Performance Times
| Venue | Day | Start |
|---|---|---|
| Zoetropolis | Sun | 1:45 PM |
Sporting Hill Bio
After working together in a band called Save the Ales, guitarists Dave Malone and Doug
Riley found themselves performing as an acoustic duo in the early 2000’s. In 2008, a St
Paddy’s Day gig at McCleary’s Pub in Marietta gave them the opportunity to bring in
Big John Eshelman on bass guitar and Jeff Coleman on accordion for added enthusiasm.
Having been impressed with the unique nature of a nearby hamlet, the name Sporting
Hill Ramblers was chosen as the band’s moniker.
It didn’t take but a year or so ’til the band was playing on a monthly basis at the pub.
Their repertoir expanded with covers of tunes by John Prine, Lyle Lovett, Lucinda
Williams, Tom Waits, Jason Isbell and rock classics, to the point that “The Irish” was
mainly reserved for the hallowed March event. But to keep the Celtic fires stoked, a “St.
Practice Day” performance was added at the half-way point on the calendar.
Through fog and flood the Ramblers played, and a regular crew would attend, like
clockwork, on the third Thursday of every month. Or was it the third Wednesday? New
songs were added and honed to a high degree of enthusiasm over the course of years.
Singers Bev Yecker, and Chris and Nancy Barton, would at times join the band onstage.
Summers would bring occasional private parties, and at all times the band was willing to
contribute to local fund raisers, often held down the street at Shenk’s.
Ah, it all seemed like a dream! One day the Ramblers looked around and nearly a
decade had passed. Big John began to feel the years on him in the form of cramps
jamming up his fingers while playing, and sadly had to retire. There followed several
years of this and the other bass player joining up before Bob Esbenshade agreed to play
on the regular nights and Dave “Dr Mo” Moyar for “The Irish” events. Wouldn’t you
know that just as that got sorted out the world-wide pandemic struck!
There were some lean, dry months there when nobody was playing in public, but the
band kept the spirits flowing, gathering in wintertime around a wood stove near an open
garage door. Masks on! When McCleary’s reopened the Ramblers were ready, and have
been filling the place with enthusiasm on the third Thursdays of the month ever since
with their unique blend of acoustic instruments and sweet harmonies.
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