Ramble Music & Arts Fest

Despite its small size, Batavia has long been a hub of music and culture. Five years ago, Bill McDonald, Bill Pitcher, Mike Murray and Kay McMahon decided to celebrate the Batavia music scene with an all-day event featuring local musicians, many of whom have been playing together for years.

On July 2, some of these old friends and bandmates will reunite in Jackson Square for a day of jamming and seeing old friends at the 6th Annual Ramble Music and Arts Festival. 

"Our hometown area is so rich in artisitic heritage and we felt that we had the ability, resources, time and means to make a daylong musical arts event happen for folks in Batavia and surrounds," says McDonald of the first Ramble in 2006.

"There was nothing at the time to give our town and its musicians a chance to ramble around Jackson Square and downtown and bring many musicians together."

This year's festival will feature more than 30 local bands that range in genre from acoustic bluegrass to electric rock. The bands will be performing on two separate stages -- one acoustic and one electric -- throughout the day. (See below for the full schedule.) McDonald's own band, The Ghost Riders, will kick off the festival on the electric stage.

Although today McDonald performs mainly with The Ghost Riders and his other band, the Hips, over the past 50 years he has played in countless groups -- "way too many to remember, as 50 years of playing music is a long time." 

"It's in my heart and soul and it allows me to fly free over times when I play and sing," he explains. "If one person meets my eye during a song, smiles, sings along or makes contact with me, I feel I'm doing something good while giving great pleasure and purpose to my being."

There are fewer musical venues for young people in Batavia now than there were when McDonald began performing in the '60s, but the music scene has remained strong nevertheless.

"Our small community and the surrounding areas have always had great music with many places for musicians to perform," he says. "The folks in this area have been so supportive over the years. We've made so many friends with music and have tried to keep them entertained.

"You can call it civic spirit, as our hometown and its people have been good to us and we wanted to give something back with a music and arts event of sorts, have some fun, along with a purpose, because that's what we do."

The festival has grown substantially since its humble beginnings five years ago, but still remains a "work in progress with zero-dollars funding." 

"We work with what resources and lifelong area connections we've gathered to make it happen," McDonald explains. "It was a challenge and a yearlong effort to try and pull this free event off. We had a get-together attitude, as many did who've contributed. We succeeded with Ramble Number One and decided to make it a yearly event."

The "arts" aspect of the festival doesn't end at the music, as there will also be the opportunity to complete the beginning of a story prompt written by Batavia author Bill Kauffman. All in all, it will be a fun day of music for people of all ages.

The music schedule is as follows:

Electric Stage                                                       Acoustic Stage

10:50-11 - Intro                                                   11:10-11:40 - Steve Kruppner

11-11:30 - The Ghost Riders                             11:45-12:15 - Sebastian

11:35-12:05 - Bush Hogs                                   12:20-12:50 - Muggs

12:10-12:40 - Revival                                          12:55-1:25 - Good Morning

                                                                                                 Hellen

12:45-1:15 - Twilight Rangers                             1:30-2:00 - Uncle Rog

1:20-1:50 - Red Creek                                         2:05-2:35 - Dick Cantry

1:55-2:25 - The Fools                                          2:40-3:10 - The Hips

2:30-3:00 - Warren Skye and Friends                 3:15-3:45 - Gridder

3:05-3:35 - Destined                                            3:50-4:20 - Tim Pitcher and 

                                                                                                Friends

3:40-4:10 - Just Got Lucky                                   4:25-4:55 - Anthony DelPlato 

                                                                                              Memorial  Celebration 

 4:15 5-4:45 - Sierra                                                 5:05-5:35 - Erin Elizabeth

                                                                                                   Jeffords

4:45-5:00 - Memorial & Presentation to Rose     5:40-6:10 - Chris Humel

5:00-5:30 - Buffalo Road Show                           6:15-6:45 - Ken & Jeannie Veltz

5:35-6:05 - Julius                                                 6:50-7:20 - Tom Stamp

6:10-6:40 - The Dob Artists                                 7:25-7:55 - Tim Luttrell

6:45-7:15 - OSHA                                                8-8:30 - HoKoMo Dave Armat

7:20-7:50 - Taken                                                8:35-9:05 - Misty Mountain

7:55-8:25 - Ps100

8:30-9 - Bluesway Jam

It's just about time once again for Batavia's premier music and arts festival -- Ramble.

This year's Ramble is from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. next Saturday, July 2.

More than 30 music acts will perform on two stages (Jackson Square and T.F. Brown's), plus there will be the arts, crafts and fun for the kids.

Admission is free to this family friendly event.

Pictured above are local musicians Bill Pitcher, Kay McMahon, Jim Catino, Brian Garz, Charlie DelPlato, Bill McDonald and Tim Pitcher.

It was a beautiful day in Batavia, a beautiful day for the city's music and art lovers to come together for an afternoon and evening of music, art and games.

More photos after the jump:

Topics discussed at the final meeting of the Ramble Fest committee on Monday ranged from a guitar raffle to the introduction of a child-friendly area.

