The Navy is into music in a big way and it’s not limited to the touring Navy band that plays a Christmas concert in Oak Harbor each December.

According to Click Music owner Avi Rostov, for many local sailors, music is what bridges the cultural divide. Take the bluegrass group that meets at Click Music the first Saturday of the month. You’ll hear spirited fiddlers, banjo players and more, belting out renditions of “Will the Circle be Unbroken?” and “Wildwood Flower,” among others.

“Some of these musicians have a connection to the South, or at least to that region of America where bluegrass is very popular,” said Rostov.

“If they’re transplants to Oak Harbor via the Navy, for example, there’s a longing for that familiar culture that’s now many miles away,” she continued. “Music is one of the best ways to reconnect with your culture.”

Former Navy airman Terry Hough plays the mandolin in the bluegrass group. Although he only started playing three years ago, he says it’s enriched his life greatly.

“It’s given me common ground with other people, beyond just the love of the music,” said Hough. “I’ve found bluegrass to be a very comfortable music style.”

In fact, Hough says he enjoys it so much he recently sold a pickup truck and trailer to cover the cost of a mandolin that he really wanted.

Another devoted bluegrass group member is retired Senior Chief Petty Officer and fiddle player Jim Johnston. Johnston says a friend of his in Port Orchard suggested he learn to play.

“I took a fiddle home and found it to be an enjoyable social experience,” he said.

That was 30 years ago. Now, not only does Johnston find time to jam with the bluegrass group at Click, he’s also an active member of the Old-Time Fiddlers’ Association. According to Johnston, their group covers four counties, and performs at nursing homes and other venues. Many of the bluegrass group participants at Click Music played an August event in Freeland to benefit WISH (Whidbey Island Share-A-Home).

That same spirit of outreach permeates some of the other informal music practice sessions. In June, the area’s largest cancer fundraiser, Relay for Life, called on musicians at Click Music to provide the entertainment.

“The Navy provided the sound stage and amplifier, and asked us to provide the musical talent for the event,” said Rostov.

“That’s one of the cool things about music,” she said. “It has a way of drawing people together, and encouraging communities to take care of their own.”

The benefits from that connection can end up touching many lives, said Rostov. She cites the case of one sailor at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.

“He transferred here, knew no-one, and was feeling pretty homesick,” said Rostov. “But he does know how to play the bassoon. Now he uses music to fill his spare time. He’s even volunteered to help mentor some kids who may show an interest in playing the bassoon themselves.”

Getting physical

For some local participants, their love of music takes them way beyond aesthetics. They like to get downright physical in their sessions, like the drumline group that meets on Saturday afternoons. Rostov said in some areas of the country, marching band is an activity that demands a high degree of skill and precision, something local drumline members at Click Music are keen on developing.

Monti Johnson Jr.,  of Oak Harbor, is one of these.

“I like to drum,” said Johnson, the 11-year-old son of former Navy Personnel Specialist Martha Richardson. “I really want to continue with this.”

Richardson said her son “has had sticks in his hands creating rhythm since he was a toddler.” He writes his own music, and has learned self-discipline as well as music appreciation, she said.

“I mainly desire that he not take his gifts for granted, and that he use them to encourage others,” Richardson said.

Scott Small, of Langley, is teaching and mentoring the drumline group at Click, which just started this summer. Having taught drumming for over 30 years, Small said he left a high-tech job in Bellevue to focus on his love of music and mentoring kids. In addition to teaching in Oak Harbor, he also mentors a similar group at South Whidbey High School.

Although the numbers in drumline are small right now, that could change, said Small.

“Right now, we only have one student who’s had actual marching band experience,” he said. “But the performance and competitive aspects of drumline, its synchronization, are a big draw for many kids.”

There’s no telling where the local drumline group could end up, said Small, as the state of the art of rudimentary drumming has changed drastically in the past 20 years. And while he has the drumming instruction side covered for now, he noted the future could well accommodate someone who desires to provide the marching drill aspect, or even something totally different.

“I’ve allowed myself to wonder if it might be possible to have a separate drumline just for Navy active duty folks,” said Small. “Or even a small, local Navy jazz band? Anything is possible.”

World flavor

There’s even an international flair evident in some of the jam sessions at Click. The ska music group specializes in that blend of reggae and jazz that became popular dance music in 1960’s Jamaica.

Fast forward to the year 2011, and you will hear the updated sounds of Skautomatic Weapons, a ska group at Click which recently put out its  first CD, “Skautomatic Weapons on Target.” Teens and college-aged students comprised the group, said Rostov, and since then, many of the group have graduated.

One jam session participant, Kevin Silveira, son of retired Navy Master Chief Tony Silveira, led a recent ska practice at Click.

“We’re playing in an assembly tomorrow at Oak Harbor High School,” said Silveira. Five other members, playing instruments ranging from saxophone to trumpet to guitar, were energetically performing “Popular Demand,” written by Silveira.

The young musicians have a range of aspirations as well:  Some plan to continue their music studies in college, one loves it as a hobby, and one even said she could see herself as a street performer one day.

Whatever type of music you are into, one thing is certain: Music jam sessions impart much more than merely music appreciation and skill, said Rostov.

“For example, if you’re in a group, how do you keep the group going, when people leave for graduation, or deployments?” she said. “How do you handle disagreements among members? These are life’s lessons being learned here.”