Miracle Mule Makes the SF Chronicle!

It was the morning of the Mules’ 1 pm Mothers Day Eve show at Brewsters in Petaluma when the band suddenly learned that their fearless leader, Geoff Mack, had just tested positive for Covid and would have to miss the gig. That set off a mad scramble. Keyboardist Dick Bay and drummer Jim Lehmann both also play in a blues band called PB & Jam, so Dick tried to line them up as a last-minute substitute, only to learn that their bass player had another gig. But PB & Jam’s guitarist / lead singer / band leader, Pete Bellak, was available and so was enlisted to step into Geoff’s very large boots for the afternoon. Pete knew most of the songs Dick sings with the Mules from playing them together in a previous band, and most of the PB & Jam repertoire was simple and/or familiar enough for the other Mules to follow. The primary challenge was singer Sandy Geller’s songs, but she’d had the foresight to bring Geoff’s Kindle, which contained charts for all her songs, so Pete was able to follow right along. And the result was an engaging mix of swampy-tonk and blues and a very fun afternoon. The band even had folks come up and say, “you all sound so tight — we can tell you’ve been playing together for years!”

This was the first Mules show that Geoff had ever missed in the band’s 12 and a half year history. It was also the first show in that time that was attended by a photographer from the SF Chronicle. The band had no idea he was there and so it came as a complete surprise to find their picture in the Chronicle’s May 26 article entitled “The Best Day Ever in Petaluma.“ But there, where their fearless leader should have been, was Mule-for-a-Day guitarist Pete Bellak. That will teach Geoff not to miss any more gigs.