Old Hippies

Bill and Kay McDonald have spent their living the dream, playing and singing for smiling, clapping, foot tapping, and sometimes dancing audiences.

They decided a few months ago they wanted to give young, aspiring performers a chance to relish the same experience they've enjoyed all these years -- getting on stage with a good sound system in front of an audience looking to be entertained.

The McDonalds are producing concerts on June 23 and June 30 that will feature young performers. Both shows start at 6 p.m. in Jackson Square.

"We're really concentrating on the youth this time," Bill McDonald said. "We've got eight, nine, 10-year-olds that we've wrangled in -- guitar players, a bagpipe player, and accordionist.  We've got a couple of more seasoned veterans like Deanna Spiotta and Don Thomas and Steve Kruppner."

The young artists include William Franz (bagpipes), Leah Ford (guitar), Nolen Wright (guitar), Spencer Moscicki (guitar on June 23), and Quinn Karcher (accordion on June 30).

Also on the bill, the Ghost Riders and the Old Hippies.

The name of the show is, naturally, "Homegrown."  The event is paid for through a $5,000 grant from the state that was administered by GO ART!

The young performers were found by talking with teachers and friends, but even with the dates set, there might be more room on the bill for other aspiring performers.

"We could probably squeeze room for more," Bill said. "If we had a few more, we could. Every time you do that, it limits somebody else's time. But that's okay. We think the more, the better. Everybody's gonna play. If we (the Old Hippies) only get a couple of songs than so be it."

Bill McDonald can be reached at 585-250-2269 or billmcdonald50@gmail.com  

The performances will be live-streamed at https://www.facebook.com/bill.mcdonald.188 and https://www.youtube.com/@oldhippies933.

 

Old Hippies, flowers and art seem to be a natural fit, and all three are part of this year’s Home to Home Concert Series.

A free yearly event hosted by Bill and Kay McDonald of the Old Hippies, the Home series is billed as being “for the common good.” Since the duo requires a nonprofit to receive grant funding, it partnered with Batavia Peace Garden and GO ART! to bring two concerts in June at Jackson Square.

“Featured local artists performing will be Old Hippies, Ghost Riders, Deanna Spiotta, Don Thomas, and a selection of talented youth and seasoned artists,” Bill McDonald said. “We will los have three other artists: Leah Ford on bass guitar, guitar and French horn; Ross Chua on stringed instruments and vocals; and David Knaudt on stringed instruments and vocals.”

The first concert, at 7 p.m. June 17, will also include Chua and Knaudt in their band Crimson Crossroads. It’s a safe bet that the musical genres in these concerts will go from folksy, blues and country to contemporary. Chua’s repertoire has included the Beatles, Katy Perry and Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up, in which Chua does a mean ukulele.

Old Hippies perform guitar-rich tunes such as Blowin’ in the Wind, Three Little Birds, Fallen Eagle and James Taylor’s classic You’ve Got a Friend.

Batavia Peace Garden treasurer Carol Grasso said the group’s members will be out of the weeds and selling hotdogs during the first event June 17.

“That’s how we make our money for flags and mulch, and things for the garden,” she said.

If you’ve got a bit of a green thumb, members are looking for more volunteers, Grasso said. Pulling weeds and maintaining the landscape on West Main Street takes time and energy, she said.

“I’ve got 10 years into the garden,” she said. “We started when we retired, and now we’re just tired. We’ve been working hard.”

A second concert is set for 2 p.m. June 26. The concerts are free, and attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair to park and enjoy the show.

The Restart NY Regrant Program was developed as part an initiative to spur the revitalization of New York's creative economy. The program is administered through a network of local and regional organizations through a transparent peer panel funding process and is available to artists and organizations in each of the state's 62 counties. Organizations or individuals with a fiscal agent  -- in this case Old Hippies have Batavia Peace Garden and GO ART! -- that meets NYSCA and GO ART! criteria may request regrant funds.

For those unable to attend in person, these music shows will be livestreamed online at Bill McDonald’s Facebook page . For more information, click HERE.

Top photo: Bill and Kay McDonald of the Old Hippies, submitted photo. File photos of Ross Chua, Old Hippies and the Ghost Riders.

On Monday, the Old Hippies -- Bill and Kay McDonald -- announced a series of four free afternoon concerts in Genesee County this summer.

The Old Hippies, a renowed local band specializing in Americana roots music, will perform the "Home to Home Concert Series: For the Common Good":

• Saturday, July 3 at 1 p.m. in Jackson Square
• Sunday, Aug. 8 at 1 p.m. in Jackson Square
• Sunday, Aug. 22 at 3 p.m. in Elba Town Park
• Sunday, Sept. 12 at 1 p.m. in Jackson Square​

These dates are in addition to the 7 p.m. Friday concert July 2 in Downtown's Jackson Square.*

There will​ also be live performances by the Ghostriders, Deanna Spiotta and other talented musicians.

Food vendors will be available along with displays from local businesses.

All are welcome to:

• Enjoy the music live and in person. Bring your own chair;
• Listen in on FM radio as they broadcast near the concert venue;
• Interact with livestream over the internet via Facebook from wherever you may be;
• View the recorded concert on YouTube at a time and place you choose.

For updates and info, visit:

• oldhippiesmusic.com​
• Facebook.com/oldhippiesmusic
• or contact Bill McDonald at (585) 250-2269 or email billmcdonald50@gmail.com

​The performances are possible with funds from the Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the NYS Council on the Arts, with support from Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the NYS Legislature, administered by GO ART! They are sponsored by the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce.

*Previously:  Here's the lineup for the free concert series on Friday nights in Jackson Square starting June 25

Tonight is The Old Hippies 60th livestream Home-to-Home Concert and it will be their last one, at least for a while.

Press release from the Old Hippies:

GONE FISHIN'! Kay and I have come to a difficult decision to pause our Home to Home Concert Series for the Common Good livestream after this evening's show -- #60 in a row -- May 22 at 7 p.m.

Thank you to everyone who has joined in our fun and music.

We will keep you posted on our website when the livestreams will start again, www.oldhippiesmusic.com, facebook old hippies, and billmcdonald, instragram Oldhippiesbillandkay, and twitter Ohippies.

The livestream can be found as follows:

• www.oldhippiesmusic.com
• https://www.facebook.com/bill.mcdonald.188

We appreciate all your support,

Bill and Kay McDonald

WIth What About Jane and the Old Hippies

The Old Hippies and What About Jane are teaming up for a special concert, sponsored by the Elba Betterment Committee, in Elba from 4 to 7 p.m. on Sept. 12.

The concert will be livestreamed and it will also be broadcast on FM radio so people can come to the park and site in their vehicle. Erakare Productions will record the entire concert for future release.

There will be food trucks at the Village Park. 

Bill McDonald, of the Old Hippies, said the Health Department has approved the plans for the concert.

"There will be plenty of spacing for parking and sitting for this end-of-summer event for many to enjoy in a number of ways," McDonald said.

The video below of What About Jane playing "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." 

 

Another free online Saturday night concert by the Old Hippies for the folks of Genesee County from their vacation home in Florida.

Check back at 8 p.m. for a special edition of The Batavian Sessions, featuring Paul Draper.