It’s been a really long time again since we’ve posted anything but we continue playing music regularly, mostly at retirement homes these days.

Tomorrow June 16th, – 9am to 1pm we’ll be playing our favorite farmer’s market once again. We’ve been regulars there for many years and always enjoy playing there and seeing our Calistoga community. The weather will be beautiful! We’re also scheduled to play there July 28th and August 18th. We look forward to seeing some familiar smiling faces there!

We never posted anything here after the trauma of the fires that countless people, including many of our dear friends, are still so devastated by. The whole dreadful experience seemed so surreal at the time. That Sunday night Oct 8th, we received a phone call from a neighbor at 11:45pm warning us about the approaching fire. We looked out our living room window to the west and saw the whole horizon in our beautiful view was aflame. It was terrifying and looked in the dark as if there were big flames through the forest right outside our window, but the fire was actually still over a mile away. We quickly put our dogs in one car and turned on our roof sprinkler. We loaded up our instruments and stuffed both cars with photo albums and laundry baskets full of a few essential belongings, and we fled quickly thinking it would be the last time we saw our beloved home. We were calling neighbors and honking on our way down the mountain, stopping to bang on doors to wake people up. We were sure it was coming our way and could be there in minutes.

We still can’t believe the wind took the fire the other way and our house survived! We were so fortunate and so grateful to have a place we take care of in town to stay until we were evacuated at 3:45 on Wednesday morning when Calistoga was being evacuated. We’re so grateful to our dear friends Sabrina and Christopher Smith and their son Nate who offered us a very comfortable place to stay at their house in San Anselmo with a fenced yard for our dogs. Eleven days after the fires started, there was still no power but it was finally safe for us to come home again unlike so many we know who were right in the path of the fire and lost their homes and everything they had filled them with. Such a heart breaking experience and we’re plagued with survivors guilt but trying to do what we can to help out.

We got another call from Karen Verzosa to play the Calistoga Farmer’s Market again this Saturday. We played there last month on the 21st, just a few days after we returned home and then on the 28th we were invited to join New Skye with Ted and Ed! Michael Bryant and Robin Pliskin are usually New Skye but Robin couldn’t be there that day so Ted Dutcher and Ed Randol were playing with Michael B. Ted called and invited us to come play a few. We had a blast being part of their great band for a while that day and got a great response. Hope to be able to play with them again soon! Hopefully Robin will be around next time!

This Saturday 9am to 1pm we’ll be playing as a duo at the Calistoga Farmer’s Market, unless some of our friends can join us at the last minute. We’ve also been playing regularly at retirement home gigs. We’ve been happy to be able to donate our music money to some of our friends who lost their homes in the fire. Seems like something we could keep doing for a long time…so many people lost so much. Our hearts are with our many friends who are starting over. Sending much love and compassion out to you all.

Peace,
Lindalou and Michael

Our posts on this website are becoming fewer and farther between… We have been busy playing and working though and just recently got back from an amazing adventure! We both turned 60 this year and our sons were extremely generous and gave us an incredible birthday gift. They treated us to a trip to Berlin and Denmark! We finally got to meet our son Leif’s community of good friends he has there and the 4 of us also got to visit all our relatives in Denmark. We weren’t focused on playing music over there but did get to play at some parties and a beautiful wedding of some dear friends. Had a great time and met so many good people!

When we got home we were asked to provide the sound system and open again for Dry Branch Fire Squad! This is our third year to do this and we’re really looking forward to it. It’s coming right up…tomorrow!

When: October 5, 2017 from 5:00PM to 8:30PM
Location: 801 Bantam Way, Petaluma, CA 94952

Brown Paper Tickets link: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2876456

Note: If you’d rather not use brownpapertickets, please RSVP with Amy – cell: 707.477.2759 – and pay at the door.

Check out the DBFS website. Ron Thomason is famous or perhaps infamous for his dry wit and rants. Their music is the real deal and it
promises to be a lovely evening. They will also be playing as usual the next day at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Fest.

