Welcome back to another issue of PA Musician Magazine. It may be winter, but the shows are stacking up across the state, so there is no reason to hibernate like some crazed grizzly bear. Get out there and enjoy the awesome venues we have across the area.
Coming up soon, The Facktory in Liverpool, PA, is hosting a fundraiser for the Little Buffalo Festival on April 20th at 5:00 pm. There will be an Open Jam/Open Mic, Silent Auction, Makerspace workshop, food vendors, and more! Mentioning it now because there is still plenty of time to get involved with this one, so reach out to mikemcg.littlebuffalofestival@gmail.com for more info. The Little Buffalo Festival takes place on the first Saturday in October from noon to dusk at the beautiful Little Buffalo State Park in Newport, PA. Free admission and fun for everyone. The park features an amazing amphitheater-style stage surrounded by hiking trails, a covered bridge, swimming pool, the old Shoaf’s Mill, and a lake for some fishing. Little Buffalo holds a lot of history and is a great location for a day celebrating live music and the arts.
For those unfamiliar with The Facktory, it is an old sewing factory turned into a recreation center. The 7,500 sq ft event and entertainment center is available to rent for your special occasions. It’s great for weddings, birthdays, reunions, receptions, and just about any other gathering where you need some space to have fun and relax. With a kitchen area, large seating area, surrounded by Foosball, mini basketball, pool table, and even a half-court basketball setup in the basement area, The Facktory has a lot to offer. For bands, the factory has a stage area with a sound system and is a great place to set up and do some stage practice. The Facktory is the brainchild of Brent Lesperance, who had a vision of what the old sewing factory could become and, through years of hard work, has turned it into something really special. If you have never been there and want to see if it would work for your event, stop by on April 20th and check it out. See the flyer in this issue.
There is a lot going on in February. The bi-annual music festival “Gettysburg Rocks” is on the 23rd and 24th. Be prepared for an action-packed weekend as the venues will be packing Gettysburg and the surrounding areas with bands to benefit the Four Diamonds, supporting children battling pediatric cancer. This is a big weekend for the Racehorse Tavern, and they will have two days full of music to benefit the cause including: Nathan Merovich, Lift Kit Band, Mama’s Horn, Blessed Be The Broken on the 23rd; Brian Griswold, Jonathan Frazier, Screamin Egrets, Bad Mojo, Decipher Life, Project 24, Gravy, and the Wyatt Becker Band, on the 24th. Check out the Racehorse ad in this issue for times and his full February lineup.
If you’re looking for something a little different this month, Reverb in Reading and the Sherman’s Creek Inn in Shermans Dale are both having a wrestling night with Midget Mayhem! on the 7th at Reverb and Micro-wrestling all-stars on the 8th at the Creek, along with a guest appearance by The ECHO Motorama Girls. Check out both full schedules on pages 2 and 3 and support the venues that work hard to bring in new bands and events to keep us all satisfied.
Look through the paper and check out all the other venues that are supporting the scene and give them some love. Sometimes a little trip out of town is needed this time of year to keep you sane. Thank you to the following clubs: Pappy T’s, Laureldale Athletic Assoc., The Eagle Hotel, 717 Entertainment and Lovedraft’s Brewing Co., XL Live, Union House. February is a tough month for small business, so get out and support.
If you would like to support this small business —striving to unite the music industry— give me a ring or text at 717-636-4203 or send me an email at joshnoll@pamusician.net. Or, I always love snail mail – send stickers and other bribes to PA Musician Magazine, 178 Andy Stroup Rd, Liverpool, PA 17045. Send $25 and a funny joke for a limited edition PA Musician Mystery Package. Jokes will be printed in the next issue. Take care and have a nice day! See you next month.