Maurice Ghysels, who is just ending his tenure as superintendent of the Menlo Park City School District, performed live music with musicians Les Bloch and Greg Kennedy at Cafe Zoe in Menlo Park on Saturday, June 17.
Mr. Ghysels, who will soon become chief innovations officer in the Ravenswood City School District, was the band’s lead vocalist, in addition to playing acoustic guitar.
Mr. Kennedy played the acoustic guitar and sang backup vocals, and Mr. Bloch switched between playing electric guitar and holding down the beat on the cajon (a Peruvian percussion instrument), singing backup vocals as well.
In addition to playing rock-and-roll classics and a few pop tunes, the band showcased two original songs, “Blue Pill” and “What You Wanted,” that will appear on Mr. Bloch and Mr. Kennedy’s new album later this year.
Mr. Bloch and Mr. Kennedy, both residents of Danville, California, recently finished a studio recording session with their band, Ksay Baby, unaffiliated with Mr. Ghysels. Although the two have played together for more than 20 years, appearing on numerous professional recordings, this will be the first time they have written and recorded their own music.
Mr. Bloch and Mr. Kennedy are longtime friends with Mr. Ghysels, even performing music at Ghysels’ wedding. The three have played as a band for about a year, Cafe Zoe serving as one of their main venues.
During a short intermission, Kathleen Daly, the owner of Cafe Zoe, thanked Mr. Ghysels for all of his work in the community and with local schools. Mr. Ghysels thanked the people at Cafe Zoe for all of their support. “It’s really been a great ride and I did not expect this at all,” Mr. Ghysels said.
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