We have been off a couple of weeks waiting for Rick to come home from Florida. We hope he and Amy are having a blast. Still waiting for a post card...Oh well.
Rick will be back later this week in time to play Jim & Jack's this weekend. BlueStone Ivory will be there Friday and Saturday nights from 9:00 pm till 1:00 am. Then next Friday we will be at The Redmoor in Mt Lookout (used to be Jaspers) from 8:30 pm till 12:30 am. On Saturday May 30 we will back at Carlo & Johnny from 9:00 pm till 1:00 am.
We are gearing up for the summer of outdoor shows. Our first concert on June 6th at Keehner Park in West Chester is just around the corner. Those of you who follow BSI throughout the summer knows that we have a tradition of playing "God Bless The USA" and dedicate it to all of our vererans and fighting men and women in our armed forces here and around the world.
We provide 200 american flags for each show and hand them out to the audience. This sight is awesome.
We try to get our fans involved with this great song by sponsoring the flags. For $70.00 per show you can sponsor the show of your choice. Download Flag sponsorship flyer 2009 (this is a word document); Download Flag sponsorship flyer 2009 (this is a PDF file). Pick the show you would like to sponsor and either call Gary at 513.777.2402 or email Gary at Gary@BlueStoneIvory.com. He will confirm your show and how you want to be recognized.
We have a new member to the band. A very important member to replace the one we have outgrown. It's name is Moby Dick. Here are a couple of photos of Moby Dick.
When we bought our 14 ft Ford truck the thought of running out of room was not even considered. Well, here we are, two years later wall to wall floor to ceiling. Not an inch to spare. Dave and the crew need to load it just right for everything to fit. So as a gesture of our appreciation to the crew and to implement greater efficiency we bit the bullet and made this major investment. Moby Dick (name given by Lee) is a 1993 GMC Top Kick 24 foot truck. We are increasing our storage space by 10 feet. We need to thank Jae Rossignol our honorary crew person who takes care of all the maintenance on our truck. He checked it over to make sure we bought a good one. Then he repainted the cab to do away with all the U-Haul orange. Installed the loading lights and He went beyond basic clean up. He detailed it right down to a fancy blue pinstripe. He says he isn't done yet. Jae needs a big THANK YOU for all the extra work he and Tina (Jae's wife) has done for BSI. They are no doubt huge fans of the band and are proud to do this to be a part of the band. If you ever need your car or truck serviced or repaired call Jae's Truck & Auto Service at 513.338.4214. Jae says there is no job too small or too large. He can service all makes and models. And Jae really knows his business.
In case your curious about Jae's last name Rossignol...yes Jae is Gary's younger brother.
With that said we are going to make Jae and Tina BSI Fans of the Month. This is a photo taken of Jae and Tina right after they got married two years ago.
No Tina is not standing on a stool.
Jae is 6 years younger than his brother Gary. Jae has always been interested in fixing things, just like his dad. If it runs he needs to find out how. If it doesn't run he will make it run. Jae is the shop manager at Gem City the Goodyear truck tire and repair in Sharonville. When he isn't working at Gem City he stays busy with his own company he operates out of a shop in Mason Ohio. So call Jae. He is as good at auto repair as Gary is playing Sax.
For our complete schedule & directions to our gigs, or to listen to samplings of BlueStone Ivory or to view our hundreds of photos from past gigs go to www.BlueStoneIvory.com.
If you are interested in booking BlueStone Ivory for a party, dance or wedding call Gary Rossignol. Phone 513-777-2402 or toll free 800-670-2402. email:Gary@BlueStoneIvory.com.
BlueStone Ivory with full orchestra...WOW!
It was a grand evening for those who attended Saturday night at the Marriott for the West Chester Symphony Orchestra's 7th annual Fundraiser. The excitement began when the legend of Cincinnati radio Mr. Gary Burbank kick things off introducing the Symphony and BlueStone Ivory together on the same stage.
Susan Schirmer the conductor of the WCSO was thrilled to "Rock the Night Away" with BSI on many songs including "Touch Me" the Moody Blues "Nights In White Satin" sung by Lee, "Righteous Brothers Medley" and "Your Love Keeps Liftn Me".