The organizers noted that a raffle for an acoustic electric guitar is made possible by the generosity of Roxy’s Music Store. They expressed concern about the potential for families not to show up during the July 4th weekend. But they are jazzed about the introduction the Ramble KidZone.

The zone will host a wide variety of activities just for kids, including, but not limited to, bubble art, a bounce house, face painting, a portable tennis game, and an appearance from the Muckdogs mascot.

According to committee member Kim Argenta, the KidZone will be present so that kids can have a good time and celebrate art.

Fellow committee member Sue Gagne came up with the idea, believing it would keep the Ramble Fest more family-oriented.

The Ramble KidZone will be open at the City Church parking lot from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 3.

The Ramble Arts & Music Fest, featuring performances from The Ghost Riders, Penny Whiskey, and more, will take place at Jackson Square from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 3. More information can be found at www.ramblemusic.com.

The Ramble Music and Arts Fest #4, a labor of love from area musicians and artists past and present to their families, friends and neighbors, has successfully come and gone. Many folks and organizations deserve much gratitude and recognition for their assistance and contributions, which make this annual Batavia Downtown Free Concert endeavor possible.

Groundwork was provided by City of Batavia Council and DPW, Don Burkel and the BID, GO! ART, GCMHA and the Downtown/Jackson Square area businesses.

This summer, because of the weather, a special thank you goes to Rick Mancuso and the staff at T.F. Brown’s for accommodating the Ramble and as many of its elements as possible.

Also, giving to and sharing in the Ramble Experience are the following:  hundreds of Ramblers from the Batavia area and beyond who attended; 75+ artists and musicians; BnB Sound; equipment donators Paul Almeter, Keith Worthington, Warren Skye, Jim Catino, Bob Norton, Charlie Del Plato, Jim Sweet and Jimmy “Steel” Duvall; media coverage and promotion Joanne Beck for The Daily News, WBTA, The Batavian, Hodgins Printing, The Genesee Valley Penny Saver and the WCJ W remote unit; speakers and emcees Bill Kauffman, Steve Huff, Wayne Fuller and “Uncle Rog” Pitcher; ground crew Jim Starkweather, Wally Kowalik, Tom Trescott and Bob Malczewski; and sponsors for in-kind services T.F. Brown’s, O’Lacy’s, Kevin  Moyles, Craig Gilliard, Terry Platt and Mike Mc Donald.

Additional information, photos, video, audio and links are available online at www.ramblemusic.com, thanks to contributions from area Ramblers and Ramble website guru, Mike Murray.

Kudos goes out to all others who have helped in some way, but whom we have unintentionally neglected to mention.  Please direct feedback to a Posse member.

Ever onward to Ramble 5, scheduled for Saturday, July 3, 2010, from the Posse—Bill McDonald, Mike Murray, Bill Pitcher, and Kay McMahon.

Sue Cappiello, right, a Batavia native now living in California, won a new Schecter Tempest electric guitar when her winning ticket was drawn in a raffle at last weekend's Batavia Ramble. The raffle was held to raise funds for the Mental Health Association in Genesee County. Here, she poses with MHA staff member Charley DelPlato and her new guitar. (Picture and caption submitted by Sue Gagne)

This video captures just a slice of the early hour or so of the 4th Annual Ramble Music & Arts Fest.  By the afternoon, T.F. Brown's was wall-to-wall music fans both inside and on the patio. The spirit of the event is can only be captured if you show up in person, and from all over the country.

Because of the weather, the Ramble Music and Arts Fest has been moved indoors to T.F. Brown's on E. Main St.

There is an indoor stage for eletric bands and the acoustic bands are playing on the patio.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the region.

One of the highlights of summer in Batavia is just around the corner: The Ramble Music & Arts Fest is set for July 11, opening at 11 a.m. with local author Bill Kauffman setting the stage, so to speak, with opening remarks.

This year, there will be 24 bands and performers on two stages, along with artists, poetry readings, food and an area for children's chalk art.

"A lot of people think that Ramble is just a reunion for the musicians," said Bill McDonald, one of the organizers. "It's not. It's a chance for all people who have loved the music and the art to come together and hear the music again and see the art."

This year will also includes an 8 p.m. guitar raffle, with tickets being sold all day, to benefit the Mental Health Association of Genesee County.

Pictured above are Jeff Wilber, Charley DelPlato, Bill Pitcher, Roberta Pugh, Don Burkel, Sue Gagne and Bill McDonald.

Here's the complete schedule of events for Ramble 2009.

Here's Philip's video from last year:

The Ramble Music and Arts Fest website has moved to a new location:

ramblemusic.com

The website has several purposes:

• To share photos, videos, and newspaper articles of the first three Ramble Music and Arts Fest events.
• To communicate details of the next Ramble Music and Arts Fest. 
• To provide a forum where people can communicate via a Message Board by leaving comments or questions. 
• To share original music by local bands and individuals. 
• To provide a repository for the musical and artistic heritage of Batavia and the surrounding areas.

