history

The amazing Falderal String Band started in Oklahoma City in the mid 1970s. By the early 1980s the band had established a reputation for "hard driving" performances. We drove a VW bus and it was hard driving anywhere. Here the band advertises its concert at a local club The Fret. The landmark pictured is the famed Graffiti Bridge. Shortly after the Falderal concert The Fret closed and the bridge was torn down. Of course the Graffiti Bridge was on Western Avenue in Oklahoma City........the boys have always preferred western ways. This is a brief history of the legendary band known for concerts, workshops, weddings, parties, movie appearances, salid tossings, classic models for Halloween masks, and background music for stationary escalators.

Hard Driving Performances! The two car band: Nobody had a car big enough for more than three guys and a fiddle. Alan's old GLC had a rusted-our floorboard making travel exciting.
The microbus days: The VW broke down several times, ran out of oil, caught on fire and was extinguished with a bottle of Diet Dr. Pepper. A reliable car is always needed for a working band.
The big van days: A Dodge Prospector provided no road to riches but did allow for more manly room and got us in touch with the minning heritage of The West. We could really dig that.
The little van days: Transmission problems infected the big van and must have passed it on to the little van(s). Maybe we are too shifty for this era.
The four door compact pickup days: Five grown men in a vehicle with a right-hand drive, no air conditioning, driving across Australia, burning out the brakes descending the Illawarra escarpment, and going the wrong way around a round-about was a narrow escape in the Land of the Big Sunburn. Australia: weird animals, bangers, great people, and wonderful music.
The Mexican low rider taxi: Try making concentric circles around Guadalajara looking for a motel reservation. Our Spanish was terrible and despite our frequent shouts of "Viva Jalisco!" we did not replace the Mariachis. When we introduced Dueling Banjos it sounded like Duela de Bano with or without the enye.
An official US Navy van: Driven by a submariner headed for Norfolk, Virginia. We helped dedicate the submarine Oklahoma City. It's still afloat! Or is it submerged? Think you are tough? Try a tour of a sub when they turn out the lights. Yes, we are afraid of the dark and water over our head.
A Model T Ford pickup: We were hot-footed parade marshals at Blair, Oklahoma one summer Saturday riding in a wonderful old Model T pickup with the temperature at 110 f. Our feet were blistered so we applied Sagwa. This was in the early days of recreating medicine shows when we met a real veteran of the old medicine shows. We listened. Our pitch has been improving ever since and our feet are fine today! However, the pitch of our singing continues to vary and we are forever dodging the Music Police and folks who just can't take a joke.