Wow! June was a LONG month! And it’s still not quite over as I’m typing this. A lot happened in my life, and a lot of music was heard! It’s kind of crazy how much can happen in your life in just one month!
The month started off with a few Matt Jameson shows, and one of those was an awesome private party where Shine Delphi was also playing. Matt texted me while I was out delivering the mags and said get here and enjoy this show! I haven’t seen Shine in a very long time, and it was super awesome to hear him play again. Shine can put a smile on anyone’s face. The stories he tells while he’s playing are hilarious, and his laugh is so infectious! Shine is still cranking out original music! If you haven’t heard of him, or ever checked him out, do yourself a favor, and Google him now! Thanks to Erin and Steve, the party hosts for letting me crash the party! Happy Birthday Steve!
I actually didn’t even stick around for Matt’s part of the private party because I wanted to get over to Lovedrafts for iRock Radio’s 10th Birthday Bash! I was super happy to see how jam packed Lovedrafts was. I haven’t seen a crowd like that, there or anywhere, in a very long time. It was awesome to see so many people showed up to support Jay Hunter and the whole iRock Radio team. I made it in time to catch the set of Another Day Dawns. Jay planned an amazing super full day of awesome bands. They had two different stages, the main rockin’ stage and an acoustic stage on the patio. That was a great idea! I heard all of the bands were amazing. I can’t handle large crowds in such small spaces, so I didn’t stick around long! Congrats to iRock Radio on their 10 Year Anniversary!
Next, I zoomed over to Copper Pub to see Hank the Buffalo. My friend Cindy was working at the Pub that night, but that didn’t stop us, we managed to still dance a little bit! Luckily Megan and her hubby were also there to enjoy the show so I was able to hang out with them and listen to the guys play out on the deck on a beautiful Saturday night. Keara Rose from Whiskey Horse was also in the crowd and she came up and sang some songs with the guys. She has one heck of a voice! I actually saw Hank the Buffalo four times this month, and every time they had a different configuration of their group. They can play as a 3 piece with a cajon, just a 2 piece, 3 piece with full drums, they can add in keys, etc. They are very versatile and can fit it any situation where you need them! Their tag line they like to say Be the Buffalo, and I added in the line, if you can’t Be the Buffalo, at least eat the meat! Stephen found some Buffalo Jerky Sticks and brought some out to their show, so I could literally Eat the Buffalo! Too funny! It was actually very tasty! Also, a big shout out to Hank the Buffalo for joining the cool kids group and becoming an advertiser! We greatly appreciate the support.
Matt Jameson was back out on the train wreck deck at Flinchy’s, but this time it was for Sunday Funday. Flinchy’s recently started having music from 2-5pm on Sundays. It’s such a perfect time! Late enough so you don’t have to jump out of bed and rush around, but yet early enough you can still get home and mentally prepare for the work week ahead. Matt had the train wreck deck packed. It’s hard to believe he’s not back on the deck til September 11th! His schedule was jam packed til they were ready to break open their schedule book. He’s got plenty of other shows booked all over the place though. You can check out his full July schedule in this issue, or see all of his dates for the rest of the year and beyond on his website, www.mattjamesonacoustic.com.
One big event that happened in our family was my son Mason’s High School Graduation. He graduated from Central Dauphin High School. We are so incredibly proud of him and all of his classmates. It’s hard to believe my baby is now released into the real world. I can’t wait to see where life takes him and support him along the way! We love you Mason!
There is lots of live music and shenanigans throughout New Cumberland on the 2nd Thursday of every month. This Thursday fun started with Megan and Dave rockin’ out by the food trucks! It was a super hot night, and Megan and Dave were heating it up even more! They had a nice crowd of family and friends, and of course plenty of people enjoying the food trucks! Megan and Dave can play songs from at least 6 decades of music! They play such a wide variety of songs you just never know what they’re gonna play next! After I listened to their set it was time to walk to Wild Rabbit Pies & Pints for Derek Henry. On our way there we heard Neil McClain playing outside Moss Creek Art. Neil is a New Cumberland staple, it seems like pretty much every time I see him he’s playing in New Cumberland somewhere! After hearing Neil we headed in to Wild Rabbit for Derek. Wild Rabbit has a cool set up for music, food, and some fun with a game room with Pinball, Skeeball, and other fun games! When Megan and Dave were done with their show they even packed up quick and came to the WIld Rabbit to enjoy Derek and the air conditioning! Derek had a great crowd and everyone was packed in the bar area to hear the music.
On a Friday my night started early with a trip into Hummelstown to The 1762 at the old Warwick Hotel for Addi Grace. Her set started early so I swung in on my way home from work. Addi Grace continues to impress me. She’s just released her 2nd Original song, “Once.” Her songs are so well written and so catchy! Check them out on all of the streaming platforms. Addi’s stage presence and her song selection are top notch. Her shows are tons of fun, and something you definitely don’t want to miss!
Next I zoomed down the street to The Wharf for my first sighting of Morning Glory. Megan from Megan and Dave is their lead singer and I love her voice, so I thought I’d go check them out. Her band mates also sing lead on a few songs, so they were able to cover even a bigger variety of music. It was cool to see and hear Megan with a full rockin’ band!
