Happy Holiday Season! So much to see, hear and do! It’s gonna be 2025 before we know it! November was filled with live music, almost every day of the week. We are so lucky to have so many musical options all around us.
I kicked off the month on a Wednesday with a trip to Wolf Brewing to see Dave Gates, who had a surprise guest playing with him, Colin Alvarez. Both guys switched off singing, depending on the request, keeping us entertained all night long!
After handing out candy to Trick or Treaters with Cindy I headed up to The Doyle for Dr. Nyce. He was celebrating his 3rd release, his version of “Tupelo Honey”. This song has a special place in my heart, because my Dad used to sing that to Mom all the time, but most importantly underneath a bridge along 443 when he was wooing her heart with his musical magic-ness after they first met. Dr. Nyce has all of his music streaming on all of the platforms, check it out, buy his merch, and support local music!
The next night I zoomed up to Liquid Noise for the 176ers Dueling Pianos. I met up with the “Funnel of Fun” and we had the place going crazy dancing and singing along in no time! Cindy and I definitely pump a certain amount of energy to every show we go to! I was sent the best meme this month that said, “Find a best friend that makes people say, OMG, there’s 2 of them!” That is definitely me and Cindy! We both love to dance and have a good time and our fun is contagious! And if we annoy you, I’m sorry.. but we aren’t gonna stop! At this show we even had a guy make us a sign on a napkin that said,”Great job girls!” The 176ers Dueling Pianos are so much fun, and since it is pretty much an all request show, you really have no idea what’s going to happen.
I left Liquid Noise early to head to the first benefit for Chris Rider and Wendy at HMAC. I made it in time to see the Groove Rebels rockin’ on stage. I caught a glimpse of the Groove Rebels at the Joy to the Burg event last year, and I was equally as impressed the 2nd time around. Next up were the Martini Bros. They are always one of my faves, I’ve always loved every one of their shows I get to see. It was awesome to see and hear they have released new music! I love their rockabilly grooves! The last band of the night was Suicide Puppets. The Suicide Puppets did a lot to get both of the benefits together for Chris and Wendy, and their dedication to making our music scene stronger doesn’t go unnoticed.
On a Saturday I headed to McSherrystown Moose for Imelda’s birthday and Matt Jameson’s show. The McSherrystown Moose is right down the street from the Bourbon Mill so after Matt’s show we zoomed there for Steel’s show. The Bourbon Mill has done some major renovations and they had a whole stage for full bands. It was awesome to see so many people there supporting this new venue and Steel. The dance floor was packed with people dancing and singing along. It has been far too long since I had the opportunity to dance and headbang with my friends!
It’s always awesome to have a busy Wednesday night! My first stop was at Zhaga Coffee Shop for Stephen Robert playing solo. Zhaga, in Lemoyne, is one of my new favorite coffee shops. Not only is their coffee amazing, but their food is fresh and delicious! They have breakfast, lunch, and dinner too! It’s awesome to have another cool spot for music and fun! I had the privilege to hear Marshall Stone play a song at Stephen’s show. I’ve heard many awesome things about Marshall, but it was cool to finally hear him. Hopefully there will be more live music at Zhaga because I really felt like it was a great fit for the coffee shop, Stephen did a great job at keeping his levels where they needed to be and making sure everyone had a good time!
After Stephen’s show I ran over to Matt Jameson’s show at Flinchy’s. It was my first glimpse at Matt in his kilt. Matt recently got into a sponsorship with Metal AF Jewelry, who not only makes amazing jewelry, but also sells kilts. Matt met them at the Children’s Miracle Network event, and always wanted to have a kilt, so it was a perfect match. Marshall Stone also came over to Matt’s show, so during Matt’s break I got to hear Marshall once again! It was my lucky night!
On a Thursday after an amazing Cardio Bungee class at Spinning Harts we stopped in at Sturges Speakeasy for Hank the Buffalo. Always a fun night seeing these guys rockin’ out. Sturges always gets a great crowd of people that love supporting music, so it’s a win/win for everyone! Hank the Buffalo has been adding in more original songs into their set which is also super exciting to see and hear!
Friday was a busy day, but it’s always worth it! After a long day at work for BRP Entertainment I headed to Hollywood Casino for their special Veteran’s Day night. Every part of the entertainment had a veteran on the stage. The Rumor Has it Band was playing in the H-Lounge, the DJ was Mark Stottsberry, and Penn Draft House had The Enlisted. I’m very thankful to all of our veterans, and it was cool getting to see them all share their other talents with us. After getting everyone settled at Hollywood I headed over to The DogHouse for Morning Glory. I only had time to listen to a couple songs, but I’m glad I caught them again because it turns out it was Megan’s last show with them. She will continue to focus on the duo, Megan & Dave. Next we bopped over to Underdogs on 22 for Jason Carst. We came in dancing and made his last set the party set for sure! Last but not least we zoomed over to Flinchy’s for the end of Hank the Buffalo. Our friends were there and we had too much FOMO so we had to go hang out for a bit!
Saturday night I headed down to Riverhouse for DMC Duo. I haven’t seen them since their big Josie Music Award Win for the EP of the Year for “Walk, Not Run”. Such an amazing win for these two, and having their original music get the recognition it deserves. Speaking of which, the nominations for the CPMAs are open until December 21st. Make sure you nominate your favorites, even if your favorite is YOU.
Next I zoomed to Copper Pub for Roger Bowyer. It was his birthday show, so family and friends were there in full support. Roger’s signature song is “Purple Rain” and I’m so glad I made it there in time to hear it. After Roger’s show we zoomed up to Shermans Creek Inn for Love Rocket. 90s music is my jam and we had a blast dancing the night away! It always feels good when the energy is already filling the room and I just get to show up and join in the fun!
