Monkeys and Crickets

The Happy Lucky Combo had a great time at O'Toole's last week celebrating with Beth Standford and friends.  Happy Birthday Beth. As you can see Monkey had a great time. The "Chess Guys" were out in force and shared with everyone the sour cream and onion flavored crickets they won from "The Cart of Good Fortune". 

The highlight of the evening was when Roger Carroll (photo right) sat in with The Happy Lucky Combo and played a tango, a ballad, and a blues. Although, this may have been surpassed by the chorus line at the end of the show. Truly a  Southside Revue. 

See y'all this Wednesday.  Emily Avesian (photo right) is going to bring her baritone sax!

WARNING: Next week Richard Grossman will be having his NCAA pool party at O'Toole's beginning at 6:30 PM. 

Don't forget Happy Lucky Mother's Day at Forrest Hill Park, May 10, from 6:00 until 8:00 PM.

Spacious and Luxurious Party Room

photo Bill Eldridge

The Happy Lucky Combo will be @ O'Toole's this Wed., April 15. Happy Tax Day! 

We now play in the new "Party Room" where there is plenty of space to dance. 

Beth Stanford will be celebrating her Birthday with us this week.

Richard Grossman is planning his annual NCAA basketball pool party on April 29. 

 The prize cart will be stocked with cool prizes. Last week we gave away two brand new Easter outfits, and squid. 

There was a complaint about people not getting enough ants in their chocolate covered ants, so I  bought a bunch of crickets; barbeque, sour cream and onion, etc.

O'Toole's is a great place to have a party. Especially on Wednesday, you get a free band! On Wednesdays we've had birthday parties, wedding parties and class reunions (grade school). 

And don't forget, Wednesday is liver night @ O'Toole's.

Lucky Buddha

Do they call them albums anymore? In any case The Happy Lucky Combo is making a series of 4 song recordings. Jennifer Watson is creating collages for each. The first is Lucky Buddha (left), soon to come Carnival of Sound, Blue Orpheus, Big Town, Curious Cabaret and Zamba! 

O'Tooles has expanded! This Wednesday The Happy Lucky Combo will  be playing in the newly renovated annex. There's plenty of room to dance. Carter Blough will be performing with us and, if we're lucky, Emily Avesian.

There's a nice picture of The Happy Lucky Combo in Richmond Magazine this issue. Isaac Harrell took the photo last summer while we were playing on Broad St.

The Happy Lucky Combo just booked a Mother's Day gig. May 10 @ Forest Hill Park from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. So come and join us in a Happy Lucky Mother's Day. Bring a blanket and a picnic basket.

Fun with Carl

We had a wonderful time performing with "Virginia Arts and Letters Live". Everyone was a joy to work with, from the stage crew, to the readers, to the organizers.  Thank you to everyone who came out to see the show. It was especially gratifying to see all you Southsiders on the wrong side of the river.

For more pictures click to visit, VALL Flickr group, and The Happy Lucky Combo Facebook group.

We also got to make a lot of noise and generally disturb the peace in The Public Library with The Symphony's "Music Free for All".  Thank you David O'Bryan for the photo on the right.

And AS ALWAYS The Happy Lucky Combo will be at O'Tooles this Wednesday evening.

Our friend Foust is reading as part of "Buildings and Death", Thursday, April 2,  7 PM @ Chop Suey Tuey. 

Virginia Arts and Letters Live

The Happy Lucky Combo will perform at The Empire Theatre this Saturday evening, March 28, @ 8 PM, for "Virginia Arts and Letters Live". (click for details)

Carl Kasel will be the guest host. 

We've met and worked with the actors and they're great! 

We will accompany, sparingly, the four stories, read by Carl and five actors. In between stories we will play our music.

The performance will be aired on WCVE in the fall.

We especially want fellow Southsiders out in force for this show!

Speaking of Southside we're back at O'Tooles this Wednesday evening and expecting visits from Jonathan Greenberg and Emily Evesian. (photos right) Emily is bringing her big baritone saxaphone.

Happy Birthday Nora!!!

The Happy Lucky Combo played for Nara Pozzi's birthday party at The Carver Healing Arts Gallery on Saturday night. 

The room was filled with Nora's beautiful artwork and  dancing friends. 

Nora's show "Mandalas and the Art of Self Inquiry and Tapestries" will be on display through mid-April.

Day of Recovery

The Happy Lucky Combo will not be performing at O'Tooles this Wednesday, March 18, as it's the day after St. Patricks Day... a day of recovery.

We return next week with guests and some new tunes!

Meanwhile we prepare for the big show at The Empire on March 28.

CLICK HERE for this weeks video. These musicians are outstanding in their field.

Has spring sprung???

The Happy Lucky Combo continues to play @ O'Toole's on Wednesday evenings. Last week we had guest musicians Carter Blough, Jonathan Greenberg and Emily Avesian. How lucky was that!?...and happy!

This week we're expecting visits from Jonathan Greenberg and John Winn.

BUSKING ON BROAD ST.

photo Charles Sugg

As the weather warms The Happy Lucky Combo thinks again about busking on the street. 

We are  preparing for the big show @ The Empire with Irene Ziegler, Carl Kassel and a cast of stars. And to think it was only last summer we were busking in front of The Empire.

That event is called Virginia Arts and Letters Live and is on March 28 at 8:00 PM.

Reminder: we do not play at O'Toole's next week, March 18, to make room for St Patricks Day activities. 

Neither Snow nor Rain...

...nor gloom, shall keep the Happy Lucky Combo from playing @ O'Tooles this Wednesday evening, March 4. We will be joined by guest bass player Carter Blough.

Carter Blough above

We will also be joined by trumpeter Jonathan Greenberg (photo right) later in the evening.

And we may have a visit from reed player Emily Avesian (photo right).

The Happy Lucky Combo plays every Wednesday @ O'Toole's from 8:00 until 10:30 PM.

We will not be playing Wednesday, March 18, to make room for their annual St. Patrick's Day activities. 

BIG FAT WEDNESDAY

Come celebrate BIG FAT WEDNESDAY, February 25, @ O'Tooles with The Happy Lucky Combo. Special guests this week include Jarene Fleming (photo left) and trumpeter Jonathan Greenberg (photo right).

Miles Barnett (photo lower right) did a great job performing with us at The Richmond Symphonys' Music Marathon. We were like a vaudville act squeezed in between classical solos, quartets and trios. We played a polka.  Miles, you're fearless.

Meanwhile we ready ourselves for Virginia Arts and Letters Live.

Please check out the link of the week. I'm particularly fond of this one.

Thank you Margaret Woody for photos of Jarene and Miles.

Silence

Pippin's father, H. Dewitt Barnett, died Monday night. 

Dewitt spent a lifetime working for peace and justice through The American Friends Service Committee. His death was not unexpected and the immediate family were all present.

For Dewitts' obituary Click Here.

The Happy Lucky Combo will not perform at O'Tooles this Wednesday evening.

Special Guests, Special Prizes

We  have two  special guests performing with us this Wed. @ O'Toole's. Miles Barnett will play his violin and Jarene Fleming will sing.Our Fortune Cart is flush with  special prizes.

above @ Gallery 5.

Photo by Ron Mitchell

We've been working hard on The Virginia Arts and Letters Live show. Monday we started working with the actor/readers. They're great!

We play at Nordstroms on Valentines Day with Miles Barnett. One song @ 1 PM. There will be lot's of other musicians and goings on. It's a fund raiser for the Symphony and it's called "The Music Marathon".