Ted said he could remember growing up listening Frank Sinatra and other entertainers singing with a full orchestra and he always wondered what it would feel like. He said Now I know...it feels great!
Gary Burbank brought with him many of his radio characters including, Big Fat, Eunice and Bernice the Siamese twins joined at the telephone, The Right Rev. Deuteronomy Scags, Gilbert Gnarley, Earl Pitts and BSI's favorite ...Howlin Blind, Muddy Slim, Your sixty minute jelly belly toe jam man was there to learn us some blues.
All in all it was a fabulous night of entertainment. The food was excellent, the service was superb, and hopefully the WCSO achieved there goal to raise enough money to survive another year. Regardless...the memories of this evening will last a lifetime for some of us.
For me it was a dream come true. To get my two favorite music groups BlueStone Ivory and the West Chester Symphony Orchestra together on one stage and perform together. Who would have ever thought to put these two groups together?
Make your plans to dance the weekend away with BlueStone Ivory beginning this Friday night. We will be at the Sharonville VFW for our annual Cabin Fever Reliever beginning at 8:00. We will have non-stop music up to Midnight with WGRR's very own JD Hughes to fill in on our breaks.
Saturday night we will be at the Blue Ash Banquet Center for the annual Tavern Owners Ball. They will have a buffet dinner beginning at 7:00 and dancing from 8:00 till midnight. Dinner includes prime rib, chicken, ham, all the trimmings including appetizers, desert and open bar for $50.00 per person.
For our complete schedule & directions to our gigs, or to listen to samplings of BlueStone Ivory or to view our hundreds of photos from past gigs go to www.BlueStoneIvory.com. If you are interested in booking BlueStone Ivory for a party, dance or wedding call Gary Rossignol. Phone 513-777-2402 or toll free 800-670-2402. email:Gary@BlueStoneIvory.com.
April 10, 2009
Bar Seventy-One here we come.
We are really gearing up for the next couple of weeks. It all starts this Saturday night in Mason Ohio at Bar Seventy-One. Our first time there and we hear it draws a large crowd. A few months ago a few of us tried to get in when the Websters were playing. The line was out the front door...we didn't get in. They have the Menu's and The Rusty Griswalds off and on throughout the year also. It's about time that BlueStone Ivory gets to play there too.
We have been learning quite a few new songs and will be showcasing most of them this Saturday night. Like Huey Lewis' "I Want A New Drug" and "Heart of Rock'n Roll", Robert Palmer's "Bad Case of Lovin You" & "Addicted To Love", a medley we put together of a couple of Foundations songs plus we will revive one of Keith's favorites "Ladies Night". The guys have worked up a great acapella song by the Eagles "7 Bridges Road" and they do it really great too.
To top it all off Gary "Ian Anderson" Rossignol will do his version of "Locomotive Breath" by Jethro Tull with Rick singing the vocals. Gary hasn't quite mastered the whole thing as well as Ian Anderson. But it should prove to be fun.
The food is really good at Bar Seventy-One. Mary Jo and I had dinner there the other night and was delightfully surprised. So come early and enjoy dinner while BSI is setting up.
The following week we are planning to have a blast. It will be the first time BlueStone Ivory has ever played with a full orchestra. We will be special guests at the West Chester Symphony's annual fundraiser being held at the Marriott Hotel in West Chester. Special master of Ceremonies will be radio legend Gary Burbank. This will really be a fun night. An evening music and comedy lovers will not want to miss.
Lee Heftel will get to sing a ballad that night. He will be featured with the whole orchestra and BSI in the Moody Blues hit "Nights In White Satin". WOW, will that be one for the history books. Jim has spent many, many hours writing the charts and the orchestra has worked hard learning those parts. There are several other songs like The Doors "Touch Me", our version of a "Rightous Brothers Medly" and "Your Love Keeps Liftin Me Higher" that we are doing together. We plan to put it all together at one rehearsal two days before the show. Plus BSI will be playing many of your favorite songs on our own. You will be able to get up and dance if you would like.
For tickets to this once in a life time performance go to www.BlueStoneIvory.com. Follow the link to the information page and call now to guarantee your seat and meal. The food should be outstanding and Gary Burbank will more than likely bring at least one or two of his personalities like Howlin Blind, Muddy Slim, You sixty minute, jelly belly toe jam man. Or he may have Gilbert Gnarley with him...who knows? You need to be there to find out.
