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Oracle Band
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Welcome to the Oracle News and
Information page! This page will tell you about all of the latest
happenings within the band...upcoming public performances, special offers, photos from
recent shows, tidbits on the individual members, and much more. We hope our
fans will bookmark this page and return often
to find out the latest news, information, and, well, yes, gossip, that
we've picked up.
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News & InformationOracle To Perform for City of Laurel
The concert and fireworks will be held at Granville-Gude Park at Laurel Lakes, just off Route 1 in Laurel, across from the mall at Cherry Lane & Route 1. There is plenty of parking in the mall parking lot. This is the first time that a band has been asked to return for a second year in a row, and we are so honored to be that band. Last year was one of those memorable nights that one will always remember. We were performing for what some folks estimated to be around 100,00 people by the time the fireworks lit up the sky during the concluding verse of "Proud To Be An American". It sort of sent tingles down our spine to have the fireworks emphasize the ending of a song that is already brings the audience to it's feet. There will be much to do throughout the day. Face painting & moon bounces for the kids, a car show for the adults, and of course, lots of great food, including pit beef, pulled pork, sausages, funnel cakes, smoothies, lemonade, and lots more.
For more information on the concert you can head over to our Laurel Independence Day 2009 Information Page. Directions to Granville-Gude Park at Laurel Lakes Hope to see you there!!! Upcoming Performance at
Whispers is one of the hottest spots in the area, with a huge dance floor, an elevated stage that everyone can see, and plenty of space to move around. A sheltered outdoor smoking area is available for those wishing to indulge their habit, and the smoke free indoor area makes the nightclub / restaurant enjoyable for everyone.
The band has been performing at Whispers since it first opened, and we have a huge number of photos from past performances there. You can check out the main Whispers Photo Gallery Page, or you can just go straight to photos from Oracle's last performance there back in February. Whispers is very easy to get to. Located just off Route 100, it is at the intersection of Mountain Rd and Baltimore-Annapolis Boulevard. You can be there from Baltimore in under 15 minutes, and in less than 30 minutes from Annapolis, Bowie, Odenton, Columbia, Laurel, Severna Park, and Catonsville. Directions to Whispers Restaurant Oracle's Most Recent Whispers Performance
Although the crowd was a little small on Friday, owing to the nasty weather coupled with the onset of the summer months, the band stood by that maxim that it's not the quantity of the crowd that matters but rather the quality of the crowd. With a number of birthdays and anniversaries to celebrate, coupled with a fun moment when we got the owner of Whispers up on stage with us to sing a song, the evening was enjoyable and energetic. Then on Saturday we got the numbers we have been accustomed to see at
Whispers, including a number of familiar faces that we haven't seen for
quite some time. OK...so, you're looking for the photos...right? It's funny...sometimes personal schedules make it difficult to get photos from our performance posted as quickly as we would like. It takes several hours to find the best photos, Photoshop them to make them ready for the web, get the gallery page created, and get everything uploaded to the website. Veronica says we've created a monster, in that our fans are now eager to see the shots from each performance and are asking about that galleries the very next day. As far as we know no other band around have such an extensive gallery of photos from almost ALL of their performances.
We just ask that from time to time you forgive us for being a little slow in getting the photos posted. That said...here we go. The very next day, and we've got all the photos from the past weekend at Whispers available for you already!!! We had to scour through almost 400 shots taken over the course of two evenings to find the best ones. Here are the links: Recently at Gambrills Athletic Club
As usual when Oracle performs the place was completely sold out, with over 400 people in attendance to eat, drink, dance and party with us. The extra large stage and the huge dance area make for an inviting place for dancers of all levels of expertise, and the floor was hopping pretty much the entire evening. And then there is the food! Wow! Chicken, ham, and of course that wonderful pit beef cooked and carved perfectly made it tough to hit the stage after eating so much!
