Community Corner
Joe Bagale heads up Beatles in the Park Sponsored by the San Anselmo Arts Commission
This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.
The San Anselmo Arts Commission will be holding the ever-popular Beatles Tribute on Saturday night July 12th at Creek Park in San Anselmo. Front man of the Mickey Hart Band, member of Jazz Mafia and brilliant solo artist Joe Bagale is the driving force and musical director behind the upcoming Beatles in the Park. Joe will be bringing together the talents of many bay area musicians for the night’s festivities playing everything from horns and guitars to keys, bass, drums, and vocals. He is eagerly looking forward to this year’s musical extravaganza.
Born into a family of talented musicians and teachers, Joe formed his first band at 12 years old and hasn’t stopped since. In fact, the Beatles were the very reason he decided to become a musician in the first place. Bagale recalls. “My first memory of the Beatles was when my family was given our very first CD player. The first album my father bought on CD was "the white album" and I was always drawn to the song title "happiness is a warm gun." But I'd say my first personal moment with the Beatles when I fell in love was probably around age 11 when I first learned how to put a record on a turntable and put the needle down on vinyl. That album was a US release entitled "meet the Beatles" and the first song was "I want to hold your hand." I'm pretty sure I wore that record out in about a month's time. Since then I've probably gone through 5 or 6 significant Beatles phases and currently I'm at it again while preparing for this year's Beatles in the Park. It's gonna be a blast!”
Joe Bagale and his Beatles Tribute band will cover material spanning their entire recorded catalog but his goal is to reinterpret their music for a modern audience. This will be done by creating new arrangements as well as reinterpreting the original recordings and even some famous versions covered by other artists from the 60s and 70s. Bagale notes. “As both a musician and a listener, my ears have always heard the instrumental part of songs before the lyrics. I’d say one of the most profound moments of my life was when I was able to understand the lyrics to "she's leaving home". It taught me so much about storytelling and how both the melody and lyrics can pretty much write the whole song without accompaniment. I'll never forget that feeling.”
The Beatles Tribute, which is the kick-off live music event of the summer in Ross Valley, is the major fundraiser for the San Anselmo Arts Commission. One of the many events that the commission sponsors is the Music in the Park free concert series taking place in Creek Park the five Sundays of August from 3pm to 6pm. This year’s series starts on August 3rd with the “Rowan Brothers” and runs through August 31st closing with “Danny Click”.
The Beatles Tribute on Saturday July 12th starts at 6pm and ends at 9pm. The cost is $15.00 for adults and $5.00 for children under 12. Creek Park is located at the “Hub” in San Anselmo and will open for seating at 4:00pm. So bring your blankets, a picnic meal and “Get Back” to Creek Park for an unforgettable evening of fun!
(Service dogs only)
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