Music jam sessions ‘are just fun’ : Community invited every second Saturday

SPENCER — As the name suggests, the “Ole Friends Band” is just that, a group of friends who have been involved in music for most of their lives and have fun getting together to have jam sessions.

The core group, which consists of Marie Norway, vocalist; Jerry Casper, vocalist and lead and rhythm guitarist; and Tommy Coble, vocalist and bass guitarist, are joined by other musicians as their schedule allows. Two of these are Joe Messick, vocalist and rhythm guitarist, and Clifford Gallimore on the mandolin. And there could be others, Norway said, depending on when they can come.

“We all have played in various groups playing classic country, gospel and oldies,” she said.

They have also shared their music in nursing homes and other locations or jammed at one of their houses. Now, they are gathering at the First Community Center, 215 5th St., Spencer on the second Saturday of every month and are inviting other singers and musicians to join them from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Country music is their main genre, but Norway said they would also welcome old rock and roll and gospel as they do a little bit of all that.

Or if people don’t play or sing, they are welcome to come and just sit and listen and enjoy the music.

The next jam session, which will be their third at the center, will be May 11. There is no cost and no need to RSVP. Just come and have fun, rain or shine, she said, and if the weather permits, they may gather outside sometimes.

Norway said she first got involved with the group when friends, Francesca and Johnny Foster, who she met in church, invited her to come to a jam session, about six years ago. It was there that she met the rest of the group.

When she was first invited, Norway said she hadn’t sung in years, “and I didn’t know what was going to come out,” she said with a laugh. “But they kept inviting me back, so I must have done something right.”

In 2021, the Fosters, Casper, Coble and Norway had the opportunity to cut a CD at the Crossroads recording studio in Statesville, which along with other tunes, included six of Norway’s original songs.

Others that participated in this project included Norway’s son, Dennis Norway, vocalist, and Matthew Weaver on keyboard.

Wanting to perform the songs and get them registered, she said she made a deal with the guys for them to come play and sing, and then everybody would get a certain number of CDs when it came out, along with a few good meals, she added, with a chuckle.

It was during COVID and the group would wear masks and sit apart from each other, but she said it was a fun project, and “I was honored to be in the studio with these musicians and friends,” Norway said.

Since that time, Johnny has died, Norway said, as she mentioned what a great steel guitar player he was and his wife is a great singer.

These CDs are available on Amazon and all major online distributors.

Norway also has a solo CD, which is available on YouTube and Amazon.

The group anticipates this continuing every second Saturday with some extra fun events happening in the future. Norway said they had talked about having a country dinner/dance at some point.

But for now, they plan to have the jam sessions and “hopefully we will get a good response and people will come,” Norway said.

Also at the community center and on the same date and times, a yard sale and toy sale will be going on downstairs to benefit the North Carolina Museum of Dolls, Toys and Miniatures, with proceeds going back to the museum.

“We just want to help them out and they help us out. It’s kind of a win-win situation,” she said.

The event is just fun, which is why Norway would encourage people to come and join them.

“We need to have fun,” she said.

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