Oracle Band 2002 -
The Year In Review Continued

 
Click for enlarged view. Oracle performing at the Farmington Village Pool Party The summer found Oracle performing for several outdoor community events, such as this one at the Farmington Village pool party.

A really scary moment occurred during this event when a small child choked on a piece of food and passed out.  The excellent staff there at the pool had a difficult time clearing the airway, but the child was breathing on his own by the time the paramedics arrived.

In August the City of Laurel invited the band to perform for their Summer Concert Series at the McCullough Field pavilion.

Concerts such as this are always a lot of fun, and this one was no exception.

In spite of the heat over a hundred people showed up to relax, picnic, and enjoy the show.

For more photos from this performance, click HERE.

Click for enlarged view. Oracle performs for the City of Laurel in their Summer Concert Series
Click for enlarged view. The crowd at Oliver's typically doesn't dance much, but we got them going! 2002 also saw the band perform at a couple of new nightclubs.  The first one was just after the Laurel Concert, right around the corner on Main St at Oliver's Old Towne Tavern. 

A great crowd turned out for our first performance here, and we partied almost until 2:00AM.

Veronica's mom came out from the Philippines to pay a visit, and we were pleased to have her and Veronica's sister come out to Perry's Restaurant to catch the band.  Neither of them had heard the band before, so it was a lot of fun for them as well as for the band.  Click for enlarged view. Veronica's mom gets down on the dance floor at Perry's Restaurant
Click for enlarged view. Party at the Last Chance Saloon in Columbia Maryland The other new club we performed at in 2002 was the Last Chance Saloon in Columbia Maryland.  A unique nightclub in that there is a dedicated non-smoking area by the dance floor, much to the relief of the non-smokers within the Oracle family. The smokers are also accommodated over by the bar with a clear view of the stage.  It really is the best of both worlds.

The highlight of the evening was when a newlywed couple and their wedding party stopped by for an "after reception" party.

September found the band back at the Patriot Center for another bridal show.

Continued participation in these shows has led to more and more business as the band gets used to doing these shows.

The variety of Oracle's repertoire really energizes folks who might not have thought about hiring a band for their wedding reception.   The fact that Steve actually acts as a live DJ in between sets is also a valuable (and unique) service we feature that no other bands in the area offer.

If you or someone you know is getting married any time soon, check out our Wedding Information Pages for tips and advice on all things wedding.  Steve is also available if you have any questions.

Click for enlarged view. Veronica sitting at the Oracle Booth at the Patriot Center Bridal Show
Click for enlarged view. Bull Roast at American Legion Post 276 in Severn The American Legion Post 276 heard us over in Severna Park, and invited us over to perform for their fall Bull Roast. A sold out crowd came out to party the night away.

Click HERE for more photos from this performance.

The fall also saw Oracle's return to the Fleet Reserve Club in Annapolis after an extended renovation.  

Situated right on "Captain's Alley" in the heart of historic Annapolis. they added a rooftop patio area and completely remodeled the interior of the club. 

It's said that you're not really a boat captain until you can bring your boat up into Captain's Alley and then turn around and head back out. To say that's it's a narrow channel is an understatement.

Click for enlarged view. Oracle performs at the newly remodeled Fleet Reserve Club in Annapolis Maryland
Click for enlarged view. Oracle performing at a holiday party Corporate holiday parties hit an all time high for the band in 2002.  We've already booked parties for December 2003!  Although they present their own series of challenges for the band, holiday parties are so much fun we look forward to the holiday season with anticipation.  

Unfortunately there are only a finite number of prime holiday party dates available, so the competition is pretty fierce.  If you'd like to have Oracle perform for your company holiday party, contact us as soon as possible.

In December two major announcements were made that directly impacted the future direction of Oracle.  Jeff Baxter, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist extraordinaire, proposed to his girlfriend Jolene and they set a January 2003 wedding date.

This is a photo of the two of them at New Years 2001 at the American Legion.

 

Click for enlarged view. The future Mr & Mrs Baxter
Click for enlarged view. Jeff gets a littel strange every now and then. At the same time, as Oracle looked at booking even more performances in 2003 than in 2002, Jeff realized that he would not be able to devote the time and attention to the band that was needed and still maintain some sort of "life".  Coupled with the time necessary to maintain a somewhat normal family life, it became clear that he would be unable to continue with the band.

Jeff's departure was announced, and we held a "going away" party for Jeff at Jim's Hideaway.

All the ladies with keys to his place were requested to return them.  Amazingly enough, dozens of ladies appeared out of nowhere bringing back keys.  It was almost as if the whole thing had been scripted...NOT!  In fact, Jeff was so fooled he thought they were giving him THEIR keys...AND TRIED TO GIVE THEM BACK!  Ahh Jolene...life is definitely going to be interesting!

Click for enlarged view. The ladies line up to "return" the keys to Jeff's place. Can you believe the grin on Jeff's face?
The flurry of activity at the end of the year brings us to New Years 2002-2003.  Held at the Fleet Reserve Club in Annapolis, a sell out crowd danced the night away, and at midnight everyone went out on the deck to watch the Annapolis fireworks display, then back inside to finish the night off with even more dancing.

The ladies looked resplendent in their gowns, the food was scrumptious, and the crowd was great.  

To see more photos from this fabulous party click HERE.

Click for enlarged view. The dance floor was packed at the New Years Celebration at the Fleet Rerserve Club in Annapolis.

And so we conclude another year.  As we move further into 2003 we would like to take the opportunity to thank our many Oracle family members for coming out and supporting the group.  We are all looking forward to an exciting and busy year, and we sincerely hope that you all will come along for the ride.  It's gonna be a blast!

Our best wishes to you all.  Don't be strangers!

Return to Oracle 2002 Year In Review Page 1


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