Share and Share Alike
by Martin Walls
Sharing music, to use the cliché, is a win-win situation. It’s a win for the listeners or those asked to join in, and a win for those who share music and see the visible joy it brings.
The River City Band, from Vancouver, Washington, is a wonderful example of the spirit of sharing music, and this four-piece rock group has grown quite a reputation, thanks to its magnanimous approach to music making.
If you ever see the River City Band—Bill Larimer, Jerry Hatcher, “Bongo” Bill Schlansky, and new member Scott Olson—play live, you’ll probably end up playing with them, a shaker or tambourine in hand. If you know your way around a guitar, keyboard, or pair of congas, you won’t have to state your case too hard if you want to join them on stage.
Friends & Family
“Why shouldn’t we have people play with us? We’re a friendly band!” laughs computer programmer Bill Larimer, 47, the keyboardist, percussionist, and vocalist with the River City Band.
The spirit of sharing is really on show during the Washington summer, says Larimer, once the rain, fog, and chill has lifted. That’s when people hold outdoor parties and invite the band along. “They build plywood stages in their driveways and throw a party on a Sunday,” he explains. “We’ll set up our equipment and invite our friends and family to play with us.”
As many as 200 people go to these outdoor parties. “A whole neighborhood will show up,” Larimer says, adding, “although a neighborhood here might cover a few hundred square miles!”
One person who likes to throw a summer music party is local dentist Dr. Wayne Truscinski. “Dr. T is also a drummer,” says Larimer, “and he likes to get up on stage. Another guy who throws parties is a local property salesman who also plays guitar. Once a year he likes to be the star of the show.”
Bag of Tricks
“Family, friends, music, drink, and food. What more can you ask for?” exclaims Jerry Hatcher, 54, the band’s bassist, keyboardist, and vocalist. “When people hire us to play one of these private parties, we invite all our friends. We have many friends who play, but who, because of their careers, can’t play out too much, like Dr. T.”
“It’s also great for us,” continues Hatcher, musing about the benefit the band gets from having people join them on stage. “It’s great to see people involved with music. My son Brady and his friends play with us. Maybe we’re just lucky, but they love our music—Steely Dan, Tom Petty, The Beatles, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.”
It was Hatcher’s idea to take the sharing concept one step further and put together a musical bag of tricks so people who don’t consider themselves musical can join in anyway. “I hand out the shakers and tambourines to our audience,” explains Hatcher. “There will immediately be this big grin on a face!”
Hatcher recalls how the idea got started, about four years ago at his brother-in-law’s birthday party. The River City Band was providing entertainment, and for this informal occasion, Hatcher decided to have some fun. “I threw some percussion in my suitcase and handed them out—pretty soon we had people playing and singing with us.”
Playing music for entertainment means getting people involved, continues Hatcher. “The beauty of music is you don’t have to be Mozart, Miles Davis, or Beck to pick up a tambourine, or clap your hands, and be taken away by making music. Those who have felt the power of playing and connecting with an audience know that to share that feeling with people who do not get the opportunity is special indeed.”
Elixir of Life
It’s clear from Hatcher’s statement that the members of the River City Band, part-timers though they may be, have a full-time commitment to music. In fact, when asked what benefits music has brought to his life, Larimer laughs, wondering whether they’ll be enough room in this story to get it all in. “Music is the elixir of life,” he summarizes, hoping that statement can capture all he wants to say.
Inevitably, Larimer’s thoughts return to the theme of sharing. “In all human societies, people play music together,” he continues. “People are supposed to; they’re not meant to sit and listen to an ‘expert.’ All we’re doing is bringing out people’s humanity and letting them get in touch with one part of being human that hasn’t been taken away.”
Larimer’s infectious enthusiasm for sharing extends even into the architecture of his house. “I designed my home around my acoustic grand piano,” he explains. “Every so often I’ll have 20 or so people over and we’ll wind up playing and singing. It’s a supportive and transformative experience, even for shy people.”
There are gongs hanging from Larimer’s ceiling, and ukuleles and percussion instruments for anyone to play. “My house parties are smaller versions of the neighborhood festivals,” he says, adding that no matter how reluctant someone might be to make music, they always end up playing. “I’ve seen it time and again. Give someone who says they can’t play or sing an instrument or a microphone and by the end of the evening, they’re belting it out.
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Make Life Fun
Not surprisingly, Larimer has played for a long time. At one time he was training to perform music in a very different way. “I’ve been playing, arranging, and composing since the age of 12,” says Larimer, who was classically trained and moved to San Francisco after college to play professionally. “But I gave up classical piano because I was more interested in harmony and composition.”
Like Larimer, Hatcher, who works in receiving and shipping for an HVAC firm, has been playing since he was about 12. “My mother was a big country fan, and she would take me to see Jim Reeves and George Jones. I got the music bug that way, and then I saw The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, and that was that.”
Another member of the band with an extensive musical background is “Bongo” Schlansky. Now an antique dealer, for years Schlansky, 55, was a professional drummer, spending years on the road playing hotels. It was his band’s job to learn the latest hits and play as a house band in one hotel after another.
“It was kind of grueling,” admits Schlansky, and although it was a steady career, he hints that life as a semi-pro musician is a bit more to his taste. “The atmosphere we play in now is more fun. Back then I had a manager and people made sure we played the latest hit songs. Now we play what people want to hear. Passing the love of making music on to others makes life fun.”
Give Energy
All the band’s members wanted to make sure that Hatcher’s stepson, 25-year-old Brady Beard, is mentioned. They are proud of this young man, both because of his skill on the guitar and because he represents the generation to which the musical torch is being passed.
Beard remembers long ago seeing his stepdad on stage, wishing to emulate him. “I was inspired by the way he entertains a crowd. Dad would show me chords on his Gibson Les Paul, and I’d play it and have him play bass with me,” he says.
“Growing up everyone was always playing music around me,” continues Beard. “Everybody would call each other to come over and join in. I was always the youngest, coming along when my dad played in bars or the outdoor festivals. He’s always handing out shakers and bongos to the audience to get them involved.”
Beard says he’s learned a lot from his stepdad’s band. “I know that if you go to one of his shows, you’ll end up with a shaker in your hand,” he says, “and that if you give energy to the crowd, they’ll give it back.” But Beard also shares a thing or two with his dad; specifically, songs by Green Day, Sublime, or the Red Hot Chili Peppers, to make the River City Band’s music appeal to young people.
“They have lots of songs in their repertoire, but I try to keep it updated!” laughs Beard.
