cat sank trio

Cat Sank Solstice

Hello, from the middle of the summer. July is quite busy for us, and we just finished our gig at the Roseau County Fair–one of the greatest small-town fairs ever (Terry worked on 4-H projects for that fair when he belonged to the Gatzke Busy Beavers 4-H club. He was young, at the time) . A few of the Back Behind the Barn Boys were there, as well as a pile of relatives, and everyone was wowed by Crystal’s virtuosity on the melodica. A few people even asked what that “thing” was.
It’s a Hohner Melodica. Terry played one while attending sixth and seventh grades at Gatzke Elementary School (the third, fourth, and fifth grades played flutophones, and only after they became masters of the flutophones could they progress to the physical, mental, and emotional demands of the melodica). When Terry reached the eighth grade, the city of Grygla built a high school, and all Gatzke students were bussed and bustled away from their hometown of Gatzke, and from everything they knew–including flutophones and melodicas. As a direct result, most of those Gatzke kids never played instruments with their mouths again. When Terry met Crystal (not at all like when Harry met Sally) he was immediately taken back to his days at Gatzke Elementary School, and could not get the rings and drones of melodicas and flutophones out of his head–so he purchased a melodica on ebay for her to play. Crystal, not being from Gatzke and–until this blog–having never even heard of it, was undaunted by the thought of learning to play a wind-powered oral keyboard instrument.
We also had some guest singers in Roseau. Terry’s four-year-old daughter Maggie and her cousin Taylor came up to join us for rousing renditions of “Puff, the Magic Dragon” and “Family Picture.” Terry paid them each a dollar, so they could legitimately say that it was their first paying gig.
We’re looking forward to a repeat performance at Summerfest, in Casselton, ND this Saturday–temps are predicted to be up there close to the percentage of humidity again this year. That’s why we are a water-generated and water-driven band–at least in the summertime. Deb Jenkins and her hubby supply sound and engineer, and they do a great job. The Past Due band, which includes three of Terry’s former bandmates from the Convertibles, will be playing the street dance shortly after Cat Sank’s sets. Come to Casselton and shake and howdy with us–despite the temps, it’ll be cool.
Last year at Summerfest, some ne’er-do-well skewered Fanks’s van tire with a kabob stick–just slammed it right into the sidewall. The city of Casselton graciously and most kindly opened up a repair shop and took care of the problem immediately. Thank you very much, Bernie! All of you criminals reading this blog, now don’t get any ideas! Just my luck, there’ll suddenly be an epidemic of tire punctures by kabob sticks at festivals all over the world, and I will be to blame for disclosing the details of this dastardly, ingenious deed. I’ll try to counterbalance it by coming up with a good idea, one of these days. I’ll let you know when such a thing comes to me.

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