The Sounds of (Near) Silence

Couple with 850-song repertoire won’t drown out your dinner

Geriatric Jukebox sings the songs of your life.
Photo by Rachel Pressley

It’s often been said that a message can be communicated more effectively with a whisper than a scream. That’s part of the philosophy of Geriatric Jukebox, a wife-and-husband musical duo that performs classics from pop’s golden era at venues across Western North Carolina, and does so at a comfortable sound level (the occasional kazoo solo notwithstanding). Jean and Alan Satz moved from New York State to Hendersonville seven years ago and quickly became immersed in the region’s open-mic community; that led to the couple launching Geriatric Jukebox in 2018. Bold Life caught up with them between gigs for a chat. 

How did you get started in local open-mic events, and how did that lead to your musical duo?

Alan: Jean and I sang in New York in a folk Meetup group. When we came to North Carolina, we got involved in a non-amplified round robin at The Black Bear. Then we took part in one at Jongo Java. Eventually the guy who was running it couldn’t do it anymore, so we took over hosting that for about a year and a half. When Jongo ceased to be a coffee shop, we moved it to The Black Bear, where it was [subtly] amplified. Jean got a chance to sing in front of a microphone. It took me 28 years to get her to do that! And we haven’t stopped since.

You have a repertoire of 850-plus songs. Do you know them all from memory?

Alan: No, no. We’re one of the few bands in town that embrace our mistakes. We tell people: “We’re the Geriatric Jukebox. We get to sit down, and we get to make mistakes!”

Do you ever fail to “read the room” and play songs that don’t go over with the audience?

Alan: It happens. A couple years ago, as a favor to a friend, we played to an older [than usual] audience. We didn’t have quite enough songs from the late ’40s and early ’50s. What we thought was applause was a guy falling out of his wheelchair!

Jean: He’s kidding!

Alan: I am kidding. But we were probably 10-15 years out of date with them; we’ve remedied that.

What’s the most unusual thing that has happened at one of your shows?

Alan: We specialize in Jean playing the kazoo, and, during “California Dreamin’,” she’ll play the flute solo on it. Unbeknownst to us, quite a few people brought their own kazoos to 305 [Lounge & Eatery in Hendersonville], and they played along with us. We actually give them out now; we buy ’em 50 at a time.

Tell us more about the band name.

Alan: We bill ourselves as the quietest band in town. We ask the audience if we’re too loud, because we’ll cut it back. We don’t necessarily want to be heard above your conversation.

What do you enjoy most about singing and playing together?

Jean: Somebody actually wrote on Facebook, “You sing the songs of my life.” It makes us happy — it’s like a ministry for us.

Geriatric Jukebox plays Echo Mountain Inn Restaurant (2849 Laurel Park Hwy., Hendersonville) 5:30-7:30pm on Wednesday, Aug. 3 and Wednesday, Aug. 31 (reservations required: 828-702-3613). The duo also plays 305 Lounge & Eatery (305 North Main St., Hendersonville) 5-7pm on Friday, Aug. 5 and Friday, Aug. 19; at Appalachian Ridge Artisan Hard Cider (749 Chestnut Gap Road, Hendersonville) 2:30-5:30pm on Sunday, Aug. 14; and at The Loft (111 Joel Wright Drive, Hendersonville, behind Haus Heidelberg) 6-9 pm on Saturday, Aug. 27. For more information, see Geriatric Jukebox on Facebook.