Also, on October 21st from 9am. to 1pm. – We’ll be playing at the Calistoga Farmer’s Market.
We’re looking forward to being there again after many months. We were too busy this past summer with music festivals and traveling to schedule our monthly dates we have played there for many years. Now we’re getting back on their schedule and also getting calls to play at retirement homes a few times a month again.

We hope everyone and anyone who happens to read this, is doing well despite all the horrible things happening in the world and hope you make it out to hear and/or make some live music on a regular basis. With all the dreadful news we are bombarded with, music is what really helps keep us from falling into a deep despair over the state of this crazy world we live in. Our hearts go out to all the victims of hurricanes, earthquakes and the senseless gun violence that took so many lives in Las Vegas last week.

Peace,
Lindalou and Michael

On May 13th, 2017 from 5pm to 9pm.

Hi friends,
We haven’t been keeping our website updated though we have been playing a lot of music. Mostly for private events but we hope some of you will be able to come to our annual benefit house concert at my sister and brother in-law’s beautiful house in the Oakland hills on May 13th.

There will be a potluck first and the concert will start at 6:30. We’re very excited that the founder of DCWC Nepal, Akka Lama will be here to join us for the first time during the event! He’ll be speaking before the concert about the good work the charity continues doing to improve lives in Nepal.

This concert has always been around our Dad’s birthday in February but was planned for the Spring this year because Jeanette and Steve were awaiting their first grandchild, our new beautiful nephew Theo, who was born in Seattle on Feb 20th! (I guess this makes me a grand aunt!) We’re very excited to have a new baby in the family!

We’re looking forward to putting on another concert and would love to see you there to support this very worthy cause!
If you’d like to come please let us know or contact my sister Jeanette at jeanetteg2@mac.com and she’ll send you all the details.

I almost forgot to mention, we’ll also be playing the Calistoga farmer’s market on April 29th from 9am to 1pm.
We hope to see you there too!
Be well,
Lindalou and Michael

We haven’t posted anything here for many moons, though we continue playing regularly, mostly at retirement homes and private parties these days.

We’ll be at the Calistoga Farmer’s Market tomorrow Feb 11th, from 9am to 1pm. Finally a beautiful sunny day after so much rain and wind!
Hope to see your smiling faces there!
In harmony,
Lindalou and Michael

Summer is quickly turning to Fall and every now and then we get another call. Calls for playing private parties, farmers markets and retirement homes. Good reasons to learn more old and new songs every few days.

We played 4 hours at the Calistoga Farmer’s Market yesterday. The weather was perfect there in the shade of the redwood trees. We saw a few old friends and many smiles.

On Thursday September 29th we’ll have the honor of providing the sound system and playing a few songs to open a house concert for Dry Branch Fire Squad! They’ll be playing again this year all three days at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival in Golden Gate Park Sept. 30th, Oct 1st and 2nd. Their Thursday house concert will be at our friend Amy’s house in Petaluma. Potluck at 5pm and we’ll play a few songs at 6pm and the band starts at 6:30pm. Tickets $20 in advance and $25 at the door; for information contact: amy@sharesonomacounty.org

We’re excited to open for this great bluegrass band and hope to see some of our pals there!

On Saturday night we’ll be opening for Karl Kummerle and Karla Mi Lugo at another house concert at Mamalanda! Then on Sunday we’ll be opening for them again at a house concert at Melissa’s house in Sebastopol! If you want information about these shows please let us know and we’ll send it.

We continue playing mostly at retirement homes these days. This is not only so rewarding to see these very elderly folks light up with big smiles and singing along, it’s also helping to pay our bills! After years of volunteering to play we are now getting calls and hired to do this mostly on weekends but lately even on an occasional weekday!

Our next Calistoga Farmer’s Market is Halloween weekend on Saturday October 29th.

Hope to see you at the house concerts this week and at the farmer’s market next month!

