Happy New Year! It’s the first article of 2026, I’m not sure what happened to 2025, but alas here we go.. New Year, More Music, More Fun, more shenanigans to come! December whipped by faster than St. Nick! I was all over the place, and still managed to sneak in a little bit of music here and there.
It all started after my delivery night at the Blue Sky Tavern for Matt Jameson’s open mic night. I made it early enough to catch the musical magicness of Matt himself. Most times I’m running late, so that’s always a plus when I get to see him work his magic at making everyone feel at home and getting them to sign up on the list! If you even slightly mention to Matt that you have some musical talent, or maybe that you like to sing, before you know it, you’re behind the mic! The next one up this night was Crash Acoustic. It’s awesome watching Crasher pull out his original music! I’m sure he will be recording these songs very soon! Next up was a special treat I haven’t seen in forever, ADG (Aaron Daniel Gaul), he’s been around the scene in various projects and on his own. It was cool to see him share his passion with the room. Another long time area musician and regular to the open mic was Bob Klein. He brought some electric shreds to the open mic stage! Again, ya just never know what you will see! Rob Davis continues to show up and hone is craft! His progress shows you what practice can do! Always a treat! Saint Eldred, Josh and Jordan played next. It was my first time hearing these guys. They’ve been playing in the area for a while. They play a mix of covers and originals and are ready to get some more gigs in 2026! Merve Music 717 rocked out a few songs for us! He also hosts open mic at Fratelli’s on Thursdays. I keep trying to get there.. one of these days! Merve is always out supporting everyone else, it would be nice to get out there and support him too! Ben Darrow comes to hang out and enjoy the music, but by the end of the night, Matt always gets him to play some songs for us. Next up was a nice surprise to hear Blue Sky’s very own bartender, Anne, come up and not only sing for us, but she plays too! It’s amazing how much hidden talent is all around us! Anne even stuck around for the jam itself! One of the best parts at the end of the night is the jam. I love seeing musicians come together and jam! As of now, the Wednesday open mics at Blue Sky Tavern will continue into 2026. The exciting news is that Matt will also pick up another open mic Thursdays at Ridge Run Tavern starting Thursday, January 22nd. I can’t wait to see who shows up to share their talents! I also have to give a shout out just to the people who come out to enjoy the music! It’s always cool to see people truly enjoy music as much as I do!
After going out to dinner for my baby, Mason’s 20th Birthday!!!!! I headed to XL Live for the end of Rock the Food Bank! Van Wirsing, The Jellybricks, The Swisher Sweets, Cold Spring Union and Amy Simpson & Dan Kibler all donated their time and talents to help raise funds for the Central PA Food Bank. Such an amazing cause when so many people are in need. There were probably more sponsors of this even than I even know, but some big ones were The River, 97.3. Susquehanna Harley Davidson, GameDay, and the Central PA Music Hall of Fame. I got there in time to hear the last few songs of The Swisher Sweets. Even though there are only 3 guys in the band, they filled the stage with their musical talents, and had people dancing and singing along! Next up was The Jellybricks.. (do these guys age?? I swear they look younger now than when I first saw them 15 years ago!) Anyway.. The Jellybricks might look young, but their music is new. They recently released yet another album. Check them out, check out their music, their songs are so catchy and cool! You’ll be glad you did. Last act of the night, Van Wirsing, the Van Halen Tribute band, took the stage last. For those that don’t know Glenn Hamilton from The River, is also the lead singer of this band! His hair was even styled like David Lee Roth, it was hard to tell them apart! Great job Glenn. It was awesome seeing you up there doing what you love! Thanks so much to all of the bands for donating their time and talents to this amazing cause! I know it’s not easy to take time away from your family and friends, but it is truly appreciated.
The night still wasn’t over, I zoomed to the Horn Pub for the end of 1st Friday with Hank the Buffalo! 1st Fridays have been rockin’ all year long at Horn Pub! The fans love it and always show up for this shindig! I heard Santa even showed up to this show! Chris and Stephen were rockin alone, and then all of a sudden Slade comes strolling in from another show, and mid song he just sets up his drum and starts rockin! These guys are always so much fun!! We had the dance floor packed and shenanigans were in full force!
On a Saturday night, Copper Pub and Grille hosted a benefit supporting “All You Can Inc.” It is a local organization that helps kids in need, right here in Harrisburg. They are a structured after-school leadership academy serving the Steelton-Highspire School District, 6th – 11th graders. They provide students with critical social-emotional support while equipping them with essential life skills and real-world knowledge. You can check it out for yourself and support the program at www.AllYouCanInc.com. Music was provided by Matt Jameson Live, Rob Rutz, and Derek Avalon. To add in the fun it was also an Ugly Christmas Sweater contest. This was the 13th Annual Event, and I’m so happy so many people came out to support such a great cause.
