Last of the Summer Wine band specializes in group singalongs of popular songs, and has been likened to 'group karaoke with live music'. The inspiration for their singalong style comes from 'Irish Pub style singing', where everyone in the pub sings together while the band plays just the backing rhythm and melody, and without a singer at a microphone. The audience are the singers, and the stars of the show!
To make it fun and easy for everyone to participate, this band:
~ plays mainly top-ten hits and well-known songs
~ provides scrolled lyrics on a large screen
~ plays 'singalong-friendly' musical arrangements*
Each singalong is usually based on one or more themes such as 1960's hits, 1970's hits, 1980's hits, Beatles, Christmas, Folk, Irish, etc.
Grif and Jerry play guitar and Dave plays keyboard, providing the live melody and rhythm backing. Margie keeps us all on cue scrolling the lyrics projected onto a large screen, so the audience can read the lyrics and sing from where they're seated (or dancing). This is designed for group singalongs, so everyone can join in. You are the singers!
The band can be heard at public and private venues and events around Portland, Oregon, USA including the Dublin Pub.
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PUBLIC EVENTS
Dec 20, 2016, 8pm, Christmas Singalong Speakeasy Bar, 15700 SW U. Boones Ferry Rd., Lake Oswego, OR.
Mar 14, 2017, 8pm, St. Patrick's Day Irish Singalong Speakeasy Bar, 15700 SW U. Boones Ferry Rd., Lake Oswego, OR.
July 4, 2017, 7pm, Singalong & Blues Street Concert
Hiteon Meadows HOA, Beaverton, OR.
Dave: hails from Bristol, England, learned piano from age 7, played with amateur pop bands as a teenager and studied music theory at school. He then pursued a career in research chemistry, marketing and management, but always found time to play piano or keyboards for family, friends, and company singalongs.
Grif: born and bred in Southend, England, started as a professional musician & guitarist in his teens, and spent many years touring as a sound technician with bands such as Electric Light Orchestra, Blue Oyster Cult, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, etc. Now he's a software engineer by day and musician and composer by night. Grif also runs an 'Events sound system for hire' company.
Jerry: a New Jersey native, began playing guitar in high school and co-founded the "Camel Hair Crayon", a sixties band which played local venues throughout his college years. During a four-year stint in the Navy and a 37-year career in fire protection, a guitar was always close by.
Margie: originally from New Jersey, took piano lessons as a child before starting her own family and pursuing a career in teaching.