Oracle Band
News and Information

This page last updated 11/15/2009

News & Information

Upcoming Performance -
Oracle Returns to Perry's Restaurant for
Final Performance of 2009

On Friday, November 20th Oracle will be performing at Perry's Restaurant in Odenton Maryland for our final performance at this very popular restaurant / nightclub of 2009.  Indeed, with the exception of the $150/ticket Holly Ball the following evening, this is our final public performance before the big New Years 2009-2010 party.

Perry's is one of the places where Oracle really got started.  We have photos from Oracle performances at Perry's going back as far as 2001, and the band was actually performing there before that.

Perry's is VERY easy to get to.  Located right on Route 175 in the heart of Odenton, you can be there in 10 minutes from I-95, and is centrally located in the middle ground between Baltimore, Washington DC, and Annapolis.  There are very few places in central Maryland that take more than 30 minutes to reach, and you can even be there in under an hour from the I-270 corridor in Montgomery County.

Directions to Perry's Restaurant

Best of all, there is no cover charge at Perry's.  You just walk right in the front door.  Save your cover for the first round of drinks.  In addition, Perry's offers an excellent menu so you can come out for dinner then stay to dance the night away.

Since this will be our final public performance for 2009 we'd really like to go out in style with a packed house and jamming dance floor.  We have so many friends that we haven't seen for a while, and many of you (and you know who you are) live within 10 minutes of Perry's.  COME ON OUT!!!  WE WANT TO SEE YOU!!!

We had a great time the last time we were there.  See the article below with photos and highlights from that performance.  You can also head over to the Perry's Restaurant Photo Gallery to see photos we've taken at Perry's dating back to around the beginning of the decade!

This Past Weekend at Whispers

Wow, what a weekend! 

We're told that there hasn't been a Friday night at Whispers this busy in months! We were ready for them all too.  From 9:00 until the wee hours of the morning we danced and partied like there was no tomorrow.

One of the reasons was our friend Rita & her friends.  It seems that a couple of years ago(August 31st to be exact) at Perry's Restaurant, Rita's boyfriend asked us if he could borrow a mic during a song, and in the middle of the song he proposed to her in front of the whole club.  Fast forward to Friday the 13th 2009, and we had Rita's entire bridal party at Whispers celebrating her bachelorette party with her!

This crew came to party, & when the evening was done we knew it had been a major blast.

In addition to Rita & her friends we also had a number of birthday celebrations going on, so basically Whispers could be considered "Party Central" for the entire county!

We shot over 500 snapshots, and with a lot of effort we narrowed those down to around 70 good ones.  We've got them posted over on the latest Whispers Restaurant Photo Gallery.  Head on over and check them out.

Many thanks to everyone who came out to party with us.  It was sort of the kickoff to the holiday season, & we were thrilled to have so many good friends there with us.

Recently at Gambrills Athletic Club Bull Roast

On Saturday November 7th Oracle performed for a Bull & Oyster Roast at Gambrills Athletic Club in Gambrills Maryland.  The event had been sold out for several weeks, and a packed house came out to dance and party the night away with us.

Gambrills is always a blast to play.  The huge dance floor, the great food, and a large stage allow the band to bring in the whole show, with all the lights and extra PA to help cover the large room.

We got so many great photos it was hard to sort through them all and select the best ones.  You can see them all over at the Gambrills Bull Roast Photo Gallery, or you can click below to see a slideshow of the evening.

Oracle Performs For A Cold & Soggy
Harvest Festival In Canton

Last Saturday Oracle performed for the third consecutive year at the FutureCare Canton Harvest Festival, near the Baltimore waterfront in Canton.  

When we performed there last year some of the band members were actually a little sunburned by the end of this afternoon in-the-streets festival.  Alas, this was not to be this year as Mother Nature had other ideas.  With temperatures in the low 40s and a cold steady rain coming down, the event was moved partially indoors, with the rest, such as the pumpkin patch, the scrumptious fresh grilled food, and yes, the band, remaining outside.

Man it was cold!  By the end of the day some us us couldn't feel our toes anymore, the wooden instruments like the fiddle, bass, and guitars were near impossible to keep in tune, and the trumpet...well...ever put your tongue on a frozen lamppost?  OK...so it wasn't really THAT bad...but you get the drift.

There has been a motto that has been handed down for generations among performers..."The show must go on".  And go on it did, despite the worst Mother Nature could throw at us.  We were paid a visit by the Baltimore Raven's mascot, who helped generate excitement & danced with lots of folks (including Nikki) to the sounds of the band.

