Friends of Grateful We're Not Dead

The Grateful We're Not Dead have acquired a number of very close friends during their existence. The friends that I'm talking about are the ones who frequently perform with us. These are people willing to give up their time, use their own resources and be reimbursed in food and drink. Here are some of these people:

"Young" Al Owler
Al has to be one of our best friends. Al is quite a bit younger than the Grateful We're Not Dead and provides us with a link to our 'inner youth'. Al loves to play guitar and he performs with us on a regular basis. He is quite willing to pitch in to setup and tear down equipment. He provides his own amplifier, guitar, clothes and hat (I love the hat, Al). Al is quite proficient at locating new material for us on the Internet and elsewhere. We have to credit Al with finding the most recently added comedy item in our repertoire - Rodney Carrington's Show Them to Me. Thanks, Al. Al is also a regular participant at the monthly Music Night get-togethers. And of course, I mustn't forget that Al has provided us all with blow-up guitars so we won't attract the attention of by-law officers in the future.

Marg Penniston
Marg is Bruce's wife. (Anybody know if that statement is politically correct now?) Marg is quite skilled in arranging and leading sing-a-longs. On Canada Day 2007, Don had laryngitis and on short notice Marg prepared chord books for the band, lyric sheets for the guests and then led the sing-a-long while the Grateful We're Not Dead provided the music. Marg normally leads the singing at the monthly Music Night sing-a-longs and is dearly missed when she's not there.

Marie Rakos
Marie is a pianist supreme. She can play virtually anything you throw at her. We normally work with Marie at Christmas parties we play for because she's the only one that knows all the chords in the Christmas carols. :-) Marie frequently attends Music Night and her piano playing is a nice respite from guitars, guitars, guitars.

Diane McIntyre
Diane has a beautiful voice and has sung with us frequently at Christmas parties. She has also provided a venue for practice sessions (along with a BBQ). Diane is always a welcome addition to the Music Night vocalists.