3. Just Another Band from Skidmore
3. Just Another Band From Skidmore (original release 1981- re-release 2007)
Come Dance With Me - I'll Remember You - Keepin' Score - When You Believe - One More Mountain - Young and the Restless - Christmas Day Is Just Another Day Without You - Sticks & Stones - You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' - Stoned On Sunday - Sons of the Pioneers Medley: Tumblin Tumbleweeds, Cool Water, Riders In The Sky
From the time they left college, and hit the road in 1973, the members of FESTIVAL were delighting and exciting folks, all over the United States and Canada. After recording their first album in Nova Scotia, and their second album in Minneapolis, FESTIVAL recorded their third album in Otho, Iowa, in 1981, as a tribute to their adopted hometown, Skidmore, a small, 100-year old town in Northwest Missouri. In October 1979, the people of Skidmore presented the Festival Family with the Key to the City of Skidmore, for its contributions to the community. The third album opens with three Dave Small songs, "Come Dance With Me", "I'll Remember You", an answer to, "Put Out The Roses"(on the 1st album), and "Keepin' Score", a musical comment on the plight of the rock musician. The Canadian influence comes to the fore again with Dr. Music's, "When You Believe In The Sound Of The Music", and, "One More Mountain To Climb". "Stoned On Sunday", was written by Canadian songwriter, George Brothers, a Nova Scotia entertainer. There are salutes to more of FESTIVAL's musical influences with Don's screaming trumpet solo on Maynard Ferguson's, "The Young & The Restless", and the Righteous Brothers', "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'". There is a re-visit to, "Stick & Stones", and, "Christmas Day Is Just Another Day Without You", showcasing FESTIVAL's musical maturity over the six years since their first album. After discovering that they had a mutual love for the legendary Sons of the Pioneers, FESTIVAL recorded a medley of the Sons hits, "Tumblin' Tumbleweeds", "Cool Water", and, "Ghost Riders In The Sky". Because of their independent spirit, their dedication to a life of freedom, and their popularity in the Plains States, FESTIVAL gained a reputation as the “World’s Funkiest Cowboy Band”. But, because of their high-energy show, their fun-loving party attitude, their musical precision, and their fast-paced choreography, they also gained recognition as “the Midwest’s Premier Showband”. It was just a matter of time before the rest of the country discovered FESTIVAL, and they would become known as, “the Big Band from the Prairie”, and “the Brass Band from the Grassland”, but they would always be, "Just Another Band From Skidmore".