The weekend wasn’t over yet, on a Sunday, Jimmy Jaxxx Shine Shack hosted a Salute to our Veterans with Vertical 4 Life. They had music all day with Jake Mach, Matt Jameson, and Cody Ross-Smith. I made it to the event in time to hear the end of Matt Jameson, and the beginning of Cody Ross-Smith. It was first time hearing Cody, who I’ve heard so much about, and I’m glad our paths finally crossed. Vertical 4 Life has really been doing a lot of great things to raise money for our veterans, you can check out their merch and donate through their facebook page.
I was able to catch Derek Henry and John Staz twice this month, once at Flinchy’s and once at Copper Pub. Both places we had a good crowd show up to cheer them on, and make it one heck of a party. At Flinchy’s it was awesome to get all the girls back together again. And at Copper Pub we had a nice, big rowdy bunch that kept us all laughing and having a good time all night long.
On a Friday night we went to Tequila Willies for Katz 22 Trio. Dr. Nyce was out on an East Coast Tour, but the rest of Katz 22 had no problem rockin’ without him. Tequila Willies was absolutely packed. It took us a little while, but eventually Cindy and I got people up dancing and having a good time. This was one of those shows people kept saying to me, “and you’re even sober!” hahaha! It doesn’t take alcohol to make me bring out my dancing shoes!
Saturday night we ended our night at the Doyle Hotel for Hank the Buffalo upstairs in the newly renovated dining room. They added in a nice big bar, on one end, and they already have the stage on the other end, with plenty of seating in the middle. It doesn’t really allow room for dancing, but we didn’t let that stop us. We quickly got a group of people up dancing and having a good time. Hank the Buffalo also had Slade Heller on cajon, and he even played some guitar during a break. Slade was a great addition to their show. He really filled it in, and helped take their party to the next level. It was awesome to see that dining room so packed! We need more rooms for live music in the area, that’s for sure! Downstairs at the Doyle is fun, but it’s just so small. It helps to have room to stretch out!
Another musical Sunday Funday, I headed out to Lovedrafts for the 2nd Chris & Wendy Benefit. Another full day of talent! I unfortunately couldn’t stay all day, but I did get there in time to see Lyndhurst, Hot & Dangerous, and a little bit of Cass & the Bailout Crew. It was awesome for all of the bands to donate their time and talent for these benefits, and I’m thankful to everyone who donated to their Go Fund Me. It’s awesome to see the music community come together. It’s also super awesome that Chris got a new camera, and has been able to get back to shooting shows to have a little normalcy in their lives.
The following week I was able to catch Crash & Cross out at The Doghouse. Crash had to find a new Cross since Damian had to move, but Dave and Wally have stepped up to play with Crash whenever necessary so the show can go on. When I saw them Dave was jamming with him. Crash has recently picked up the guitar and he’s doing an amazing job. It was a great show and I’m glad I got there for a bit!
On a Saturday night I was able to finally work my way down to the Racehorse Tavern for Stonewood. I absolutely love Shannon’s energy on the stage, and her voice is amazing! It’s so much fun watching these guys because they are another band that keeps their dance floor packed and everyone is already always having a good time! Jimmy has done amazing things for music at the Racehorse. Bands always have great crowds there. People know they have plenty of seating with plenty of room to dance and have a good time! I’m so glad I was able to get down there!
Sunday Funday started at Wolf’s Brewing Company for brunch with Matt Jameson. He had the place packed. It always amazes me how Matt can tailor his show to his audience. Wolf’s loves and appreciates his sound control for their quiet brunch, but at other shows, it’s full out party mode! Speaking of party, Matt will be celebrating his birthday with his first ever Livestream on Monday, December 30th. More details coming soon!! Also, New Year’s Eve Day he will once again be rocking Snapper’s! He plays from Noon – 3pm, so plenty of time to be home before midnight. This will be a ticketed event this year, tickets go on sale December 14th. Keep an eye on his Facebook page for all the details!
On a Tuesday night a trip down to Falls Crab Shack for Bob Patterson solo. When I got there I had the special treat of hearing Mike Eagan playing a couple songs with Bob. It’s probably been a year since I saw him play the last time. It’s kind of sad since he plays with so many different bands and plays so much with Ghost Light Radio Show, Nailed It Duo, Fell From Zero, and who knows who else! The guy is a maniac, all while still holding a full time job! We were having so much fun and sucked in a few new dancers! Falls Crab Shack is always an interesting time for sure!
The last night for this month was Thanksgiving Eve! Robin at Copper Pub snagged Matt last year to get this night on his schedule. He played an early show to a packed venue and we were all singing and dancing along. Then we jumped in the car and zoomed to XL Live for Observe the 93rd’s headlining show. I missed the previous bands, but heard everyone was awesome! Observe rocked the roof off the place! I absolutely love seeing Derek do what he loves! They also played some new originals! Again so much amazing music pouring out of our local scene. The crowd wasn’t completely packed at XL, but there were plenty of people there ready to party, and Observe the 93rd put on an amazing show!
Well that’s all the music for this month! December is packed full of birthdays and holiday celebrations in our family! I will be out and about when I can! Happy Birthday to my special baby boy, Mason Tyler! He turns 19 on Dec. 5th. Happy Birthday to my Mommy, and the Mother of this magazine, Robin Noll on December 18th, and her best birthday gift ever, Josh Noll, my big bro, and the boss of the magazine, celebrates his birthday on December 19th! I hope you all have an amazing final month of 2024.
Turn the page of this magazine, make a plan, and get out there and Support Local Music! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!
