Doug Mains and the City Folk

Rob has been a part of our band as our drummer for about 9 months.  However for about 4 of those months was our extended break.  So for the 5 months that he has been actively performing with us we have had the great honor and opportunity to get to know him as a musician and person. 

When Mike Kates, our previous drummer who has remained an awesome friend, announced that he would have to step down as our percussionist due to his prior commitments, my eyes popped out in a search of a new drummer.  As I shuffled through our various connections and options, I thought of Rob Germeroth, a folksy looking feller I knew from a small group at our Church.  I had seen him on a regular basis and knew little about him as a musician.  What I did know, I liked.  I knew that he played drums, that he had a good taste in music and that he dressed like a folkster.  It was enough for me to initiate and talk with him about possibly joining our group.  We had met for lunch and discussed our similar visions for the music we create.   He seemed to be a great fit.  Eventually, Kim Wren somehow had heard him play and was more than impressed.  She talked with me and shared that she thought that he would be a fantastic addition to our band.  Indeed he is. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed having Rob be a part of our group and I know everyone else has appreciated him greatly as well.  He certainly is not a man of many words but he is sure to make his replies thoughtful and/or quirky.  He is a very calm and consistent person and for that I appreciate him both as a musician and human.  He has a very tasteful and intentional technique that adds to our music in many ways.  I love the creativity that he shares with our music.  Many times, it is just a little thing that he does that adds so much to the song.  He is a very intentional and creative and humorous person.  Again, I am very grateful for the opportunity to share the stage with Rob Germeroth.

…and he has a great mustache.

For as much of a hard time that I give Kelly Pond both off and on stage, my appreciation for her is incredibly great for many different reasons.  Over the four (ish) years that we have known and played music together she has become one of my greatest friends.  She is like a sister.

The first time that I remember putting a face to the name Kelly Pond it was at my sister’s wedding.  Kelly and my brother-in-law had played music together at Michigan State and she was invited to play her violin at their wedding.  Unfortunately, we did not have the opportunity to meet at the wedding.  Instead, we officially met about a week later at a college group event.  Not knowing her well, I invited her to join me and some friends to an open mic at Dagwoods in Lansing.  She came and left pretty quickly due to the smoke-polluted air.  Knowing her now, I’m sure she took her inhaler out as soon as she exited the building.

In January of 2008, I took over an open mic in Lansing called Michigan Homegrown Music.  Throughout the two years that I was heavily involved a unique and close-knit community emerged from the laid-back open mic.  Kelly fortunately quickly became a part of this community.  It was through our mutual involvement in this open mic that led to us playing music in her living room.  We quickly decided two things: 1. That our voices don’t sound good together. 2. That violin might not be the best fit for my songs.  It seems that we were wrong on both accounts. We recorded our first E.P. and started playing a collection of awkward shows.  This has grown into what our music is today.

I am incredibly blessed to have had such a fantastic musician and friend join me for these four years.  Certainly, our music would be very different if Kelly had never been involved.  We’ve played some of the best shows and the worst shows together – we both can attest to that.  Both on and off stage, she has an impressive understanding of music and an incredibly joyful and people-oriented spirit.  If you’ve met her, I’m sure you haven’t forgotten her.  Needless to say, I greatly look forward to playing music with her for a long time.   Thank you Kelly “freakin’” Pond!