For our complete schedule & directions to our gigs, or to listen to samplings of BlueStone Ivory or to view our hundreds of photos from past gigs go to www.BlueStoneIvory.com.
If you are interested in booking BlueStone Ivory for a party, dance or wedding call Gary Rossignol. Phone 513-777-2402 or toll free 800-670-2402. email:Gary@BlueStoneIvory.com.
April 06, 2009
Weather Alert!...Baby it's cold outside.
We really regret having to pass on playing at the opening day festivities Tomorrow.
BSI was scheduled to start playing at 11:30 AM Monday morning for all the Cincinnati Reds fans going to the game and then keep them dancing right after the game for a few hours at the In-Between Tavern in the parking lot outside. We apologize to our fans that were looking forward to stopping by and visiting with us. We just don't do well in extremely cold weather. 39o is just above freezing and our musical instruments just do not weather well in this temperature. The owners at the In-Between Tavern havesecured other entertainment for the festivities.
Let's hope the cold weather does'nt hinder our Reds from posting a big "W" Against the New York Mets tomorrow. GO REDS...Let's start the 2009 season with a win.
For our complete schedule & directions to our gigs, or to listen to samplings of BlueStone Ivory or to view our hundreds of photos from past gigs go to www.BlueStoneIvory.com. If you are interested in booking BlueStone Ivory for a party, dance or wedding call Gary Rossignol. Phone 513-777-2402 or toll free 800-670-2402. email:Gary@BlueStoneIvory.com.
March 31, 2009
Take Me Out To the Ball Game...
We are really getting excited. It is 7 days to Opening day at the Great American Ball Park where the Cincinnati Reds will take on the New York Mets. If you are going to the game you will be entertained by BlueStone Ivory. We will be set up in the parking lot of the In-Between Tavern just across the street and facing the ball park.
The music starts at 11:30 a.m. and we will play our Rock-N-Soul, Rhythm-N-Roll till 1:00 p.m. and then again right after the game from about 4:30 p.m. till 6:30 p.m. Please stop by after the game and lets show downtown Cincinnati how our fans can dance to the music. If you don't go to the game come on down and spend the afternoon with us. We will be there throughout the game watching it on the many TV's in the In-Between Tavern.
This weekend we are at Jim & Jack's at 3456 River Rd on the West side of Cincinnati. We will be playing your favorite dance music from 9:00 p.m. till 1:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday. The food is great so come early and have dinner before doing all the dancing you will be compelled to do when we get started. We suggest calling ahead and making reservations. Call 513-251-7977.
Two weeks ago at Jim & Jack's we had a lot of excitement. We celebrated several birthdays and had a special guest stop in to share the stage with us.
Besides celebrating Keith (our drummers) birthday (March 13) his wife Jules came up on stage and performed two songs with the band. She sang "Saturday In The Park" and "More Today Than Yesterday". They look really great together in this picture. It's like watching Captain & Tennille or The Carpenters performing on stage together. I have to tell ya though...don't get any ideas. She didn't just decide to sing with us and jump up on the stage. Jules is a professional vocalist and musician (pianist). She teaches music and voice plus performs a solo act all around Cincinnati for our elders in retirement homes. She keeps a very busy schedule. In fact it was hard to find time for her to come to one of our rehearsals and prepare for this exclusive performance with us. But she did and it was great. Super job Jules! Besides Keith's birthday on Friday night one of our dear friends had her 60th birthday party at Jim & Jack's. Carol B said she wouldn't have her birthday party anywhere else except where her favorite band and good friends BlueStone Ivory was playing. In fact she waited two weeks to have this party because we were not playing anywhere. She was very happy it was at Jim & Jack's. That's her favorite place to go and listen and dance to BSI. There were several parties at J&J's that night. So if you want to throw a great party, plan to have it at Jim & Jack's they will take very good care of you and your friends. Call and talk to Ennie Jim at 513-251-7977. Saturday the guys really surprised me with a very funny card filled with wonderful, heart warming and humorous inscriptions from all my BSI brothers. It was my (Gary's) birthday on March 25th. Being the bands birthday party planner amongst many other things the thought didn't even occur to me being three days from my actual birthday. This just shows you how close we are to each other. They didn't forget and that is really cool. Thanks guys. For our complete schedule & directions to our gigs, or to listen to samplings of BlueStone Ivory or to view our hundreds of photos from past gigs go to www.BlueStoneIvory.com. If you are interested in booking BlueStone Ivory for a party, dance or wedding call Gary Rossignol. Phone 513-777-2402 or toll free 800-670-2402. email:Gary@BlueStoneIvory.com.
