Wrapping Up 2009

The Buds are relaxing after a fun and slightly hectic late-December weekend of music:

First, on Boxing Day, Saturday December 26, an evening outdoor party during some -- shall we say -- impressive downpours. The event was almost called off due to the random ragings of a fierce rainstorm.

Fortunately the venue -- the lovely backyard of an amazing Victorian in San Francisco's Inner Sunset -- had been well tarped in advance, so the fete was on, and we all remained relatively dry.

A banner on the wall outside read

The Buds!

Plus Warm Covered Seating!

That oddly named other act never showed up, but The Buds were a big hit with the locals. :-)

Thanks to Barbara & Paul for putting it on, the friends and neighbors who helped out, and to all you hardy souls who braved the weather and ventured into the night for a fine neighborhood fiesta.

Next morning was the Divisadero Farmers Market on Sunday December 27-- our final market appearance of the year, no really, we mean it this time! This relatively new urban market features excellent produce and prepared foods, and already has a loyal local following. While they shopped for healthy eats and drinks, folks were diggin' The Buds, and we made several new friends.

Special thanks to our friend and fan, Vera, for coming out to spend some time with us, and to our generous neighboring vendors for the free almonds and ravioli. Yum!

The Buds look forward to more gigs in 2010. First up is a club gig at the Meridian in Berkeley on Thursday January 14. More details as the time draws nigh.

Happy New Year, Y'all

Elisa, aka EBud

Feeding families with The Buds!

It was a cold December morn as the merchants all set up for what would be another magical kind of day yesterday at the Inner Sunset Farmers' Market in San Francisco.

As we thawed with early morning java and hot cocoa, and got the music rolling, the cloud cover began to look a bit less ominous, and the crowds of local folks became a steady stream that would last throughout.

Jimmy's set list for the day made for a fine blend of our original music and favorite covers. An hour or so into it we received a special request from a fan who'd seen us here before asking for "that Joni Mitchell song you do so well". Though we'd already played Big Yellow Taxi very near the start, no one seemed to mind hearing it again.

About half-way through the day our good bud Jeff Belbey showed up, sitting-in with us on mandolin for the remainder of the event. Shortly after he arrived, we had a visit from Tony's video crew, capturing a bit more of the music, while they're batteries lasted. We drew a good-sized crowd of people, several of whom stayed around to listen for a good long time.

People were generous with their tips and donations to the Food Bank drive. Just because we're past Thanksgiving doesn't mean all the needs are met. Even beyond the Christmas (and others') holiday, more people are in need of assistance than this nation has experienced in generations. Thanks to everyone who contributed this day. We're making another donation, this time to the SF Food Bank, from net proceeds. To find a food bank in your area, go to: Bay Area Food Banks - Find Your Food Bank

Thanks for all your support of this effort, and The Buds!

Happy Holidays

Bbud

Bryan