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Friday night, Tom and I joined 38 other sets of ears in our friends' living room to listen to Celeste Krenz, an singer/songwriter we'd never heard of before, even though her amazing voice has been singing for audiences for a couple of decades.

Her songs are unique, yet familiar somehow… her voice lyrical, soothing, and angelic… even when she's singing "If I Had a Gun"… 

And nothing beats listening to music like that in the intimacy of a home concert.

These particular friends, Bob and Lisa, have hosted several concerts in their home, including the Shake Russell concert a few years ago that inspired us to have our own (because we couldn't make it to theirs!)

Two years ago Bob and Lisa decided to add a purpose beyond entertainment to the concerts. Each artist who performed in their home signed a a Venture V3 acoustic/electric guitar that was later auctioned off. Last year it went for $2000 in a live auction at the Flight Against Breast Cancer fundraiser.

The fundraiser benefited Harley's Angels, a non-profit organization comprised of a group of "women motorcycle enthusiasts dedicated to promoting breast cancer awareness, research and education." 

Bob, a motorcycle enthusiast himself, lost his sister Karen to breast cancer a few years ago. This is his way of celebrating her life and helping to fight the disease that took her life.

The Shake Russell Trio and Michael Hearne will be the featured performers again this year at the third annual Flight Against Breast Cancer fundraiser on September 29.

Celeste Krenz kicked off this year's concert series and fundraising: a portion of her CD sales went to Harley's Angels.

Susan Gibson plays in May. I'm not sure who else Bob has lined up this year, but I'm sure he'll gather some other great musician/artists. Last year's guitar was signed by Tavana, Chuck Cannon, Klaus Oglesby, Jeff Senour, Joe McGinnity, Shake Russell, Doug Floyd, Mike Roberts and Michael Hearne.

As you can tell, Bob isn't one of those people who sits around wishing other people would do something. He just does it.


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Bob holds the guitar steady while Celeste signs her name.


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Celeste with representatives of Harley's Angels.

 

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Celeste with hosts, Bob and Lisa.

 

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I just love this pic of Bob and my sweetie! They've been friends since their Coast Guard days. 

If you're interested in learning more about the Flight Against Breast Cancer concert series and auction, let me know and I'll be sure to keep you posted on the details.

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19 responses to “A Celestial Evening (Celeste Krenz and Harley’s Angels)”

  1. Bob Newlin Avatar
    Bob Newlin

    Barbara, What a wonderful write up of the House Concert with Celeste. We found her to be a wonderful artist and person as well. We enjoyed our entire time with her and hope to have her here again. Thanks also for the mention of Harley’s Angels and their mission and also the Flight Against Breast Cancer Benefit Concert and Auction. I only saw one small, tiny mistake. This will be our Third year for the event come September 29th.
    Thanks also for being such a wonderful friend,
    Bob

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  2. Barbara Shallue Avatar

    Bob, I can't believe we've missed TWO years of these concerts! I mean, I believe you, but it just means we've been entirely too busy and the time is flying by way too fast.
    Thanks for correcting me! I'll fix it right now…
     

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  3. Lady Fi Avatar

    Another fun evening!

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  4. Kathy Avatar

    What a lovely, inspiring event! This post 1) made my heart sing and 2) made me smile.

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  5. Agnes Avatar

    (lost my comment again… just sayin’)
    Wonderful Barbara, I love art, I love charity and together they make me happy.

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  6. Barbara Shallue Avatar

    Me, too! And oh my gosh, the comment thing is driving me crazy. If you have time, would you mind creating a ticket with Typepad and describe what is happening when you try to leave a comment on my blog, since you're a Typepad user? I've reported it but they say it must be a browser thing or ask for my readers to give me screenshots, etc. I'm just grateful so many of you keep trying till it works!

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  7. Bella Casa Avatar

    Those Home Concerts sound like so much fun …worthy cause too …very special!

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  8. Barbara Shallue Avatar

    That's exactly how I felt listening to her sing!
     

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  9. Barbara Shallue Avatar

    Yes it was!! That it was for a good cause was just icing on the cake!

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  10. Suldog Avatar

    38 other sets of ears? That’s one big living room! Sounds (Heh… Sounds…) like it was a great fun evening!

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  11. lisleman Avatar

    A home concert – that would sound and feel special. The closest I’ve come to experience such a thing would be when a talented relative pulls out a guitar at parties. It is also special to have a good cause involved.

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  12. Barbara Shallue Avatar

    It feels much like sitting around a talented relative. Very special!
     

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  13. Barbara Shallue Avatar

    It feels much like sitting around a talented relative. Very special!
     

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  14. Barbara Shallue Avatar

    It was a good size living room, but you'd be surprised how many lawn chairs you can squeeze into a room when you shove the furniture out of the way! Nice and cozy!
     

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  15. Barbara Shallue Avatar

    They really are a lot of fun! Even if they're not for a good cause, but that does make them even more special.
     

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  16. Debbie. B. Avatar
    Debbie. B.

    Wow…what a great way to spend the evening with friends! I’m really impressed how your friends open their homes and hearts to support this very worthy cause.

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  17. Barbara Shallue Avatar

    They impress me, too. I know from experience it's a lot of work having a home concert and they do one after another!
    Sent from my iPhone

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  18. brian miller Avatar

    very cool…i bet that was a lot of fun…and how intimate a venue as well to have it in the home…very cool….

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  19. Barbara Shallue Avatar

    It really is! I had no idea artists were doing this until a couple of years ago.
     

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