The kids made it worthwhile, to see the awe in their eyes as they walked past. Many wanted to stay longer but we think mom & dad were probably looking to get inside into warmer conditions, rather than hanging out with the band!  Nevertheless, we had fun and put on a good show, and that's what really counts.

Special thanks go out to the Oracle fans that stopped by to say hi, although we have yet to figure out why Barbara would leave her nearby job WITHOUT A COAT to listen for a while.

We have all of the photos put together at the Harvest Festival 2009 Photo Gallery.   You can also view the pictures in a slideshow format by clicking the box below. You can also view the photos on Facebook, (you don't have to be a member to view the photos, but if you want to comment you'll have to have a Facebook account, which is of course free.

A Great Time At Perry's Restaurant

On Friday, September 25th the band returned to the club that pretty much helped launch the success of Oracle, namely Perry's Restaurant in the heart of beautiful downtown Odenton Maryland. Oracle has been performing at Perry's since the earliest days of the band, when we were but a three piece band and our violinist Nikki was still in the 7th grade! Now THERE'S something to think about!

We were thrilled to have a couple of very special folks with us on this particular night.

First, we got to help our good friend Peggy celebrate her birthday with her friends and family.  Peggy has been coming out to dance to Oracle for several years now, and is always a joy to have around.  Being able to celebrate her birthday with us was very special.

We were also extremely pleased to see two of our Oracle Family members return to the dance floor after an absence of almost two years, due to some major medical issues.  To see Debbie and Celia back on the dance floor after all this time was a joy, and now that the physical issues have been conquered we hope to see them on a regular basis, or at least more than once a year!  We've also been told the Debbie is now engaged, and we're tickled pink to hear that bit of news.  Best wishes Dabbie!

There have been a number of new bands that have come through Perry's lately, and it was a pleasure to see so many of the long time Perry's regulars return for our performance, and indeed, stay all night keeping the dance floor hopping.

Our own fans contributed a lot as well, and our good friend Joanne was kind enough to help us out by taking the camera out front & shooting a bunch of photos of the whole band, including the trumpet player Steve, who is usually the one TAKING the photos, so he very seldom appears in any of them.  Thanks to Joanne though we have a some really nice shots of the full band to show you over at the Perry's Restaurant Photo Gallery.

As we mentioned earlier on this page, Oracle is scheduled to return to Perry's again on Friday, September 25. Keep an eye on our Calendar for updates and changes.

Pachelbel's Canon

This was posted on a friend's Facebook page and we really had a great laugh over it.  Most of you are probably familiar with the Canon in D, written by Johann Pachelbel back around 1680, which is a staple at weddings and light classical concerts, as well as concerts by school ensembles.  It has been arranged for every conceivable combination of instruments, and the chord structure is used in countless popular songs, as parodied here by Rob Paravonian.

A Spectacular Day to Celebrate
The Fourth of July

Wow...where to start with this one? 

On Saturday, July 4th Oracle returned to Granville-Gude Park at Laurel Lakes for a pre-fireworks concert.

We performed for this concert last year, and were thrilled when they broke with tradition and invited us back for a second year, which had never been done before.

The concert started at 5:00 in the afternoon, as the afternoon car show was coming to a close and the crowds started arriving to celebrate the nation's birthday.

No musician could help but be moved as the crowd continued to swell, until by the time we played the last few measures of "Proud To Be An American" there were somewhere around 80.000 within earshot...either in front of us, behind us, and on either side.

The weather could not have been more perfect.  Low 80s and low humidity coupled with a slight overcast sky kept the heat we have come to expect around here in July at bay.

To be honest, a four hour concert is pretty grueling.  The performance consisted of basically two 2 hour sets with a brief intermission.  Hey...at least this year we had rest rooms near the stage!

We had a few surprises in store for us. 

First off, our former bassist Charlie Rundlett stopped by to catch the show, and we were thrilled to get him up on stage with us for a number.  Charlie's last performance with us was the Independence Day show a year ago, so it was kind of like Deja Vu all over again.

Charlie left to be able to spend more time at home down in southern Maryland...the commute was just getting to be too much every weekend.  Unfortunately, we're told by his wife that he still has a very long "honey do" list that he has yet to complete...in spite of all his newly found time.  Oh well...it's only been a year...he's got plenty of time!!!

While Charlie was up on stage with us Jim grabbed Steve's camera and was actually able to obtain some rare shots of Steve performing on stage.  Since Steve usually TAKES all the photos you see on these gallery pages, he is seldom actually IN any of them.

Hey...check out the video Mike put together of one of the songs from the concert.

