If you want to talk about unusual events, than you should hear about the fundraising event Jellyroll performed at on Friday, October 2nd, to benefit the Friends of Laurel Hill Cemetery. It is not every day you hear about a gala for a cemetery, but Laurel Hill is a truly unique and special place. Laurel Hill is one of the only cemeteries in the country that is a National Historic Landmark, and the Friends of Laurel Hill work to preserve and promote the establishment. This was the 5th annual Gravediggers’ Ball held to benefit the landmark, and this year’s event was held in memory of Harry Kalas whose final resting place is at Laurel Hill. It was inspiring for Jellyroll to be a part of this event, honoring the beloved Philadelphia broadcaster.
The evening started with a moving tribute to Harry, followed by Jellyroll playing “High Hopes,” a known favorite of Mr. Kalas. Guests, many of whom were dressed in costume, really enjoyed this. Everyone sang along, and then stayed on the dance floor to dance the night away. Here is an excerpt from the Kalas family testimonial to the Friends of Laurel Hill: “I loved how the band asked everyone to sing along to High Hopes. Sometimes it can seem kind of cheesy when people do High Hopes in honor of Harry, but because it was such a great band, and what they said before they started singing, it really felt like a loving tribute and I have to commend the band for that because that’s not easy to do. So it was really an incredible night and we were so pleased to be a part of it.”
The following evening, on October 3rd, Jellyroll performed at the wedding of Kristen Bowers and Keith Griesbaum at the Hotel du Pont. The evening was entirely enjoyable as the bride and groom were a pleasure to work with, and Jillian, a member of the Hotel du Pont staff, ran a great show. Linda Simunov, the couple’s wedding planner, ensured that all the details came together to create a flawless and memorable evening for the bride and groom. Michael Kehr was the photographer for the evening, and he took some great shots of the happy couple with their friends and family. Below are a few of his photos from the wedding!
The special dances of the night included the bride and groom’s first dance to “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You” by Elvis. The bride and her father danced to “The Way You Look Tonight”, and the groom and his mother danced to “Wonderful Tonight”. The rest of the night Jellyroll performed high-energy dance songs that really got the crowd moving. Jellyroll experienced one of their most exciting endings to a reception when the bride and groom joined them on stage in front of a packed crowd of guests for the last song of the night, Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing”.
On Saturday September 19th 2009, Midnight Hour headed north to play for the wedding reception of Jeff & Grace Boivin, two beautiful people who chose a truly beautiful venue for their special day. Nestled in Somerset Hills, The Olde Mill Inn has all the charm of a traditional Country Inn, but doesn’t lack in any of the modern touches.
We helped the family and guests welcome Jeff and Grace into the room to thunderous applause as we played their first dance, “Into The Mystic” by Van Morrison. Later, Grace danced with her father as we performed the classic “You Are So Beautiful” by Joe Cocker, and Jeff and his mother danced to our version of Louis Armstrong’s “What A Wonderful World”, which they chose after hearing us perform it on our web site.
We also performed some new songs we just added to our repertoire by The Black Eyed Peas and Lady Gaga, and the crowd loved them. There were some Boston Red Sox fans there, including our groom, so we made sure we played “Sweet Caroline” for them … and at the very end, we couldn’t resist mentioning our World Champion Phillies! Sorry Jeff, we’re proud Philadelphians, so we had to mention our team, too! Thanks for being a great sport!
It was just a great day – we even enjoyed the drive from Philly to Basking Ridge. There’s nothing like a clear, cool day in late September, with the leaves just turning color. Jeff and Grace had a terrific reception.
Here’s a shot of Tiny getting down with the crowd!
Jellyroll had the honor of returning to the Manor House at Commonwealth on Friday evening to play at the wedding of Marisa Ammendola and Greg McLaughlin. As always Amy, Cristy, Jennifer, and the rest of the Manor House staff ensured success in putting together a fantastic evening.
The bride and groom’s first wedding dance together was to “Into the Mystic” by Van Morrison. Later in the evening Mr. Ammendola danced with his beautiful daughter to “My Girl” and the groom and his mother danced to “Song for My Son,” sung by Jellyroll’s Tesa Williams.
The bride and groom requested the band play “Stuck on You” by Lionel Richie. Jellyroll was happy to oblige and used the song to kick off the dancing which continued well into the night.
On Saturday, Jellyroll played at the Lewes Yacht Club in Lewes, DE. The club is a very unique wedding location where Jellyroll always enjoys performing. The bride and groom, Becky Rogers and Clayton Serman, made a lovely couple and were a pleasure to perform for. Becky is a member of the Fox 29 Philly team, and it was exciting to see Fox Philly personalities dancing to the sounds of Jellyroll.
Below is a picture taken by Humbled Eyes Photography of the bride and groom sharing their first dance to “Wonderful Tonight” sung by Jellyroll guitarist Steve Sheppard:
Other important dances of the night included the bride and her father’s dance to “Lullaby,” and the groom’s dance with his mother to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man.” This song was a first time performance for Jellyroll!
Here are some more pictures taken by Humbled Eyes Photography at the Rogers-Serman wedding:
Both of the weekend’s weddings were great successes. Jellyroll and everyone else at BVT wish the best of luck to both couples!