Blend

B is for Blend.  Recently the group Blend was in concert here in my hometown at the Ouachita Little Theater.    Blend started at John A. Logan College in 2005 for a talent show and ended up winning it. From there, they decided to pursue it as a career.  The real strength of Blend lies in their ability to entertain crowds of all ages with songs which most everyone has heard at one point or another.  On top of their classic doo-wop routine they are also a deeply spiritual group and love to share their gospel music as well.

I really enjoyed the concert.  Blend is an acappela group, they use no instruments or pre-recorded music.  What you get is just some guys singing and having a good time.  They put on a very entertaining show and kept the audience involved, often coming down off of the stage and singing in the audience.

Some of the songs on their setlist included, Chain Gang, Duke of Earl, Pretty Women, Come Go With Me, Get a Job, Book of Love and Blue Moon.

If Blend ever comes back to Mena I will plan on going to see them again.

The ABC Wednesday Meme is a fun way to see some great blogs.

Folk Mountain Gospel

Last night Don and Donna Mohl were in concert at our church. Don and Donna, under the name Folk Mountain Gospel, play traditional instruments such as the Bowed Psaltery, Hammered Dulcimer, Mountain Dulcimer, Mandolin, Zither, Guitar, and Harmonica. They travel 48 weekends of the year, which allows them to continue their day jobs during the week. Their music is a blend of “mountain” style and folk style gospel. They sing hymns, more recent gospel songs and some songs that they have written.

Here are a some videos that I recorded during the concert.









Listening to Donna play the Hammered Dulcimer brought back memories of a time in my life when a Hammered Dulcimer played an important role in letting me know that God listens to and answers our prayers.  You can read the story here.

If you are interested in their music you can purchase CD's at their Folk Mountain Gospel website.  All of the mountain instruments that Donna plays are made by Don.  He also sells custom-built, hand-crafted musical instruments to the public.  You can get more information about these beautiful instruments on their website.  Here are some photos of the instruments available.

If you would like Don and Donna to come and present a program for your church or group, just let them know, no group or venue is too small.  You can contact them through their website.  They are based in Southwest Missouri and travel anywhere that is possible in a weekend.