florida steel guitar club

… a place for us snowbirds.

The picture was taken May 13, 2015 – at the last jam before the summer break, and shows three of the six steel players who played at that jam lined up in front of the stage:
Don Sulesky – Jack Dougherty – Jack Stoner.

As usual, the turnout for the May jam was small, as most snowbirds had gone North again for the summer by now. Gunlaug and I was in the audience though, and we enjoyed the music and good atmosphere.

excellent backing.

Usually there is a full band with drummer, bass, rhytm and lead guitar, so this last evening for the season the two who was there had a really busy time providing backing for the steel players.

These two – George Hawkins on Lead Guitar and Butch Ramsey on Bass – was presented with “Appreciation Awards” for their work for the club over the years.
Mark Hayes was also given an “Appreciation Award”, for his MC and jam coordinator help. Well deserved all.

That we steel players have a proper band to back us up, is great. No “band-in-a-box” or similar can replace a live band, and such “box'ed backing” isn't allowed either at the Florida Steel Guitar Club.

glimpses from my photo archives…

photos above are from the 2014-2015 season
photos below are from the 2012-2013 season

Photos taken during the 2014-2015 and the 2012-2013 winter seasons. Not all of the players seen in the earlier photos are around today.

watering hole for steel players…

The monthly jams are about as relaxed as they can be while still having perfect order. It is all about having fun playing and listening to music together, and there is absolutely no discrimination. New steel players, would-be steel players, and out-of-practice players like myself, can come and sit in alongside the more seasoned steel players.

The only rules that should not be broken, are the one of “not playing too loud” – not all dinner guests in the adjacent restaurant have ordered music with their meals, and the one of “not playing out of order” – the players take turns as directed by the jam coordinator.
I go to these monthly jams when I can, but have only played there a couple of times.

The first time I played there – in 2013, I chose to stay out of the round-robin tunes I didn't know. No problem.
A little worse that I had no idea what key I was going to play a tune in – have forgotten lots of theory-stuff since I quit playing in bands back in the early -90s. Oh well, we solved that little problem too of course.

It was pure joy to play steel outside my own home again, and playing with a good band in front of an audience brought back memories. Am looking forward to play there again, when my left leg allows for proper pedal-pushing.

and then another musical evening is over…

While driving home from the jam now in May, we got to see the setting sun create these light-displays in the clouds over the highway.
Mighty pretty when this happens, and the fact that those darker clouds indicate rain doesn't spoil the view.

sincerely georg; sign

Weeki Wachee 15.may.2015
last rev: 07.feb.2017

the club…

This Steel Club was organized for the meeting and joy of folks who love to play as well as listen to the steel guitar.
Without your support and attendance we won't survive.
Thank you in advance to those who care. — Don Sulesky

The quote above is from the last FSGC report, as I found it most informative for how such a club works. This club will be active as long as we keep it active, and I personally will support it as much as I can. A pity I can not be there every time.

The Florida Steel Guitar Club have their jams on the second Wednesday of every month from September through to May. During the summer months of June, July and August it is all quiet – no jams.

I have been at club jams with a packed house – about 200 people, and jams at the end of the season with maybe as few as two dozen people present. Of course it is most fun for everyone when there's a big audience, but in my experience these jams work fine with smaller audiences too.

membership…

Membership in the Florida Steel Guitar Club is free, and we only have to be on the club's mailing list to be recognized as members.

My name has been on that list since late 2010, and I keep them updated with new mail-addresses to make sure I get the monthly reports and whatever else they want to inform us members about.

location: catfish johnny's…

The Florida Steel Guitar Club have their monthly jams at Catfish Johnny's restaurant in Lake Panasoffkee, FL – an arrangement that seems to suit all parties well. Good food and good music goes well together.

Gunlaug and I have had several meals at Catfish Johnny's restaurant this winter and spring – in connection with the steel jams and at other times, and we will drive over there again when we are back in Florida next winter.

On a warm afternoon in May, after a better meal, Gunlaug and I preferred to wait outdoors for the steel guitar jam to begin.

This place in the woods may not look like much on the outside, but it contains all one may wish for in a small restaurant in the Florida countryside.

If you are anywhere near Central Florida and in search of a good meal in a friendly setting, a visit to Catfish Johnny's restaurant in Lake Panasoffkee is highly recommended.

Note: additional info… Most pictures on this page are snapped with a Cannon EOS 400d camera, with standard 18-55mm lens.
Some pictures are taken with Gunlaug's Nikon Coolpix “pocket” camera.
All pictures are post-processed and prepared for the web using GIMP software on Windows.