This Thursday, the Odd Fellows Hall, located at 415 Second St., will be kicking off the holiday season with Christmas music performed by nine local bands.
The kickoff will be held at its monthly Thursday Live! show. Performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be open and free to the public.
The holiday show will feature local bands such as Biscuits and Honey, Frankie and the Fabletones, Me & Him and many more.
Yolo Mambo, a local quartet that plays acoustic world jazz music, has a sound created by a Spanish guitar, a string bass, percussions and vocals. Yolo Mambo was started four years ago by four local residents.
“At the Christmas show, we’ll be playing some Christmas songs. One of them is going to be ‘Santa Baby’ and two others [will be] surprise songs,” said Yolo Mambo Spanish guitarist Phil Summers.
Like the other featured artists, Yolo Mambo’s songs will be fully arranged by the band, who will play their renditions of classic Christmas songs.
“My husband and I had always dreamed of having a venue where local musicians could play to their home crowd,” said Juelie Roggli, an Odd Fellows member of the music committee. “Davis has so many wonderful musicians who don’t get that chance because, up until now, there just wasn’t a place to play.”
This dream was fulfilled when the Thursday Live! shows began three years ago. The event features local musicians every first Thursday of the month. Donations are accepted that then go to the musicians.
For December, however, donations from its holiday show will go toward a program within Odd Fellows called The Davis Odd Fellows Encampment.
“All donations from this holiday show will go to the Davis Odd Fellows Encampment who raise money throughout the year to send children to summer camp in the Sierra Mountains,” stated a press release from the Odd Fellows Hall.
The Davis Odd Fellows Encampment was revived in 2010 by new members of the encampment who decided to raise money in order to help give children a summer camp experience.
The Odd Fellows Hall underwent a $1 million renovation in 2006. The community can rent the hall, with proceeds returning to the community by supporting local nonprofits.
“I think it’s a wonderful cause [Davis Encampment] and it’s the right time of the year — a time for people to give. It’s great for the musicians to give their time,” Summers said.
MEE YANG can be reached at city@theaggie.org.