March 17, 2009
Wearing of the Green...we will celebrate this weekend!
Posing in this photo are a few of our regular leprechauns. This was taken at Snookers around St Patty's Day in 2007.
Snookers isn't there anymore but we are and so are many of our fans. We plan on celebrating St Patty's Day this Friday night at Jim & Jack's down on River Rd.
So come on out Friday and/or Saturday night to help us celebrate this fun holiday. You will love our brand new songs we have learned for you amongst several other surprises.
We are happy to announce a brand new gig for BSI. We will be playing outside at the In-Between Tavern at the corner of 3rd Street and Sycamore right across the street from the Great American Ball Park on opening day. We are there to entertain everyone on the way to the Cincinnati Reds first official ball game in 2009. We will also be staying there to continue the party right after the game. So come on downtown to the ball park on April 6th and stop in and party with BSI before and after the game.
For our complete schedule & directions to our gigs, or to listen to samplings of BlueStone Ivory or to view our hundreds of photos from past gigs go to www.BlueStoneIvory.com.
If you are interested in booking BlueStone Ivory for a party, dance or wedding call Gary Rossignol. Phone 513-777-2402 or toll free 800-670-2402. email:Gary@BlueStoneIvory.com.
March 10, 2009
With Special guest...?
Sometimes we never know who is going to stop by and sit in with the band. It must be someone we either know or someone that can really perform. Not just anyone can jump on stage and play with us.
So far this year we have had our dear friend and past bass player Bob Wilson stop in at Jim & Jack's and was gracious enough to pleasure us with his golden voice.
We had Queenie (Bob Myers pet name for Charlotte) sing with us twice this year already. She has a dynamite voice. We had Bobby Myers himself, sit in on drums last month at Carlo & Johnny.
Jim from Northern Ky sang Mustang Sally with us on his 60th birthday...It's his party and he can sing if he wants to, Sing if he wants to, Sing if he wants to! Great job Jim.
We have had Lee's nephew Brad sit in several times in the years past. He plays sax and added some bottom on Bari sax a couple of times and lately he brought his soprano sax on stage with us.
We can't forget our very own Lighting guy Mark. He wants to play drums so much that we let him up there every once in awhile. The same with Andrew Kastrup our sound engineer Dave's son. He is studying drums in High School band and with private lessons, so we have let him play with us a couple of times also.
It's all about giving them a chance. Especially the younger folks just starting out needing a chance to see what it is like on stage. So if you can carry a beat or a tune and would like to sit in sometime...by all means say something. If you pass the Ted and Jim test you may be able to have your dream come true.
We will have a another guest take the stage with us in the very near future. You have to come out to hear us to find out who. I'm sure you will all be surprised when you see who they are and what they can do.
Our next gig will be at Jim & Jack's on March 20 & 21. We will be somewhat rested after 3 weeks off. Although we have put in quite a bit or rehearsal time in the past week. We hope you enjoy the new songs we will be presenting to you soon.
Gary has been busy booking some very special gigs coming up soon. We will be playing at a club called Bar Seventy-Oneon April 11. It is a great restaurant and club located off Fields Ertle Rd near Mason Ohio. It is owned by the owner of Back Porch Saloon.
We will be holding our annual cabin fever reliever at the Sharonville VFW hall on Sharon Rd April 24th. We will have JD Hughes with us for non stop music from 8:00 till Midnight.
