The Atascadero Community Band recently held a concert celebrating “The Great Outdoors” through music, and thanks to generous donations from the audience, $754 was donated to the Paso Robles High School Band Backers to support the band and color guard programs at the school.
A music lover with an admittedly “untrained ear” and a penchant for anonymity penned the following (lightly edited) review of the concert.
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The Atascadero Community Band navigated “The Great Outdoors” with skill and grace.
What a wonderful concert, starting with an excellent venue. Atascadero Bible Church is visually calming, but at the same time, an acoustic tornado at the whim of the conductor. The band looked quite dapper in dress black as well.
And then the music started. The unity of the band—always including the conductor—appeared top notch to my untrained ear. Personally, songs went from “nice” (only a few) to somewhere between “Wow!” and “Hurray!”
Unknown (to me) exceptional surprises included “Sedona,” a sweet, warm harmony of undulating sound; “Appalachian Air,” a melodic journey; and the pinnacle, “Excerpts from Fingal’s Cave,” a subtle bassy-fluty marriage. Honorable mentions go to the fantastic renditions of “Moon River,” “Bonanza,” and “Rawhide.” Finishing up, the band used every bit of acoustic resonance in the church to boldly belt out “America, the Beautiful” with the kind of conviction it deserves.
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The Atascadero Community Band plays free indoor concerts several times each year, with donations supporting other local nonprofit organizations. The next concert, “Have Music, Will Travel,” is at Atascadero Bible Church on Sunday, May 7 at 3 p.m. The concert will benefit Court Appointed Special Advocates of SLO.
A true community band, ACB welcomes local musicians of all ages to participate. Students are mentored by more experienced band members, and many of our musicians join after taking a 20-year hiatus to raise families or focus on careers.