The next stop was at Duke’s in Wormleysburg for Deep Space 90s. I haven’t seen them for quite a while and they now have a whole new line-up with not one, but two main lead singers, Mandi and MIchael. Both of them bring a crazy amount of energy to the stage! Plus their harmonies and the way they support each other through the songs is pretty awesome! Not to mention they still have Joe and Craig singing songs too, and filling in wherever they can. It’s one heck of a show and who doesn’t love the 90s!
The last show of the night was Flinchy’s for Hank the Buffalo. Flinchy’s has live music til 11:00pm on Fridays and Saturdays, so it’s a great place to end the night. It still seems strange to me that 11:00pm is the end of the night! Every now and then you can find someone playing til midnight, but that is very rare! Hank the Buffalo had the deck rockin’ it’s awesome to see these guys gaining so many new followers. Their stampede is growing! Again, check out their ad in this issue where you can see where you can go to join the herd!
Saturday I was invited out to Cape Carl to celebrate Keirstin’s Birthday! They hired Matt Jameson as their entertainment, and it was one heck of a party! It was my first river island experience. I can’t believe the full houses people have on those islands. It’s super cool! It was an absolute perfect day with friends, music, puppies, the river, and even a baby! Not only can Matt perform his solo acoustic music, but he can also play the role of a DJ, and host karaoke! He’s definitely become a one man party band! He’s been having so much fun doing the private parties! If you need someone who can do it all! Give Matt a call! Matt also shared his guitar with Jim Horn, the old lead singer from Deezle Church. I challenged him to crank out their original song, “Don’t **ck with a Hillbilly” and he nailed it. I was impressed! Happy Birthday Keirstin! Thank you so much for having us all out there for one heck of a party!
After a week-long asthma attack I was scrolling Facebook and saw that Michele was hanging out at SpringGate listening to music, and I decided to escape and get out of the house! When I got there Love Rocket was on stage. It was my first time experiencing the full band! Oh my goodness, it was SO much fun! Maybe it’s because of being cooped up for so long, but we were having a blast dancing and singing along! They played a lot of 90s music, and again I love the 90s! Love Rocket has been launching their way into people’s hearts throughout the midstate and beyond for a while now. If you haven’t seen these guys yet, I highly suggest that you do!
I had a long crazy Sunday Funday! It started with Wolf’s Brewing Company for brunch with Matt Jameson, then off to Appalachian Harley Davidson for some more Hank the Buffalo, then to Snitz Creek in Annville for Roger Bowyer. I haven’t heard him play for so long. It was awesome to hear him rockin’ his heart out! After hanging at Roger’s show for the first set it was then back across the river to LoveDrafts for Coal and Observe the 93rd opening for KemikalFire. Coal started the night off. These guys are getting more addicting every time I see them! All of their originals are very catchy, and quickly get people’s attention. Observe the 93rd did a great job keeping the music rolling and the people were captivated by their awesomeness! The last band of the night was KemikalFire. This was a 2-man power group! Taylor Carroll of Lit on Guitar and Arejay Hale of Halestorm on drums. Their sound is so unique, their harmonies, their singing, their playing.. It was all top notch, and made for one heck of show. It was only KemikalFire’s 2nd show ever, and they only had two more stops in this tour, but hopefully these guys find the time to keep creating together. Arejay even switched rolls and let Taylor take over on drums for a song! It was crazy! I’m so glad I squeezed this show into a busy day!
On a whimsical Wednesday I scooped up Zack, who is still home trying to figure out his van situation before he leaves for the Wild West. He left once, but was back a few hours later with car issues, I’m sure he will leave me again soon, and I can cry all over again. It’s tears of happiness and sadness. My baby is getting all grown up!
Our first stop on our tour was Fenderz Bar & Grill for Derek Henry. He does whatever he can to make his fans happy! He literally even sang “Old MacDonald” for a little boy that was eating dinner with his family! So cute! He of course also sang Pixies for me. We had our cheap smash burgers and fries, and then it was off to Sherwood Inn for some Crash & Cross. This was their first time at the Sherwood. Crash came down for a Matt show earlier in the month and sang a couple songs with Matt, and Michelle was there, and just so happened to have this date become available so she filled it in with Crash and Cross. When I got there people were already sitting through the bar wearing the new Crash and Cross merch! I was sad because my size was already sold out! Snooze ya lose friends! I was glad to see everyone loved these guys, because how can you not! They are also new advertisers, and you can check out their schedule in this issue. We are extremely grateful for the support and love! The last stop of the night was over to South County for Matt Jameson who had Colin Alvarez playing lead guitar with him. It’s always cool hearing Colin laying down the licks! South County are big Matt fans and he always has that place hopping! All in all it was a great night of music, and I’m glad I could spend that special time with Zack. I’m really gonna miss my Zacky Tiger!
Well that’s a wrap for this month. I’m literally gone 3 weekends in July, so you’ll see me bopping around during the weeknights. If you have a show happening Tues-Thurs in July, let me know! Email me at RachelRocks@pamusician.net. I also wanted to give a shout out to a few of my friends who joined the sobriety train! It’s pretty awesome when I hear the new Blue Moon NAs are sold out at Flinchy’s, or they are out of Guiness 0. It’s awesome knowing I am not alone! Have a great month everybody. If you see me Out & About please stop me and say Hi! And most importantly if you go see a musician, make sure you give them a tip! Or at least tell them Rachel Rocks sent you! Now get out there and Support Local Music and the venues that support them! Don’t forget to check out our website, www.pamusician.net.