Gary has been negotiating for BlueStone Ivory to play before and after the Opening Day Cincinnati Reds ballgame on April 6th in the parking lot of the In-Between Tavern at 3rd & Sycamore downtown right across from the Great American Ball Park. We will provide party music right before the game from 11:30 am till 1:00. First pitch is at 1:05. We will then continue the party directly after the game from 4:30 pm till 6:30 pm. So you can plan on going to the Opening day game, see our Cincinnati Reds and BlueStone Ivory...all in one day. How cool is that.
Last bit of information. BlueStone Ivory will be Guests of the West Chester Symphony Orchestra on April 18th for the WCSO's annual fundraiser to be held at the Marriott Cincinnati North on Union Center Blvd. The fundraiser will be have radio legend Gary Burbank and many of his character's as MC. BSI will perform several specially chosen songs with the Symphony. That's right BSI with strings. How cool will that be. You'll have to come to find out.
For details about all these gigs. Go to the BSI web site www.BlueStoneIvory.com.
For our complete schedule & directions to our gigs, or to listen to samplings of BlueStone Ivory or to view our hundreds of photos from past gigs go to www.BlueStoneIvory.com. If you are interested in booking BlueStone Ivory for a party, dance or wedding call Gary Rossignol. Phone 513-777-2402 or toll free 800-670-2402. email:Gary@BlueStoneIvory.com.
March 02, 2009
Happy Anniversary Ted & JoLynne
Ted and Jo were off somewhere celebrating their 21st wedding anniversary. That is why we didn't see BlueStone Ivory play anywhere this weekend. Well, that was one of the reasons. The other is...we just need some time off!
Back to Ted and Jo. WOW 21 years! Actually, they got married on Feb 29th in 1988. That's right leap year. Therefore they have really only had the opportunity to celebrate their real anniversary 5 time so far, last year being most recent. Ted says they were told it was good luck to get married on February 29 (Leap year) so that's what they did. I don't think luck has much to do with staying together this long. I think true love has much more to do with this type of longevity than luck.
Most every time we play "One In A Million" Ted always dedicates this to Jo. If she is anywhere in the building she will always come up on stage right behind Ted in a sweet loving embrace throughout the entire song. You can tell Ted feeds off her warm caring hug. When Jo is right behind him in this song he always sings it specially nice.
This photo was taken during that song, dedicated to Jo on New Years Eve this past year. Mary Jo was on the ball and caught the extra special loving hand clasp between the two of them. That is really sweet!
What is this?...Now she's diggin for whatever money she can find in his pocket I guess. It looks like the love is gone from the look on Teds face. If you want a closer look just click on the photos...you can zoom in and catch the action.
My question is...Did Jo get anything from the obvious pocket picking she is doing? That is for her to know and for us to find out, I guess.
When I asked Ted what was the biggest event that has happened in their lives during the past 21 years of marriage he said that was an easy question. It was waiting at the hospital and then seeing their grand daughter, Ava Rose, for the first time.
Ted said "She's our only grandchild, so far, and is our pride and joy".
Other memorable events for Ted and Jo are two vacations that they've taken in the past few years. The first was a trip down to Ft. Myers, Florida with their Chihuahua's in 2006. They drove down and back which made for a memorable experience to say the least. They stayed at a hotel that allowed pets and the weather was great the whole time they were down there.
The other was their vacation cruise in November of 2007.
Ted says "Being our first Cruise made it very special to us, but also having a few BSI members there along with some friends & family made it our best vacation so far".
The photo to the right is Ted & Jo standing on the deck of the Cruise ship Carnival Imagination.
Another very big part of their lives are their four 4 legged kids.
My I introduce you to the Donohoue Chihuahua's, Baby Ruth, Josey, Thea and Gizmo.
Ted says "They keep us busy around the house, but it's worth every minute of it! Anyone who has a dog knows how much love, affection and companionship you get from them. Well, multiply that times four for us."
There you have the story about Ted and Jo. Here are a few more facts about Ted and Jo. Since that first cruise they went on, they enjoyed it so much they have been taken under the guidance and leadership of Chris Kastrup, BSI's resident cruise director, and started their own part time cruise brokerage business. So, if anyone is interested in taking a cruise anywhere in the world just see Ted on our breaks. Or you can email him at Ted@BlueStoneIvory.com. They will be happy to set you sailing with the finest accommodations available.
