down the road.

somewhat later 2020

Posted: May 29, 2020 in Live Music

All venues are closed , unless they have food available for takeout.  Audience-wise, this is not tenable.  Not likely there will be live music indoors for the summer, maybe into winter–which means, maybe a year, maybe never.  Contra dance is not a non-contact sport–even outdoor festivals, even the Saw festival–are cancelled.  Possum Family, Var Mints, Polka Cowboys, Wildcat Canyon–

It seems—these bands may never play again.  How do you sing with a mask over your face?  We shall see.

IMG_5123

shelter

Posted: March 17, 2020 in Live Music

Today the pub is closed, the calendar is wiped clean.  All gigs cancelled, we’re on holiday.  see you mid April, I hope

On Stage

Posted: February 15, 2020 in Live Music

Waiting for a photo- after much whimpering and reticence, as of January 18, 2020 the band graduated to the Starry Plough stage, a full 18 inches above and several feet to the west of their previous location huddled near a favorite table and pillar in the middle of the pub.  Come cast your eyes upon the awesomeness!

Early Possum Christmas

Posted: December 11, 2019 in Live Music

This postcard must be from 2009, as I printed it on the back of a card listing gigs from late 2009-early 2010.  I had repeated as true history that we didn’t come up with the name until January 2010, so that is proven wrong  .  .  .

happy holidays PFS

Recognize here the blackadder font, the original source of the iconic PFS logo, which I hand-lettered.  The idea of a porch, to play on or hide under, was already clear.

The image is a color negative of a drawing from a photo Chris Hanson took of possums eating cat food out of pink plastic bowls on her porch at 60th Street.

Canyon School Art Faire

Posted: November 16, 2019 in Live Music

Art and I will be performing, and joining Esperanza and Greg Pratt, at the Faire canyon school art faire 2019

some 2019 photos

Posted: November 2, 2019 in Live Music

Polka Cowboys 2019
Halloween dance at the Starry Ploughpc halloween 2019

Murder Ballad night, Harmony Benefit

Art on the train to Nebraska, Oct 2019
Laurie on drums at the NTCMA Festival

Cotati, Accordion Apocalypse stage, 2019

Cotati!

Posted: July 18, 2019 in Live Music

We so enjoyed playing on the Traveling Spectacular last year– the best stage at the festival!

This year we have an hour set at noon, so come on up, or down, or over, as the case may be–Sunday, August 18th, Noon to 1pm – Art Peterson & Laurie Miller – Cotati Accordion Festival – Accordion Apocalypse Stage (just inside the Main Entrance) – www.cotatifest.com