Join us at Davis Odd Fellows Lodge on Saturday evening, July 11 for an important and really wonderful benefit for Nepali earthquake relief. We are raising money to support a village that was particularly badly hit. UC Davis students who’ve been helping with medical relief efforts in Nepal will be in attendance to describe what they have been doing, perform dances, and showcase costumes and native wares. Join us for dinner, dancing, and listening to 4 wonderful bands — with Barry “the Fish” Melton headlining. Your $40 donation goes straight to the village of Bhotang, Nepal.
Tickets are available at Avid Reader in downtown Davis, Common Grounds in South Davis, and online at http://www.showclix.com/event/NeighborsforNepal
Dinner is provided by a number of local Nepali restaurants. You will be offered dishes like chicken tika masala, Tandoori chicken, cauliflower and potatoes, pakora and naan. Members of the Nepali Students and Scholars Association at UC Davis will prepare momos (dumplings).
Dinner will be served in the lower hall between 5 pm and 8 pm with open seating.
Upstairs, we will offer a smorgasbord of music starting at 6 pm. The bands will be driven by Odd Fellows. The headliner is the Barry “The Fish” Melton Band who will play at 9 pm. Barry is a Davis Odd Fellow and co-founded Country Joe and the Fish. His band includes a talented cast of musicians including Peter Albin on bass, who played with Big Brother & the Holding Company, Banana aka Lowell Levinger on keyboards and guitars, who co-founded the Youngbloods and played with Zero, and Roy Blumenfeld on drums, who played with the Blues Project and Seatrain.
The other bands include Zapato Viejo at 8 pm, a veteran of Thursday Live shows at the Lodge. They play an eclectic collection of material from Latin America and the United states as well as some original material. Although their base is the Afro-Cuban poly-rhythmic music they also play reggae, rockabilly, Latin Jazz, blues, R & B, funk and soul. They are a bunch of old vatos that enjoy getting’ down. They play whatever feels good.
Playing at 7 pm will be According to Bazooka, the newest collaboration of Odd Fellows Richard Urbino and René Martucci, who share a love for art, music and creativity. In According to Bazooka, they present their original compositions in a textural blend of acoustic guitar, accordion and two point harmony. Their songs have humor and spirit as they tell short stories inspired by living in the Sacramento Valley. Urbino and Martucci write in a pop-rock style that blends elements of rock and roll, country, ska, zydeco and other genres. Some might call it catchy Americana pop. Many of us know them through their alter ego known as Cold Shot.
Drivin’ South starts it off at 6 pm and offers the audience good clean fun (most of the time). Odd Fellow Mary Superak’s voice transcends average boundaries together bandmates’ accordion and guitar playing funky rhythm. Together, they offer original blues, old-time jazz and silky classics.
Tickets are $40 and can be purchased at the Avid Reader and Common Grounds in south Davis. For more information, contact Arun Sen at <arun.sen@sbcglobal.net>
Can’t attend? You can still make a contribution to the benefit. Checks can be made payable to the Davis Odd Fellows or Soroptimists International of Davis.
Want to volunteer? Contact Mary Superak at <mericanary@mac.com>.