Hello folks, this is Bob Antone and I wanted to take some time to reflect on our unique history. In October of 2014, I performed solo at Sigillo Cellars in Snoqualmie. The owner Mike was impressed and offered a once-a-month residency. From then on, once a month (every fourth Sat) I performed in that historic space located at 8086 Railroad Ave in Snoqualmie. From my very first solo performance in 2014, our music and storytelling themes were always the same...As a band leader I would prepare new material each month including historical songs, new originals and poetry from our local community. The understanding was that we performed cultural and historical music, new and old, that represented our Pacific Northwest, logging and railroad heritage...and connected listeners to their ancestors. In ten years, we packed the house each and every month. People reserved tables, families ate, danced, laughed and celebrated together. Every month I would write new songs or prepare charts and music for traditional tunes. Sometimes I'd dig around a local archive and find recordings in a museum. Occasionally I discovered traditional northwest songs that hadn't been performed since the 1920s or even older!
Every month (and gigs in between) my wife Laura was there to help load and unload equipment, set up the mics, mixer and PA, and tend to details. She never missed a show! She always chipped in to help. She never asked to be paid. We were always first to arrive and the last to leave. Laura managed the band, made sure everyone was paid and communicated with venues, as she still does today. She is a major reason why this group still exists.
Along the way I invited other musicians to perform. The first to be added was Ryan Donnelly on upright bass. He was attending Central in Ellensburg at the time. When Ryan couldn't make it, he arranged for substitute players. That way, we ended up with five bass players on rotation! Wow! Ryan is still an active member and a close friend too.
Our once-a-month gig was always about local history and connection, and I made sure of it. Sometimes it took me an entire month to prepare for fourth Sat performances at Sigillo.
Tinkham Road was an opportunity for players to sharpen their soloing skills.
Some came and went quickly, while others hung on for a good number of years.
We tried various instrument combinations including saxophone, melodica, flute, accordion, banjo, violin, cello, ukulele, musical saw and a variety of drummers.
Some of the players used the experience as a launching pad for their solo career, moving out of state for a year, back to Washington, then out of state again.
Sometimes, visiting soloists played over everyone, trampling on other's ability to be heard. Yikes! Lessons learned. It didn't help that the acoustics in Sigillo Cellars are very live and the echo of the room, especially when people talk loudly, will often drown out the music completely.
People came and went. A certain musician I remember would often stand with the band for three hours but only perform for five songs during the evening. Smiles the whole time, at least this player was having a good time.
The irony is, we ran circles setting up this person's sound and then they would only play quietly or not at all during the three hours.
Fun and unique personalities came and went. Some were dedicated and helped load equipment after a long sweaty night of high energy performance. Others took their cash tips and left immediately. Oh well...
Hey, this group was about learning music on multiple levels...teamwork, reciprocation, honing musical skill, respect, crafting a sound, artistic expression, and honoring tradition.
As you can guess the dedicated ones still perform with Tinkham Road. Those who acknowledged Laura's contributions and showed her respect are...you guessed it...the same people who are still around and the same people who cared to help set up and take down equipment and chip in whenever they could.
Twelve years later and we no longer perform at 8086 Railroad Ave. While the room is historical and food and wine are outstanding, the acoustics and difficulty hearing ourselves (and the audience couldn't hear us) during a live performance really put a damper on the music there.
Since then we've learned and grown and moved on to many other wonderful things.
Through the good, bad and ugly...no matter what, this group has continued on! I thank everyone who has contributed and look forward to many more performances!!!
Speaking of which, if you are interested in our show Calander, feel free to visit my website “shows” section which includes my solo and Tinkham Road upcoming performances! See you in the trees!