Davis Odd Fellows Nov. 1st British Invasion Concert To Benefit KDRT Fall Fundraiser

Since 2009, the Davis Odd Fellows have hosted Thursday Live! - a free concert series held on the first Thursday of the month.  KDRT's Jim Buchanan regularly records these performances, which are later aired on his weekly KDRT show - Live Tracks.  The Nov. 1st show is the 85th concert, and will pay tribute to the iconic bands from the British Invasion, including The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, The Beatles, The Spencer Davis Group, Herman's Hermits, Manfred Mann and Lulu, to name a few. Over the years, the Davis Odd Fellows and KDRT have partnered on several community-wide benefit concerts to raise relief funds such as Hope for Haiti, Habitat for Humanity International, Neighbors for Nepal, and their annual December Holiday Show that often helps send kids to summer camp.  We are thrilled that the upcoming British Invasion concert's proceeds will go directly to KDRT's Fall Fundraiser, to help us continue to grow our Deep Roots.  It promises to be a memorable night of music, bringing the Davis Odd Star Players back together to interpret early rock's most iconic British Invasion songs.  Previous popular Davis Odd Star shows include tributes to The Beatles, Dylan, and last year's Summer Of Love. Band members include Kurt Roggli, Rene Martucci, Aubrey Jones, Richard Urbino, and Don Johnson.  As always, doors at 7pm, and music starts at 7:30pm at the Odd Fellows Hall,  415 Second Street.  For more information about all this week's special events, link to www.kdrt.org

Over the past 9 years, the Thursday Live! concert series has developed quite a regular following for both community members and musicians, and has a reputation for being a welcoming space with excellent sound quality. A wide variety of musical genres are represented, ranging from jazz, blues, rock to big band, world beat and reggae, bluegrass, folk and Americana roots.  Typically including local and Bay-Area musicians, our region has a deep and broad talent pool. For several benefit concerts, longtime Davis and Bay-Area favorites such as Barry “The Fish” Melton, Bill Scholer, Gary Lee Yoder, the Rowan Brothers and Mumbo Gumbo have played to standing room only crowds, that have helped the Odd Fellows raise funds for a variety of causes, including KDRT.  Local and regional bands including Joe Craven, Rita Hosking Trio, Misner and Smith, Meredith Axelrod, Richie Lawrence and The Yolos, Bonanza King, The West Nile Ramblers, The Nickel Slots, Bottom Dwellers, Yolo Mambo, Me and Him, Biscuits and Honey, Clarence Van Hook, Calvin Handy and the Jazz Patrol have played multiple times and find it to be a great venue for staying connected to a hometown crowd.  From a 2017 Davis Enterprise article celebrating the 75th show for Thursday Live! the following was excerpted:

“We’ve loved playing Thursday Live shows since our first one a few years ago,” said Sam Misner of the vocal duo Misner & Smith. “It’s a special feeling playing for such a great community that has always lifted us up with their support and belief in what we do. It’s events like these that bring people together around live music, and help to make a community what it is. We’re incredibly proud to be part of this one.”

Musician Joe Craven agrees. “Thursday Live!, has been a supportive venue for my music projects while providing an alternative model for hearing live entertainment in Davis,” Craven said. “Like the aesthetic of house-concert hosting, their ‘pay what you can donation’ for patrons to enjoy showcases of both local and internationally known artists, is wonderful. I’m grateful for their commitment and hard work to this kind of artful community building.”

Juelie Roggli, chair of the Davis Odd Fellows Music and Concerts Committee added, “We have created a beautiful community vibe in our little town and we should take great pride in what we have all accomplished together. Once a month we assemble to appreciate art and each other, and perhaps raise money for local groups and those less fortunate. At the end of each show we are all renewed. That is really needed these days.”

KDRT’s Jim Buchanan has recorded and mixed over 75 of these performances, plays them regularly on his KDRT show Live Tracks, and has also loaded many hours-worth of this unique local programming into the multiple genre playlists that air overnight from midnight to 7AM on KDRT. So, tune in to 95.7 FM, stream at kdrt.org or stop by the Davis Odd Fellows Hall and catch a live show on a first Thursday, and be sure to say “Hi” to the KDRT volunteers at the hospitality table.