In harmony,
Lindalou and Michael

We were just invited to open again tonight for Karl Kummerle and Martin Masakowski!
They put on an incredible show on Friday night at Mamalanda and we were honored to be able to open the show for these virtuoso musicians, who joined us on our last song. We had a sweet jam after the show with the two of them as well as our dear friends Ted Dutcher and Clay Wary, and also Karl’s good friend Tim Sawyer of the band “Free Peoples” who Karl toured with a couple years ago. What a joy to play with all these guys! Thank you to our dear friends Constance and Barton for hosting the concert and providing such a sweet place for Karl and Martin to play and stay over on the first night of their tour.

A friend of theirs, Melissa, who was at the concert on Friday offered to host this last minute house concert at Monnet’s tonight. Here’s the info that was just sent out to folks by Melissa:

Karl Kummerle and Martin Masakowski’s Cosmic string duo comes to Northern CA!

House Concert at Monnet’s house.
7415 Hayden Ave, Sebastopol, CA
Mon eve, August 29th, 7-9+ PM.
Suggested donation: $15-25

OK, once in a rare while musical genius strolls through our special little oasis of a town. I promise you if you want to be transported in and around our beautiful cosmos and back again you MUST arrange to hear these 2 musical prodigies play tomorrow (Mon) night at Monnet’s.

Constance and Barton hosted a house concert for Karl and Martin Friday night – we were all spellbound and grinning the entire night! Karl and Martin play their instruments in ways I’ve never witnessed before. They play every genre imaginable and definitely know how to create sounds and music from another sphere (hence the Cosmic Strings).

The duo has some other gigs coming up as well (in Mendocino County)

Thursday Sept 1st:
‘215 Main’ wine bar, Point Arena, 8:00

Friday Sept 2cd:
‘215 Main’ wine bar, Art Opening, Point Arena, 6:00

Saturday sept 3rd:
Willits Center For the Arts! with other local bands! All acoustic concert! 7:30

Here’s a note from Karl:

Hi Friends,

Karl here,

I’m just back from Europe to Northern California and I wanted to share an invitation to some shows as well as send my greetings to everyone whose company I miss.I’ve been playing music with friends in France, Belgium, UK, Nederlands, and Germany. I rode my bike around from town to town for a month and had a wonderful time learning new music and making new friends!

My good friend Martin Masakowski is coming out from New Orleans to join me on this little tour. Martin is my musical soul partner and the sound we create together is extremely special. We both draw a lot of influence from our travels in Eastern Europe as well as gigging with jazz bands in New Orleans.

The improvisatory language we share is so fluid and natural that, to me, it feels like a once in a lifetime kind of musical connection.
So if you or friends are around the North Bay, come hang out with us.

http://karlkummerle.com/
http://karlkummerle.bandcamp.com/

We hope to see some familiar smiling faces there tonight!

Hard to believe it’s mid August already! We’ve been playing mostly at care facilities on a regular basis this year, several times a month. Still haven’t quit our day jobs but these rewarding side jobs really help.

This coming weekend, Saturday August 20th, we’ll be playing the Calistoga Farmer’s Market again from 9am to 1pm. and then playing an open house at the Cedars Care Home in Calistoga from 3pm to 6pm.

Next Friday night, August 26th, we’re looking forward to opening a house concert for our friend Karl Kummerle who has been traveling the world playing music and is coming back to Sonoma County next week. Our friends Constance and Barton have offered to host the concert at their beautiful home, Mamalanda. I am posting the blurb we received from Constance below:

**Come join Karl Kummerle and Martin Masakowski at Mamalanda on August 26th, for a magical evening of musical interplay and improvisation!

Karl returns to the Northbay fresh from a musical/bicycling adventure in Europe this summer. He is a violinist based in New Orleans. On the bass, musical accomplice Martin Masakowski, one of New Orleans’s most in demand bass improvisers. The two will perform original compositions as well as selections learned via world travels! Karl would like to say,

“Martin is my musical soul partner and the sound we create together is extremely special. We both draw a lot of influence from our travels in Eastern Europe as well as gigging with jazz bands in New Orleans. The improvisatory language we share is so fluid and natural that, to me, it feels like a once in a lifetime kind of musical connection. See you there!”.

