It began as a cell phone call a month ago, when a fellow named Jim contacted me on the fourth of July, on our way back from our independence day celebration gig.
He said that he had heard Carl and I play at the Three Blind Mice, and wondered if we would be interested in playing at his club.
So the date was set, and so was the die, so to speak. The club was a place called Bumper’s Landing. It used to be the Mariner’s Boat Club in years gone by; but now sports the name, Bumper’s. Jim turned out to be, DJ Jimmy, the person who coordinated all the entertaining at the club. He was filling up some summer dates, and though that we would be a good fit. It was up to us to prove him right or wrong.
We arrived at four thirty at Bumper’s Landing, in Harrison Township.
One thing that we noticed right from the beginning, was how friendly everyone there is. Always a welcome trait in our business. We greatly appreciate the kindness of other employees; since we are all working together to serve the customer in one aspect or the other. The entire staff at Bumper’s treated us well; even before we played a note.
We set up right on the river, in a kind of gazebo or sun-shield. From our vantage point, we could see everything that goes on there. And, we quickly found out that there was a lot that actually goes on there.
Fun Fact: Carl and I learned long long ago that there are certain groups of people that like to party, and are good at it. Several, in fact. But nobody parties like boaters. Nobody!
They drink, they talk, they drink, they dance, they drink, they navigate. They drink; and some of them even walk the plank if need be. They do it on the water, in the sun, in the rain the wind the snow, I bet. They are there to have a good time; and, have a good time, they do!
Friday night at six bells was when we officially began our weekend entertaining. We began cautiously and mellow, for the most part. Our first set was very solid and what we considered easy-going. It was a new venue; and we didn’t want to scare away anyone, before we even got going. However even before we could begin our second set, the dark clouds began to roll our way. Weather reports became more ominous as the winds began to howl.
In a flash things turned really ugly. (No, not just the music . .. ). So a determination was made to bring the party inside to relative safety. With the help of some great people, (DJ Jimmy, Mike and Nicole), we were inside and playing again in literally moments. How great was that? Without their help, we would blown out to the bay, or worse. End of story.
Once inside, we finished the evening to a packed house of revelers, dancing and partying the night away. Storm or no storm, these people had a great time.
Sometime during the night, DJ Jimmy informed us that the band they had scheduled to play Saturday night, had cancelled. He asked if we would be interested in playing Saturday as well. We were delighted to have the opportunity to entertain again. We liked the club, they liked us, and we would be helping them out as well.
Friday night ending with many smiling, contented faces. Even after listening to Carl and I for five hours. Who knew?
Rb
