The Saltash Serenaders band was originally formed by Tom Mitchell, Paul Sgalia and Chris Lyons in the late 70s. Chris eventually felt the need to leave the band due to the increasing demands of his carpentry work. By then I had met Paul through various music gatherings and was invited to sit in with the Serenaders at a weekly gig they had going at Murphy’s Bar in Rutland. This would have been around 1981. Working at that bar was Vicky Arthur who also began sitting in with the band. It all clicked. For a previously scheduled radio show upcoming at Castleton College, Vicky and I were asked to formally join the band. And so began a journey where, to quote Bob Weir, “the music never stopped.” And, I might add, the friendship.
Our poster designed by Tom’s sister, Judith Mitchell
Vicky, Paul, Steve & Tom, 1984
Steve, Paul, Vicky & Tom, 1986
We all sang solo and harmony. Tom played autoharp, guitar, tiple, recorder, harmonica and kazoo. Paul played guitar, mandolin and bass. Initially Vicky played guitar and hand percussion. Not long after, by the way, Vicky and Paul were married at which point she learned bass and added that to the mix. Myself, I played standard and slide guitar as well as fiddle. Towards the end of the 80s Mark Hamilton and Licia Gambino joined the band. Mark played fiddle and percussion while Licia played flute, recorder, banjo and guitar. Before Licia and Mark came on board, my wife, Kim, had filled in as our resident contra/square dance caller when such occasions arose. Kim was happy to pass on that position to Licia as Kim’s teaching career became more demanding.
Steve, Paul, Mark, Tom, Licia & Vicky, 1990
All of us of us brought our own musical backgrounds and interests to the band. These contributed to a fairly unique repertoire of music encompassing folk, blues, ragtime, country, old-timey, gospel, rock, fiddle tunes as well as originals. We played in barns, bars, grange halls, and auditoriums We played at town greens, coffee houses, festivals and parties. We played for farmers’ markets, weddings, fundraisers, contra /square dances, school programs, college and public radio shows, public TV and political rallies- Go Bernie!. And along with this we did record two CDs and an in-house Christmas tape with our children.
By the mid 90s, Mark and Licia were ready to bow out in order to focus on starting their family. Tom, Paul, Vicky and I continued on with the musical grab bag which had become a trademark for us. For the dances we worked with various callers but primarily with our good friend, Lausanne Allen.
Steve, Vicky, Tom & Paul, 2003
So it continued until 2006 when we were devastated by the loss of our dear friend Tom at the age of 62. He had battled leukemia for 13 months. Paul, Vicky and I decided to continue the band as a trio knowing, as the cliche goes, it’s what Tom would have wanted plus we just loved making music together. However, at that point in our lives and careers, we were more and more content to let the gigs find us. And as always we have continued playing informally with friends and family.
I know I can speak for the others in saying that playing in the Saltash Serenaders has been a great source of music, fun and friendship. For me personally it opened my ears to an immense world of music and, with the support and encouragement of my fellow bandmates , gave me the confidence to put myself out there; to improvise, to play on the fly, to adapt my playing to the needs of the band and to hone my chops. For all of this, I am eternally grateful.