Bandella To Perform At The Palms Playhouse Next Month

Not very many people have played guitar in outer space. Bandella, a folk group performing July 14 at The Palms Playhouse has not one, but two such guitarists.

Chris Hadfield performed a version of David Bowie's "Space Oddity" on the International Space Station (his performance has over 38 million views on YouTube). UC Davis professor and ex-NASA astronaut Steve Robinson played his guitar on the Space Shuttle while weightless, performing for his crewmates.

And then there's Cady Coleman, who performed a flute duet with Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson-from outer space.

Bandella, a popular band from Houston TX, has been performing for over 14 years. They'll make their California debut with three astronauts, plus the spouse of an astronaut on lead vocals and a two-star general on stand-up bass who doubles as a NASA Flight Surgeon.

With acoustic guitars, jazz flute, inspired vocals, occasional banjo, and stand-up bass, these aerospace musicians entertain with a mixture of folk originals, re-imagined '70s/'80s folk/rock standards, bluegrass, and jazz.

Bandella performs on Friday, July 14, 2017, 8 pm at The Palms Playhouse, 13 Main Street, Winters CA 95694, (530) 795-1825. Tickets are $17; free street parking is nearby. Food, wine and beer are now available at The Palms; for more information, go to http://www.palmsplayhouse.com .

"Bandella was formed in a basement bar in Star City, Russia in 2003," notes Hadfield (Hadfield, Robinson, and Coleman all trained with the Russian Space Program, in conjunction with NASA). "We've played all over-- Kansas City, Star City, Canada, even linked from Earth while band members were out in orbit. And, of course, Bandella's played all over Houston."

The band personnel are:

Chris Hadfield is a retired Canadian astronaut and bandleader, singer, rhythm guitarist, and long-time folk musician. He recorded Space Sessions: Songs From A Tin Can on the ISS, which was released in 2015. (Here's the link to his YouTube performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaOC9danxNo )

Cady Coleman is a retired NASA astronaut and accomplished flutist.

Micki Pettit is married to an astronaut, and brings a big jazz-&-show tune voice to every show.

Joe Schmid is a NASA Flight Surgeon, Air Force two-star general, and stand-up bass player.

Steve Robinson is a retired NASA astronaut, Sacramento native, UC Davis professor, and multi-instrumentalist on acoustic lead guitar, banjo, and stand-up bass.

For over 40 years, The Palms Playhouse has hosted national touring bands, regional stars and just plain great music in an intimate setting. The atmosphere is casual. The venue moved from Davis to Winters in 2002; new owners Andrew Fridae and Nora Carey assumed management of the club in November 2016.