Gary Vruggink on Lead Guitar Corky Pals on Harmonica David Kinsman on Guitar Peg Alofs Becker on Percussion/Guitar Malcolm Smith on doghouse bass Joe Thortenson on Banjo
Our band Calico has existed for almost 20 years in various forms. Calico debuted at the Grand Rapids Festival for the Arts with eight members. Since then, members have come and gone and the style of the band has done some changing, but for the last five years, we have settled into a mix of old country, country gospel, and a little bit of bluegrass.
Of the hundreds of songs we now perform, most have been requests from our beloved audience members. During our first years together we often called ahead to gigs and asked for a "favorites" list and tried to incorporate those songs into our set. In that way, we learned many old favorites from generations that came before us. We want to thank the thousands of people who have been in our audiences over the years, both for their support and for their valuable input.
We usually have six members in our band with three guitars, one banjo, one upright bass, and one harmonica. All the members contribute to the vocals.
We primarily play old country, old country gospel, and a little bit of bluegrass.
We have so much fun singing, that the fun is contagious throughout our audience.
About our Gigs:
We usually play in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area, but our members come from all around West Michigan. We have played hundreds of gigs for thousands of people since Calico came together for the Grand Rapids Festival for the Arts. We specialize in playing for events such as Anniversary Parties, Western Nights, Country Pig Roasts, Employee Appreciation Picnics, Steam and Gas Festivals, Fish Frys, and the like. Band members, Corky Pals and Peg Becker also started a jam/open mic night at the Coopersville Farm Museum on the first and third Tuesday of every month. The Band gets very busy during the summer and have already started booking next year. We would love to hear from you.
