SONGWRITERS SEASON #8 ENDS BEAUTIFULLY!

A beautiful ending to Season #8, and the beginning of, I hope, a new tradition in our songwriting series! Watkins and the Rapiers (Kerry Regan, guitar, bass, vocals; Scott Regan, guitar, vocals; Steve Piper, lead guitar, vocals; Tom Whitmore, guitar, mandolin, bass, vocals; Rick McRae, keyboard, trombone, vocals; Pete Hasler, Clarinet, trombone, keyboard, vocals; and Marty York, drums) presented to a very appreciative audience a refreshing bank of original Christmas songs, many of which easily could become timeless, unforgettable standards. Covering a broad scope of themes and using just about every available literary technique, these guys made our faces smile, our eyes glisten with tears, and our stomachs ache from laughing. These incredible holiday songs were only enhanced by excellent musicianship, terrific harmonies, and exquisite arrangements. These guys, once again, came to the game well-prepared and delivered. They played a lot of the crowd’s favorites, but, as always, they kept the show fresh with some outstanding new material, making them poster boys for this venue. They have a catalog of eighty-eight terrific, original Christmas songs, and I expect by next year that number will increase by six. So, you guessed it! Since our series ends in December, the group, if they want, will be our closer for many years to come. To our community in Canandaigua and its surrounding towns, if you missed this show, stay tuned for next year’s Watkins’s Christmas show! We want you to become part of this tradition!
Big thanks to Kerry, Scott, Steve, Tom, Rick, Pete, and Marty for a terrific show! Big thanks to Raf, Erin, Trevor, Jasmine, Julie, Chris, Mel, and the rest of the staff at Rio for all the help you give us to make this event work! Big thanks to Scott Regan for promoting these shows on WRUR’s “Open Tunings!” Big thanks to Arlene Copeland for supplying the candy canes for this special Christmas show!! Big thanks to you, the audience, for your continuous support of this venue! Without you, it would not be possible! Our next show in Quiote is on Jan. 5. Warren Paul, another of the area’s fine singer/songwriters, will be our guest for the opening of Season #9 in this series. There will be music for the brunch at Rio from Noon until Warren takes the stage at 3 PM. Stay tuned for more details about this show and “Sunday Music at Rio!” Hope you all have a Healthy and Happy Holiday Season!!