At the same time, it was pretty cool to have Steve's mom out to hear the show.  We haven't seen her at a show since about three years ago at a My Way performance, and she hung out backstage with us during the concert, getting an opportunity to see exactly what it is that Steve does, (which is still a mystery to many of us in the band)!

Then there were the kids.  Concerts such as these are one of the few opportunities for children to come hear live music.  It is from experiences such as these that we pique the interest of tomorrow's musicians.

The continued cutbacks in school music programs have caused a significant reduction in the quantity and quality of budding musicians.  Musical talent  is present in a great many people, and with the proper nurturing it can be brought out, which is why one should take every opportunity to expose the children of today to as many forms of music as possible. Without this nurturing these natural talents may well go undiscovered, which is a shame.

So, anyway, check out all the photos we took.  There were so many we broke them out into two pages to ease load times.  Out of almost 1000 photos taken we've narrowed them down to the best 80 or so.  We hope you enjoy them.

City of Laurel Independence Day 2009 Photo Gallery

Oh yeah...if you have some photos of your own to share, feel free to upload them to our Facebook Page, or send them to us by some other means.  We'd love to see them!!!

Thanks again to everyone that came out.  

The early word is that we may well be back again NEXT year.  We certainly hope so, because this is definitely one of the highlights of the year for the band!

Happy Birthday America! 

New Years Tickets Now On Sale

OK...you've been asking, and we've been listening.  In case you haven't heard by now, this year's New Years performance will be at the Four Point Sheraton at BWI Hotel, located at Thurgood Marshall BWI Airport.

We've been asked for several years now if we couldn't do a New Years performance where rooms were an option so folks wouldn't have to drive home after a fun evening of partying, welcoming in the new year.  We were thrilled when we were able to make arrangements with our friends over at the Sheraton for what we think is a really great package.

There will be a scrumptious dinner server, open bar featuring premium cocktails, exotic dishes from around the world, a late night hot breakfast, gourmet coffee bar, and much much more.

Tickets for the event are $75 per person and are on sale NOW.  For an additional $75 you can reserve one of the Sheraton's finely appointed rooms so you can party the night away and just walk up to your room afterwards.  How easy is that???

We've got the full menu posted on the Oracle Band New Year's 2010 Information Page.  We have a link to the directions from there as well.

If you have additional questions you may either contact the band or call the Sheraton at 410-691-9827 Ext 501 to reserve your tickets,

Oracle Band opens Montpelier Mansion
Summer Concert Series

On Friday, June 26th Oracle had the privilege of opening the Montpelier summer concert series in Laurel Maryland.

Once the home of the Snowden family (a name most Marylanders will recognize), the mansion was built in 1785 and has hosted such historical names as George Washington and Abigail Adams.  ...And now we can add Oracle to that prestigious list!

Despite a threatening weather forecast that had severe thunderstorm warnings throughout the region, Oracle's excellent relationship with Mother Nature continued to remain cordial as a passing light shower just before concert time caused a few umbrellas to pop out, but by the time the band kicked things off the skies had pretty much cleared and folks were treated to a fun evening of music.

We had a number of our regular "Oracle Family" in attendance, and we were happy to make the acquaintance of many new "family" members who enjoyed themselves enough to subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our other public performances.

We had a wonderful time performing, and even more fun after the show for an impromptu "meet & greet" session where we spent some time talking with our fans.

As you might expect we got lots of photos from the performance, and they are located over on the 2009 Laurel Montpelier Concert Series Photo Gallery.  We'd like to invite you to check them out.

Finally, we'd like to thank the folks over at the South Laurel Recreation Council for inviting us to perform for the opening of their concert series, and indeed, for hosting them for the past 31 years.  It is an enormous amount of work to handle all of the logistics of presenting a concert series like this, and the fact that the event ran as smoothly as it did is a testament to their hard work and commitment to excellence.

Oracle is Now On
Facebook and MySpace
(...and YouTube)!

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.

Both sites have 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
Maryland Yacht Club
Opening Day

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.

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.

On a recent trip down to Hot Springs Arkansas, while passing through Bristol Tennessee, he was at a rest area opposite a rather unusual shaped building, a music museum shaped like a guitar.

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. 

Take Our Poll

Oracle Band E-Newsletter

The 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.

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As always, please know that we NEVER sell or distribute in any way the names and e-mail addresses used to distribute the newsletter.

Oracle Band
19359 Keymar Way
Gaithersburg, Md  20886-5003
(800) 470-0711 (Toll Free)
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This page last updated 11/15/2009

Copyright 2009 by Oracle Band