The next night I made it back to Blue Sky’s open mic night. I almost always take a picture of the sign up list, but this night I forgot! There were two younger ladies that met up at Blue Sky to perform for us. I feel awful for not catching their names, but hopefully they will be back. Their harmonies were amazing and they were so sweet! One star of the night was my very own Cindy! She’s been singing more and more, and I love seeing her confidence grow!
On a Thursday night Cindy and I were lucky enough to have musical choices! It’s a rare thing for a Thursday.. We started with a trip to Rotunda Brew Pub Hershey for Jason Carst Music. They had the nicest decorations and delicious seasonal mocktails too! Jason was supported by all of his family which is always nice to see. Cindy and I had a blast helping Jason create his set list for the night! Then we ended the night with Hank The Buffalo at Copper Pub and Grille with a special Thursday night show! In usual fashion Hank played longer than they were supposed to so we were able to enjoy a lot more of the show than we expected! What a great time was had by all!
On the 2nd Friday of the month, Matt Jameson, started with his new regular show at the Horn Pub! That’s right Hank on the 1st Friday, Matt on the 2nd Friday throughout 2026! It was a festive night at the HoHoHo HORN PUB. Matt kept us all singing, dancing, and having a good time. He was even crazy enough to give Cindy and I the microphone for a song or two!!
After celebrating Christmas with the family I stayed close to home and headed to Copper Pub and Grille for Roger Bowyer Acoustic Music. So glad to see so many of my friends were there! Singing, dancing, and having a good time!! It’s been quite a while since so many of the girls were all together! Roger also shared the mic for a couple of songs with Morgan Smith and Derek Avalon. I was also grateful that Roger played a little extra since none of us wanted the show to end!
The next day it was time to take my Soldier to his first Duty Station at Fort Drum, NY. I was terrified of lake effect snow, but luckily I was able to just take him up there, drop him off, turn around and head home, and managed to miss all the mess! I am sooo glad he is so close to home and we can visit him whenever we want! Just like when we all went back up there 2 weeks later to celebrate Christmas as a family. What a magical time! We are truly blessed. Speaking of which, if anyone out there reading this has an extra vehicle they’d like to sell a soldier for cheap, hit me up at RachelRocks@pamusician.net. He would love to get a car to drive around. If you don’t remember the story, his first car blew up on a trip out West, and his 2nd one was totaled in an accident before he got home with it! He decided to pocket the money and join the Army, so here we are!
Megan and Dave’s Open mic usually happens the first Tuesday night of the month at Copper Pub, but this month it was postponed because of weather, but I’m thrilled to report I was in town for the make-up day! I was able to hear my good friend Ricky Lee, sisters Julia and Kelsie Denne performed solo and also as a duo. As sisters, their harmonies are always magical. Julia Denne has her own music page, and has released two albums, and just recently released a new single, “Actor”. It’s awesome to see another young artist hitting the scene! Mike Gnall performed “Hallelujah” and Ernie Irvin was there performing his political songs. It’s always a little scary to see how people will handle his songs, but it’s a true sign freedom of speech is alive and well! Cindy and I jumped on the stage to bring our own Christmas Cheer and then Megan & Dave finished us off with some more amazing tunes! They’ll be back and ready to rock on the first Tuesday of the year, January 6th.
On Wednesday night, the girls and I got together for a Puppy Paint night! Jen Auxt of Bristle and Board took a picture of our pets and “Disneyfied” it, and then traced the pic for us to paint. It was so much fun and amazing to see how all of the pics turned out! Bristle and Board do a lot of paint nights all around the area at public places, or it’s also super simple for her to come to your house for a private party. She can help you paint pretty much anything! She also does special classes like Seaglass Trees, Hat Making, Wood Sign making, and so much more! Check her out and get a class scheduled, and before you know it you will feel like a professional painter too!
I finally had another trip to the beach with my sister and my Mom to celebrate Mom’s birthday. It’s been way too long since we had a girls trip and we had a blast! Then it was back to the grind. On a Thursday night, I headed in to Hank the Buffalo at The Sturges Speakeasy. The Sturges was all decorated for Christmas and Hank the Buffalo added in more lights and craziness, and Hank even had his very own Santa Suit! Megan was out supporting live music and the guys had her up for a couple of songs too. We always have such a great time at The Sturges. It’s a great place to go to support live music on a Thursday.
Happy New Year to all of my amazing friends and family! I hope the New Year brings you all good times with good people! I hope to see you out supporting live music and keep the scene alive in Pennsylvania and beyond. Don’t forget to check out our website, www.pamusician.net and like us on facebook.com/PA Musician Magazine.
