by Glen Richardson
Bassist Baier: Frank Baier and his wife Christine host the neighborhood music series on their front lawn, where his band Groove Machine entertains.
Singing With Soul: New singer-soloist at this year’s summer lawn singalongs is Biff Gore, dubbed “The Ambassador of Soul” by LA pop rock band Maroon 5.
As sure as the sun rises and sets, summer graces us with its warm embraces, bringing with it delightful lawn singalongs. None is more charming, nor more quintessentially local, than the sunset serenades of Cory- Merrill neighborhood bassist Frank Baier and his band Groove Machine.
Gems on the lawn providing spirited musical entertainment with a good beat, lots of feeling, plus easy listening singalong lyrics. Like George Gershwin’s Summertime composition for Porgy and Bess, the music has a rhythmical hook and instrumental beat that embodies “Good Vibrations.” Tunes as rhythmic as the Beach Boys’ pop and rock songs, with an edge and a synthesized beat with electric guitar riffs. Neighbors, friends, walkers, bicyclists, music fans, and their dogs flock to the neighborhood to listen-dance to the jam sessions that in recent years have progressively become a ball and blast. They stand, sit on chairs, or stretch out on lawns at homes adjacent, across the street, or nearby to enjoy the sunset concerts.
A top musician, Baier has worked on Broadway shows including Grease, and Jesus Christ Superstar. He has performed with such musical talent as Brook Benton, Hall & Oates, and the Bee Gee’s. He’s also played with the Minneapolis and St Louis Philharmonics, and New York’s finest society orchestras. Each summer Baier and his wife Christine treat the neighborhood to the summer music series on their front lawn.
Top Talent
Lawn Keynoter: Groove Machine’s keyboardist Tim Greenhouse adds depth and color to lawn singalong sunset serenade in the Cory-Merrill neighborhood.
Keyboards add depth and texture to a band’s sound, and Tim Greenhouse is one of Colorado’s best. Sometimes flashy, his work allows the band to add extra layers while often adding some edge. Moreover, he gives the band the opportunity to vary the sound and atmosphere of a song.
Artistic Greenhouse is a Denverite who has played with such stars as Bob Hope. Furthermore, he has participated in Switzerland’s prestigious annual Montreux Jazz Festival that annual draws nearly 250,000 spectators. He has also played with celebrated Colorado-based entertainers Hazel Miller and Lannie Garrett.
Adding captivating sounds and emotional expression to every concert is longtime Groove Machine percussionist Doug Bainbridge. A top musician, he helps maintain the rhythm and adds vibrancy to the music. Bainbridge spent several years playing around the Pacific Rim. He worked for a half-dozen years as a drummer-percussionist on South Korea television before returning to the U.S.
New as singer-soloist at this year’s summer lawn singalongs is Biff Gore, a powerful soul-singer with down home guitar styling. Dubbed “The Ambassador of Soul” by LA pop rock band Maroon 5, the soloist-guitarist adds a feeling of connection that engages the lawn crowd. While providing entertainment and joy to listeners, his performances create bonding, lower stress, improve the mood, while also adding emotion.
Lawn Lineup: Neighbors, friends, walkers, and music fans line up along the sidewalk to enjoy a diverse genre of music at a lawn event that has become a ball and blast.
His rich vocals landed him a spot on the sixth season of NBC’s talent show The Voice, in the spring of 2014. His grueling blues sound moved him to the top eight. During his time on The Voice, Gore realized his desire to share his musical gifts with people, so he returned to Denver. Worship Pastor at the Highline Community Church, he has “The Biff Gore Radio Show” on KLTT-670 AM, where soul meets sound in a symphony of inspirational stories, music, and wisdom.
Harmony & Bonding
The music is rhythmic, warm, lyrical, and melodious. But it’s about more than the music. It’s about moments between people. Families and friends getting together who haven’t seen each other in a year, and picking up a conversation like they’d just seen each other yesterday. It’s about kids enjoying the music with mom and pop. There’s a family feel that you rarely experience.
Concerts are not just an evening of pleasure, but a true immersion into the heart of our communities. From the toe-tapping rhythms of the band, the lawn singalongs are a true sensory feast that beckons both young and old to revel in the joys of summer.
Family-friendly, offering diverse genres of music, they are a great way to enjoy being outside in the evening when temperatures cool off. Sometimes soft, smooth, and gentle, other times rich, loud, and wild, they signal everyone to chill out, and take it day by day. Giving people a sense of freedom, an escape to “let loose” through the means of music. It boosts everyone’s moods and dispositions.