Left Hand Laurels - Michael Tomich and Patty Machen

January's Left Hand Laurel recipients are Michael Tomich and Patty Machen, who have a long history of giving back to the Niwot community.

During the months of 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak, Tomich and Machen felt that people desperately needed social interactions and to not feel so isolated.

As the owners of The Old Oak Coffeehouse, they could not let anyone sit in the shop, or even at The Emporium next door during that time.

They had the idea to have free socially distanced outdoor concerts as a regular summer concert series with the House Blend Band. The concerts have now become a summer staple.

The formula for the concerts is simple. The House Blend Band, made up of the two of them, Tomich's daughter, Paris Tomich, and a few other musicians, would perform on Second Avenue in front of The Old Oak. They would invite local bands to open for them and play during intermission.

They came up with the name "House Blend Band" as a play on words since they have always been the house band for The Old Oak Coffeehouse, which serves a house blend coffee. The band also consisted of bass player Andrew Bunin and drummer Joshua Thomas.

Several other musicians have also performed with the band, including Bob Cannistraro on guitar, and Greg Worthington on saxophone. Jonathan Machen, Patty Machen's brother, serves as sound technician.

For the upcoming season, there are a few changes. "Hadyn Peacock is our new lead guitar player," Michael Tomich said. "And tonight, we just solidified two horn players for this coming season, Lucas Haratsaris, a Niwot High alumni and currently studying saxophone in college at North Texas, and Zach Kaufman, who will be joining us again on trombone and is a senior at Silver Creek High." Tomich also expects to add a trumpet player soon.

Michael Tomich states on the band's website, "Our band is about the most eclectic group of people to ever assemble in the name of music." Their songs range from tunes by Chicago to Elton John, and from Fleetwood Mac to Roberta Flack, along with many other popular musicians.

The idea for the outdoor concerts on Second Avenue in downtown Niwot was supported by the Niwot business community, including neighboring establishments, while Tomich and Machen worked with Boulder County on logistical and legal details.

At the time, even the musicians were required to maintain a distance of twelve feet apart from each other. The following year in 2021, the House Blend Band concert series became an official Boulder County Special Event, allowing them to close down the entire block. They then received funding from the Niwot Local Improvement District as well for a stage and other expenses associated with the free concerts.

What makes these concerts special and unique is the involvement of the community. Music students at The Niwot Gig, a local music school program, have performed several times at the summer concert series.

"We continue to create community," said Tomich and Machen. They recently visited Niwot High School to speak to Wade Hendricks, Director of Bands at NHS, and his Advanced Jazz Band. There they invited any students interested in performing as part of the horn section with the House Blend Band to schedule an audition. They currently have two auditions lined up with students. "We want to be as professional as possible," they added, "but still have (the band) feel home-grown and focused on community."

Their community engagement doesn't end there. In the past, they have invited Niwot residents, including Diane Zimmermann, and employees of Old Oak, such as Noah Smith, to perform with them as celebrity guest stars.

Tomich and Machen both graduated from high school in 1984, Tomich from Fairview High School in Boulder, and Machen from a school in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Tomich then attended CU Denver where he acquired his teaching license, while Machen attended college in Texas. "Texas was kind of a hard place to be," said Machen, "so I had to escape to the mountains and fell in love with the Boulder area." Machen then received her master's degree in Special Education at the University of Northern Colorado and her teaching license.

They met while teaching in the Boulder Valley School District. They were married in 2015 and opened The Old Oak Coffeehouse together in 2017 - the same year Tomich retired from teaching.

The opening of The Old Oak is "completely Patty's fault," said Tomich. "She had a long day teaching and said, 'Wouldn't it be fun to open a coffee shop?'" From there, one thing led to another as she began looking for coffee shops for sale.

"We were so fortunate that this chain of events led us to this wonderful place called Niwot," they added, though they did admit that opening and running a coffee shop was actually very difficult when they started.

Drop by the House Blend Band free concert series this summer to see their continued love for community as they entertain Niwot with live music. Be sure to bring a chair and your dancing shoes.