BlueStoneIvoryBlog

BSI Fan of the Month

Each month we plan on featuring one of our loyal fans as Fan of the Month. We will, with their permission of course, tell you a little about them and why they were picked fan of the month.

For the Month of May 2008, our Fan of the Month is Sandy...

                                                                                                                                                         If you come out to see BlueStone Ivory often you will probably see Sandy. She has been a loyal fan of BSI for over 3 years now. It is always a pleasure to see Sandy for she is usually the first on the dance floor. Dancing is one of her passions in life having done a couple of competitions and an instructional assistant at a local dance studio. Her dancing ability really shows the way she moves on the dance floor.

Sandy is a mother of 3 wonderful daughters and 8 grandchildren (soon to be 10).                                                                                                                                                                  

 

Sandy's many interests include gardening, antiques and warmer climates in the winter. Her most recent NEW TOY is her 2008 Chrysler Crossfire. How cool is this car? She says "especially at her age she needs to enjoy everyday to the fullest".

                                                                                                    She works for the 6th largest Bank in their Corporate Procurement Strategic Sourcing Group as an Engagement Leader, leading major initiatives and procuring services and supplies for the Bank.

Sandy says "I value talent and dedication and BSI certainly represents both. Each band member brings his own unique talent to blend with the rest of the members and along with the Band's camaraderie brings to the audience listening pleasure and smiles. I truly believe in supporting those who bring me so much fun and enjoyment!"

We want to thank Sandy for being our Fan of the month and for always being there when we perform. Although you will often see her dancing by herself she says she is always looking for dance partners (regardless of dancing ability) so come out to hear the best band in Cincy and have some fun!

Sandy nor any of BSI fans will be able to hear BlueStone Ivory this weekend. We are off until next Saturday night...where we will be playing at a wedding reception. Oops, Sorry folks! But the very next day Sunday June 8 we will be in concert in Mason Ohio. You are all welcome to come out then and listen to Cincinnati's favorite band BlueStone Ivory.

Feel free to go to www.BlueStoneIvory.com for all the details of all of our gigs throughout the summer.

Photos taken by Mary Jo Rossignol and JoLynne Donohoue

They are ready to go to work...or should I say PLAY?

This is our esteemed crew. We couldn't do any of this without them. And sometimes we and You take them for granted. So we would like you, our fans, to know who is who.

Dave "MONGO" Kastrup is our sound engineer and head crew person. He knows how to pack the truck to fit everything in and protect everything so there is no damage. He is most responsible for our great sound. What you hear out front is entirely Dave's responsibility.

Mark Walker is the youngest of the group. He is only 24 years old but is very responsible and knowledgeable with stage lighting. That is his primary responsibility to light the stage and make us look pleasing to your eyes. I know that sounds like an impossible task for some of us...however he does a great job. And on top of all that Mark helps with the total set up & tear down.

Doug Schick is a real go getter. He usually has an answer for most any situation. His primary job is with the follow spot. So you will see who the soloist or lead vocalist is. He is also there to help with the total set up and tear down.

There you have it. This is our crew. Without these three guys we could not look, sound or play like you expect us. So our hats are off to Dave, Mark and Doug. So the next time you see them say "Thanks for a great job...you guys really deserve a pat on the back".

Don't miss BlueStone Ivory tonight at Jaspers in Mt Lookout 9:00 pm- 1:00 am and then this Sunday evening for our very first outdoor Free concert of the year at Miami Township Community Park  from 6:30 pm till 9:00 pm.

Dave, Mark and Doug will be there as they are the very first to arrive and the very last to leave all of our shows. We have a very busy summer lined up for them and especially for you to go and enjoy the Horn driven sounds of your favorite band BlueStone Ivory. Check out our website for our entire summer schedule.

BlueStone Ivory starting to play again this weekend

Dear BSI friends. We are gearing up for a grueling summer schedule. It starts this weekend at JASPERS in Mt Lookout. We plan to rock the people this Friday, May 23rd from 9:00 pm till 1:00 am. This is our second time at Jaspers. It is a great place to play and a great place to come and dance. They have a huge stage and dance floor. The restaurant is top notch so you may want to come early and enjoy a delicious dinner. Check out the Menu. The valet parking makes it safe and easy.  You can call ahead and make reservations at 871-6789. Dinner begins at 6:00 pm and is served till 10:00 pm.                                                                                                                                                       

Here are a couple photos of BSI putting the finishing touches on the stage setup the first time we played there in February 2008.                                                    

 

This Sunday May 25th we play our first outdoor concert.

Our performance will be the first of the Miami Township Summer Concert series 2008. It will be held at the Community Park Performance Pavilion off Buckwheat Rd near Milford, Ohio. The concert begins at 6:30 pm and ends at 9:00 pm.

