"The Arawaks were also musicians. They fashioned drums and tambourines from the trunks and stumps of trumpet trees. For drum heads, they used the supple skin of aquatic mammals, like the manatee."
- Stephen Foehr (from his book, Jamaican Warriors)
THE RANGER REPORT - March, 2020 The Official E-Newsletter Of The Mighty Manatees "Celebrating 33 Years Of Searching For Another Verse That We Could Sing Along"
Greetings to all you fanatees out there! Welcome to a new issue of The Ranger Report. The Mighty Manatees will be spending the month of March recording and rehearsing, as well as playing gigs. We got a lot of positive responses from our new "Question & Answer Period" during recent shows. Who knew that you folks had so many questions? We try to answer all the questions in an amusing way, but that doesn't mean you have to ask them in an amusing way. And all questions should end with a question mark, not a 10 minute statement or recollection. What was the question?
T-HO RETURNS FOR FIRST DAY OF SPRING AT HOTEL FIESOLE! - It's true! On Friday, March 20, Tim "T-Ho" Hooper will return to his keyboard post. T-Ho has not played with us at Hotel Fiesole since last October. What a sweet way to start the spring of 2020. Showtime is 8:00 - 12:00. http://www.hotelfiesole.net
VIDEO CLIP OF THE MONTH - It has come to our attention that many of you have not been watching the "Video Clip Of The Month" feature simply because it appears right at the end of these Ranger Reports and most of you have stopped reading by then lol. It will now appear earlier.
This month's Video Clip Of The Month is from 1990 and was filmed in an old barn (that no longer exists) in Creamery, PA, and was produced by the late great Jim Walck for IOPAN Productions. The video is for a song written by singer/songwriter Steven Bell for his debut album (Walk On). Steven is also the recording engineer and co-producer of the very first Manatees studio CD (High Water), and of my very first solo CD (Southpaw). This clip features Steven Bell on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, Tom Geddes on drums, Fred DiTomasso on bass, Chip Roberts on electric guitar, and yours truly on acoustic guitar, harmonica, accordion, and background vocals. https://youtu.be/ehfzmK6T468
ENVIRONMENTAL TIP OF THE MONTH - You can put all of your used wooden Popsicle sticks in your compost pail or pile. Don't throw them in the garbage. Thanks.
We apologize for the briefness of this issue of The Ranger Report, but March is a research and development month for us.
Thank you for your interest and support.
One Love,
Ranger Will
Master of Fun Arts
IN PASSING -
Buddy Cage
Ron Indictor
Katherine Johnson
Bill Kerr
Jim Lehrer
Jake Macdonald
Bonnie Maclean
Lyle Mays
Bill Milner
David Olney
Josephine White
Wes Wilson
Robert F. Wolfinger
Amber (cat)
Midnight (cat)
MARCH - 2020
4 - Wed - West End Pub, Quakertown, PA w/ Mike Greer and Brett Andrew 7:30 - 11:00
5 - Thurs - Rising Sun Inn, Telford, PA 9:00 - 12:30
7 - Sat - Blue Bell Inn, Blue Bell, PA 8:30 - 11:30
8 - Sun - RECORDING SESSION
13 - Fri - Justin's, Skippack, PA 8:00 - 12:00
14 - Sat - BAND REHEARSAL
15 - Sun - RECORDING SESSION
19 - Thurs - Rising Sun Inn, Telford, PA 9:00 - 12:30
20 - Fri - FIRST DAY OF SPRING, Hotel Fiesole, Skippack, PA 8:00 - 12:00
22 - Sun - RECORDING SESSION
27 - Fri - Faracos, Quakertown, PA 7:00 - 10:00
28 - Sat - Jack's Slice, Allentown Municipal Golf Course, Allentown, PA 8:00 - 11:00 http://www.jacksslice.com
29 - Sun - RECORDING SESSION
The Mighty Manatees - Reggae, Roots and Rock
