I believe that everything happens for a reason and happens when it is supposed to happen.  2020 was our 90th anniversary, and we had big plans. Well, Covid & Governor DeWine had other plans.  Quarantined at home and without any opportunities to perform in sight, I tried to make the proverbial “lemonade out of lemons”.  
 

These tapes have been in the back of my mind for close to twenty years.  I knew they existed, but how could I play them?  I didn’t have a reel to reel player.  Enter new technology and my IT specialist, Robb.  
 

I’m a mom to four kids--three of which were virtual learners, a piano teacher to twenty students, a wife, the manager of the band, the list could go on, right ladies?  When would I possibly have the time to devote to getting these tapes digitized and then catalogued?  Enter in the alternate reality that is 2020.  I asked Robb to find a place that would do the job. He delivered! We put bar codes on over 20 tapes, packed them in the shipping box, and said a prayer that they would get there unharmed.  Then came the part that I’m not good at.  The waiting.  4 weeks became 6 weeks.  Then 2 months.  Then summer was over.  Happy Halloween!  And finally, a link in our email with all the recordings!  Just like that.  So easy!  (The company sends back the tapes, so I still have the originals.)

I’ll never forget the moment I listened to the tapes for the first time.  I couldn’t figure out if the voice I was hearing was my Uncle’s, my Dad’s, or my Grandfather’s.  It sounded like my Dad, but could it be Franz Sr.?  I would have no way of knowing.  He died way before I was born.  But then, this feeling washed over me.  This feeling of “THIS IS HIM!”  I think my heart knew before my brain.  It was as if I was truly meeting him for the first time.  You can gather insight simply by listening to someone’s voice.  I was able to hear his laugh, his sense of humor, and the love he had for his family.  I was able to hear pride as he introduced the next song to be played.  It has been life-changing because I don’t have to rely on my imagination for the answer to these questions.  Now, my cousins and I have heard stories--to many to count--about this man.  It’s fair to say that we knew “of him”.  But unfortunately, how could we really know him? As I’ve listened to these tapes, I feel like I can say that I’m getting to know him.  The more I listen, I pick up on something new, some subtle variance.  And he becomes real to me.  
 

When I first heard the band, I was amazed at how the quality of the recording had not been compromised.  These tapes, some of them labeled (thankfully) date back to the 1950s!  These tapes have withstood 70 years of living in a box that was not in a climate controlled environment.  My expectations of sound quality were low.  I’m so thankful that these surpassed my expectations.  

As I listened, I was blown away by the clarity of the instruments. I could hear my Grandpa’s violin! That picture that I always look at--the one of him leading the band with his violin--it was coming to life before my very eyes.  The band was tight.  Musical phrasing like a poem, articulations precise and crisp, strong vocals, and an engaged audience.  I was transported to that performance.   I don’t know what I was expecting.  Truly, I didn’t think that these tapes would be able to withstand the environmental elements that come with seventy years in a cardboard box.  Boy, was I wrong!

I have to laugh because as I heard familiar songs, I would think, “Hey!  We do that version.”  I guess it was then that I had a “connect the dots” moment.  Of course we do that version.  WE are using the EXACT SAME MUSIC!  I knew this, but now this meant so much more.  These arrangements had been seen by the musicians I was hearing on these tapes.  They had clothespinned these songs to their stands.  They had shuffled through them quickly as the next number was called up.  These pieces of paper, which I now play from my IPad, have been a connection between my Grandpa and me all these years.  I’m appreciating these songs in a whole new way and they are relevant on a very personal level.  I have a sense of dialogue now between him and me.  These songs are timeless, and a common thread that links us.  It’s as if I’ve rediscovered the relevance of these songs.  They are much more meaningful and personal.
 

I can’t wait to perform these songs again for a live audience.  I never met my Opa. (I think that’s what I would have called him) 
 

But I TRULY feel that I get to know him on the bandstand in a new way that is more authentic and real than ever before.

​

Thanks 2020.  

​

For all your heartache you have provided me with an unimaginable love story and opportunity. Thanks to your technology, I can play my instrument with Franz Klaber Sr.’s Orchestra. My Dad and Uncle can sing with their father again!  Emily can sing with her great-aunt, the original female voice of the band!  Not to mention that little John and Franzie can play their instruments with their great-grandfather! It’s a dream come true!  I recently had a dream where I came face to face with Franz Sr.  We were communicating without words, but the feeling of gratitude was overwhelming.  I’m so grateful that he had the foresight to record the band at all these different venues.  I believe that he is grateful that his band is getting the listen-to that they deserve.

​

This is my family’s legacy.  

​

Here’s the story…

​

Erika Klaber, 2020

 

Fast forward to 2024.  It’s time. 

 

**When I introduce the band members at the end of a gig I always say that Robb helps me with everything.  We all laugh because it sounds so scripted.  But I couldn’t mean it more sincerely.  Being my IT guy, he knew exactly how to adjust the speed of the tape, boost the EQ, mix the recording, and other techie things that is NOT in my wheelhouse.  As I carry the torch of this band and prepare it for the next generation, I can't stress how important it’s been to delegate.  I don’t have time to micro-manage nor do I want to.  I once read that a good leader delegates, and that’s what I try to do.  

Robb has been the perfect person for getting the dust off these recordings and improving the sound quality.  He truly helps me with everything.

 

My Dad and Uncle have been invaluable in labeling songs, providing their backstory, and identifying musicians.  I’m continuing to thank God that they are here to provide these crucial details.

 

*A very special shout out to Charles Alley. Our paths might have crossed had it not been for 2020.  He was willing to take on the challenge of restoring even further these songs. He has spent hours (too many to count!) on stripping the age off the recording and bringing it into the 21st century.  He was able to boost volume levels of certain instruments and vocals and was able to auto tune my steel drum to match the pitch of the recording.  It was a learning experience for all of us–to say the least–and this finished product wouldn’t be what it is without him.  My heartfelt thanks to you and your family.

 

This project is dedicated to the bandmembers of the 1950s and 1960s that played on this recording. Especially to my Dad, his siblings, and my Opa, Franz Sr.

 

In my opinion, this song is the jewel of the entire project.  This is Mary Ann Klaber Keller (my Dad’s sister) playing the piano and singing.  What we were able to add is spectacular and exactly what I had envisioned.  I accompany her on my steel drum, and Robb added some acoustic guitar.  Emily adds her voice, and now we have both singers together! Franz Sr. was recording in their home on 3901 Benninghoffen St. (now physically gone).  They were in the living room at the piano that now sits in my Dad’s family room. I imagine that my Oma was in the kitchen. That sweet little boy that you hear is none other that Uncle Bill Klaber, introducing his big sister:)

​