Some of you probably wonder when Ted started playing the guitar. Well, I found this photo of Ted back in 1967 when we played in a four piece combo called Rene's Orchestra. That is one of Ted's first guitars. A Gibson cherry sunburst electric hollow body. We had fun back in those days playing the old standards for the K of C dances, wedding receptions and other various adult dancing events.
A couple of other interesting facts about Ted. He is quite a golfer. He has been playing since high school on Moellers golf team. That has been his number 1 sport and bowling his second favorite sport. In fact Ted bowled his third lifetime perfect game last Sunday night. That's right his score was 300. That is as good as it gets...all strikes. In fact his series that night was 820 something. Well Ted and Jo, We wish you well this weekend. We also pray that you both live together long enough to see great grand children. I'm sure everyone that reads this will also hope you keep on playing guitar and singing in BlueStone Ivory for a long time to come. BlueStone Ivory will be off a couple more weeks. Our next gig will be at Jim & Jack's on March 20 & 21. Until then we are learning some new songs and preparing for the West Chester Symphony Orchestra fund raiser on April 18 at the Marriott Cincinnati North off Union Central Blvd in West Chester. We will be performing with the Symphony. This is a new and very exciting endeavor for us. To play with a full orchestra behind is will be very special. Another highlight of that evening is MC'ing the whole event will be our friend, the legendary radio personality Gary Burbank. This event is open to the public. Gary our sax player and business manager has played with the WCSO for eight years. It is a not for profit all volunteer community organization with the simple goal of spreading the joy of orchestral music to children and adults alike throughout Butler County year round. This fundraiser is the major event that helps the WCSO stay afloat financially. We hope to see many of you at the Marriott on Saturday night April 18. For Ticket information you can call Gary at 777-2402 or email him at Gary@BlueStoneIvory.com. We will post more information about this fun event in the next couple of weeks. For our complete schedule & directions to our gigs, or to listen to samplings of BlueStone Ivory or to view our hundreds of photos from past gigs go to www.BlueStoneIvory.com. If you are interested in booking BlueStone Ivory for a party, dance or wedding call Gary Rossignol. Phone 513-777-2402 or toll free 800-670-2402. email:Gary@BlueStoneIvory.com.
February 17, 2009
You liked it, we liked it, we are going back
BlueStone Ivory was a hit at Carlo & Johnny on January 31st. So well in fact that we will be returning five maybe six more times in 2009. We need to thank all of you who came out in support that night. BSI had fun and we know you did too.
Valentines Dance last Saturday was a huge success. 219 people came to our first ever dance at Shimmers Ballroom with JD Hughes. This is telling us we need to do this a few times each year, therefor we are planning a Halloween dance at Shimmers.
Saturday we had Charlotte on stage with us again to sing a duet with Rick..."Unchain My Heart". What a dynamic duo. The next photo is JD Hughes playing tunes on our breaks and handing out door prizes. We had several that won everything from portable DVD players, BSI Tee shirts and CD's and gift certificates to Shimmers Tavern. Everyone left happy Saturday night.
We need to thank Tracy Hughes,Amy Schmidt and Carol Beeson for welcoming the guests and collecting money at the door. A real special thank you goes to Mary Jo Rossignol who single handed prepared the door prize tickets and box, provided the table decorations, organized the guest check-in system, worked the door and took all the photos. A project like this is a real team effort. Thanks to everyone who participated.
We also celebrated two very special birthdays!
Dave (Mongo) the best sound engineer in the world had his birthday on Wednesday Feb 11 and Doug (The Dominator) was Monday Feb 16. We celebrated them both Saturday with the traditional BSI birthday cake.
This weekend BlueStone Ivory will be at Jim & Jack's. This is one of our favorite places to play. It is a FUN club where the food is great, the service is superb and the music is:
For our complete schedule & directions to our gigs, or to listen to samplings of BlueStone Ivory or to view our hundreds of photos from past gigs go to www.BlueStoneIvory.com. If you are interested in booking BlueStone Ivory for a party, dance or wedding call Gary Rossignol. Phone 513-777-2402 or toll free 800-670-2402. email:Gary@BlueStoneIvory.com.ROCK-N-SOUL, RHYTHM-N-ROLL
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