Sage - Press/Media

News: June 3, 2005

Concerts to return to Greystone Parks in July
By: Sarah Holcomb

Graystone Park will rock on Thursday nights again this July as the Almaden Summer Music Series returns to the park. The Almaden Resident is the presenting sponsor for the events, which will begin July 7.

"To put this all together, our main concern was our sponsor," said Vickie Sochocki, coordinator for the series. "It doesn't happen without a sponsor."

The bands scheduled to perform in the series are The Silicon Valley Houserockers, The Crew, The Hitmen and, series favorite Sage, an eight-piece band that plays covers of Top 40, R&B, Motown and Big Band songs, as well as a few original songs.

The summer series, which is organized by the Almaden Community Center Advisory Council, moved to Graystone Park from Parma Park last year because of construction of the new Almaden Branch Library and Community Center, which is adjacent to Parma Park.

Sochocki said she began booking the bands after her hunt for a presenting sponsor ended in February.

"After that it's a matter of contacting the bands and trying to fit into their schedules," Sochocki said.

"If you have your concerts during the week, [bands] will graciously perform for $500," she said. "It costs about $2,500 on weekends or higher. It's something they do for nonprofit organizations, especially if it's a weeknight and it's a practice for them with an audience--which they love."

Sochocki said booking the bands is the easiest part of organizing the concert series. "It's usually a yes or no answer and I only had one say no," she said. "Most of the time I've got bands sending CDs to me and I have to say no to them."

Sochocki said she tried to book bands whose music would bring back memories for the parents and would get everyone dancing.

"We're targeting music that parents of grade school children and seniors are going to enjoy," she said. "Our target is the families and the seniors."

Frank Anzalone, the keyboardist for Sage, said band members enjoy playing summer festivals such as the Almaden Summer Music Series.

"We like to play as many festivals as we can," he said. "We enjoy the open-air venue and the mix of ages have a lot of fun. We play songs that are enjoyable to listen to and to perform. There's a lot of a mix of old Motown and some new songs. There's a sprinkling of songs between the ages."

Anzalone said Sage enjoys the family atmosphere also.

"The summertime festival concerts, that's what the band loves because we see little babies up to grandmas and we usually get them all dancing," Anzalone said.

In addition to playing previous Almaden Summer Music Series concerts, Sage has also performed at various Almaden Valley community events, including a fundraiser at Graystone Elementary School.

"We've gone through many phases. We used to travel a lot, anywhere from L.A. to Alaska," Anzalone said. "Now we're centered in Santa Clara valley and it's a fun family atmosphere and we all enjoy that."

The Almaden Summer Music Series will be at Graystone Park Thursday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in July.