We had one friend come up to us during the break and told us he had found his photo on last year's photo gallery and asked for a posed shot with some of the band, which of course we were all to happy to oblige. Anyway, you can head over to the Gambrills Athletic Club Bull Roast 2009 Photo Gallery to see for yourself just how much FUN everyone had. Oracle will be returning to Gambrills on November 9th 2009 for a Bull and Oyster Roast that will be every bit as fun as this most recent performance. Keep an eye out on this page for a date when tickets will be going on sale. Remember that these events sell out several weeks in advance, so make sure to order your tickets EARLY!!! We don't want you to be left out! Oracle is Now On Fans of these major social networking sites may rejoice...Oracle has caught up with the 21st century and now has a presence on MySpace and Facebook! Each of these sites will have our public performance schedule, photos, audio samples, blogs, and more, as we continue to develop them. Each of these sites has unique qualities to offer our fans. In some cases this might be simply a way to distribute information on upcoming performances. For others, the allure of the posted blogs is a major attraction. We would like to invite everyone that already has a Facebook or MySpace account to head over to the respective sites and join us either as a "Friend" (MySpace), or a "Fan", (Facebook). Those that would like to share their photos of the band are welcome to post them to our page...photo posting is enabled. Here are your links: And then there is YouTube. While not strictly a social networking site, it does offer the opportunity to share video clips of the band that are rather fun to watch. We'll be adding more of these as time goes by, but for now, here's one from a wedding we did recently with Nikki singing the Journey classic "Don't Stop Believin". Oracle Band Performs for 101st Annual On Saturday, June 6th Oracle was thrilled to be invited back to the Opening Day festivities at the Maryland Yacht Club in Pasadena Maryland. Over the past few years Oracle has been performing regularly for many yacht club functions throughout the Chesapeake Bay area, and many of these performances can be directly attributed to our good friends at Maryland Yacht Club. MYC was only the second yacht club to book the band, and it was our first performance there as well as for the folks at Marley Boat Club that has made the band one of the favorites on the Yacht Club circuit up and down the Chesapeake. We thought we'd share a few of the photos from this most recent performance. The photos actually reside on MySpace.com, so just click on the slide show to be taken over there where you can join, modify the slide show attributes, and become a MySpace Friend of the Band. Veronica's Surgery As many of you may have heard, Veronica underwent surgery back on Wednesday March 18th to correct some disk and neck problems. The past few weeks have found the band back on stage and Veronica looking and sounding as good as ever, without the numbness that she had been experiencing prior to her surgery.
Veronica would like to send out her personal thanks for all the cards, e-mails, well-wishes and prayers sent her way over the past few months. The outpouring has been pretty overwhelming, and it really has done wonders to help speed the recovery process. The past couple of performance people have been amazed that she has been back to her usual energetic self on stage, although we're doing our best to try and keep her on her stool as much as possible. Unfortunately we aren't always very successful as she tends to get wrapped up in the performance and realizes later she's still mending! Classical Music Lovers Applaud Fans of Oracle have raved for several years now about the talent on display when the band's violinist/fiddler Nikki Herrera puts bow to string. They admire Nikki's virtuosity and passion while performing such tunes as Phantom of the Opera, Orange Blossom Special, and of course the perennial crowd pleaser Devil Went Down to Georgia.
Nikki's performances with Oracle often leave audiences awed by her technique, but on this particular night that technique was ratcheted up many times over as she performed works drawn from the baroque, classical, impressionist, modern, and romantic eras, works that are significantly more difficult and challenging than those drawn from the pop catalog.
Take for example the unaccompanied piece by Bach entitled "Chaconne".
Fifteen minutes of passion, beauty, technique, and emotion pour forth from a
single instrument...no accompaniment, no special effects, just four strings
and a horsehair bow resonating from a beautiful hollow wooden box. Or, to take things one step further, the Ravel "Tzigane", featuring it's gypsy melodies, and demanding a technique of the violinist few have been able to master, utilizing sounds that many didn't even know could be produced by a violin, including eerily high harmonic notes that are barely whispered, yet resonate throughout the room, or the aggressive plucked "pizzicato" notes that jump out in contrast to the notes produced by the bow. Want to hear a little of what we're talking about here? Check out the video here of Tzigane, the final piece on Nikki's program, and see if you don't agree that Oracle is a very lucky band to have such a versatile talent as one of it's members.
