"Beer Dawg" and engineer remain close brothers

By Erin Gallup, Journal Staff WriterAn upcoming Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce mixer should be a blast, said Beer Dawgs guitarist Steve Wall, assuming his brother Randy doesn?t try to get on stage and sing a song or two.The 15-year band member chuckled as he spoke of his younger brother, who co-owns R&B Engineering, Inc. with wife Mary Blanchette Wall.?Randy and I are a year apart,? Steve Wall said. ?But we are very different people. I?m a tattooed, biker-looking person and he looks like a politician. I personally predict that he will either be the mayor of Auburn or governor of California in the next few years.?Randy Wall, who just finished his term as vice president of the Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce, said his company and Yamasaki Landscape Architecture are sponsoring the Brookside Grill catered event. It will be held from 5:30 to 10 p.m. July 13 in an alley next to R&B Engineering, 1161 High St.The Chamber uses such events to raise funds for community projects. Randy Wall said he uses the event to thank clients.The University of California, Davis graduate pitched the idea of hosting the mixer with the Beer Dawgs as entertainment three years ago to the Chamber and the group has performed at the event each year since.Singer, writer and guitarist Bawb Pearce is the original Beer Dawg. Andrew Browne plays bass, Otis Mourning plays the saxophone, washboard and percussion and Dave O plays the drums.?We do a very eclectic kind of music,? Steve Wall said. ?It?s mostly original and we have seven albums out at Tower Records. We play a mix of blues, rock, Cajun, country rock, funk ? it?s a little bit of everything except rap.?Randy Wall is a big fan of the band, of course, and said he wishes he?d stuck with the piano in his younger years.?I think it?s really tough for people to decide what makes people happy in their life,? he said. The 42-year-old Auburn resident says his brother did just that. ?He gave up everything to be a musician,? Randy Wall said. ?I have so much respect for my brother and the leadership he?s shown me in his life.?Steve Wall majored in psychology at California State University, Chico and worked in the field briefly before returning to his childhood passion: the guitar.Although he?s not a musician, Randy Wall has kept busy with his community service. He?s a member of the Auburn Rotary Club, city of Auburn Planning Commission, Placer County Design Review and Advisory Committee, Engineer?s Association for Nevada County and city of Grass Valley Design and Review Board.Lately, he has tried to spend more time at home with his daughters: Aubrey, 8 and Megan, 7.He said his wife retired two years ago, but is still active as the vice president of the company.The couple still likes to go to community events, and he said he enjoys the mix of people who attend the chamber mixer.?This thing called life is way too important to take seriously,? Randy Wall said.Tickets for the event are $7 for Chamber members and $10 for the public. For more information, call 885-5616.