Back to the 60's

What do the words "coffee shop" and "stage" bring to mind? Long hair, hippies, guitars,maybe? How about pianos, and jammin'? Ring a bell? Hey, I'm a 60's Child, these things are very fresh in my memory. Yep. Fresh.
The punks pulled a gig at the Harmony Cafe in Green Bay; stage, coffee, live mic, the whole tamale. Umm. I think that's supposed to be, "the whole enchilada..." . OK, so their piano instructor signed up ALL her students for an hour of entertainment in front of a live audience. Not too much different than a recital, actually. But it really was a coffee shop. With customers. Besides parents...

So who are these handsome dudes? They were the only ones in ties and white shirts - not what you'd expect in a traditional coffee shop. But they sure looked good, and made their momma and Gramma and the piano teacher (Miss Betty) VERY proud!

Lee and Collin were working on the long hair bit for their gig - two-toned, even. They would have fit right into the 60's scene. After they got rid of the city clothes.




Than has spread his wings - playing beyond the lesson books has become his passion, no piece of music is safe from his questing mind. He says he likes the challenge. He plays several pieces from memory now. I think that is beyond my scope, I'm lucky to remember the name of the white and black keys...














This is Lee's first year as a piano student. He's killing time until mom finds a guitar instructor who will come to the house, like Miss Betty does....















In fact, he's only been playing about three months. The older punks have at least had a couple recitals under their belt -Lee just sat down and played like he'd been playing for a crowd every Saturday night.
















Collin is practically an old pro now. Besides composing, he books for parties (well, the church Christmas party) and provides prelude (at church). He also can be counted on for a hot rendition of "Happy Birthday".



















One of his pieces was a duet with Miss Betty. It's really fun to play duets, especially with someone who knows what they are doing - not like Gramma. We did a duet for our very first recital. I missed a note. Or two.















The artists at work, making magic with the black-and-whites.















Hmmm. Collin really gets into his music. And he likes to be comfy while he's at it...

I actually recorded some of the music, on my camera. Now if I can just figure out where it WENT when I downloaded to the computer, I 'll try to figure out how to post it....