"Love" Grind is Lovely

by Dave Lieben

February's Monthly Grind had a "love" theme in honor of Valentine's Day, with "Cupid" hostess Dawn Clark giving out boxes of KetchiCandies chocolate to lucky couples in the audience. And it would have been hard for anyone to not love the entertainment as well.

The show started with the Windjammers jazz ensemble. They have shown noticeable improvement each time I've heard them, and Saturday was no exception. The group features Adrienne Koch, Tyler Cronk, Sean Thrush, Tyler Woodell, and Allison Neterer on alto saxes. Andy Dupre and Jim Auger played tenor sax, while Brian deBourguignon handled the baritone sax.

The trumpet section consisted of Kyle Bailey, Nick Rosenfeld, Britta Christensen, Sam Pitcher, Jesse Martin, and Stephanie Patton. Adam Harford and Devin Hahne played trombone, which wasn't easy on such a crowded stage. Archie Inoncillo played piano, Ryan Pickrell played electric bass, and Rachael Neterer and Celina Dobrydnia played drums. Tina McPherson, Kim Kleinschmidt, and Ann Stenfjord assisted, and the group was directed by Roy McPherson. Their selections included Eric Clapton's Change the World.

After Clark read a story about a mother, a son, and his daughter that had tears rolling down the cheeks of the roughest, toughest Alaska men in the audience, Doug Ensley performed a monologue written by Mark Twain. Ensley did a fine job adopting the persona of the character, and didn't forget a single line.

The highlight of the evening for this writer was the "old-time music" of Red Hoochie and the Tomcods. The group consisted of Bruce and Sher Schwartz, Terry O'Hara, and Andy Pankow. Their music had the audience clapping and stomping along.

After the audience enjoyed some homemade desserts and good conversation, Rudy, Mary, and Friends performed. Rudy Saccomano and Mary Kowalczyk did a couple numbers, including a hilarious song about a cat written by a dog to the tune of Mountain of Love. They were then joined by Roger and Barbara Maynard for a couple more, including Roses in the Snow.

Next up was poetess Phoebe Newman. Her first poem contrasted Georgia and Alaska, and some others had a "love" theme. They were all very good, and you can probably pick up a book of her poetry at Parnassus.

Finishing up the show was the rockin' band Dream Catcher. The group includes Craig Tucker on vocals, guitar and drums, Don Kralis on lead guitar, Steve Edwards on keyboards, Randy Smestad on drums and congas, and Steve Elliott on bass guitar. Their original songs included Do Right, Listen to the Wind Blow, and Can I Be Your Star?

The crowd then filed out into the night, hoping the rain might have stopped during the time they were inside.

Yeah, right.