From the Sugar Daddies First of all, a few thank-you’s are in order…and we seem to do a lot of that, but for good reason. On November 7th, a few landmark birthdays were celebrated at our engagement at the Sacajawea, and the turnout was nothing short of amazing. It was one of the best nights ever, on many levels, and a heartfelt thanks goes out to all that participated, as well as all those that showed up anyway just to eat, dance and have fun. And a special acknowledgement should be made to the incredible staff at the Sacajawea for helping things run smoothly, and with nothing less than courtesy, enthusiasm and professionalism. A second thank you goes out to all of you who showed up at literally a moment’s notice November 12th at Stacey’s, to celebrate a party for Stephan, a seasonal worker who comes to Montana for the summer then heads back to California to be with his lovely bride. Although a few of his friends were there as well, it was you, our fans, friends and family, that made the night happen on what would’ve been a slow Thursday night.
Admittedly this sounds cliché, but you’re absolutely the greatest fans a band could ever want, and we feel blessed. Kudos also should go out to all those in charge of the Sunday dances at the Legion in Manhattan, as well as all the regular dancers, for once again voting us in to continue our engagements there for 2016. This time we’ll be there the fourth Sunday of every month. Two of the Sundays land on major holidays, i.e. Easter and Christmas, so as of this writing it’s unclear if a dance will be held, but we’ll have that information in upcoming Newsletters. In any event, thank you, thank you, thank you! January 2016 will begin the Sugar Daddies’ fourth year of existence. It was on a cold, January 2012 when a band suddenly had to cancel a gig in East Helena. We scraped together players who had just barely met, put some tunes together, and had a fabulous engagement. It’s been going full speed ever since, and 2016 will be no different. But a special thanks should go out to those players that in one way or another helped keep the momentum going. Many of you notice that we vary our drumming staff, the reason being the drummers we use are tops in their field, and they’re in much demand by other acts, so we’re blessed in that Montana has a substantial roster of great drummers, and if one’s not available, others step up to the plate with talent, cheerfulness and professionalism. In no particular order, our thanks go out to Ron Craighead and Mark Levy, our two current drummers, as well as Rick Philipp (who’s adapting to Texas quite nicely), Michael Gillan, Don Scott, Drew Flemming, Brian Crumrine, Ben Balyeat, Joe Sheehan (of Cure for the Common fame), the late and dear friend Mark Wittman, Jon, (JT) Thomas, Aaron (Razmatazz) Rasmussen, whom many of you know from 80 Proof and Ten Foot Tall, and Brian Kennedy, courtesy of Quenby and the WoW Band. We feel honored and privileged to have shared the same stage with all of you. Now that the holiday season is in full gear, we hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Day, and, as mentioned before, if you ate too much no worries, you’ll work it off dancing in December. Our month started December 4th at the Legion in Livingston. We’ve been very pleased at the increasing turnouts at the dances, and look forward to it growing exponentially throughout the new year. If you haven’t been there yet, you’re missing out on one of the best dance floors in the state, as well as a crisp, clean stage sound and excellent, friendly staff. We hope to see many more of you turn out in the coming months. Special thanks (again, another thank you) to Teresa Lehman for having faith in us, and never giving up, even after an initial slow start. It’s always a lot of fun, and we know that the more people in that area hear about it, the more the crowds will grow. Saturday the 5th, it was back to the Sacajawea–always a blast. We performed in Whitehall on December 12th at Tona’s Mint Bar for the annual Christmas stroll. That’s always a fun venue for us. Then a busy weekend of the 17th, starting with Desert Rose, then our final engagement of 2015 at Neptune’s in Livingston, on to Riverhouse Grille in Big Sky that Saturday (we were just there November 28th…the atmosphere and the food is great as ever!), then of course our final 2015 appearance at American Legion in Manhattan. It’ll also be our last performance before Christmas, so wear your Santa hats. Then it’s all rounded off by our big New Year’s Eve gala at the Emerson Cultural Events Center, sponsored by Ballroom Dance Bozeman, 8 pm til midnight, including a champagne toast at midnight and singing of Auld Lang Syne. It will be advertised in the Bozone, and more information can be obtained by e-mailing ballroomdancebozeman@gmail.com .
We had a ball last year, (no pun intended), and we’re looking forward to this one as well. And finally, as we approach Christmas, we’d like to wish everyone the safest, warmest, and happiest ever. May all your dreams and aspirations come true in the coming year, and we’re excited–and privileged–to have a full schedule in 2016, and it’s all thanks to YOU. And please keep in your thoughts and prayers all those that cannot be with their loved ones this holiday season, including those serving in our Armed Forces, who lay their lives on the line so that we may keep enjoying these cherished traditions, as well as those less fortunate than ourselves. But for now, let’s party! See ya at the next go around. The Sugar Daddies will perfrom as a duo on Thursday, December 17th at Desert Rose Restaurant in Belgrade from 7-9pm. They’ll come together as a group on Friday, the 18th at Neptune’s Brewery in Livingston. The duo will return to the Riverhouse Grill in Big Sky on the evening of Saturday the 19th at 7:30pm. The band will perform a special Sunday show on the 20th at the American Legion in Manhattan from 1-5pm. They’ll close out the year with a New Year’s Eve celebration concert on Thursday the 31st at the Emerson Cultural Events Center at 8pm. •