Nikki graduated from Towson University Cum Laude on Friday May 22nd, 2009. Our heartiest congratulations go out to her! Chocolate Ball A Big Success
This is the fourth year in a row that Oracle has been invited to perform for this event, sponsored by BB&T Bank. The purpose of the ball is to raise funds for The Arc of Howard County. The Arc of Howard County sponsors vocational and residential support and services, respite care, and other programs and services for children and adults with cognitive and developmental disabilities.
Area bakers and confectioners bring their most creative talents into play to showcase their creations at the ball. In addition to the photo shown here (yes...that is all cake and icing...click for a closer look), we've got even more photos of some of the best ones over at the Chocolate Ball 2009 Photo Gallery. It's hard to believe these were actually made out of chocolate and/or cake! Simply magnificent! The Kossiakoff Center is a spectacular location for a formal dance. The room seems to stretch forever, and watching all the beautiful ladies decked out in gowns worthy of a Hollywood gala premier, accompanied by the gentlemen in their black-tie best, well, it's pretty amazing. Please check out the Howard County Chocolate Ball 2009 Photo Gallery and see what a wonderful time it was.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
For the past few years the party has grown so large that it had to be moved downstairs to accommodate the crowds, and this year, while not completely sold out, certainly made up for it with enthusiasm. The menu was straight from the heart of Ireland...Corned Beef & cabbage, Irish potatoes and carrots. Yum! Our thanks go out to the ladies of the Legion Auxiliary for preparing such a wonderful spread. It's true that we weren't celebrating right on March 17th. There are far too many folks that have to get up to go to work the next day. So, based on our schedule, the closest Friday to the big day was selected, which actually turned out to be Friday the 13th!
We decided that the luck of the Irish was far stronger than the
old superstitions about Friday the 13th, so
paraskevidekatriaphobics notwithstanding, the evening came off We knew we were in great shape when our very dear friend Tim and his wife Carol made the trip down from their home just outside Philadelphia to be with us. Tim & Carol were involved in a horrible accident while vacationing in Mexico last year and had been run down by an out of control car. Recently Tim had to go through some serious additional surgery to correct problems from his initial Mexican surgery, and though still on a walker, he was back with us. You can't buy friends like these...you guys are the best!
Oddly enough, Tim & Carol weren't the record holders for long
distance travel. Our good friends John & Chris were with
us after
OK...so there was that little thing about also seeing their new grandkid, but hey, it was fantastic to see them again anyway. They moved out to Arizona a little over two years ago. That's Chris & John dancing in the green (imagine that) towards the back. It was the best photo we were able to get...guess they're a little camera shy! Hey...we got lots more photos from the evening! Did you expect anything less from us? Check out all the photos at the new St. Patrick's Day at American Legion 2009 Photo Gallery. Fun Photo As many of you know, Steve, the band's trumpet player, drives a truck much of the time for a company that makes deliveries all over the eastern part of the United States.
While snapping a few shots of this rather unusual structure, who should pass by on the highway but one of the big rigs hauling the Brooks & Dunn show to their next gig! The funny thing is, he didn't even notice the truck until going through the photos when he got back! Click on the photo to see an enlarged view of this unusual building. What's Your Favorite Place To Hear Oracle Perform?We'd love to hear from all of our fans who come out to hear us on a regular basis, and find out which places you all prefer to come hear us perform. No personal information is saved...your vote is completely anonymous. Oracle Band E-NewsletterThe Oracle Band electronic newsletter is our best means for letting our fans know when and where we'll be performing, as well as offering them an opportunity to take advantage of some special opportunities during the course of the year. Short reminders are send prior to most of our public performances, and every other month or so we send out a more detailed newsletter letting everyone know what's been happening with the band, including photos and lots of links to fun stuff. If you're not already receiving our newsletter, how about subscribing right now? It takes about 30 seconds. As always, please know that we NEVER sell or distribute in any way the names and e-mail addresses used to distribute the newsletter.
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Oracle Band This page last updated 06/28/2009 Copyright 2009 by Oracle Band |
visitors since 7/27/2007