With greatly increased storage space, the website now nearly 200 original and cover songs by dozens of past and present local bands and individuals on the Ramble Jukebox.

The website has been in existence since late 2006 and was originally created as a way to share photos of the first Ramble Music and Arts Fest with people who live away from the area and could not attend.  It has evolved over the years to include a Message Board where visitors can leave comments or ask questions, a Ramble Jukebox, links to Ramble-related videos, and links to the websites of local musicians and bands.

And to keep things homegrown and local, the new website is now hosted by Marchese Computer Products, Inc.

Please take a few minutes to visit   ramblemusic.com

We spotted a series of videos on YouTube courtesy of Kay MacMahon who armed herself with a camera and pretty much got in people's faces at the Ramble Music & Arts Fest last month. There are four videos in her "candid" series. They're a lot of fun at times. You can catch them all at the site. For now, here's a taste. This is the first video in the series.

From the Daily News (Monday):

• Today's paper is predictably dominated by coverage of Saturday's Ramble Music & Arts Fest — as it should be: the festival saw a great turnout of both musicians and concertgoers. Fine coverage, but be sure to check out, as well, The Batavian's photos and video from the event, posted today.
• Monsignore Leo McCarthy spoke to parishioners at Resurrection Parish in Batavia for the last time Sunday. McCarthy will "assume new duties at Blessed Sacrament parish in Tonawanda," following his 12 years in Batavia.

For the complete stories, the Daily News is available on local newsstands, or you can subscribe on BataviaNews.com.

It has been more than a few days since I've had the privilege and opportunity to get online and share the news and happenings here in Batavia with you folks. That's in part due to the holiday of the Fourth, which I spent with family, grilling dogs, tossing a frisbee and being as American as I could be — not always easy for a self-professed francophile.

My absence from this virtual space is also in part due to all the time I spent enjoying myself at Batavia's summer festivals this past weekend. Quite simply, I was having too much fun behind the camera and out of doors to get inside to my office to tend to the behind-the-scenes work. But the fruits of those labors will now pay off. So be sure to check back with the site throughout the day. We'll have a couple videos going up about the Ramble Music and Arts Fest and the Batavia Boogie skydiving festival.

For now, here are some highlights of Saturday's action courtesy of the lens of Sonia Mineo who was kind enough to snap some still shots of the weekend festivities while I busied myself behind the video camera.

Sometimes, all you need is a zoom lens to get up into the clouds. That was all it took for Sonia to snap this shot of a parachutist coming in for a landing at the Genesee County Airport Saturday afternoon. It almost looks as if he's sitting on a cloud, just hanging out up there.

It was quite a sight to behold, as the planes full of 20 or so skydivers soared up through the clouds, higher and higher until the fuselage seemed no bigger than my pinky nail. You couldn't see any of the divers for a minute or so, not with the naked eye.

Then, all of the sudden, you saw them — a dozen or more colored blips in the azure of the sky.

Some of them pulled fancy moves on their way down, spinning or spiralling with their chutes. Most, when they landed, came down with a trot onto their bums or on their sides or into a quick tumble through the grasses. A few of them, however, came down walking, almost nonchalantly, as if there were no difference between pedalling through the air and stepping on the ground, so graceful and fluid were they.

While it was hard to ignore the tragic start of the Boogie on Thursday, when Brighton native Joseph Schickler fell to his death when his parachute failed to deploy, most of the divers continued to take to the air. We even overheard a few say that that was what Schickler, who was known for his sense of humor and good cheer, would have wanted.

Chalk art was a big hit at the Ramble Saturday. Artists young and old — including mural artist Vinny DelPlato — filled up more than half of School Street with their multicolor scribblings.

But as you might have expected, the music was of course the main draw. At a few times during the day, Saturday, it was a pretty tight squeeze in Jackson Square.

Be sure to visit the site later this afternoon for video coverage of both events.

Less than one week, now, to the one and only Ramble Music and Arts Fest in Jackson Square. But for those of you who just can't wait — and I wouldn't blame you — make sure you check out the Ramble Web site, which is chock full of goodies, such as the message board for Ramblers to gather and wax nostalgic about past years or talk about how geeked up they are for this year's superstar lineup.

You can also find a list of performers, photos and videos from past Rambles, other news and... well... anything you want to know about the Fest. So go check it out.

In the meantime, here's another video as part of our Countdown to the Ramble. This one is of the Cheer Daddies performing (aptly) "Stormy Monday." We'll feature another video every day of the week until Saturday, when The Batavian will be on the scene at Jackson Square to shoot some of our own footage of this year's Fest. Expect to see the fruits of our labor sometime next week.

Here is the next video in our Countdown to the Ramble series: West Side Blues Band performing "Runaway." See our earlier post for more about the countdown.

Here is the next video in our Countdown to the Ramble series: Buffalo Road Show performing "That Boy." See our earlier post for more about the countdown.

Here is the next video in our Countdown to the Ramble series: The Ghost Riders performing "Honky Tonkin'." See our previous post for more about the countdown.