Friday, Sept. 5, the Flying Bear will be hosting a live music event featuring bluegrass band Slim Pickings. Music starts at 6 p.m., all ages are welcome and there is a $5 cover charge at the door.
Slim Pickings is a bluegrass band, but doesn't quite have the traditional bluegrass sound as one may think. They play a variety of genres, all with a bluegrass twist, covering popular songs from artists like the Beatles and Bruce Springsteen, as well as traditional bluegrass artists, namely Bill Monroe. They are also more than happy to take requests from the crowd, if they are familiar with the song or artist. Even if someone isn’t a fan of bluegrass, Slim Pickings is likely to have something in their setlist that everyone can enjoy.
The band is made up of four retired friends who share a passion for bluegrass music; Dave Karinsy is the band’s guitar player, Tony Weadock is on banjo, Gary Lobdell plays the mandolin and Dave Fetherston is on bass. They are all from the Grand Junction and Fruita area, actually met at a bluegrass jam session, and decided they wanted to fine tune some of their favorite pieces from that. In doing so, they created the Slim Pickings band.
This weekened won’t be the first time that Slim Pickings has performed in the area; in the past they performed at the Nucla Water Days, and once before at the Flying Bear. Slim Pickings will also perform at this year’s Heritage Festival in Nucla on Oct. 4. — the festival that celebrates the fall season with heirloom apples, cider, and arts and crafts. The Slim Pickings band members especially enjoy events that bring the community together. Weadock recalled the band getting to have a jam session with a local group of young fiddlers before their previous performance at the Flying Bear.
“The Flying Bear is more than just a pizza shop, it’s a focal point for the community … and we all just wanted to experience that, and it was a lot of fun,” he said in a Forum interview.
He explained that the atmosphere created by the Flying Bear is the reason they are happy to come back and perform.
The Naturita restaurant owners, Nick Badovinac and Virginia Ericson, said they like to host events like this as often as they can. Last week in a Forum interview, they said they focus on community events that bring in locals and visitors alike: poetry nights, open mic nights and live music performances. They host their open mic nights every Thursday at 7 p.m., and their happy hours are on weekdays from 3 to 6 p.m.
Ericson said the Flying Bear has been able to cultivate a space created by, and for, the community. When it comes to hosting live performances of local bands, she said it’s one of her favorite things.
“It’s just a wholesome, simple event that brings everyone together,” she said.
Slim Pickings will perform out on Flying Bear’s patio, with ample shade as well as misters to keep the whole family cool while patrons enjoy the music. There will also be pizza and drinks available to order.
For more information on the Flying Bear, Ericson invites all to check out the restuarant’s social media pages: The Flying Bear Pizzeria at Naturita Bicycle Company, or their website: pizzabikesbeer.com. For more about Slim Pickings, the public may visit their website: https://slimpickingsgj.wixsite.com/slim.
