Lakeport >> Bill Bordisso has never been more proud to call himself a Lake Countain.
On the morning of March 25, he and his wife drove through Cobb and rounded a corner to find a long line of cars parked at the entrance of Middletown’s Trailside Park. 400 people were there for one reason: the Middletown Tree Planting Project, an effort by the Lake Area Rotary Club Association to replant the park which was destroyed in the Valley Fire.
And when Bordisso and his band, Levity, were asked to donate their time for a Valley Fire benefit concert, it was with this same spirit that they agreed without hesitation. “It’s a community thing,” said Bordisso. “We’re just here to support each other any way we can.”
Levity will be performing today at Big Valley Hall in Lakeport alongside Double Standyrd, a blues and rock group from Ukiah. Proceeds from the concert will go to Hope City to help the organization rebuild so many of the homes that were lost in 2015’s historic fire.
“Groups like this giving their time, what they do, they build people’s homes, what else can you say about that?” Bordisso said. “It just makes you feel like it doesn’t matter who’s president.”
Levity is an acoustic folk-rock band playing light, carefree tunes, as their name suggests. Some songs you might recognize, but most you wont. The band prefers to perform lesser known numbers, often tweaking the songs to emphasize harmonies. And while Bordisso wouldn’t describe the group as a dance band, their repertoire is definitely danceable.
Seven Lake County residents make up the group. Bordisso sings and plays accordion, banjo, dobro, saxophone and guitar. Bill MacDougal is on the electric bass. On lead guitar and vocals is Tom Nixon. Janet Barrian sings and plays the mandolin and violin. Also on vocals, acoustic guitar and mandola is Doug Harris. Sissa Harris sings and plays the melodica. Henry Bornstein is the band’s percussionist.
If any of those names sound familiar, it’s because many of the members are active in the local community, and quite a few of them are former teachers. And though seven musicians seems like quite a large number for a band, they have so much in common that there are no tensions in the group. Their weekly rehearsals are a time to relax and have fun, not bicker.
It helps that they all have similar musical sensibilities. Everyone in the group favors folk and heavy harmonies. For Bordisso, it’s always been about harmony, even from his Catholic grade school days, when he took music class once a week. The students would sit in a circle and sing Row Row Row Your Boat. The song is essentially the beginning of a harmony.
“I call myself a harmony junky,” said Bordisso. “I really love making music with people more than anything else.”
It may come as no surprise that Levity isn’t Bordisso’s only band. He also performs in an acoustic trio called InVoice and the classic rock and roll group, Without a Net. In May, Levity and InVoice will even be performing on the same night in venues located across the street from one another. Bordisso might just have to run back and forth throughout the shows.
But he wouldn’t have it any other way. “I don’t know what I would do without music,” he said.
Sharing songs with an audience is also a highlight, especially when the crowd participates by singing and dancing along. It’s a type of energy exchange. But it’s actually been some months since Levity last performed. Their previous gigs took place in the fall of 2016 — the Kelseyville Pear Festival and the Lake County Fair. Lately, they’ve been busy putting together new material.
So today’s concert is the first opportunity to see Levity in a while, and all seven band members will be there performing. The concert takes place from 6-9:30 p.m. and admission is $10. Dinner will be available for $8, with proceeds going to Big Valley Hall. There will also be beer and wine, dessert, a raffle and a silent auction.
For more information, visit Lake County Fire Recovery Benefits on Facebook or call 278-7126.
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
