Crowd Packs Sound Check for Dave Jones Scholarship Fundraiser

There is (almost) nothing as fun as a sax-a-kazoo solo for simplicity and musical fun. And no one can pull off a sax-a-kazoo solo like Cindy Knopf.

At the other end of the musical spectrum, how about the unbeatable sound and energy of a blistering guitar solo by Ryder Jones or the public debut of a new piano piece by Roger MacNaughton?

What do these musical events have in common? The full house crowd at Sound Check got to hear all of these musical treats and a whole lot more last Friday at the Dave Jones Music Scholarship Fundraiser.

Unlike most Sound Check concerts, tickets for this evening of musical fun were not available for purchase before the event so organizers had no indication of a potential audience. People of all ages filled the room and were rewarded with an evening of Lowell-based musical talent who gathered to honor one of their own, Dave Jones. As many of you know, Dave passed away last October after a fight with cancer.

To say that Dave Jones had a hand in the Lowell music scene would be a severe understatement. Prior to the show, we grabbed Dale Kropf and asked him about Dave’s impact. Dale, who knew Dave since they were both in elementary school, provided a wonderful fly over of both the strength of Lowell’s musical roots and the key role Dave played in it.

“We grew up together,” Kropf began. “His front yard was our football field. We both earned our Polar Bear badge in Cub Scouts together. We started playing music together in the junior high school band. I played the clarinet, and Dave was on the trombone.”

They started a pop music band, “The Minutemen,” and performed at the eighth grade talent show with their cover of “Over and Over” by the Dave Clark Five.

This reporter thought he had a decent grasp of music in Lowell, but a few minutes spent with Kropf dissuaded me of that notion. Back in the late ‘60’s, Lowell High School was the birthplace of at least a half dozen bands that performed regularly in and around West Michigan. Music fans will love the news that Kropf is working with the Lowell Area Historical Museum on an upcoming presentation there that will focus on everything he told us and more. You can bet Dave Jones will be a feature.

Kropf expressed concern over the cutting of funds directed at art and music.

“Art is huge. Music and art. Music is art,” he said. “It is crazy that they are cutting all of that stuff.”

This speaks directly to the motivation of the Jones family to honor Dave and, at the same time, provide scholarship monies to young people who want to make music a part of their lives. Pam, his wife and musical partner, was a driving force behind the formation of a scholarship fund as well as kicking the effort off with a showcase of musicians who worked with Dave over the years.

“My husband always nurtured our kids as they took up instruments and offered his time in helping friends of our kids; making an arrangement of a song to sing along at local talent shows, coaching them on singing or playing an instrument,” Pam told us. “My personal goal is to see this be a yearly event that will continue to expand and allow our youth to follow what is calling to their heart.”

She also was quick to mention how everyone she contacted was eager to participate in an evening of music to both honor Dave and to kick off fundraising for the scholarship. Pam began things with a few words of welcome, some great stories, and music. Pam and Dave have been members of the Lowell United Methodist Church congregation for years. They were in the praise band together and were both thrilled when Pastor Brad Brillhart helped guide the creation of Sound Check.

“There was a common love for God that we shared,” Brillhart explained. “My biggest memory of him was his gentleness and his kindness. And his consistency in that kindness.”

Once Pam welcomed the crowd and sang a couple songs, the audience was treated to an evening of music and stories from the many local artists that were impacted by Dave Jones and his love of music.

Cindy Kropf worked her magic along with Brian Adams, her nephew. Can you say “harmonies?”

These two are veteran performers and kept the audience on the edge of their seats with their song selection and relaxed approach to performing. They played a song Dave wrote back in the day, “Dear Grace,” and when it was done, Dale Kropf leaned over to tell me, “That was our first 45.” (Young people – please Google what a “45” is.)

The “other” keyboard player, Roger MacNaughton, took his spot at the piano and had some things to share about Dave. His generosity first showed when he loaned Roger his Farfisa keyboard for a gig back in the day. He toured with Dave along with Dale and Cindy – they all loved to play tennis and it came out that Dave was a much better player than Roger.

One of the many highlights of the evening came when MacNaughton played “One For Dave,” a piece he had written just for the occasion.

The audience was treated to another in the growing list of musical friends of Dave when Carl Andrews took the stage to add his vocal talent to the mix. He had everyone chuckling as he shared some stories and worked his magic. An evening like this demonstrated how impactful one life can be.

After a break, the audience was serenaded by Audrey Pearson, (she will be performing at Sound Check on Friday, April 11, as part of The Temperances). Audrey worked with Dave Jones at the church and also played a big part in the foundation of the Sound Check listening room.

Pam Jones returned to the stage and sang a song she wrote for Dave, “See Ya.” She followed that by an Indigenous song “Fly Like an Eagle,” after which she told us how eagles played a huge part in their lives. Her son, Ryder, accompanied her softly on the guitar and tossed in some vocals too.

The reason we mentioned Ryder playing softly is because he and his band The Full Five were the final act of the evening, and they tore the place up. Joel Udell on drums, Chris Riedl on bass and Sky Hernandez on guitar were joined by Mitch McMahon, a contemporary of Dave’s, on vocals. Their opener was a foot stomping romp by The Foo Fighters, and they worked the classic rocker “Crossroads” into their set.

If you have never heard Ryder let it rip on his guitar, then you need to put that on your list.

Did we mention that Pam told a story about how when Ryder was living at home, the house was filled with a never-ending stream of guitar notes as he practiced and practiced and…..practiced?

She told us how one night she and Dave noticed a decided lack of sound coming from Ryder’s room. When she went in to investigate, she found him fast asleep while still clutching his guitar. No wonder he plays like a wizard!

It was a fantastic night with the perfect combination of heart, laughter, faith, and an eye for the future of music in Lowell. We can only hope that it will be the first taste of what will become an annual staple. Pam was thrilled to report that the initial effort raised a little more than $3,000 for scholarships.

After the event was over, MacNaughton talked a bit about the importance of music in his life. This is why the Jones family’s goal of helping young people with music education and/or instruments is so important.

“For me, creating (and) composing music is something I MUST do, whether it makes money or not (these days mostly not, I don’t care),” MacNaughton related. “The same is true for many artists in all fields. We simply must create. That’s why I think it’s important to give every young musician who wants to learn their craft every advantage.”

If anyone missed the event and wants to contribute to the scholarship fund, checks can be sent to the Lowell United Methodist Church with “Dave Jones Music Scholarship” on the memo line.