Happy to play on any stage

Gary Graf of Chaffee, Mo., didn't care that his band performed on stage before a small crowd in downtown Cape Girardeau Saturday afternoon.

For Graf, lead guitarist in the local band Richard's Nixon, the fun was in performing at the City of Roses Music Festival. Friends and other band members showed up to cheer on the group.

"We hadn't played in eight months," said the long-haired Graf, who moved here from Los Angeles and spends his weekdays working in a plastics lab. The band recently had to find a new bass player to round out the trio.

Graf said he's glad to be performing again. "Anything to get out of a real job," he said while enjoying a drink after performing on stage. "We don't consider ourselves artists."

Graf said he likes this year's music festival -- with its three stages set up on Water Street in front of the floodwall -- because it showcases local musicians and bands.

"That's good. That gives younger bands a chance to play," he said.

Graf's band -- one of 60 local and regional musical acts that performed at the two-day festival -- likes to play classic rock tunes from the Beatles and the Who. "We are more old school," he said.

A short distance from the Themis Street stage where Graf's band performed, Amanda Thornberry of Cape Girardeau created a chalk painting, drawing a butterfly on a flower. She was one of several artists who created chalk paintings on the asphalt street Saturday.

Thornberry liked the festival but didn't care whether the musical backdrop was classic rock or heavy metal. "It doesn't matter," she said, concentrating on her chalk painting.

More than a thousand festival-goers crowded Water Street Friday night, and organizers hoped for another good turnout Saturday night. By 7 p.m., crowds had started to gather around the three stages. Later in the evening, Cape Girardeau police estimated Saturday's crowd as larger than Friday's.

"At this point, we are really happy," said festival co-director and downtown resident Don Greenwood.

Most of the bands performed for free, he said.

This year's City of Roses Music Festival was put together by volunteers. The stages, as well as lighting and sound equipment, were donated by Shivelbine's Music Store and C.P. McGinty Jewelers.

Admission was free, although donations were requested.

Greenwood said he doesn't know how many people made donations, but he hopes organizers can retain free admission at future music festivals.

For Greenwood, the music festival is just another example of a revitalized downtown.

Greenwood, who moved to the downtown 25 years ago, said the area used to be a lonely place on weekends. Few people visited the riverfront.

"I would not see another soul," he said.

But that's no longer the case, Greenwood said, his remark punctuated by the sounds of another band playing on an outdoor stage.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123