No Need To Be Good (Just Gotta Be Fun): Local musicians play music at barbershop jam sessions

Every Sunday at approximately 4 p.m., folks gather at the barbershop Hombre Hair in Cape Girardeau to play music, sing and enjoy each other’s company. They spread out in a large circle in the middle of the shop, some seated in barber chairs and others on folding chairs, giving themselves plenty of room for their instruments and music stands. One by one, they take turns choosing which song to play next, with the person who picks the song usually leading the singing. While the song selection is mostly country music, they choose whatever they feel moved to play, which often includes blues, rock, folk, indie or Americana music.

Gene Penny, guitar player and owner of Hombre Hair, starts the evening off with a song dedicated to their friends who have left them. For Penny, this community of musicians has been especially important: Throughout the past few years, his wife, brother, sister-in-law, two nephews and grandson have passed away, so these friends gathered in his shop have been a lifesaver for him.

“I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have these guys,” Penny says.

Paul Brown calls out the next song — “Let the Circle Be Unbroken” — so they can “get the religious service out of the way.”

This weekly gathering to share the love of music was started by friend Ted Blattel around 2006. He has since passed away, and throughout the evening, several songs are dedicated to him. A few stories about Blattel are also shared in–between songs, including the time his grandson asked the group if his grandfather was any good at playing music. Someone piped up and said, “He’s not that great, but he knows how to have fun.”

Jim Shandy, left, and Dean Percival talk in between songs as Bo Tollison looks on. Members of the circle come from all over Southeast Missouri to play on Sundays at 4 p.m.Justin White

Jim Shandy, left, and Dean Percival talk in between songs as Bo Tollison looks on. Members of the circle come from all over Southeast Missouri to play on Sundays at 4 p.m.Justin White

The fun and fellowship are what keep people coming back each week — and possibly the homemade wine. Dean Percival, the winemaker of the group, plays banjo and harmonica and passes out his homemade wine in Dixie cups in-between songs.

Fiddle player John Simmons shares the importance of socializing and continuing to play music as people age.

“Music exercises everything in your mind. And the wine don’t hurt,” he says. “The more you drink, the better we sound.”

Some of the group members play music several nights a week, joining other local musicians at various locations, but for others, this is their only opportunity to sing and play. Bo Tollison, a ukulele player from Malden, Mo., came to the Sunday gathering after inquiring at the Senior Center if anyone played music as a group locally. Someone asked what instrument he played and then helped him connect with the Hombre Hair group. Tollison says if he doesn’t come here and play with these friends, he doesn’t play at all.

As they continue around the circle choosing song after song — including Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Summertime,” Juice Newton’s “The Sweetest Thing” and “High Heel Sneakers” — it becomes clear this group has expansive musical knowledge. Fiddle player Jim New is credited with knowing the most about artists and songwriters, in part due to his work as a DJ for the local National Public Radio station KRCU.

Dean Percival plays banjo at Hombre Barber Shop in Cape Girardeau during a weekly jam session. The music circle started taking place in 2006.Justin White

Dean Percival plays banjo at Hombre Barber Shop in Cape Girardeau during a weekly jam session. The music circle started taking place in 2006.Justin White

The others scroll on their iPads or flip through their binders to choose the next song; while bystanders might assume they are flipping through sheet music, they are actually looking up song lyrics. Tollison says he has more than 3,000 songs on his iPad, and if someone comes in with a new song, they airdrop it to the group.

The modern technology adds a nice complement to old traditions. Penny reminisces about when people got together and played at friends’ houses and barbershops; he has continued to build on that tradition by opening his shop every Sunday afternoon.

“It’s been such a blessing for me,” he says.

It is evident from the laughter and camaraderie shared throughout the evening that this opportunity to sing and play is also a blessing for the rest of the folks in the circle.

A sign announcing the jam sessions sits in Hombre Barber Shop in Cape Girardeau. Owner Gene Penny says he enjoys carrying on the tradition of the music circle. Justin White

A sign announcing the jam sessions sits in Hombre Barber Shop in Cape Girardeau. Owner Gene Penny says he enjoys carrying on the tradition of the music circle. Justin White