Lindalou and Michael will open the evening with their beautiful duets.

Potluck at 6pm and show starts at 7:30.

We suggest a generous donation of $15-20 for the travelling performers.**

This should be a fun evening and we hope you can make it!

Please RSVP to: kummerle.karl@gmail.com

Dear friends,
When so many of you so generously donated to help us buy a new guitar after we were mugged last November, we promised that we’d put on a concert and jam to express our abundant gratitude. We thought we’d have found time to do that in the Spring… but Spring has sprung and is quickly turning to summer.

So, we’ve set a date to do it; July 2nd, in the back yard of the Chroma Gallery, where Robin and Simmon are also having an exhibit called “The Art of Music.”

We’ve written a half dozen or so new songs since that crazy event in November and our concert will be mostly our original music, taking place just around the corner from the scene of the crime! We’ll be recording the concert with hopes of finally making our 2nd CD as a live recording to share with y’all later.

We hope you can join us on the 2nd from 4:00 to 6pm. We’ll gather and mingle first, followed by our “concert” around 4:30 and then we’ll unplug and have a jam. Bring your instruments and or voices if you’d like to join the jam!

We’ll be providing a few drinks and snacks but have no idea how many folks will show up, so please feel free to bring snacks (finger food) and drinks to share if you’d like.

We really look forward to seeing and jamming with many of you at the Kate Wolf Fest before then. We’d also love to see you all the following weekend at Chroma Gallery, 312 South A Street, Santa Rosa.

In harmony,
Lindalou and Michael

Spring greetings friends,
It’s snowing here on the mountain!

Not really… no snow at all here this year, but we finally got some rain! March somehow got away from us already. It’s beautiful here today and our Wisteria, Irises, Lilacs and Apple tree are all in full bloom.

We’ve been playing music but not keeping our website updated very well or sending out music news by email much anymore. We’re still mostly playing farmer’s markets and retirement homes, parties and the occasional winery event.

Our benefit concert back in February was a huge success. Thank you so much to all who came and supported DCWC and helped us celebrate what would have been our Dad’s 91st birthday. Also another big thank you to those who couldn’t come but still sent donations to support the hospital in Nepal.

We’re playing music at a couple of places this month where we’d love to see some familiar faces!

Calistoga Farmer’s Market
tomorrow, April 2nd, 9am to 1pm
We’ll be playing in the shade under the redwood trees again, accompanied by our friend Dan Brunetti.
We’ve been asked to play the Calistoga Farmer’s market next weekend as well!
Saturday April 9th, 9am to 1pm

That same day, in the early evening, we look forward to playing the annual Hike and Hoot, a fun annual event put on by Friends of Mark West Watershed.

On April 23rd we’ll be playing again for the annual Róse Release party at Elizabeth Spencer Winery in Rutherford.
This is the 6th year they’ve invited us to play and they always ask us to bring our favorite fiddler friend Terry Ann Gillette!

The next day we’ll be playing in Napa for the elderly folks at the Meadows of Napa Valley where we’ve become regulars a couple times a month this year.

We’ll be at the Calistoga Farmer’s Market again on May 7th and then on June 11th and once a month through October.

We’re looking forward to the Kate Wolf Memorial Music festival in June and our favorite new festival The Redwood Ramble in July. We’re on crews for both festivals so we get in early and leave late and besides hearing incredible music from many stages we get to jam with amazing musicians around the campsites for days!

I’ll try to keep our website updated a little more often if we have public gigs coming up, just in case anyone is checking! If you do read this, we’d love to hear from you and hope to see you soon.

Please keep us in mind if you might like our music for an event.
Thank you!

Be well,
Lindalou and Michael