                                                                                                                                                         Here are a few photos of BSI playing our first outdoor concert in 2007. It was at Sycamore Township. We will be back at Sycamore Township later this year on June 22.  Click on the individual photo to enlarge.

Go go www.BlueStoneIvory.com for our entire summer schedule, times and directions. All our summer concerts and festival performances are free admission.

Gary Puckett is coming to town

You will want to mark your calendars for July 19th, 2008.                                                  Jim & Jack's on the River will be hosting Gary Puckett in concert that night.

That's right and tickets are going, going and soon to be gone.  

There are only 6 VIP tickets available for $40.00 each. These are front and center of the club and Gary will meet you and sign your favorite album or autograph book.

There are about 150 regular tickets left at $35.00 each. The club only seats 350.

Of course Jim and Jack's will serve dinner before the show and your favorite band BlueStone Ivory will be opening the concert with their Rock-N-Soul, Rhythm-N-Roll horn driven sounds.

Call Jim & Jack's  513-251-7977 as soon as you can and reserve your seats for this once in a life time event.

                                                                                 We all have BSI's bass player extraordinare to thank for making this possible. Lee Heftel, before joining BlueStone Ivory toured with Gary Puckett as his bass player. Thanks Lee.

Speaking of Lee...while most of BSI took last weekend off Lee was in Frankfort Kentucky playing with friends in "The Bettz Band" at a small benefit opening for "The Charlie Daniels Band" unplugged. Lee says it was a short performance because Charlie Daniels was booked at Wild Adventures Theme Park in Valdosta Georgia later that night.

Lee has been with BSI for over two years now. He is the second youngest member of the band. Lee brings a lot to BSI. He has great knowledge of stage performance and professionalism. He is a great musician, husband to Becky, father to Catrina and great friend to all of us in BSI. He loves his family and loves playing with his BSI brothers.

                                                                                                                                                             Lee's day job keeps him hopping at Radio Shack in West Chester where he is one of the store managers. He has been with Radio Shack for many, many years now and plans on retiring from that company. His position there helps give Lee some latitude to make it to all the BSI gigs especially through the summer when we play some of the week night events. Radio Shack is providing all the batteries for both bands "BlueStone Ivory" and "Second Wind" at the two Blast of Brass tours this summer. Thanks Radio Shack!

Lee is in charge of our merchandising. So you will want to see Lee this summer to get our latest tee shirts, hats and of course our Live CD "Live n Kickin".

So now everyone knows Lee a little better. If you care to ...please feel free to leave your comments by clicking on the title of this post or the COMMENTS button below.

Some other updates on BSI gigs. BlueStone Ivory will not be playing at the Middletown Moose for the rest of 2008. We just couldn't get the scheduling worked out for this year.  We will however be playing at the new Pirates Den II in Lawrenceburg Indiana, just two miles from the Argosy Casino on October 31 & November 1 then again on December 12 & 13. The owner says they can hold over 500 people and they have a large stage and dance floor. More information to follow.

We are working on a couple of other clubs around the Cincinnati area for you to come and dance the night away to the Rock-N-Soul, Rhythm-N-Roll Horn Driven Sounds of your favorite band BlueStone Ivory.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JIM

Yep...it's Jim's Birthday today May 6. I'm not going to tell you exactly how old he is. Let's just say he is approaching the Old Fart syndrome.

We celebrated it last Saturday when we were all together at the Middletown Moose Center. We provided the Triple Indulgent Chocolate cake (Jim's favorite desert...chocolate) and this funny card...

Rusty did his magic on the computer and I put it all together. The inside read as follows:

...and Bone ...and Trumpet ...and Piano ...and a bunch of Friends in BSI.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIM

Jim is known to play a couple of instruments at once. In fact most of the time Jim is holding one horn or maybe two and/or playing the piano and providing back-up vocals. How does he do that?

Here are some fond memories in 2007 of Jim's shining moments.  Click on the thumbnails to enlarge

When Jim is off the stage in the crowd he sometimes likes to sit back and relax during his Mustang Sally Solo. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                   My question to you is...How many BSI members does it take to squeegee the stage? The last photo is my all time favorite with Jim in front of the Clock Tower at Oktoberfest.

 

        We hope you have a very Happy Birthday Jim.

BlueStone Ivory is off for the next two weeks. Our next gig will be at Jaspers on May 23rd. In the mean time BSI plans on getting in some serious rehearsals with the Blast of Brass shows coming up. So stay tuned and read the blog often. We will continue to post more interesting things about BSI.

Be sure to check our website www.BlueStoneIvory.com for our entire summer schedule.